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some of my rhapis excelsa

A spot of repotting for an afternoon of relaxing. You can’t beat the weddlianum such a beautiful easy palm to grow and germinate. So beautiful as seedlings almost everyone who comes into my nursery and doesn’t know palms always asks what are those palms there pretty and wants one, I tell them there the wedding palm and instantly a sale is made. This lot are destined for retail shops in my area in few years time they sell so good and there tough cool tolerant dry tolerant and very predictable in growth form. What’s not to love about a weddlianum a must for any garden, courtyard or patio. The lady picture is the parent plant me fine specimen.

Is it time for cautious optimism? Since yesterday evening GFS has been pointing towards an onshore flow next week to save Texas 😆. The GFS actually wants to make this nearly a non-event! The latest Euro is picking up on it too but not quite as optimistic (but much warmer than past few days). Local NWS forecast has also shifted up a few degrees since yesterday afternoon. Edit: I mixed up the timestamps but the general pattern is still there GFS Tuesday morning GEFS (ensemble)...southernly flow Monday night into Tuesday morning??? Cold front stalls somewhere around I-10 throughout Tuesday? The line holds through Wednesday AM? Is winter over???

Shame on whoever did that. Such petty vandalism.

Definitely one of my favourites. I have a well established Veitchia growing happily in Perth, Western Australia. It gets protection overhead from our hostile summer sun but gets winter sun during our wet, cold winters. Our soils are sandy so it has good drainage especially during winter. Must be the right position for it because it is always in pretty good condition throughout the year and flowering as the images show. I've planted several underneath hoping to make a clump of them at different heights.

It sure doesn't seem so at least around here. I frankly am not even aware of any mature ones in San Diego, although there must be one somewhere. Arecinas are pretty common, relatively speaking.

A glimpse of some South American palms. Wettinia hirsuita on the left and lower center, Iriartea deltoidea on the right with the horned spathes, and the ruffled leaves of Socratea center rear. Tim

An easy palm to grow the joannis. I collected these seeds in my home town of Grafton. I was very surprised find one that planted in Grafton it was in a business premises so the landscaper knew his stuff. It gets cold in winter in Grafton down to minus one or two degrees Celsius on rare occasions, another surprise to me I thought it would be a palm that was not cool tolerant. So a bit of asking the office lady and the seeds were mine free to a good home. So that’s this palm came to be in my collection. I gave most of the seeds away and germinated around 30 for myself to plant in my garden.

Here is my Dypsis nauseosa, not exactly the fastest growing palm, although I'm sure it will get there one day. Been inground around 8-9 years

Howea forsteriana are a LOT tougher than many people think!

Howea LOVE full sun in coastal CA!

Relax. This is nothing like 2021. The national weather service is predicting lows of 26F for San Antonio Mon- Wed of next week. I go with the NWS and not random weather apps. If that were to happen and we got nothing colder, it would still be a 9b winter. Even if they’re 5 or 6 degrees off it’s still an average winter of a low 9a. I get why y’all are scared coming off extreme winters but as of now this is run of the mill average winter minimum lows. We’re still on pace for a 9a winter, possibly 9b if it stays at the NWS predictions. Robusta will sail through with some bronzing and queen palms will slide through with some damage. Could it be 10 degrees colder than predicted? Sure, but right now the NWS forecasts aren't showing that.

Here is what is going there

Usually... and I must say 'usually'... a mild/warm PNW is bad news for the east coast of North America AND western Europe as well. I would say that 75% of the time that the PNW has above average temperatures, western Europe has below average temps. Of course there are exceptions to this rule however. I'm not 100% sure why this is, but almost certainly down to heights being situated in certain areas that favour mild air transport from the Pacific to the west of North America and cooler air further east down the line from the arctic, as well as kinks in the jet stream. Don't quote me on that as the explanation will be far from being scientifically/meteorologically accurate, but there is definitely a correlation between above average PNW temps and below average in western Europe. I have seen it far too many times, in both winter and summer. Often the PNW and Ural/Russia regions are above average simultaneously. Then the eastern US, western Europe and far east Asia are below average. Again, normally. An above average western Europe is normally bad news for the PNW. Not always the case however, but the back end of January is already looking a bit chilly for us here in what could be a below average month.

Hello my friend! no, they only get the sun in the morning, not in the afternoon, which is too strong here in summer, good news I also found 1 rhapis multifida alive in the garden, I had 8

Nannorrhops Ritchieana ( the Mazari palm ) Phoenix Theophrasti ( Cretan Date palm ) Roystonea Regia ( Cuban royal palm ) Trachycarpus Fortunei ( the Chinese windmill palm ) Acoelorraphe Wrightii ( Everglades palm ) Arenga Engleri ( Formosa palm, Taiwan sugar palm ) Phoenix Robelenii ( Pygmy date palm ) Butia Yatay Wodyetia Bifurcata ( Foxtail palm )

near üs some Trachycarpus fortunei. they are all looking good

Harvested a few kurrajong seeds from my tree in the garden. Very easy to germinate. Just put the seeds in a community pot and left them in the hothouse. A tough tree very tolerant of a lot of conditions cold, wet , dry whatever Mother Nature can’t throw at it. This batch will be given to friend who has a property in a tough environment as a house warming gift. He often looks at my garden and is amazed I offered to help him out when he builds his house with some gardening and plants, I think I have a couple of plants that will make his new house a bit more comfortable.

Here that neighbor would be liable for replacement and transplant of fully adult trees of the same size, and perhaps separate criminal charges. The trees wouldn’t be expensive, but the flatbed, crane/backhoe, and installation would. Those trees will never heal and are likely a fall risk now.

I just saw some stats on the January precipitation in Seattle and this year is very dry. Why do i mention this seemingly unrelated fact? The other driest years of similar level include the January in the years 1977 and 1985, among a few others. Many people here know those years well as the ones that were among the most impactful of freezes here. This January has a similar pattern without the crazy extreme, but could very well have been what the models were saying. Multiple cold shots instead of one huge one is also different, so maybe why its been so chilly is also why we have not been slammed with a monster. The forecast has moderated yet again, hopefully it eventually removes anything not perfectly liquid from all of Florida and spring begins after.

And take the neighbor to court to pay for it if you do have to remove them. Im dumbfounded by all the plant vandalism im seeing lately, its like the human race decided to collectively reject life in general, with exceptions of course. Or maybe we just tolerate bad behavior too much🤷‍♂️? I also agree about the leverage depending on height and other factors. And if they are a known threat you may not have the support of insurance covering it if they fall. That vandal is a horrible human being that probably knows fully well what they did, and the effect, and may act on it with litigation if given the oportunity. Im glad you have the video!

I drove through Waring yesterday and was able to photograph these big sabals again.

Agreed- when you have a bit of success, the feeling of achievement is very rewarding...the little failures along the way are part of the journey. If I lived in the tropics I'd probably want to grow apples!

With all this talk of arctic blasts, or polar vortex's, or snow bombs... whatever "pop" word we are using these days to describe these absolutely ghastly events I am reminded of past winter sowing projects from years past. So, as a break from the cold today - I took some glamour shots (more like unglamorous) of all my sabal seedlings as they've grown, many that have been sent to me by other IPS/palmtalk members. Apologies in advance for the absolutely crap photos - I wish I bad a better spot to photograph palms! urgh. First up is good ol' Sabal palmetto. This was a washed up germinated seed at Panama city beach after a storm back in August of 2019. Today it's a nice 5 gallon sized palmetto. Stays outside year round and has gone down to 10F and been fine. I think one of the frond petioles may have turned a little brown. .. Next up we have "Megatron #2" - sent as a strap leaf seedling back in 2022. Thanks @buffy. Also stays out year-round and has seen 10F with no real issue. I think it did have some minor spotting back in December of 2022 when we got nailed by that horrible cold but no real damage. The 2020 year was a guess at its germination date based on the size of the seedling. May be off by a year? Sabal blackburniana seeds came to me back in 2021 from @Chris Chance, most have been gifted away, but I did keep 1 for myself. This year it has been a battle. I've been fighting false oleander scale on this one pretty hard hence the beat up appearance. Im finally winning though! 😃 This one needs an up-pot this spring. Then we have the toddlers. 🙃 Sabal minors - Emerald Isle Giants, as well as just run-of-the-mill bluestem from florida, and Sabal uresana from @Silas_Sancona. . The Uresana's are the slowest growing sabal I think I've ever germinated outside of palmetto. good grief! 2 yrs old and still little guys. I wish my old iPhone camera captured the blue better. New phone on the way! Hopefully this serves as inspiration to those here growing seedlings. 😊

Low 20s will cause significant spotting and bronzing, but crown should stay intact. Below 20 will defoliate it.

This Palm is located in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, near the Jubaeas of Mission Bay. What is it?

Right on the coast there its rarely over 80 degrees. My place there in 08 had no AC at all and didnt need it. And plenty of clouds. Im not surprised it looks good, it may get damaged during extreme events but those are rare that close to the water. Our hottest temp that summer was 93 when Escondido was well over 100 and Ramona inland was 118! I was surprised at the span of temps, but its common to see that with the marine layer and hills creating neat microclimates there.

Jonathan, let’s hope that trend keeps up! I’d love a non-event!! My queen would appreciate not getting down to the teens as well because it will likely croak. I’m not going to protect it. Although I will protect my young robustas. Thanks for the optimism and spreading some hope!

Looking great...beautiful garden too. Cold is, of course, relative!

No frost but winters are relatively cool and wet with temperatures ranging from 8 - 19°C (46.4 - 66.2°F). There are occasional storms, characterised by downpours of rain and thunderstorms. We have had overnight temperatures during winter of 3-5°C but not 0. Perth is a very windy city so there can be a wind chill factor added in winter as there also can be a drying factor when windy during summer. Can be a fairly hostile environment so spend a lot of time creating a microclimate by grouping plantings. Have a swimming pool that also moderates temperatures for more tropical species planted near it. A lot of trial and error to find the right spot.

No wonder its lonely being so far away from home in Texas.

Give one a go Harry iam sure there are some getting around on palmtalk. Where I collected my seeds from it gets cold in winter there I would be confident in saying plant one with winter protection and see how it goes. Richard

I had a few spare adscendens in the greenhouse and a nice little spot in the garden for a group planting. There was already three mature ones in the spot so why not a group planting to accompany them. I think they look rather cute like little turtles running around the garden. Now all I have to do is plant the other three hundred I have around the garden!

I was gifted some red Areca seeds a while back and they’re progressing nicely. A few teething issues with rats and what ones where going to die regardless of what I do wright or wrong. But other than that there coming along nicely putting on a bit of a anthacynin show of of some nice red colour.

Maybe I need more leaves for Monday?

I don't think anyone here is imagining 2021. But just 1 single "mild" winter....even just 1 rounded numerical degree above average (let alone a standard deviation above the mean) would really help boost morale. Not ever having a back to back season for some things to really thrive and establish sucks. Where's the upside to 3 out of the last 4 annual winter minimums falling anywhere between 8-10+ degrees below average? Even the 4th was below average. Yes, the zone 9 palms will be fine but if this forecast holds it still feels ridiculous/cursed. Especially with the potential for ice. Ok end rant. Hopefully the forecast improves. If not, then next winter will be the mild winter. For the love of plants please let there be just one mild winter LOL. Don't stop believing and plant more palms! 😊🌴🌴

Big old branches fall off them very easily in strong wind and sometimes no wind at all. Many houses, sheds and cars get damaged regularly here but unfortunately we need them as food and habitat for the native birds and animals. The eucalypts native to my area are mainly skinny little ratty things that can't do much harm. Peachy

Yes probably April. I went ahead and pulled the plug on the mule because I was going to have to wrap it again this next week. I couldn't get anything high enough to dry cover it this year and it got wet in there from the snow and I had to remove the cover.

Growing nicely down here Richard. I love this species, tough as nails...got heaps of them!

Eucalyptus, specifically Blue Gum are very common all over CA, coastal areas esp... If you look at pictures from around Berkley or Oakland ..or the Santa Cruz area, Blue Gum will be what stands out among the view of various trees planted in each area, particularly some hillside locations. We had ( ..is still there ) a sizable stand of mature B.G's that i'd walk through every so often in my old neighborhood back in San Jose.. Many spots just south of Capatola ( Located near Santa Cruz ) where houses sit tucked between / below towering ..80-100+ ft tall Blue Gum as well. Regarding their flammability, look up " Oakland Hills Fire of 1991 " for a prime example of what you mentiond.. Aside from them, many CA native plants are fire dependant / produce highly volatile compounds that can burn with ease when ignited. Chamise, a bush that has a Rosemary look to it, esp. .. ..Those compounds are what gives " Chaparral " regions in the state their distinctive scent during certain times of the year. 99% were planted intentionally -for pencils, windbreaks, wood, etc by folks from AUS who'd come to CA during the gold rush, who didn't like the look of California's native landscapes / how the native plants look.. ....The " it isn't pretty enough for me " crowd.. Same mindset that has ruined many areas of Hawaii, among countless other areas... Thankfully, outside of the collection Boyce Thompson maintains, only see a few Euc. sps planted here and mainly in older neighborhoods. Speaking of Boyce, when the Telegraph Fire roared through that part of AZ a few years ago, Boyce's Euc. collection barely escaped being razed.. Knowing how large it is, seeing the aftermath of it wiped out would have been a devastating loss for the garden. Since the majority of it is located where the fire was headed, had their grove caught on fire, very good chance Superior AZ would have faced being completely wiped off the map..

Amazing that what looks like a neglected palm can look so good.

I thought joannis is more cold tolerant than arecina.

Mother nature is thankfully closing the door on all of this record cold BS. Positive territory AO baby!!

Been on a silver palm drive lately added 5 silver uresana to my collection and 3 decent size silver saws looks like I’ll see temps between 24-29° as of today

Crossing fingers I hope it will stay in the 20s . Would love to see my Robusta hybrid not defoliate for the very first time since I planted it almost 3 years ago. Thank you for sending me a detailed weather forecast.

Mine is safe in his pot in the shade house. I am not game to plant anything in this awful heat. Also the rain this time of year comes down so hard and heavy, even the big plants are getting knocked about. Peachy

Nah the owner, Peter Jenkins, is not on any palm forums and pretty old now. He’s probably got a lot more stuff growing in the back garden, but it’s not really visible to the public. A few folk have stopped by his place and snapped some photos over the years. I know the house on Google street view but the view is poor and the latest update is a few years back and has a removals van parked directly in front of the garden, obscuring things. Back in 2017 he had an already pretty large Washie growing out front near the Theophrastii (in fact it dwarfed the Theophrastii), but he cut it down because he thought the roots were going to damage the foundations of his house. If he didn’t cut it down, it would be one of the largest washies in London now given how quickly they grow in the capital. It would have survived the brutal 2010 freeze (along with his Theophrastii) unprotected, only to be chainsawed down around 2017-2018 as he thought it was damaging his foundations. 🙄 Summer 2017…? He is about 6’2 for scale.

The stems are very thin and I can’t believe none have been broken off. Tim

Nice one and in sunny Perth. Palms are rare in WA let alone an exotic one. You have done well to get a palm garden like that. Hard work and water have been your friend indeed.

I would like to solicit any advice from folks who have kept a Bismarck Palm indoors in a pot over the winter. My new Bismarck did very well in the original pot during the summer months and I have selectively removed leaves for a tighter structure and brought it inside in the original pot. It is now in a south west facing window and I would like to know about watering, fertilizing (I have a palm specific fert that I’ve been using) and what to look out for. I look forward to any help from the community and to discuss this amazing plant too! Jeff