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Here are some pictures of crotons I picked up at the11th Annual Fall Plant Extravaganza: This is "Andreanum".

- Saturday, 8:22AM: This was the fourth time the South Florida Palm Society has held their spring sale at Montgomery Botanical Center, and it seems to get better every year. These are the usual 'photocopy' of the booth I do after we finish setting up on Saturday morning. A record of what was brought and where it was placed. - Licuala peltata var. sumawongii grouping on the left, with a Heterospathe phillipsii in the center, and a group of 3 gallon Carpoxylon macrospermum on the far right. - The left edge corner of the booth went to the Kerriodoxa elegans gathering, with Dypsis canaliculata in the middle, followed by Red Sealing Wax Palms, Cyrtostachys renda, on the right. - The path that draws people into the booth and gets them hooked on the tables. That 10 gallon palm on the edge to the right is a Dypsis heteromorpha. Ryan

A neighbour called me a while ago and said that Sirinhaém had an important visit this afternoon: King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden stopped for a brief visit to the beach on their way to the neighboring municipalty of Ipojuca where they've visited a shipbuilding factory recently innaugurated. The Royal couple is staying at a nice beach resort in Muro Alto, 30 km to the south of our house and not very far from the hotel where Alberto stayed with his family last year. The newspaper reports that they both love drinking coconut water and appreciate very much the local plants, especially the palms (they must be relatives of Bo and Ciczi...haha). Queen Silvia (who is half Brazilian and lived her childhood in São Paulo) is a fantastic person indeed and she often comes to Recife on short vacations. My cousin Sérgio Lôbo is the commercial consulate of Sweden for the Northeast and he represents some companies like Volvo in our market, so he is often in touch with them during these visits. They're quite simple people and very interested in Nature and Environmental issues. From here they're going to the heart of Amazonia in São Gabriel da Cachoeira where they'll stay for the next weekend. I'm disappointed for not being in the other house this afternoon when they arrived at the beach...otherwise I would try to give them a couple of local palm seedlings for their glasshouse garden in Stockholm...and also send another one as a surprise souvenir for Ciczi...

... with his burn't fingers tucked under his armpit. Makes sense that Andrea keeps Jeff away from the grill back at the nursery!

- 7:50PM: That was one fine dinner, indeed. Thanks go out to Mike again for a great spread and for putting up with us crazy palm people. Towards the end of dinner, Jeff said "Hmm, let's call Matty and see what he is up to." With a few rings, Matty answered his phone and a coherent conversation almost took place. I think Matty was working in his yard on something, as Jeff bothered him with questions while Andrea held the phone. A few minutes later they called him again... - 8:12PM: It was the end of the evening and everyone was saying their goodbyes to Bill as he was flying home tomorrow afternoon. The tour at Mike's was a great way to put a conclusion to the Extravaganza weekend. Bill kept Jeff upright as he and Ron discussed a carry-over conversation from earlier. - 8:13PM: Everyone was leaving, so we had a few seconds for last minute photographs. I had to get a shot of Bill and Ron together before the evening ended... - ...and again with the Ranch Hand... Ryan --<

- 7:23PM: "Dinner's ready." With a few more turns of the meat and the inevitable flair up, dinner was ready to serve. The chicken and pork were very hot and went straight from the grill to the table. - To quote Anthony Bourdain, there's nothing like good food porn. The pork was well cooked and didn't need any sauce to go with it and was fantastic. One piece got a bit close to the flame and brought the fire with it to the table. Jeff saw the ignited pork and thought "I got this..." so he stood up, moved right in front of Bill, and extinguished it with his two fingers. [sizzle]... He forgot that fire meant hot... - 7:24PM: ... "AHH... Thanks for alcohol! ... thanks for alcohol!" Jeff exclaimed while running in place and waving his burnt fingers in the air before dunking them in his drink... - 7:25PM: Mike made it clear to everyone that the food was very hot, someone didn't get that message. Ryan

I use the palm/cactus mix and add extra perlite for drainage. Tossing in a handful of used coffee grounds or tea leaves would give a boost.

Palm snobs? I don't know why anyone wouldn't want a royal in Fl. They are native, self cleaning, really pretty, more cold tolerant than foxtails, hurricane resistant (though not so much as Sabal palmetto), and a way better choice than a queen if the climate is good. Of course, you've got people who also hate Sabal palmetto, which is a pretty palm if LEFT ALONE. When trimmed they are really ugly and terrible, but when untrimmed they are quite pretty. The dead leaves trimmed with orchids and bromeliads on the boots is something to behold in my opinion. Yep, the Royals are not seeding yet. I got two infructesences emerging but not opened yet on my only flowering one. The other is barren so far, 15 years after planting as 5 footers.

They all got planted and then some additional cultivars. I think I may be up to 66 different ones now. Then the cold weather beat the crap out of them. Well at least it killed all of the croton scale as well. Some budding is happening with the warming of the weather. Hopefully we will have an exposion of color to share in 30 days. Need to start pushing them with water soluble fertilizers! The moose is loose in the Spring!

Hi Meg, after seeing your home and garden it kills me to hear of your damage. Thank God you were able to save your lipsticks! Good luck, Peter

Hi Root down, Welcome to PalmTalk! As you may already know, a number of other Forum members live in "palm challenged" areas, so you should be able to get plenty of information and assistance. Aloha from the Big Island, Bo-Göran

In the front yard beside the driveway: Latania lontaroides Red petioles. Gotta love 'em

- 5:50PM: Its hard to describe these two photos, but let's say the topics of conversation ranged all across the spectrum. - 5:53PM: Bill thought he was back in California for a moment and had to walk up hill. - 5:57PM: This is 'Rheedii', one of the oldest croton cultivars dating back hundreds of years. It was agreed upon that this specimen was a great example of how good this cultivar can look. Ryan

Danger Will Robinson! Possible collision course with Stumphead status! That sounds like a proper warning status.

here Root Down - you are truly a sick palm person. Therefore, you have found the proper home here on PalmTalk, we are all pretty sick about palms on this forum! Welcome from another zone pusher! Kindest regards, Ron.

Warning Will Robinson!

Palm City's Nurserymen Sure-Gro Palm Fertilizer (8-2-12) works for me in Lake Worth Florida. That is the proper formula for Florida soils, a palm special with micronutrients. Ron.

So at the second warning or 66% warn status - would that classification be termed a "stumpy" ?

"Wooten's Beauty"

"William Jennings Bryan"

My favorite, "Tortoise Shell"

"Royal Flush"

"Robert Lavolois"

"Revelation"

"Red Foot"

"Raphael"

"Multicolor"

"Mrs. Snyder Disraeli"

"Kentucky"

"Green & Gold"

"Diane"

This is "Buddy".

- Many smiles and signs of contentment ran through the over-sized golf cart at this point. We were following the path, and were a stone's throw from the sales area. It was 2:20 PM, and we came across this large group of an Allagoptera species. There were quite a few of them, and all were brilliantly colored. - Patrick was thanking us at this point for taking the tour, and slowing the cart down so we could disembark. Off to the right side was this cluster of Dioon spinulosum, a great landscape cycad. They had a great overall shape from growing in the filtered light. Ryan

- These four photos represent two species of palms I was really looking forward to seeing again. I had remembered them from years ago, and I was anxious to see how much they had grown. First, was the gathering of Mazari Palms, Nannorrhops ritchiana, for which the center was famous for having in their collection. These palms are some of the largest known individuals outside their native range, and were awesome specimens. They had grown quite a bit from what I remember. Sorry for the foreground shadows, as we were moving, and the sun was facing us at this point. - The next clustering Mazari Palm, Nannorrhops ritchiana, further to the left of the one above. This one was pushing newly-grown inflorescence spikes, and looks as if it had been doing so for some time. - We turned the next corner, and came upon a small pond bearing the second noted species, Nypa fruticans, the Mangrove Palm. This palm is so unique, in more ways than one, and has always been a peculiar favorite among palm collectors who consider it a challenge to grow. These plants had grown considerably in the past 14 years. Those brilliant orange rachises stand out nicely from a distance. - One more parting shot of the Nypa fruticans as we left the vicinity, heading back towards the sales area. These palms were loving life, growing with the tidal changes, along with the mixed, brackish water. Ryan

The thought of that happening comes to mind more often than I would like. I carry a back-up battery setup just in case, no pun intended. Ryan

- As the cart pushed on to the next area, I took a parting shot of the nearest Attalea crassispatha. It is an elegant species for sure, and a very rare palm to boot. - We stopped for a short while in this particularly palm-dense area, and gazed upon a healthy mix of unique species. Here are the larger Sabal mauritiiformis I spoke of, with a robust individual in the center. It is a favorite among many fan palm enthusiasts. That persistent green color on the leaf bases is hard to ignore. Tucked in on the left side, is a lone Schippia concolor, and a Butia sp. just about makes it in on the far right side. - This tour was filled with firsts for this one palm nut. If one surprise wasn't enough, there was another one around the next corner. In behind the Sabal mauritiiformis, was a very interesting group of a newly described species of Syagrus. Featured in a 2004 issue of PALMS, Syagrus vermicularis has bizarre rachillae that look like freshly-made pasta noodles. There is a nice one in the center of the photo, with a few others in behind. Montgomery B. Center's own Dr. Larry Noblick discovered, described, and named this palm. Larry once mentioned, that in the wild, he could not find a palm with female flowers. Without this data, he could not finish the description of the species. He brought seeds back, germinated them, grew them up, and after nine years had mature plants. After all that, he then could finish his work on this freaky palm. - We left this species-rich area and headed towards Nell's House, the focal point of the center. This rather old and heavy-footed Ponytail Tree (Beaucarnea recurvata) poses for a quick shot as the cart moves on by. Ryan

- The meeting continues...with all the highlights being described in detail. It is amazing to me, even with my years as a society board member, all the work that goes in to making a sale work. SFPS President Bill Olson, positioned in the photo just under the tent, makes this point clear to all who attended the meeting. One detail in particular, was the reaching of the $40,000 mark in sales by Saturday afternoon. A feat not easily acheived by a society sale in a new location. - At this point, Bill turns the meeting over to the Executive Director of Montgomery Botanical Center, M. Patrick Griffith, Ph. D. He is towards the left of the photo, the one wearing the radio. He wanted to share with everyone his appreciation to the society and its people for creating such a wonderful opportunity for the center. Patrick spoke of how well the sale had run and been maintained, and the large amount of customers who had partaken on the center tour. He looks forward to future sales and events that will take place at Montgomery. - Shortly after a quarter to ten, the meeting had concluded, and everyone scattered. I saw the chance to take this photo of vendor #24, and Forum member Ken Johnson (Ken Johnson) and his son Victor, so I did. - Figuring I needed another photo of Ken in action, I asked for another shot of him in his booth. Here, he sits on the root ball of a Satakentia liukiuensis, and gives it a good hug. Ryan

With the arrival of the unexpected daylight savings time, Sunday morning began a bit later for some. It was no where near as busy or hectic as was Saturday morning, but still there were customers looking among the booths. - At 9:32 AM, this one customer in particular comes to look over the booth, paying special attention to the Verschaffeltia splendida that we positioned at the front. Another great photo that was not taken by me; but by Dominique Shim, grand-daughter of Dave Romney, who once again borrowed my camera. - A few minutes after the above photo was taken, SFPS President Bill Olson went around to all the vendors, inviting them to a late morning meeting. He is at the far left of the photo, walking towards the back of the sales area, with the other vendors in tow. - While groggy and sleepy, but nonetheless awake, vendors take their seats while el Presidente Bill Olson, on the far right this time, begins his meeting. It was interesting to have so many vendors in one spot. In most sales, this never happens, maybe only a few times in many years. From left to right: vendors' Leslie Veber (#65), Rick Johnson (#99), Jeff Searle (#57), Chuck Grieneisen (#13), Jody Haynes (#91), and Ken & Victor Johnson (#24). - The meeting focused on giving everyone the great news on how well the sale had done for Saturday. Bill talked about all the hard work all the vendors and volunteers had done to pull the sale off without any major problems. A wider angle showing the entire meeting was a natural shot at this point. The morning sunlight peeks through the canopy behind them. Ryan

Saturday afternoon begins to wind down to a close, as customers begin to grab their last minute choices. This is the last group of photos from Saturday. At this point, almost halfway through the weekend, I call this sale a success. It had already passed the monetary requirements for two days, in the span of one. Many questions were raised towards where the fall sale will be, from all the parties involved. This created some interesting conversations for Saturday evening into Sunday morning. We will have to see what happens until then. - Plant valet Travis Searle moves a large Bottle Palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, back towards the aisle where his cart lies in wait. Jeff Searle supervises the move. - After heaving the palm onto his cart, Travis follows the soon to be owner of the palm, Forum member Brad Evers (flskimmer) [red stripes] down the aisle. Brad talks with vendor #91 Jody Haynes [center-left, ponytail] about the palm he just got from him. Adding in on the conversation, is vendor Chuck Grieneisen (#13) [far-left]. Late Saturday afternoon is always a relaxed time at the sales. Many vendors take this time to shop some more in other vendors' booths. - It is now 4:11 PM, and the honor of being in the last photograph of Saturday goes to Forum member Dave Martin (Dave-Vero). He drove most of the day to get to the sale a bit late, but he still got what he came for. He is holding a 3 gallon Rhapis laosensis he had on his shopping list. We still had a few left in the booth. It was the second time seeing him in person, and Jeff and I were glad he came to the sale. Including Dave, I had an unofficial count of Forum members numbering about 13 or so who were at the sale this day. Ryan

...continuing on Saturday... - Just before lunch, I made my way over to the front tent to see how things were going, and see the flow of palms going out. The sale was organized so customers were funneled out through this tent, so no plants went missing. With the line of customers behind me, I shot this photo of vendors and volunteers working under the tent. On the far left, vendor #50 Faith Bishock comes over to talk with everyone, as vendor and Forum member Linda Apriletti (Linda Apriletti) (#84) takes her turn at the register. Volunteer Carol Olsen talks with vendor #31 Albert Livingston as volunteer Shane Tanner [center-right] pays for palms he had gotten. - Even if you don't know him, you would certainly recognize the hat. Grower, consultant, radio talk show host, Murry Corman sits and weaves coconut palm leaves and leaflets along side another volunteer. They made a wide range of items for display. - Back under the tent, vendor #50 Faith Bishock discusses many things with SFPS volunteer Lenny Goldstein. New arrivals to the sale look over packages of free palm seed to the left. The parking lot in the distance is quite full at this point, 1:40 pm. A small selection of palm prints were on display and for sale, hanging from the edge of the tent. - I took advantage of a short break in the action to get myself some lunch. After making my way to the food tent, I found SFPS board member Jeff Chait manning the grill as vendor #80 Tim McKernan adjusts the gas supply. SFPS Vice-President and Forum member John Demott (Redland) looks over the operation from behind the tent. On the far right, vendor #68 Rusty Brown serves customers in front of the tent. Ryan

- For a moment or so, I lent my camera to Dominique Shim, grand-daughter of Dave Romney, who took a photo of myself in front of the booth. I did my best to smile with the sun in my eyes, and with people making faces at me. - After gathering part of her stash, SFPS Board member and editor Sandra Farwell makes her way out of the booth and towards the registers. I had to run past her to catch this photo of her, over-loaded with rare palms. She had a great selection of species with her, from left to right: Pelagodoxa henryana, a 3 gallon Astrocaryum alatum, and a small Orania ravaka. - Checking on the sale, and how the transporters were doing, SFPS President and Forum member Bill Olsen (Bill Olsen) sits down for a brief second. He asks how the tips had been with Dominique Shim and Fiona Romney. When I was younger I did the same thing with a wheelbarrow, which I still have. I spent many of sales carting out plants, and it was fun. - Some time after lunch, I remembered I saw another variegated palm I had forgot to photograph. Around 1:26 PM, I trotted over to Chuck Grieneisen's (#13) booth to look for it. It is a well variegated Paurotis Palm, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii. We can only imagine what it will look like as it gets older. Ryan

- 11:13 AM, and at that time the sale is officially busy at this point. The sales area was being filled with the scent of BBQ, as the tent holding the food and drink churns to life. Stepping across from the booth, I noticed Forum member Tom Christian (tikitiki) discussing palms with vendor #33 Dave Romney. Tom absorbs quite a bit of knowledge from the revered grower. - I got an email mentioning from a forum member who wanted to see the award palms closer up. Here is a better view of the Licuala sp. 'Togu Budo'. The arrangment of the leaf segments is quite unique. It has four large segments, equally spaced with a fifth, thinner, trailing segment off to one side. Is there a species name for this Licuala yet? - The Dypsis onilahensis, shown slightly to one side. The bright white crownshafts attract a lot of attention. We needed a sign that said "Don't Touch". People didn't think the color was real, so they would reach up and rub it, taking some of the glaucous covering off. By the end of the day on Sunday, the crownshafts were almost green. - I was lucky to meet a pair of newer Forum members, who came to fill their vehicle with palms. Brad Evers (flskimmer) and his wife came with a printed copy of the sale booklet all checked and noted with species they were interested in. They took a few loads out before the day was done. Ryan

- Going along the aisle back towards the entrance, I came across a new vendor to the sale, who is also a Forum member. Bob Johnson (also Bob Johnson on the Forum) came all the way down from Orlando to put his palms on display. He had a great selection of tropical palms, including this Wallichia densiflora. - The sale was officially open at this point, so I made my way back to the booth. It was 9:47 AM, and one of the first customers I talked to was the Forum's own Tom Christian (tikitiki). He was shopping for himself and his neighbor, who he got this Caryota gigas (obtusa) for. Tom and his wife made a great duo for palm shopping, as they both liked simular species. - The sale was in full swing at this point, so there were many customers filling out the sales area. I turned around for one second and found another Forum member, Michael Feely (Mike4284m). He had found a Calyptrocalyx species he had been looking for. I tried to get a group photo of Forum members but I was pushing my luck at that point. All in due time. - While standing out in front of the booth answering questions, I took a photo looking down the main aisle. Customers were gathering palms up as they go. You can see the shade provided by some fairly large oak trees. Ryan

- A spread of cream coloration for any fans of variegated palms. Staying in Ellis Brown's (#68) booth, I found this incredible example of variegation on a Majesty Palm, Ravenea rivularis. This is just one leaf, and most of it was showing great coloration. - A view of the entire palm, with the morning sun bouncing off of it. Cream colored leaflets were found on every leaf, and the rachis and petioles had brilliant stripes. The flagging tape ment it was entered in the show, but it did not win an award. It was given a surprisingly great price, so it did not last long into the morning. If it had lasted a little longer, with a second thought, I would have nabbed it myself. - I thought the coloration on the petioles needed a second look, so here is a zoomed view of the leaf bases. Some of those stripes are very broad. - Following the path around towards the exit, I noticed this variegated Lady Palm 'Kannonchiku' in the booth of Steve Stern (#35). It was an estabilished cultivar, named "Ayanishiki"which means "Figured Brocade". Ryan

Before we knew it, it was again, the Saturday morning of a palm sale. After so many years, there is always anticipation. You go through your personal, check-listed copy of the sale list as you go through the booths. In addition, you are always on the lookout for the 'unadvertised special' as some of us like to call it. There was some minor odds and ends to do in the booth, then afterwards I went shopping for myself. We had about an hour or so until the sale opened, so I as I went shopping I photographed as well. - Starting to the booth next door to ours, I entered the selection belonging to vendor #68 Ellis Brown, a very good friend of mine from the old days. He recently returned to the palm sale 'circuit' after a hiatus of a few years. He had a great selection of oddities to choose from, and the first group to catch my eye were these unique palms. This is a group of Triangle / Teddy Bear Palm Hybrids (Dypsis decaryi X leptocheilos). - An added close-up of the crownshaft/leafbases of the hybrid. You can see influences from both the Triangle and Teddy Bear Palms. It is hard to see in the photo, but the leaf bases have a faint three-sided shape to them, in addition to the abundant tomentum. Ryan

With the pour of every glass of wine, the conversations got louder it seemed. Here are the last two photos from the pre-sale on Friday. - The last motion of the event included awards being given in five categories. They were Best Native, Most Unusual, Most Rare, Best Grown, and Best Overall, or Best of Show. President Bill Olsen had called everyone over to view the presentation. - One of the awards went to Show Chairman and vendor #80 Tim McKernan. He won Most Unusual for his very large Pseudophoenix vinifera. In addition to the certificate, winners also got a ribbon to hang on their winning plant. Pictures of the sale next time... Ryan

Yup, they sure are. Dug, moved and ready for someone's yard. Ryan

It was great visiting. The Montgomery staff did a great job of showing off the Center's magnificent collection. Montgomery's cultivated populations of palms of known provenance are enormously important for supporting research, horticulture, and conservation. Montgomery is able to develop and maintain its collections for the long term, and to take advantage of the variety of soil and moisture conditions on the site. Fairchild and Montgomery, between them, have more Attalea crassispatha (Carossier) than exist in the wild. This is the only American oil palm in the Caribbean, and only a couple dozen wild plants still exist in Haiti. I picked up a couple more Rhapis for my hedge to make the trash cans and air conditioning unit next door less visible from my garage. R. multifida from Tim McKernan and another R. laosensis from Searle Brothers. The visit to Montgomery was a reminder that many wonderful species of Copernicia are available from specialists and are well worth planting, if you have time. Some would be wonderful for sites where they're reasonably likely to be decently cared for over a 50-year period. Quite a few of Montgomery's original Copernicia baileyana are still looking great. Same goes for some of the Sabal species. Apparently S. causiarium at Montgomery is very slow to develop a trunk, too. So can someone provide a guess as to the species of these old sabals at Punta Borinquen golf course? http://www.puntaborinquengolfclub.com/

- Friday afternoon was quite different than usual, since instead of leaving, we all stayed for the members only party and pre-sale. Many vendors took their time and relaxed while polishing off their booths. It was great to see friends again, both new and old. Some of these people you only get to see a few times a year, so you need to enjoy it while it lasts. The booth was finished by this point so I decided to take photos, no surprise there. The view of the front table, featuring some of the rarest of the rare. We put the large Kerriodoxa elegans on the table to be different. - In the very front of the booth, two extraordinary palms are put on display for the palm show. Vendors were asked to bring show plants so judges might pick the winners of five categories. Jeff brought the showy Dypsis onilahensis (right) that he featured in his sale the weekend before. The rarity on the left is Licuala sp. 'Togu Budo', a palm seldom seen for sale anymore. - While walking around the booth placing the last cards on selected palms, I took this shot of one corner. - Not far from where I took the above shot, I ran into Sarasota, Florida IPS member Rob Branch. He was already doing some early shopping, and talking with everyone. He should be familiar to most of last year's biennial attendees, and even more to anyone lucky enough to be on the 'Green Bus'. Ryan

- Setup on Thursday continues with another view of Albert Livingston's (#31) booth, where some very large Cuban Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) await Saturday morning. - Need a bottle? A set of Bottle Palms (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) are just itching to be planted. - Susan Casey (#26) sets out her palms and points out some very root bound Cuban Petticoat Palms (Copernicia macroglossa). - Show Chairman and vendor #80 Tim McKernan talks with Jeff Searle as he writes tags for his plants. Ryan