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Let me introduce you to the Tau Kiani Botanical Garden on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile. I think I’ll have to contribute some exotic palm trees; they have something interesting going on there on the island.

This plant I acquired as Encephalartos arenarius × woodii has been a vigorous grower. I planted it in late 2010 from a 15 gallon. The id might be incorrect as it could be arenarius × natalensis but I still find it's glossy dark green leaflets attractive. It is different than an Encephalartos natalensis × arenarius I planted a little before this one, which is growing in my Carlsbad property. This is the first flush on it this summer. I expect all the other pups and main caudex growth point to follow soon. I removed a few leaves today to allow this flush space to push up.

We returned from a vacation earlier in the week so I have been catching up on all the growth that occured while we were gone. My potted Ficus abutifolia which sits next to the bbq has blown up with activity. It made me wonder how your in ground specimen is performing?

Just a few midsummer yard shots from today: Starting with the biggest and the fastest...my filifera continues to grow larger by the day: Next, we will see the smallest and slowest growers I have in the ground, a couple of Trachycarpus fortunei x waggies: Both are growing fine...just quite slowly. They sit on the east side of my home and I am planning to remove the grass in this entire area in the fall to create a nice bed. Right next to the back porch I have a corner with 3 C. radicalis in it. One mature non-trunking form, a juvenile trunking form, and second year from seed non-trunking form: The rest of that same bed is occupied by my Rajapuri bananas and some dypsis lutescens that I grew from seed my daughter collected on a past vacation: My Sabal mexicanas that both spear pulled last winter after 20F and freezing rain (had to trunk cut the second one) : My Butia that also had to be trunk cut after the freezing rain: Silver Chamaerops, P. sylvestris, and second year mule seedling: From left to right C. radicalis seedlings, BxJ, and S. mexicana community pot. And the mule that replaced my Butia in the ground after the spear pull and trunk cutting: I know it should be less hardy than the Butia, but it is definitely getting established quicker. Fingers crossed for a winter or two of zonal average lows and no freezing precipitation so it can really get going strong.

Gaussia palms are actually quite showy when old boots are trimmed off. Here's some of mine... I've sold about 2 dozen of these to fellow Arizonans - just based on their unique looks. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Very nice garden , good ju-ju with the tiki! Harry

Actually, Trachycarpus does have fine serrations on the petioles. Most don't notice them.

This view

Hugo thanks for the photos, it's very beautiful

Thanks brother, yes pacifica and no issue with hot sun 108 F with continuous feed and a lot of water

Plenty of fruit and inflorescence on the Butia Oderata this year. Wait ‘till the squirrels find out! Harry

Fresh Pnanga caesia again today…

@Janni , @tim_brissy_13 @happypalms @gyuseppe Here is a very instructive example in a Chamaerops of mine. You can see both strictly male inflorescences and ones with male and female flowers, all of them produced in a single year.

Pinanga insignis on a rainy day. Tim

Here is another update: since march is has grown 4 new frawnds not all are opened but has lost a decent amount also due to stress. I am going to strap a clear giant plant sic tarp over the coconut tree since there are 3 surrounding trees where I could attach a tarp to each corner of a tarp. For the winter, I am also going to line the perimeter with 50 gallon water barrels. My royal survived yet quit growing in may, my archontopheonix maxima and tuckeri are doing good, and my mango+star fruit survived

Hi! These huge double foxtails are absolutely high and gorgeous, approximately around 12 meters or higher, but the other one is shorter, I believe they are about 30 years old! The appearance First Foxtail is going to bloom its flowers Second Foxtail is currently riping its fruits

My house has changed after 5 years on this forum…. It’s a jungle out there. (After many holes dug, a truckload of fertilizer and mulch, and a zillion gallons of water) Thanks for all the assistance.

@Looking Glass Everything looks great! Keep up the great work!

I was pretty sure that I remembered you planting Princeps. Maybe mine are just runts, or maybe they gain speed once trunking, or maybe the limestone really helps! I haven't noticed any deficiencies in mine, just using generic fertilizer. It also could be that mine get burnt to the ground almost every single winter... 🤣

I am in the Cibolo/Schertz area northeast of San Antonio.

I’m so glad they’re looking after your old collection Daryl. You found a good buyer. I nearly had a heart attack when I went past my old Perth place recently. Not a single palm or plant was left in the front yard and the rear palm garden had about 80 percent removed. Ponds, dry creek beds and walkways all gone. Dead flat and boring. Sad.

Konstantinos I would add that rhapidophyllum also behaves like this

On the news, st petersburg got 5" yesterday with flooding. More moisture coming this week is the prediction.

My stations are currently showing totals between 5.5 and 6.5 inches of rain so far. Hopefully we'll finally have an above average month to put a dent in the drought deficit we've had.

We finally had some more rain, more than half an inch the last two days. Just 12 miles north in ruskin they got 3". Im hoping for more today.

My dear palm friends! I water my palm now every evening when the hot sun is gone! And see what happened... Thank you all for helping me!

Pretty common in parts of Northern CA as well. Archotophoenix cunninghamiana is by far the fastest growing palm up here as long as they get plenty of water. There are quite a few mature ones throughout my neighborhood.

There’s S romanzoffiana in Melbourne pushing 150 years old. I’d assume they can get much older than this if they don’t encounter lightning or other extreme weather events. This one doesn’t have a plaque from memory, but others a similar size in the Melbourne Bptakic Gardens were planted in the late 1800s. This one dwarves the nearby Phoenix canariensis. I’d say it’s at least 20m/70’ tall at a guess.

Did you transplant the satakentia from a nursery? Your yard kind of looks like it could've been generated by AI. Hopefully that bismarck won't become a lightning rod.

The Verizon over in Galveston randomly has at least 3 uresana planted in the parking lot lol .

Betel nutz and bamboo…

Another one of my Sabal uresanas . This one sourced from NTCHP right before they went out of business

Just a quick note: The Palm Society of Southern California is having a meeting in Fallbrook tomorrow: Garden No. 1: Nick Quinn's garden: 310 Burma Road, Fallbrook CA 92028 Garden No. 2: John and Leland Otto, at 1617 Prince Street, Fallbrook CA 92028 Both are LARGE LOTS; Mr. Quinn has critters, including parrots and emus! Hope you can make it!

I have had no good experience with malayan dwarves. They get damaged very easily. My Orange Panama Tall has had no damage in drops to temperatures like 4⁰C. And only minor spotting in older fronds with -1⁰C.

@Looking Glass looks awesome! The growth rate on your palms is way better than most of mine, especially the Gaussia Princeps near the walkway. At least I think that's what they are. I have a bunch of them and they are all slugs...barely more than a foot tall after 5ish years. What kind of roids are you feeding them?!? 🤣

You radical, you! 🤣 All that in 5 years is really impressive. Excellent choices, too!

The garden creates a beautiful space with more privacy, an outdoor living space. A well planted and spaced outdoor garden makes the lot feel bigger with privacy and height. We are of the same mind there. Your growth is excellent, keep doing what you are doing. I started about 15 years a go and added palms more slowly I think. Parts of Florida can give really fast growth. If my experience is like what you will see in the future 10 years, you should expect a lot of height. Palms that don't grow so fast(like the pseudophoenix) will balance out the garden canopies in 10 years as things get more height. As for selling the house, every day there has been made more special by the gardening effort. I find my garden very calming, a place to sit and relax. It is my blood pressure medication, and a much more healthy option in personal healthcare. Every couple years I will plant something small out now. Most of what I plant now will be slow growing and will not attain much height. I do have a few volunteers I may let go to maturity though.

The greatest thing with archontophoenix is your driving and come around a corner in the forest and the view of thousands of them in habitat is quite spectacular, they may be common in my area but they still have that beautiful affect on the eye. Richard

They grow by the thousands in my area. Just about every part of the subtropical rainforest you go into they are there. Often seen growing with Livistona Australis and linospadix monostachya and lepidozamia peroffskyana in their habitat. You have some great Australian palms there !

I can't answer about the bottom end temperature that Encephalartos sclavoi will handle because I don't ever get frost on any plants in my garden. Mine does appreciate some shade. The shaded side holds it's green leaves longer with the sunnier side showing some decline earlier on old flushes. Here are some updated photos as he pushes out seven new cones.

I'm about 2 years and multiple freezes behind you, and it shows! Great looking garden, hopefully for many years to come!

Good job, that Pseudophoenix is the bomb. Tim

Is there still a house on the property?

As was said , the watering is key . Also , when you get ready to plant , be careful with the root ball . The less you disturb this palm , the faster it will acclimate when it goes in the ground. Harry

How much proof of this palm being a "wetneck" do you need!😎

They love there water, as suggested above. Your little palm has been on the dry side of life. In habitat they thrive in wet gullies creek beds, almost cool temperate conditions in dark shaded areas. They break through the canopy and take all the sun they can get, while there root system is in dark forest wet conditions. They dislike drying out.

They are indeed, perfect palms for container production. You’re order comes to $500 plus postage they are a bit heavy atm, plus tax’s $1500 so total $2000 US dollars. 🤣 Richard

They can easily live to 100 years or more in a mild climate. There are healthy Queen palms in my area that were planted in the 1950s. Perhaps what you read pertained to lightning strikes when the palms are big since you’re in Florida. Lightning is exceptionally rare here.

After much commentary via social media and palmtalkers, it appears I too, may have a hybrid. Hybrid vigor seems to prevail with mine. I’ve seen much more rapid growth than what others describe DD as having, also this one has been quicker than my pure onhilahensis. Some suggested maybe it’s a hybrid of DD x lutescens. But in Northern California D. lutescens is a disaster. They can’t handle the cool wet. I have one as protected as I can offer, in a pot, up on a high deck. It’s the worst looking palm I have by far. The one in the pictures has never blinked an eye at the cool wet weather which makes me think it could be a DD x onhilahensis hybrid. I hope that’s it! Just planted in my yard this week, after seeing it triple in size over two years in a pot, and it’s looking like it is about to split into a quad!

For the first time in 15 years I am beginning to question my choice of placement in a corner of the greenhouse for this palm