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Areca vestaria sp.

Thanks for the info, Silas_Sancona. I moved out near the Fountain Hills area a few years ago from the Philadelphia/SE PA area to get away from the brutal northeast winters and have no regrets. Being able to see palm trees all over is a great feeling. As for the most recent chilly weather, I got down to 34F on Friday morning and had a little frost on top of my vehicle but nothing on any of the plants/foliage. Also had a couple buckets of rainwater that did NOT have any ice form. I've been lurking around this site on and off for a little while and as a weather and palm junkie, I appreciate the info everyone provides. I'm in a cool microclimate (9b/10a) but if anyone is trying to grow a cocos nucifera around here, the higher areas of Fountain Hills down through Shea Blvd toward Frank Lloyd Wright is a very warm microclimate (likely 10a/10b based on my personal observations). This area is routinely 5-10F warmer than the surrounding areas during the coldest parts of the day. I'm still learning about the nuances of the low desert southwest climate as it's obviously very different than the northeast but so far I find it to be quite interesting.

I've not shared anything with you folks before, simply because I haven't had anything to offer. I was not born with a passion for palms. We (my wife and I) fell into this peculiar and fascinating world quite by chance. Like anything, the more you learn, the more interesting things become. That said, all we have to offer you is our experience managing a legacy garden. Irene & I bought Casa de Las Palmas on Hawaii Island in 2017. The garden was the tropical fantasy world of the late San Diego nurseryman Jerry Hunter. Mr. Hunter was successful. He’d started his company in the 1950's, and was the 33rd licensed Landscape Architect in California. He'd been involved with the design of San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Balboa Botanical Gardens, among many others. He had the first tissue culture lab in Southern California. His parents had been the go-to people on the west coast for begonias. He was essentially American plant royalty. He figured out that if he grew his tropicals in Hawaii and shipped them to California, he'd be ahead of the competition. He built a nursery in Hilo and bought the land for Casa de Las Palmas. It would serve as his home away from home, and as a showroom for his wealthy clients. Construction of the garden began in 1981 on almost seven acres of upland pasture. The volcanic clay soil was not suitable for planting juvenile plants, so untold tons of cinder and rock were brought in, and the landscape shaped and molded into what we see today. Most of the planting was done into cinder mounds. For the design of Casa de Las Palmas he worked with the local landscape architect Brian Lievens, whom he would task with sourcing some of the rare plants from east Hawaii's growers. Brian was gracious enough to provide us with the original planting plans of the garden which are now laminated and framed on the lanai. These exquisite plans (like a cross between a complex wiring diagram and an artwork) were how we learned about the palms in the garden. We spent endless evenings cross referencing the botanic names with The Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Being a nurseryman from San Diego, Mr. Hunter had a crew of extremely hard working and talented Mexican men build the garden for him. A swimming hole was hand-hewn under one of the waterfalls. A delicate stone foot bridge was created over the stream. We were told that the lava rock paths took three years to complete. And the scale of plantings were nothing short of colossal. The kind only a successful nurseryman like Mr. Hunter could even contemplate. We were lucky enough to apprentice under one of the original employees, Cristobal. Without his dedication and care we would never have got off the starting line, our ignorance would have been absolute, the garden would have fallen into chaos. I recall how early on we planted a dwarf papaya on a cinder mound next to a Metroxylon amicarum and Dypsis carlsmithii (now Chrysalidocarpus carlsmithii), much to Cristobal's unspoken, but obvious, distress. Shortly afterwards a large palm leaf fell and destroyed the papaya. We took this as a sign that the garden requires a certain amount of respect. Since then, staying true to the intentions of the garden has been something we work hard on. When we plant, we consider the design. Perhaps we plant a Alocasia zebrina underneath the Caryota zebrina to mimic its petioles. Perhaps the Pinanga distitcha should be planted near the Licuala mattanensis “Mapu” to mirror their mottled leaf forms. Constant working in the garden reveals new insights every day. Sometimes it's like garden archeology, discovering a long-overgrown path or a rare plant languishing under piles of fallen leaves. Sometimes it's a lesson in design - realizing that most of the plants in an area share undulating leaf forms or that the color scheme is quite deliberately rigid. Casa de Las Palmas has evolved from a carefully orchestrated young garden into a mature ecosystem. Plants have produced progeny and plants have died. The blueprint has gotten a little more fuzzy. Many of the palms are too big to groom now. Everything fights for light, air and nutrients. It has become naturalized. Pretty soon we realized that the nutrients the garden demands couldn't be met by chemical fertilizer. It was just too expensive. So, we looked into goats. We now have six gelded males rescued from the butcher's block and fenced on a neighboring paddock we own. They provide plenty of manure for the garden. Their poop doesn't smell much, is hard and breaks down slowly and can be flung from a shovel in showers through the dense plantings. The plants love it, but we do supplement weak or needy palms with a special palm fertilizer as needed. Legacy gardens are by their nature equal parts demanding and rewarding. They offer those of us new to gardening an incredible learning experience. We certainly don't have the kind of money, manpower or knowledge required to create something so remarkable from scratch. But like buying a beautiful, world-weary house, after a lot of work, you can enjoy something unique, grand and magical. Really for us it is the magical spell that Casa de las Palmas puts you under, one that removes us from the world and enchants us, that makes this legacy garden so very special. Lastly, I'll leave you with three things of note that we have learned: Map your garden. Don't make it too big. And don't go planting Clinostigma samoense down the driveway...or any heavy crownshaft palms for that matter! com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.kix.editors.clipboard?uuid=ecbeebc8-9124-4c8d-9ebd-e5cbdce7e26b

Got a couple of Chambeyronia growing next to each both flowering at the same time. It’s the first time the macrocarpa has flowered the hookeri has flowered twice but with no seeds set yet. It’s the first will be interesting to see if I get any seeds set this season I would be confident in a cross pollination if I do get seeds ( not really a fan of hybrids) either way it will e a long wait to find out if I have created a hybrid.

Thanks for posting those great pictures of your blooming aloes, Cape Garrett! My own in-ground Aloe vaombe is blooming for the first time, but is weeks 'behind' yours, here in colder, interior NorCal!

Those are nice. My friend has a Macrocarpa v. Watermelon that is full of seed. I told him not to throw them away . I will post in the freebie section whenever they ripen. Harry

It’s that time again - in the northern hemisphere! - to sit around a roaring conflagration in the fireplace, maybe tell ghost stories or….? When you edit palms as I’m doing, or have people in your hood doing the same, you’ll end up with palm wood and pieces/parts, some of which pyromaniacs like more than others. Dried dead palm leaves make great kindling, along with equally desiccated petioles, but they can be a challenge to use sometimes. So, share your experiences and thoughts and questions!

Current temps, in °C. Big difference as usual, N/S of I4

Dry Trachycarpus leaves burn very fast.

I was making a fire the other day at a friends house and dried saw palmetto fronds were perfect flame fodder. In my experience too dry pygmy date palm trunk husk is good kindle.

my crosses so far… ficus opposita x carica ficus fraseri x carica ficus ulmifolia x carica ficus racemosa x carica ficus aspera x carica ficus lutea x carica ficus sycomorus x carica pics and timeline

Lars, your personal message about Casa de Las Palmas was certainly heartfelt, especially for those of us who have shared a part of your journey. Seems like yesterday when the local palm society toured the property after it first came up for sale and experiencing it for the first time was altogether overwhelming. The hope, at that time, was that a new owner would embrace the beauty of the design and plantings and also maintain the entirety of what existed. Those hopes were answered and so much more. You and Irene embraced not only the garden but the local palm community as well, volunteering for society events and generously sharing such an important botanic resource. Until then it was a relatively unknown private garden unavailable to the public. Your energetic personalities and gusto have won you many good friends and trust me, all are grateful of your plans to remain on Hawai’i island. Best of luck with the real estate sale…..may the force be with you! Tim

Say hello to my little friend, purchased from @Darold Petty just before Christmas. It was gorgeous today, I think all over California, so we did a little garden cleanup. This got me to thinking about where I intend to put this plant, probably in mid to late February. I have two spots, close together but quite different. Here’s the overall view. One location is where the Cycas is currently. It has never done well, I think due to scale, but is looking better lately. Still I would not hesitate to move or remove it. This location gets plenty of sun spring through fall, I’m concerned maybe too much. Eventually there will be more canopy but this will take years. It is very visible from our patio which is desirable. Darold recommends this location. The other option is a few feet away underneath the growing Sphaeropteris medullaris. Despite its own issues with sun, it will provide filtered shade for years and will gain height, allowing the Lepidorrhachis to become more visible. Honestly I am leaning towards this option but want to see what the group thinks. It’s possible that I get a bit more sun than Darold, and of course I don’t have anything like his mature canopy. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

A fine 69F at 5 ( PM ) after reaching 71 on your Sunday in state 48... East / Northeasterly breezes seen locally thru the afternoon are settling down.. Upward, ...as we head for mid - month.. Could we break 80?, on at least one day this week, for the first time in '26? ...We'll see.. ...Lookin' pretty nice, regardless, region - wide.. ...As nice as it is looking locally, we might actually be a touch cooler than what is currently suggested in the local NWS " Point n' Click " forecasts for several spots in parts of SoCal this week, later half esp.. ..And not just in the usually warm, desert-y locales either.. L.A., near downtown, possibly reaching 84, ..a few areas in the San Fernando Valley maybe peaking at 85 - 86? Coastal spots from Santa Barbara to San Diego approaching 80 ...maybe reaching 80 in a few spots??? I'll be pretty impressed if any of those " suggestions " actually pan out.. Day or two right around 70 in both San Jose and Santa Cruz? ..definitely not bad for mid - January.. We'll get deeper into a topic that is increasingly being discussed in some circles already later, but.. A look at current SST anomalies off CA / N. Cen. Pacific, West Coast of Mexico and Cen. America atm.. Lots of Orange and red on the map, right out of the gate.. " Cool Pool " down near the EQ, seems to be loosing a bit of steam.. Looking over every WX model used by Copernicus that puts out longer term SST Anom. forecasts, majority keep temps warm to ..toasty.. across the Pacific / off CA and west side of Mexico as we head into the spring.. Another year of " extra " - interesting?? ..Could be. ...2 mornings in the upper 30s? ..didn't kill the skeeters. Still out, seeking blood. Year round annoyance now? ..i guess so 🤷🏽‍♂️

Just want to share some pictures of aloes I have here in Cape Coral, FL. Yes. Many can grow well in a hot, humid, wet Summer climate with the proper drainage. There are a couple tree aloes pictures here flowering as well. Thraskii has the golden branched inflourescens, and vaombe is red flowering in a pot. Also have an Alooides hybrid sending up flowers. Others here include dorothea, vanbalenii in yellow, and cameronii in multiple color variants. All here are blooming now. Enjoy the pics. Sorry. Some pics doubled up. Not sure why.

Lady Palms are one of those palms I wish were cold hardy, to me it has that look that it should be 😂

Here’s a photo of Santa Cruz Beach just south of the SF Bay Area and, as you can see, there are lots of Washingtonia growing in the beach sand.

Then you can get into F1 F2 and so on, but I can’t see myself around long enough for some backcrossing projects!

Not a tree palm, but Allagoptera arenaria is from beachfront habitat.

It’s probably a matter of definition. As C macrocarpa var macrocarpa and C macrocarpa var hookeri are formally different varieties, they are considered genetically distinct so a cross between the two would be a varietal hybrid. Generally in horticulture I think the word hybrid is reserved for interspecific crosses but technically it can be used for a cross between any two genetically distinct parents.

Is it still considered a hybrid with a cross of two different varieties of the same species? In your case Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookerii and Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. macrocarpa. Just curious...🤔

No not yet, but they are both flowering again now, this time pretty well much identical in timing. So it will be interesting if they get any seeds!

It could be that rodents like the fruit . I don’t have any trouble with the seeds hanging off my palms up here in the gardens . My neighbor’s cat is constantly patrolling my yard Down on the hill , squirrels will eat the Butia fruit as soon as it ripens . I have observed it from up on our deck. They must be clever little thieves to navigate the armed petiole. Harry

I bought this palm at Homedepot back in 2022. I think its a dwarf variety, but I can tell and the labels and pit when I bought it did not say dwarf. I will attach pictures of when I bought it and now that it has grown for a little over 3 years. If anyone can identify it, I would greatly appreciated. It think by looking at the size of it and if its a dwarf, it my fruit next year.

The first little windows are appearing on my Gracilis seedlings. They are really starting to get a nice look about, a great palm for container production. And a nice triphylla in flower, another beautiful little understory palm with a little cool tolerance!

Wow! That’s incredible. I’d love a Lepidorrachis Mooreana in my garden. My recommendation is to go with the spot Darold recommends because he has experience with them.

Happened across this lot in Zephyrhills today. There were a few coconuts that had mature leaves. They didn't look to be there all that long from what I could tell on Street View, but still commendable none the less. Zephyrhills - May 2025

And so a legacy garden is born, it takes time and a lot of work, it can be done on a budget but the work load is a lot heavier for just one gardener. It takes many years of research and searching for the plants so desired for that tropical look, only a true gardener knows the feeling of losing a special plant in a storm or succumbing to Mother Natures compost heap! Hopefully this garden legacy keeps on living and iam sure it will, as we get older our palms look better. Hooefully one day I too will have a garden that can be left for future generations! Richard

A fantastic time to be germinating palm seeds in summer, for those tropical heat loving palms. A few new varieties have popped up along with a few late comers. I will say licuala palms are slow and sporadic and like heat to really get a move along!

Some good results with some new seedlings potted up a while back. They are loving the summer heat!

I also had many loses from small seedlings I tried to grow from seeds. The mistakes are many. Wrong soil, overwatering, underwatering, simple neglect and the worst, the summer heat. I lost more small seedlings under the scorching cyprus sun than in the winter. Areca vestiaria will be a challenge not only in the winter but also during the summer heat. Areca vestiaria, cyrtostachis renta, lemurophoenix halleuxii, neoveitchia, dictyocaryum and many other beautiful palms we can't grow here. But sometimes common palms can also be beautiful. Archontophoenix alexandrae

Another nice understory palm that I saw at the Huntington. The windows of the Gracilis add to the unique “bow tie “ effect that is the description of this palm. If you see one in person , it captivates you …or at least it did me. Richard , I think you were the one that told me what it was . I found it off to the side with no tag . The habit is much like a dwarf Rhapis in that it stays small but makes a big statement , if you can grow it. It sure loves the glass house! Harry The windows get more prominent as they grow. This one was just about waist high to my 6’ body . Unfortunately the ID tag was for another plant . This palm remained a mystery until you posted a pic of one of yours . The bow tie fishtail shape is in full swing!

lilium tiger bicolor

Even in the heat of winter I've got some germinated indoors on a heat mat. One of the Carpoxylon macrospermum in this baggie just shot right through the plastic! 😆

I was out on the side of my house and the light rain turned into a deluge so I ducked under my Pritchardia . A perfect umbrella . It was a brief downpour, as soon as it let up I got inside. The only Keridoxa I have seen in person was in a glass house at the Huntington , could’ve put the whole family under that frond . Harry ‘Perfect one person umbrella , Pritchardia H. This one would be for the whole family!

Mid - 50s and Brriiissskkkk out as the final band of showers /storms drifts off to the east and south of town and skies clear from the north /west.. Wouldn't be so cool out if it weren't for the stiff breeze around atm.. While brief in nature ..and despite my doubts, actually saw a few decent, ( ...for early Jan. ) low - topped thunderstorms roll through town over the last few hours. Now that they're outta here, focus shifts to a few chilly mornings ahead.. and the quick rebound on the heels of those cool mornings, over the weekend. While region -wide frost / freeze products are laid out across the area on the forecast map, when you zero in a bit, i kind of laugh at this being more than an 2 or 3 day annoyance than anything serious ..even in the normally chilly spots outside the valley, or down in Tucson. > We're still hugging the 36 - 33F line here for the coldest morning in all the current forecasts, while the closer to downtown PHX one may be located, your neighborhood might not drop below 38 or 7, ...if not only bottoming out at 40F. > 28 - 32F is still the current forecast thoughts for the colder spots like Casa Grande / Queen Creek and San Tan Valley. > Clicking around Tucson's current forecast area, suggested lows in many spots are also in that same 28 - 34F -ish range, though they might see an extra morning around 32 / frosty 35 of 6 compared to up here ..Which is pretty typical. Regardless, if most of the built -up spots down there manage to stay above 30F, while 30F = a light freeze, that would be pretty remarkable considering January is when even warmest parts of town can drop into the mid - 20s. > Looking at the legit, chilly spots south of Tucson, ..even places like Sonoita and Patagonia stay above 20F during this brief " taste of winter " ..Both are listed as 8 A / B spots in the state. As just mentioned, " chilly shot " inbound, is brief.. Back into the 70s in all the forecasts next week ..and further out... ( per Time and Date's current extended ) Lows also rise pretty quickly too. Overall warmup ahead may take us thru a good chunk of what remains in the month ..and the " coldest " portion of " winter "... if the Weekly Temp Anomaly forecast from the CFS is in the ballpark. ....On a " thats weird " sidenote, GFS has been teasing the development of some sort of " sub - tropical " storm < ...w/ legit tropical characteristics... > off Mexico several times over the last few days.. Doubt it happens but, ..these days, ..anything is possible i suppose. .....An early sign of what might lie ahead this year, out there, later?? ..We'll see. NMME extended forecasts have updated, Copernicus data should be out by Monday.. Should be interesting to look over once posted. ...We'll see just how chilly the next few mornings end up, too... Promise, we ..and our leafy things.. will survive the next couple days, lol. NO Howling at da' moon aboutit' allowed!! 🤔 Hopefully the next couple mornings will drop the hammer on the Mosquitoes.. FINALLY!! ....It's January, and they're STILL out ..IN droves, ..At least in this part of town. DIE yaa' little suckers !

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Dypsis rosea

First one is what was D. Ampasindave and the flower of L. Rupicola

Pinanga sp.

More Latania

you are in arizona, the hottest desert in the US. I grew palms there for 10 years, most do not like hot sun and dry conditions. I am in florida now and they are far faster growing in hot direct sun. I have 3 from 20-30' tall overall. The 30 footer is in hot sun all day, the others planted at the same time as 3 gallons are in part shade. More shade here means less growth. Arizona is a special case of hot and dry, many palms cannot take it at all. Low temps tolerance depends on length of cold. They take lower temps in the california desert than here in florida for example. My largest out in the open was burned by frost just after planting but frost since then has done nothing, not even leaf burn at 29F. If youhave a short radiative event they have been shown on palm talk to survive as low as 25F once established. Protect it when small, then once it is established it will be fine with frost to 28F. Mine saw 29F for many hours without leaf damage as a large palm. Here is my largest alfie 3 years ago. These days everything is grown in its hard to get a pic of the full palm. It currently has 8' of clear trunk. Foir scale th4e house to the fence is 35'

Nice color on the first new leaf from our little C. ambositrae, purchased from @Darold Petty a couple of months ago

Latania in the rain

So, this post is inspired by Tracy’s C. prestonianus seed bounty. That time of year eh? Tim

Chrysalidocarpus prestonianus showing some colorful fruit.

It’s chamaedorea flower time in the garden. With some good rainfall again there looking rather happy about the situation and the good growing conditions. I don’t know how many varieties of chamaedoreas I have or how many there are in the garden but there’s a lot!

They are over 23 years old, a few others in my garden are starting to flower, there all the same age and have started flowering all at the same age so they take a while to flower.