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Here’s a double (formerly triple) in the front garden showing of some color.

It' s sunny today after two weeks of cold and rain, so I ' ll take some new pictures of my C. decipiens after arriving home.

I was over at Pauline Sullivan’s house ( now her grandson ) checking for seeds . I took this photo , looking up. Probably the parent to many Decipiens that are in North America. There are two very large specimens near the street. This is the largest . Harry I am 6’ tall looking up! I think I see a smile!

It was a beautiful autumn day wondering around the gardens. I only got to see a little piece of it with much more on display. Looks like a return trip is needed to see more.

Collorfull crownshaft of a Crysalidocarpus ( Dypsis) decipiens after old boot was removed today

I’m not sure whether it would be possible with Phoenix, but im confident it already exists within other smaller genera. Off the top of my head, there exists Howea belmoreana x forsteriana (or vice Versa) and there’s strong suspicion that Cyphophoenix elegans x nucele exists (assuming C alba and fulcita return to Veillonia and Campecarpus as has been suggested). I’d assume Adonidia merrillii x dransfieldii would be possible given A merrillii has been known to hybridise intergenerically. In any case, I’m not sure going down this path for any genus is likely to yield anything interesting, but there could be so much variability you’d never know. I’d guess in general you’d just have something that looks somewhere intermediate to all parents involved. For Phoenix it would take lifetimes of effort and would be difficult given that rarity of some species like P andamanensis. I’d suggest it wouldn’t be wise to dilute something like this in a hybrid.

@DonnaM welcome to PalmTalk! Foxtails are susceptible to cold damage anywhere close to freezing, especially with frost. Anywhere in the 30s could cause some leaf spotting that's mostly cosmetic. Into the 20s can cause severe burn or death, especially in a fairly young palm. To me that looks like some cosmetic cold damage. You can't "heal" the damage but a palm-type fertilizer will help it grow out quicker. Some good fertilizers are PalmGain and Florikan, though I tend to use cheap stuff like Sunniland 6-1-8.

Looks like cold damage. Mine had similar spots and marks last year.

More green in the center. Will plan to get them trimmed soon. Looking for some good fertilizer too.

In January 2020 I received my Mule Palm from MPOM. Over the last 5 years its grown substantially and now I am faced with a decision to up-pot yet again, sale it, or plant it. Of course I chose to plant it. A new pot the next size up would be about $300, and then what? In 2 years I'll be faced with the same predicament. This mule has endured the last 3 seasons outside since it's been too large to come in the house since 2022. The lowest we've been since then is 10F and its suffered minimal to no damage (granted - I laid it on the ground and threw a bed sheet over it when it got that cold). Otherwise it's stayed outside year-round. Now, before anyone comes for me about planting it (Yes, I'm in zone 8) my logic is that considering its survival and knowing its marginal palm here - I am willing to see what happens. Who knows, maybe we won't have anymore century level events for the next 100 years. *fingers crossed* Anyway, the predicament has been WHERE to plant it; the backyard is quite full these days. So, the decision to remove my Namwah banana mat was made yesterday, and plant the mule in its place. While I love my bananas, and they do extremely well here - the Namwah was the right plant in the WRONG place and was a constant pain to keep off of the fence, and off of the patio. Not to mention I have plenty of other varieties of bananas. I made the right move. After 9 hours with only a quick dinner break today I managed to somehow remove the established mat of namwahs, and excavate a planting hole for the mule. (word to the wise - do not plant bananas without intent. Be sure that's where you want them for all eternity and have ample room around them. Oh, and use heavy lifting equipment if you need to move them.... ugh😫) Post trunk chop from winter and now the heavy lifting begins... About 2.5hours into it and I'm questioning my life choices ..... QUEUE 200 LB POTATO..... After about 6 hours I finally managed to get the giant potato from hell out of the ground and dig out a 2 foot deep 2 foot wide meteor impact crater .... *notice the red clay - if you know you know* Once removed from its prison... er, I mean pot.... I had to do some root pruning/releasing. It was extremely root bound and swirling. Once the mess of roots had been freed from themselves - the rest is the easy part. To settle in I made sure to add plenty of plant tone and water in incrementally as I back filled the hole using a mix of seaweed extract, superthrive, and root stimulator water. Hopefully that will minimize transplant shock. Fingers crossed. I do expect to lose some of the lower fronds just from how aggressive I had to be with the root mass. Finally after about 9 grueling hours, sunburnt and bleeding .... Hopefully the Mule likes this spot as much as the bananas did, and I get to see some explosive growth. As per usual it will receive nothing but regular waterings with seaweed and unsulfured molasses water to establish the root/soil microbiome this season with no fertilizers for the next 90 days. IMG_0208.HEIC

Gonna wear a mask today as I head out this afternoon.. the sky is orange.. https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/03/weather/new-mexico-haboob-dust-storm/index.html

This is the problem with people using common names instead of the scientific names. Typically "Alexander Palm" refers to Ptychosperma elegans and "Alexandra King Palm" refers to Archontophoenix alexandrae (sometimes mistakenly called Alexander King Palm). The Ptychosperma has a thinner trunk, is less cold hardy and only reaches half the height of the Archontophoenix.

I’d say she’s referring to Archontophoenix alexandrae.

Wanted to showcase a couple of my Chamaerops humilis var. argentea. Slow growing species that does wonderfully under many different growing conditions. Nice blue accent palm for a smaller yard.👍 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Here’s an anthurium i got from ecuagenera last month at our orchid show. I forgot the name but the red “bloom” really stands out amongst the plants in the sunroom. Gongora fulva in bloom right over it.

Wood is slow to break down as well... Still have a few pieces i'd collected for Orchid mounts back in ...2008.

So many fine species to choose from. I'm fond of Garrya elliptica and Cupressus macrocarpa, but my favorite locally native tree is Umbellularia californica. Oily leaves, rich and lustrous green, emitting a pungent and peppery aroma when crushed that makes my scalp tingle. Photos are mine, some from Samuel P Taylor SP and some from a redwood grove right near where I grew up. Often seen as an understory plant in redwood forest, but a striking and substantial tree itself given the opportunity.

They are quite handsome, and as the link states, supportive to a vast number of species in the local ecology. They are also prolific and will sprout many acorns each season. They thrive in coastal areas where redwoods do not.

I don't see any issues with the health of that seedling. Looks to be a Washingtonia seedling, which produce filaments These are very tenacious but would perform better in a pot that's deeper that it is wide. This will outgrow it's container rather rapidly. This is my 3 year old seedling.

I see ups and downs in the temps for March. Check on YouTube for one of the weather geek channels. Those guys will look ahead a couple weeks.

Washingtonia in pots need a lot of water. I bought mine last January and was waiting to plant. I went around 3 days without watering and the fronds started browning off and it set them back a bit. When I planted them I realized there was virtually no soil in the pots just a giant mass of roots. The sagos are very forgiving. I agree with Harry I'd probably wait a couple of more weeks to see what the long term forecasts look like. Any freezing temps I'd throw them in the garage. I'm pretty cautious with potted plants though.

On a palm that size in a pot, less is more! I would suggest no more than a half a handful of Sunniland 6-1-8 or Palmgain 8-2-12. In pots I frequently use Osmocote, just because there's less risk of burning roots. If you use granular I'd do smaller amounts once a month instead of a bigger dose once every three months. If you are planting it, just wait until it's not likely to go below ~40F at night. Don't put fertilizer in the hole, but make sure you loosen up the soil around it. If you aren't planting it, stepping that up to a 7g would be a good choice.

I think they are the same thing. The one that says “Chelated” is an older bottle. This can be applied on the foliage or the ground. Keep in mind that these are only supplements and you should apply a regular palm fertilizer first.

I did contemplate leaving the wife behind for more space in the car. But you know a smart wouldn’t do that at all, now all I gotta do is go back and pick her up 🤣 Richard

So long as there is enough moisture to keep the palm from drying out and the soil in the pot. You should be fine . It won’t be that long before you will be planting them. Harry

Also, if you don't already have one, buy a rain gauge. Our spring weather (in the southeast ) is usually fairly wet so you may not need to do much watering at times. The hole in the bucket method is what I use. Now in the heat of summer and during dry spells, I have used around 20g (4 bucket fulls) at a time or so for bigger (mine have around 3-6' of trunk on them) windmills. That is in the summer though so you should not need near that much this time of year, not to mention the potential rainfall too.

Yes, I think suggestion is good. dear beauties grows 🤗😁

"Nice accent palm for a smaller yard" says the guy with the small yard with like 100 palms in it, many of which are huge.... 🤣

Thanks for the links, especially from Epicenter, much appreciated.

As promiscuous as these are it probably already exists lol

These and snow drops are indicators of an approaching spring season.

Here's some from last month at my place. These are weeds and I pull out tons after they flower, but just as many pop up the following late winter.

Here is a Pygmy Date palm in Little River, South Carolina Near Myrtle Beach About 3 miles away from The North Carolina border. https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8772979,-78.6225414,3a,44y,328.03h,83.87t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s33jq0Qephw86cPCdLesi1g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D6.134927216160818%26panoid%3D33jq0Qephw86cPCdLesi1g%26yaw%3D328.0295343765974!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

I always liked this huge Peltophorum dubium near town. Probably would've come back from 2021 but the whole place whas reno'ed a few years ago. Jacaranda can be done with dieback in cold years. Ceiba speciosa 100% can be grown here, several huge flowering examples before 2021. Plenty of big Ebenopsis ebano too. Cordia boissieri grows exceptionally well here. The City even installed some on Nasa Rd 1. Erythrina crista-galli is fine too Lots of options open up if you look at what has been grown before in the past few decades vs hyperfocusing on the last 5 years

It’s kinda buried under the Hummingbird Hibiscus but the bush went decidedly deciduous and there it is! Any idea about the species?

Encephalartos cerinus flushing in late winter. Counting the days until Northern Hemisphere spring begins. It is just 19 days away.

It's worth noting that California isn't the only state bothered by wildfires. South Carolina governor declares state of emergency as raging wildfires prompt mass evacuations Praying for you-all in SC! Don't be afraid to pray for us back. We'll all need it.

We have so many Washingtonia in Southern California that they have naturalized. Some believe they are native. I have had many just pop up in my yard as volunteers. Its abundance makes it unattractive to many but I like them. I was given a volunteer that was on a neighbors hill so I planted it . It is now very tall , I have it trimmed once a year . Harry Clearly out pacing any other palms in my collection.

It is a lovely garden and almost miraculous when one considers the location. A few people have mentioned the cost of maintaining the plants. I say spend your money on what makes you happy. Peachy

After the rats demolished some reinhardtia gracilis seedlings the usual casualties in mortality has happened. So time to clean up the old pots with the soil in them, for various reasons to prevent places for disease, weeds and bugs to live. If you leave them there you always water them for some reason automatically seeing a container and think I should water it. And just to keep things tidy and clean.

great story ! the world is sometimes small, even in a big city

These most recent fires have been an eye-opener for sure. Many of the really devastating fires in California occurred in more remote areas, and I often thought "well, I'm safe from that," living near the coast in a fairly dense suburb with lots of services nearby. Now it's clear there are no places safe from fire in California. The truth is my cute little 1941 kit house would burn like wadded-up newspaper if there were any serious fire nearby -- regardless of any landscaping decisions. The only decision for me, should there be a fire, is "which escape route is best?" After my experience with the volcanic eruption 2 streets away from my 2nd home on Hawaii Island, I have drawn a firm line between life and possessions. One is essential, the other is nothing. Having a list of Needs and secondary Wants to toss in a bag before One Last Look is my fire response plan.

My sister is currently building her retirement home in the actual forest outside Grass Valley, CA. It is completely off-grid, with photovoltaic panels, battery storage, a well, and septic tank system. The code requirements are incredibly strict. Fortunately she has employed a top notch, local architect. One of the requirements is that the domestic water system must include a large storage tank of several thousand gallons, with fittings compliant for use by firefighters. The house also has, (of course) a metal roof and 3 hour fire rated exterior walls.

I live in an area of Southern California that gets wildfires. In the 45 years I have lived here I have seen many, many from my house! A few years ago, I seen fire retardant drops from airplanes from my house! This year I am building a garage on my property. At the same time, I am replacing the siding on my house with plaster. The louvres for the attic and vents for my subfloor on the house and the louvres for the attic on my garage I will go with Volcan fire resistant products! Most of the houses recently that burned down started with wind driven ambers blowing into their attics thru louvers! There was thought put into what plants would be planted in the one very narrow planter I have against the house! 5 feet wide concrete on three sides of the garage, driveway on the other side. Bottom line it's not hard to make a house fire hardened! I will diligently fallow any evacuation orders given even after prepping the house for fires!!! Like Happy Palms posted, you can make it much harder to have your house burn down during a wildfire event! My thoughts, Randy

Yep, ^this will probably be the biggest long-term discussion priority... How do we rebuild? Where? ..how dense, or not? ..etc, etc... I will say that honestly, it's time to ditch using sticks to build with.. Agree 100%, clearing it won't mitigate " the dangers " .. When you ( ..and / or anyone else who would like to educate themselves on the subject ) have some time, the link below, published in 2020, is a GREAT intro. primer into Chaparral.. Link: https://lpfw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2020_Baker-and-Halsey_Chaparral-Conservation.pdf Regarding the invasives, various stuff like Wild Oats, Bromus < non- native species >, Chetgrass ..among several other annual " foraging " grasses.. are well established sps that were introduced decades ago.. Same w/ Fountain / Pampas grass, which have also spread into areas outside of gardens, and can be extremely flammable. Stinknet, aka: Globe Chamomile, and Buffel Grass are fairly new players locally, ...to some deg at least. Unfortunately, both are quickly marching west / north in CA., ...and locally. Inat maps: Regarding grasses, Here's an interesting side note many people probably aren't aware of... in the Sonoran Desert, both here and in Mexico, grasses are a major component of the overall vegetation profile. That said, before the non native stuff was introduced and began spreading around ( Many of the same species seen across CA as well ), if a fire started in say a Saguaro / Palo Verde woodland, in many cases, one could walk behind the fire as it slowly crept across the ground, rarely seriously burning anything except the grasses themselves / other seasonal annual stuff growing at the time the fire moved through.. Why? because the native grass cover is more patchy / thinner, and far less dense in coverage compared to how the non natives cover the ground in many areas after a wet spring now. W/ the non native stuff invading more areas, you're seeing much more destructive fires that kill things like Saguaro ....and Joshua Trees out there ....as well as posing increasingly serious threats to homes here and across other areas of the state where fires were never a serious threat, even if they occurred on the valley floors from time to time... Regarding rainfall, there may be a brief window for some showers in spots in the near future out there, ..but, don't get your hopes up for anything significant. None of the longer tern models suggest any hints of a major pattern change that would bring an extended wet period. Infact, Quite possible a big ridge may set up over CA and the S.W. by the start of Feb. ...What is showing up in the models right now at least.. For now, looks like another serious Santa Ana event is on tap for the start of the week. Daniel Swain did a very long and extremely informative Y.T. session a few hours ago discussing it, among a bunch of other related topics. Lastly, ..more locally, i'm already pretty concerned about what lies ahead come spring. We already had an 8K+ fire up on the Rim ( Horton Fire / Payson area ) that started ..in December.. Snow pack in most areas up north, ...and in the mountains to the east, and down south is dismal -at best- this year and likely will be gone by March if it warms up as quickly as it may next month.. If a fire can burn 8k acres, ...in the dead of winter, up in a part of the state that is typically cool ..often w/ at least some snow on the ground at times this time of year, that is not a good omen of what may lie ahead. Day #149 .or 150 since we've seen rain ..Anything significant anyway, even where it has " rained " around the valley since October .... It's a long haul between March and when Monsoon season begins, ...IF it this year isn't " Super Dry Monsoon " ...#3..

Ironically we face a housing shortage and an affordability challenge and some of the solutions to these push in different directions here. There are things that can be done with materials selection to better fire harden homes but it isn't the cheapest form of construction (arguably the initial investment probably pays off in the long run). Building more affordable housing requires higher density which gets plenty of NImby push back. I am sure there will be people on both sides of wanting to rebuild quickly and affordable housing while others will push for more fire safety hardened and expensive Building codes. One thing that makes sense in the most risky areas is keeping plantings a distance from housing structures. We can expect fire insurance will require this in increasing areas to reduce their risk as an insurer. It will be an economic decision. Clearing natural chaparall isn't an option without creating other problems. Look at the mudslides in Montecito after fires up there if one needs a refresher on that.. perhaps people not familiar with the topological variations here in California don't understand mudslide risks. Despite the dry conditions now, Southern California could still experience late season rain if the ENSO cycle shifts as predicted in Spring. Miracle March has happened before which would be another disaster in the fire exposed areas. I certainly hope we don't see any of the new invasive species you mentioned any time soon.

Harry your point is well made which is why it is important to push back on misinformation. Yes, we do have forests in California and many have burned in recent years (Paradise fire) and others in Northern California. Many of those burned on Federal lands not managed by the state. Can we learn from those experiences? Most certainly yes. The fires in Southern California have erupted in a completely different habitat, as you well know and Nathan pointed out. As our population has expanded we have built in zones that have increased risk. Some communities have been fortunate for decades despite being in high risk zones, but given enough time, luck can run out. Santa Ana winds are hard to understand unless you have lived with them. As far as clearing "forest floors" that abut residential areas in SouthernCalifornia, we need to educate on that. Nathan describes the chaparall accurately. If it were cleared like what occurs in fires, we introduce a new risk of mudslides and erosion when it rains. What is an appropriate buffer in 60 mph winds gusting to 80 or 90? Anyone telling you the answers are simple just doesn't understand that if the answers were easy they would be implemented. This is education, not politics. Armchair speculation without information leads to incorrect results, so let's share the information.

Found the "App" buried deep in my phone and was able to long on w/out problem. LOL

This is just a small, cute suggestion. I always see people's birthdays on the side and I wish I could say happy birthday to everybody individually, but I think it would be neat if the birthday tab would let you send a reaction, kind of as if you were liking a post or something, just as a simple way of making that tab more interactive and to let people know happy birthday.

Thanks Ando