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Yes, he and his brother operated the nursery off farmland they owned. He invested heavily in inventory but not infrastructure, and unfortunately it caught up to him. From what he had told me any profit they made came from basic cold hardy species sold wholesale to local DFW landscapers. The rarer stuff was a dream of his for the business , that eventually became a massive loss. He spent tens of thousands on seeds from RPS alone, and that was before their shipping went crazy . He traveled to California , Florida , etc and bought every specimen level, seed producing age Cycad, Palm , Yucca , Dasylirion etc. he could get ahold of. From what he told me most of the rare stuff survived in his better greenhouses and he has kept for himself. He has absolutely no interest in being affiliated or caught up in the hobby/industry again.

Heres a brief overview of pretty much every palm I have in the ground. So much of it is totally burned that I’m not sure how helpful this is. On the other hand If some of these make it could be useful. Exposure, 1,2,3,4 - least to most 4 = out in the open, 1 being fully artificially protected, 2 = naturally covered on 3 sides, 3 = naturally covered on 1 or 2 sides. Could also be a combination of the above also. In other words, a palm up close to the house and near the corner of a fence but with fronds extending well above protection might be 2 and 4. Young/small, maturing/medium mature/large or combination of the above. Level of damage Level of exposure Age/Size of Palm Status one week after cold front. Pritchardia sp? 40% leaf damage, level 3 exposure, Young to maturing, 3/4” of spear growth. Aiphanes minima - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp. mature 12” wood trunk, no spear growth. Beccariophoenix alfredii - 0% leaf damage, young to maturing, Level 2 exp., appears to be growing. Caryota mitis - 90% leaf damage, level 2,3,4 exp., Mature/large, growth status unknown. Chambeyronia olivoformis - 85% leaf damage, level 3 exposure, young to maturing, 3/4” spear growth. Gaussia princepts - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exp, maturing/medium, growth status unknown, Coccothrinax sp? Argentata/barbadensis? - 10% leaf damage, level 2 exp. Young/small Appears to be growing. Coccothrinax argentea? - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exp., young/small, status appears to be growing. Coccothrinax miraguama - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exposure, young/small, status appears to be growing. Coccothrinax alaxandri - 0% leaf damage, level 1-2 exp., young/small, status appears to be growing. Ravanela (traveller tree) - 100% leaf damage, level 4 exp, mature/large, status unknown. Vietchia spiralis - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/large, unknown. Chrysalidocarpus basilongus - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exp., maturing/small status unknown. Ptychosperma elegans - 70% leaf damage, level 2-3 exp., mature/ medium, Status no growth. Normanbya normanbyi - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., no growth. Cyphophoenix elegans - 90% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium. Status no growth. Gassia gomez pompae - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/smallstatus unknown. Chambeyronia olivoformis - 95% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium, status no growth. Coccothrinax miraguama havanensis - 0% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/small status appears to be growing. Pseudophoenix vinifera - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/small, status unknown. Ravenea rivularis - 75% leaf damage, level 4 exp., maturing/medium, status unknown. Latania loddigesii - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/medium, status 1/4” of spear growth. Chambeyronia pyriformis - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exposure, maturing/small, status 3/4” spear growth, Chambeyronia macrocarpa #1 - 100% leaf damage, level 2-3-4 exp., mature/large, status 1/2” new spear growth. Burretiokentia viellardii - 90% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium, status slight spear growth. Becarriophoenix fenestralis - 85% leaf damage, level 3 exp., maturing/nedium, status 1/2” spear growth. Coccothrinax macrglossa azul - 0% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/small, status appears to be growing. Ptychsperma elegans paddle leaf - 98% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium, status no growth. Chrysalidocarpus pilulifera - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/small, status no growth. Chrysalidocarpus prestoniana - 95% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium, status unknown spear is green. Phoenix sylvesteris x2 - no damage full exposure. Brassiophoenix drymophloeides - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature, medium. Dictyosperma album rebrum - 100 % leaf damage, level 3 exp., maturing small, status no growth. Cyphophoenix nucele - 99% leaf damage, level 3 exp., young/medium, status no growth. Dypsis rosea - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp. maturing/young, status appears to be growing. Chrysalidocarpus loucoubensis - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing small, status no new growth. Chambeyronia houlouensis - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium, status no new growth. Hydriastele beguinii obi - 20% leaf damage, level 1 exp., mature/medium, status 1/2” new growth on spear. Cocos nucifera red spicata - 100% leaf damage, level 2-3 exp., maturing/ large, status 1/4” new growth on spear. Pinanga javana - 25% leaf damage, level 1-2 exp, maturing/medium, status 1/8” new spear growth. Pinanga adagensis - 45% leaf damage, level 1-2 exp., maturing/medium, status 1/4” new spear growth. Chambeyronia macrocarpa #2 - 60% leaf damage, level 2-3-4 exp., mature/medium, status 1/2” of new spear growth. Archontophoenix tuckeri #2/3 - 70% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/medium, status unknown. Clinostigna savoryanum - 40% leaf damage, level 1-2 exp., mature/medium, status very small growth on new spear. Burretiokentia hapala - 40% leaf damage, level 2 exp., maturing/medium, status 1/4” of new spear growth. Calyptrocalyx polyphullus - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., mature/medium, status appears to be growing. Euterpe edulis - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exp., maturing/medium, status appears to be growing. Veitchia arecina #1 east - 100% leaf damage, level 4 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Chrysalidocarpus rufescens - 0% leaf damage, level 2 exp., young/medium, status unknown, Prychosperma elegans - 20% leaf damage, level 2 exp., mature/medium, status appears to be growing. Normanbya normanbyi #2 - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/medium, status no new growth. Veitchia arecina #2 east - 100% leaf damage, level 4 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Pseudophoenix sargentii - 15% leaf damage, level 2-3 exp., mature/medium, status appears to be growing. Licuala grandis - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/large, status appears healthy. Cocos nucifera HD - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/large, status 1/2” new spear growth. Cyphophoenix elegans - 10% leaf damage, level 2-3 exp., status appears healthy. Chrysalidocarpus lanceolatus - 60% leaf damage, level 1-3 exp., status some parts appear healthy. Thrinax radiata - 20% leaf damage, level 4 exp., maturing/large, appears healthy. Areca catechu dwarf - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., mature/small, status appears healthy. Wodyetia bifurcata - 95% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Licuala ramsayi - 10% leaf damage, level 2-3 exp., maturing/small, status appears to be growing. Pinanga speciosa - 50% leaf damage, level 1-2 exposure, mature/small, status 1/2-3/4” of new spear growth on 3. Archontophoenix tuckeri - 95% leaf damage, level 4 exp., Mature/large, status unknown. Ptychosperma elegans - 85% leaf damage, level 4 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Pseudophoenix sargentii #1 - 85% leaf damage, level 4 exp., mature/medium, status unknown. Bismarckia nobilis - 0% leaf damage, level 4 exp., mature/large, status slight shock? Appears to be growing. Syagrus schizophylla - 95% leaf damage, level 4 exp., status unknown. Satakentia liukiuensis / 100% leaf damage, level 1 - 4 exp., Mature/medium, status 3/4” new spear growth. Crownshaft and trunk covered/warmed leafs exposed. Roystonia regia - 90% leaf damage, level 4 exposure, mature/large, status unknown. Chrysalidocarpus pembana - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., no new growth. Caryota mitis - 100% leaf damage (main trunk) level 3-4 exp., maturing/medium. Status no growth. Rhapis excelsa - 0-5% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., status appears healthy. Syagrus amara - 60% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., mature/medium, status no growth/unhealthy before front. Arenga engleri - 100% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., status new spear appears ok. Ptychosperma schefferi - 85% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/small, status unknown. Sabal mauritiformis - 0% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., young/small, status appears healthy, in pot. Carpoxylon macrospermum - 75% leaf damage, level 1-4 exp., mature/medium, status 1/2” new spear growth. Lights and heater used to protect lower part of palm. Neoveitchia storckii - 20% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/large. Status 3/4” new spear growth. Most damage was from lights used to protect it. Caryota gigas - 70% leaf damage, level 1 exp., young/large, status unknown, covered by pot. Chambeyronia hookeri - 15% leaf damage, level 1 exp., mature/small, status no new growth. Hyophorbe indica red - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/medium, status 3/4” new spear growth. Attalea cohune - 80% leaf damage, level 3-4 exp., maturing/large, status unknown. Veitchia arecina + winin pair, 100% leaf damage, level 2-4 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Areca vestiaria maroon - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/small status appears healthy. Areca catechu semi dwarf - 20% leaf damage, level 2 exp., mature/large, status unknown. Protected by Bismarckia fronds. Licuala grandis - 0% leaf damage, level 1 exp., maturing/small, status appears healthy. Licuala peltata sumowongii - 0% leaf damage, level 3 exposure, maturing/small, status appears healthy. Hyphane coriasia - 0% leaf damage level 3 exp., maturing/small, status appears healthy, in pot.

A few things to note heading into a winter that makes it colder: drought (especially bad like this year), la Nina fading out (especially suddenly like this year), and a pattern that sets in somewhat early, and stays locked in for some time in late December or early January, with an outlier cold event in October (mid 30s in October 2022) or November like this year. There are a bunch of warning signs to watch for but even then there are no guarantees. We had the Trifecta and then some this winter, so it hit more heavily for most than last year, but for me one bad night each year was all it took to wipe out half the garden and set the rest back. Natives are struggling so you know it's bad for them, but they also "know" how to recover better than our beloved garden plants typically do. These setbacks happen anywhere, but when you live on the edge of the yearly freeze line for some reason it hits harder. Almost there!

Just perlite on a heat mat plugged into a 12 hour on/ 12 our off timer inside a Walmart takeout container. Took about 3 weeks to get them to pop. Cracked seed carefully using vise grip pliers. They work best due to the rounded shape of the pliers not crushing the seed insides. It did germinate a little faster than the coated seeds maybe by 10 days. I don’t really see a major advantage to doing this over keeping them in the shell.

We have been stuck in a pattern of stretching polar vortex, no real displacement and no real SSW. Just stretched PVs since November. Something I've noticed about this winter is that the freezes I have had (something like 15) have all mostly been colder overall compared to previous seasons, getting down into the mid to upper 20s more frequently than just staying in the low 30s. I have also had little to no frost days where the temperature didn't drop below freezing. The pocket of deep cold over Canada is going to continue to provide the threat of cold at least for NW FL for the next several weeks. I hope this is the last freeze event for all of us, but im sure I'll get another at least borderline cold snap before it's actually over with.

I am aware that Joseph Rossi Lost most of his palms in the 2021 Freeze But does anyone know what happened to him he literally dropped off the face of the earth haven't heard anything about him in years. ! I'm assuming he just completely gave up on the palm hobby.

Man yall this is insane def gonna set a lot of people’s gardens and stuff Back awhile. that baby foxtail i planted along with the others that were larger are def dead in Kissimmee FL

Well at least that’s better than doing the dish’s, they did more than pressboards and farts in the 70s, maybe you didn’t hit your head perhaps it was something else you did in the 70s that’s related too psycadellics!🍄

The palm gods have spoken and if it’s action they want, action they get!

I guess so, lucky I don’t I have an active volcano on hand or I would be thrown into that 🤣

I started using an old dishwasher on the patio but that was before I apparently hit my head really hard and decided to start an entire nursery. Now I use a saggy folding table from the 1970s that's made out of pressboadd and farts.

Had a 36C day yesterday. I got up this morning to cloud rain forest conditions 20C and 97% RH with clouds probably descending to ground level complete with soaking fine drissle which the trees were capturing and turning into heavier rain underneath. You can literally hear the rain falling loudly under the trees but in the open it’s basically silent except for birds singing. Water is running into the tank quite fast. However if you check the radar, it’s not showing up. Probably because I’m in a valley at 13m asl and the radar tower is based at 70m asl. A truly beautiful morning that all the plants will be loving. IMG_4692.mov

Hey everyone......been a while and sorry I have not read what has been posted since I last posted but wanted to post a quick update on my palms. My 3 Coconuts are the ones I'm most concerned with. Everything else - while full of brown fronds - look like they are going to pull through, thankfully. And we'll see about the Veitchia joannis. I can't see what's happening with the spear because it's so dang tall...lol... I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well my Ptychosperma and Archontophoenix held up. With the warmer weather I thought I'd hit everything with a second dose of copper all over the crown and soaking the spear as much as possible, so did that this afternoon. Will also do a liquid feed this weekend. I think it would help. Good luck everyone and I will followup down the road when I know more...

Figured everyone could use some good news. Pritchardia thurstonii was able to weather the storm under coconut canopy and shielded from wind slightly by the lanai. It is opening the damaged leaf in the photo and the another spear is coming out. That said, we do have another front coming and that might finish it off. At least it is still in the game, though.

Hi, should I cover the root by soil now or when I repot it? I'm a beginner in growing palm seeds, so I'm asking for advice

Because he doesn’t want to be associated with the business anymore . 5 years down the road he still has people like you seeking him out. He told me 4 months after the 2/21 freeze he wasnt going to waste any more time trying to salvage things. He may very well lurk on here, but most likely he got burned bad and wants to move on in life.

No floaters, seeds will be posted next available business day.

Good news! the new growth is coming up and its green so I'm just keeping it dry until its fully out and back to normal! 🤠

Ok I shall settle the score and start a on the potting bench thread to appease the palm gods. So it is as follows, on the potting bench you shall see what’s been growing and what reds to be potted up, freshly germinated to anything else that needs to be potted, it shall be gor reference as seedling identification. If anyone wants to identify a seedling, and also as documentation of what and how the plants are growing for the palm talk audience and for my own documentation!

I want to be included in a palm society 😭✌️

Plant a manchineel tree there (Hippomane mancinella) and a arbour of deadly nightshade, see how they go bashing them about! 🪴

@kylecawazafla what @Stevetoad said! Don’t give up!

Nice Brazilian cut. I dug a Bizzy once about the same size and moved it to a different spot in my yard. It sulked for a long while and just when I was going to dig it up and toss it I noticed it had some new deformed growth. I left it alone and it started to look good. then it exploded and out grew my other two. I ended up having to cut it down a year or so ago because the leaves were landing on. my neighbors roof. So In my experience they can be dug ( and I did a lousy job digging) but they take a long time to recover. I posted about it a bunch of years ago.

After this year i don't care anymore I gave up on trying to grow mangos etc it does it dies. Honestly seeing how easy it freezes here and how early and late in the season it can freeze i reaky don't see what's keeping it from ever getting into the single digits or us having a big snowstorm. Where im from in Pennsylvania it was rare to get snow flurries before Thanksgiving. Like having a low below freezing isn't even that common before Thanksgiving but down here webhave a freeze in mid November. Up there this time of year it was hard ok get snowstorm to realy get snow to lay in the daytime cause of sun angle but down here it's gona get below freezing easy af. Just makes no sense to me. Basicaky it's possibly to freeze here 6 months out of the year I alwaysvassumed I had about 2 months to realy worry about and it turns out it can freeze pretty much anytime between October and March. Wild. Like ive been saying california or miami are the best places to grow cool stuff. It's wild to me in California palms seem to be way more cold hardy like stuff that takes 28 there is dead here at 28.

They prefer maiden sacrifices, but this is a close second 😂

They dislike transplanting or any root disturbance, the one you have there if you have to move it good luck and you will need a large solid root ball. My advice leave it alone odds on it will die if you move it.

Don't touch it! It will come back. Maybe give it some extra water when you can. If you try and move it, it's almost a guaranteed death sentence. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

My potting bench is the top of our trash cans ! Perfect height and size for my small projects . Harry It works!

It's a beautiful day in Houston

My Zamia inermis growing in the garden. It currently measures about 1.0m (3+ft.) tall and it is 2.0 m (6.5 ft) wide. It grows in a mostly full sun location and has never been fertilized or rarely given supplemental water.

Starting off, Plant in question is a Cordyline, rather than a palm.. With that said, the two types of plants behave similarly in that the roots of both aren't generally considered a danger to foundations / other nearby concrete or asphalt surfaces since they aren't as woody as roots produced by trees ..Plane tree, Elm, Oak ..those sorts of things for example.. That said, ..from the angle of the pictures, it does look like it is planted a touch close to the house ..which might not allow enough room for the trunk to expand ..which could cause issues later. Then again, these ..and look - alike plants in the Genus Draceana, are planted all over the place in California, within 10ft of a houses foundation and i've never heard of anyone having damage - related issues as the bases grew larger. ..Not to say that can't happen though.. As for any concern involving the roof, A: I'd have whomever did the survey prove the branch closest to the roof is causing damage to it ..And i mean proof beyond any sort of refute.. B: You could trim off all leaves below the roof line ..so that the canopy stands above it ( Leaves can't " mess with any drainage from the roof if no leaves are blocking the flow of runoff off that specific area ) If any branches growing near the roof aren't rubbin' against it, then there is no issue ( ..caused by them ) If you are actually forced to remove it, branches of these are very easy to re-root, so, ..while you might end up loosing the original plant, you could stick any branches you save in the ground a little further out from the roof ...Say near where the fences meet, ..what looks to be the far right corner of your pictures. Yea, that might block the view of ..what looks like some sort of Barberry ( Berberis / Mahonia sp. ) a bit but, ..at least you'll still have the plant. As for your neighbor? ..As long as any branches aren't hangin' over their side of a shared fence / wall, they have no say in what you can grow ...on your own property. Sounds like you've gone beyond being a respectful neighbor in doing your part to keep the plant out of their way. Shot in the dark guess but, if they whined about any leaves falling off your plant that would end up in their yard, I'd bet they were the type of people who complained about any / everything any chance they got. Don't doubt you're glad they're gone. I'd throw a party to celebrate, lol.. Good luck.

Hey trip is confirmed I think. Not sure exact date and if I can camp on the island but I’ll probably camp in sites 10-12 (the closest camp site) then during the day kayak out to cedar island. Let me know if you have primitively camped in false cape. To be honest I’ve never done anything like this so I’m exited.

Strangest looking plant I have seen in while. Can’t wait for it to flower!

A cracker of a Chambeyronia hookerii. Kentiopsis oliviformis really starting to hold onto more leaves with a bit of age and attention. And finally a ptychosperma nicolai finally pushed through the ferms.

Removed a couple of old leaf sheaths this arvo.

I'm curious too. I can't imagine how devastating that must have been to lose everything like that, I just hope he's doing alright.

Old news I guess but here are my Merritt Island canal front stats for the worst of the cold blasts starting on the 31st. My main pole mounted sensor is not reading temps at the moment so I can’t just grab the easy graph. Had a couple more mornings in the 30s that followed this too. Jan 31 40 - 8:30pm, 35 - 10:30pm, 32.7 (L) 11:59pm, Jan 31 Hours below 40 = 3.5, Hours below 35 = 1.5, Hours below freezing = 0 Feb 1 32.7 - 12:00am 32 - 12:30am, 25.2 - 7:30, (L) 32 - 10:00am, 35 - 11:00am, 40 - 12:30pm, 45 - 4:30pm, (H) 40 - 6:30, 34.3 - 11:59pm, Feb 1 Hours below 40 = 17, Hours below 35 = 11, Hours below freezing = 10 Feb 2 34.3 - 12:00am, 32 - 2:00am, 30.4 - 4:30am (L), 32 - 7:45am, 35 - 8:30am, 40 - 10:00am, 54.9 4:30pm (H), 40 - 8:30, 37.9 - 11:59pm. Feb 2 Hours below 40 = 13, Hours below 35 = 10.5, Hours below freezing = 6 Feb 3 37.9 - 12:00am 35 - 5:00am, 33.1 - 6:30am (L) 35 - 7:30am 40 - 8:00am, 62.2 - 2:00pm. (H) Feb 3rd Hours below 40 = 6.5, Hours below 35 = Hours below freezing = 0 40 deg total hours 40 35 deg total hours 25.5 32 deg total hours 16

I wish I had heard earlier since I had to move it this morning. Oh well. It would have died anyways in its current spot as they have already murdered dozens of my palms in so many different ways. I don't know what's so hard about people just leaving your plants alone. 🤬

Thank you for the advice ! I'll pass on the glowing three eyed fish. There's a cold front moving in the next few days bringing morning temperatures down to the low 40s. Usually we get some rain with it but there is nearly zero rain chance as far as the forecast goes. I'm not panicking, only concerned about the lack of irrigation for an area that has a lot of green vegetation. We aren't Phoenix or Las Vegas. YET. Normally, according to the law of average the wet season should begin sometime in April . IF this continues pass May , we are in deep trouble . It takes more than 3 months of South Florida's wet summer to recover from this.

All air is dry at -5f. That is a fact, and the property of air. At -5f the dewpoint is also -5f or lower(dry,dry,dry). That said, Las Cruces had rain, freezing rain, and snow during that -5f event.

It would seem that when you get those cold snaps, it's dry cold air. Those Filiferas can certainly take a lot of cold in the dry form. I've seen them come back in Las Cruces, NM from -5 F.

wtf is wrong with them miserable ah people

15 seeds not that heavy!

@happypalms These would be so cool to grow, but I know the US shipping would be crazy!

Next week, our hardy palm enthusiasts head for Vietnam. I can't make it this year but it doesn't keep me from learning more about the critically endangered palms in Vietnam. Vietnam’s vegetative biodiversity has been severely impacted by decades of war, rapid industrialization, and illegal logging. While the country has successfully increased its total “forest cover”, much of this is compromised, consisting of monoculture plantations (like acacia or rubber) rather than rich, biodiverse natural forests. The damage” in Vietnam is no longer just about the quantity of vegetation, but the quality of the ecosystem as well. Current problems include:· Fragmentation and “Empty Forest” Syndrome: While green cover exists, many forests are fragmented. Intense snaring and hunting have removed seed-dispersing animals (monkeys, birds, small carnivores) leading to “empty forests” (where trees and palms cannot naturally reproduce or move seeds across the landscape. · The Rise of Monocultures: Large areas have been replanted with exotic species like Acacia and Casuarina. These grow fast and provide timber but offer almost no habitat for native wildlife and fail to support the complex undergrowth found in primary jungles. · Endangered Flora: According to the 2024 Vietnam Red List the number of threatened plant species in general has risen to 656. · Soil Degradation: In areas like the Central Highlands and Coastal Dunes, the loss of original vegetation has led to severe soil erosion and a loss of the “seed bank”,…the natural store of seeds in the soil that allows a forest to bounce back… Vietnam is a biodiversity hotspot for palms, but many species are restricted to small “refugia”. The most critical locations for endangered palms include: Region Notable Endangered Palms Key Habitats Central Vietnam (Quảng Ngãi, Thừa Thiên Huế) Truongsonia lecongkietii, various Licuala species Steep, moist slopes in the Truong Son (Annamite) Range. Northern Limestone Karsts (Hạ Long Bay, Ninh Bình) Guihaia grossifibrosa (Dragon Scale Palm) Clinging to the sheer cliffs of ancient limestone "towers." Southern Highlands (Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng) Pinanga and Calamus species Subtropical montane forests often threatened by coffee plantations. National Parks (Cúc Phương, Bạch Mã, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng) Multiple endemic rattan (climbing palms) Dense, undisturbed primary rainforests. You cannot rebuild without the original genetic material. Locating and protecting the remaining “mother trees and palms” is a top priority as they are sources for indigenous seeds. There needs to be a move away from commercial nurseries that foster monocultures. Local nurseries would focus on Framework Species by growing off a mix of indigenous trees and palms that grow fast and have big crowns to shade out weeds, nurture seedlings and attract seed-dispersing wildlife. Connecting fragmented patches of forest will also allow wildlife to move about dispersing seeds. This gives you a quick overview of how Vietnam is working to bring back ecosystems that were lost due mostly to human excess and war. Those of you going to the Vietnam biennial are taking a trip of a lifetime!

I have a book that I have been reading about the early settlers in the Spanish colony of Nuevo Santander - now the line along basically from Laredo / Nuevo Laredo to Brownsville / Matamoros. This book has nothing whatsoever to do with weather. There are maybe 10 sentences in the first 10 chapters dedicated to weather - most describing the kind of living you would eke out in a xeric environment as a frontier settler. One brief passage, however, describes the earliest settlers heading to the Rio Grande in the 1750s somewhere around modern day Roma by citing their travel journals. As it turns out they had to hold their party in tents for nearly a week because of a blizzard that prohibited their travels further to the river. That would place them somewhere in modern day Tamaulipas in a f***ing blizzard. Man how times have changed.

You all did it!! $25,000 was raised for Ravenea louvelii. As Conservation Chair for IPS I want to thank every one of you for helping save this remnant palm population. If our palm people had not stepped up, the situation in Madagascar might have become bleak. We will keep you posted on what Mijoro and his team are doing.

This one is in shade hence the long petioles. I actually like the look. I have another in nearly full sun which doesn’t look so stretched. The ox rhino beetles have killed several before I gave up barrier methods and began twice a year imidocloprid. I would enjoy seeing photos of others in sun or shade.

Just one of my favorites. Smaller than MacArthur Palm and very clean. Another rarity that should be more widely used here. Makes a fantastic accent with trunk thinning or can be left alone to sucker and would make a beautiful privacy hedge if one prefers. Much cleaner than the Areca palm that is so widely used here for screening. Smaller too.