Leaderboard

That area is semi protected but in a real cold year it may get a mild frost. I haven’t seen below zero since the winter of 2023 thankfully. In open exposed areas I’ve definitely seen below minus 2C. Not good. These guys yellow a little in that situation and sail through. By summer they’re crankin. The sun came out today after a bit of drizzly rain. I thought I’d take a picture of the water flowing through the area. BTW further back in the thread Tim said I’m closer to Sydney weather than Melbourne which is true. I wish I had Sydney winters though. They’re glorious and sunny. Anyway to give my climate an eastern states perspective the closest I can find to my winter temps is Nowra. I may be a tad cooler at night in winter but definitely wetter by about a factor of 50% to 100% more than Nowra. My garden has already seen a min of 0.5C with no damage this year. There’s a lot of winter to go though. Generally though if my lakes fill up, the risk of a hard frost disappears. There could be an exception though but if the rains are late, beware. My lakes filled up on June 15 but it can take until early August to do that in a dry year. The earliest I’ve seen was May 3rd. That was the year the place flooded. No frost that year. I think once the atmosphere gets more moisture in it, the chance of cloud cover increases and the risk of frost decreases.

Here’s my little grouping. Excuse the weeds. They go mental when it’s wet. The ground is sloppy and saturated and water runs out of this area all winter. These pictures were taken a couple of mornings ago when it was about 2C. Brrrrrrrrrr

First pics were taken june 2021 and the following two today. It isn't slow after forming a trunk.

After a few years of only receiving small amounts of Pelago mesocarpa seeds, (and sprouting them to sell as seedlings), I’m happy to have received a large amount of fresh seeds this morning. $6 each (minimum 5 seeds). Plus shipping. Beachpalms@cfl.rr.comZelle or PayPal(only if No Fees on my end), Checks or Cash.

E. Equatorialis throwing a couple 6ft. Leaves.

E. Kisambo

E. Ituriensis. Almost lost this one last year as I deep soaked it right before 2 weeks of solid clouds and drizzle. The outer part of the caudex started to desicate. I quit watering it and it threw a little 3 leaf flush. It is currently throwing a 5 leafer so hopefully in the clear!

So far no damage that has been detrimental for a palm grower. With temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Celsius, cold and wet, everything seems to be doing well. A few winter cold spots on some brassiophoenix schumanii, but I had them written off last winter and was wanting to just throw them out. But apart from that the rest seem to be fine, even some good growth on a few things. But the real winter is only just around the corner, let’s just say it’s not over yet!

A nice old Livistona Australis flowering.

They most likely used the elaitor as nesting material, if your after any more metallica let me know I got a few floating around.

And a Nypa!!

I wish I had wet soil like that, prime Johannesteijsmannia real estate. Raised beds would be a game changer for you. And as far the weeds go it depends on what type they are, but some weeds give a ground cover and that green look.

Stick with the hose Harry, a moat might attract sir Lancelot from Monty python, something about a holy grail and a bunch of nuns, and a rescue mission gone horribly wrong for sir Lancelot. Zoot I think her name was.🤣 Richard

Hooked is not the word completely obsessed with palms and anything related to palms more like it! Richard

Water has much higher heat capacity than air or soil so I guess it would moderate root temperature somewhat. Maybe even at the fronds it might help surface temperature just that little bit to avoid heavy frost settling. Definitely an interesting observation. You’ve convinced me - maybe it is worth a go with R rivularis. Would say full sun is a must though. While you’re at it, give the same strategy a go with Dictyocaryum and Cyrtostachys renda 🤪

Great looking palms . Harry

2026 update

A natural JxS hybrid I grew from seed. Grows about 4 times as fast as its standard Jubaea brethren. I had 2 of these hybrids come up from a batch of seeds I collected from the 1 blue Jubaea at mission beach. Gotta love it's very upright growth pattern when planted in close quarters.🌴 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

One of the younger garden beds features two Hyphaene species. The first photo shows two Hyphaene thebaica I got from @LowDesertBoil . They survived the 24oF onslaught with leaf damage and are putting out another leaf. The second photo shows three Hyphaene coriacea. My oldest seed-grown specimen is on the right with mature fans. The two younger specimens were added later and survived in varying degrees of health. They are pushing new, healthy leaflets, so my hope is they will be back to form next year. The third photo is one of my two Ptychosperma macarthurii. Both survived the cold, with this specimen being more in the open and losing two trunks.

Spot on I think - most look bad because of neglect and not enough natural rainfall rather than it being too cold. Some of the better ones I’ve seen are out in the outer Eastern suburbs in the foothills of the Dandenongs where it gets pretty chilly but receives more rainfall than near the CBD or around Bayside suburbs. Same goes for Archontophoenix. I will say though, that Ravenea rivularis was susceptible to crown rot for me when young in Spring. It’s grown out of it now, but I suspected it didn’t like cold and wet conditions while it was still establishing. I planted in a cooler area of the garden in mostly shade intentionally based on what I’ve seen with specimens that dry out too much, but I think that’s the opposite risk when you go too shady and cold. The best one in Victoria I’ve seen is the one at Geelong Botanic Gardens. It gets morning sun but is well protected from all sides from wind and looks to stay quite moist in that area. There are a few mature specimens around Melbourne - this one down the street from my place looks pretty good. Doesn’t look like it gets extra attention but I assume the roots have tapped down deep now. The tree to its north must help with preventing it drying out too much too. I planted this one nearly 25 years ago. It’s the only survivor of about 5 originally planted in this garden. Soil is nearly pure beach sand and no irrigation. This is the result 🤣. And here’s an interesting planting - Singapore Botanic Gardens have them as aquatics. They like it in there in the tropical climate, but I’m certain it would be a death sentence in cooler climates.

@kylecawazafla glad to hear about your new place! There’s a lot of cool palms that will make it out your way, though possible cold will likely limit more than heat. Caribbean palms and Bizzies and Medemias are a good start!

I’ve got way too many of these and I know they don’t sell for as much as some of my other seedlings I need to make space for so I’m giving away 1-3 of them. If your up to trade I can throw in some royal palm germinated seeds, cocoa germinated seeds or a small Pseudophoenix sargentii. I’ll trade for absolutely any palm or rare tropical plant. (All seedlings only have a strap leaf.)

PM sent.

Please help me identify this cycad; It is about 20 years old now, and I thought the main trunk was dead but it's flushing with onset of rains!

At first glance it looks to be a form of Ceratozamia. Interested what others guess. -dale

Yes I am staying in this neighborhood and it is quite hit and miss with what's surviving and what's dead. Foxtails were all damaged and had about a 20-30% mortality rate Royals were all damaged - I have seen all of them recovering (there's not as many here vs Foxtails. Why? I don't know. I'd prefer Royals since they seem more robust) Christmas - major damage, up to 40% mortality rate Bismarck - Foliage damage, recovering (including those along the Turnpike) Mules - 0 damage Coconut - the single coconut I know of, which is next door so I have been seeing it everyday, took a beating but it is recovering. I'll see if I can snap a photo of the tree itself later. I'm glad that the owner knows what he's doing - this coconut was thriving pre-freeze. Bananas and Bird of Paradise - Completely defoliated, Bananas recovering, a few BoP stalks dead, rest are recovering Some Alexander (King) Palms off of Narcoossee/Tavistock Lakes Bv - up to 40% mortality rate, the survivors look terrible yet alive The landscaping across the neighborhood, which once was very rich and tropical, has since been neutered due to the advective freeze that drove temps down into the mid 20s. By Winnie Palmer Hospital near Downtown Orlando - Foxtails severely damaged with a couple completely cut down.

My wife and I went for a walk along the lagoon that seperates Leucadia from Carlsbad, on the Carlsbad side this morning. We used to walk and ride bikes along the lagoon before there was much development to its north so have seen it change over nearly 40 years. This morning's walk was just another step in the changes as the many Phoenix canariansis that naturalized along the lagoon's shoreline showed the devastation from the South American Palm Weevil. There are still some young CIDP's but most of the older large ones are now stumps or transitioning to becoming stumps. It is sad to see but I decided to capture it and share it in some photos. The progression of the SAPW....

the dense planting I saw worked especially well in the arizona desert, the best gardens there are densely planted. Most years in florida its less of a concern for dry/heat protection, as we don't have many droughts where we have restricted irrigation for several months. If we are going to trend to a drier climate it would be wise to bunch plants for both cold and hot/dry conditions. Bunching palms is also very effective in limiting hurricane damage below cat 3, not sure it how much it helps with cat 3 and above.

Here, my rain gauges recorded ~0.25 in of rain. Just outside of downtown, it rained hard enough to inundate the right lanes of the highways. My yard is approaching 7 in. of rain for a month where the average is close to 9in. Still a deficit, but hard to complain when there are other areas below an inch of rain. Mulching and amending with organic material looks to be a necessity for Florida palm gardening anymore. @sonoranfans also mentioned dense planting and canopy to shelter from direct sun. The benefit of protection during cold events is a nice bonus. If you're just starting to grow palms in Florida, this is a good foundation for dealing with our seemingly unending droughts and cold fronts followed by record heat in the spring.

This is the big ome year before last

Coconuts realy starting to come back! Inland hudson fl just on the edge of a super cold spot. That spot less than 2 miles away as the crow Flys saw 15 deg this year. Just up the road saw 20 to 22. I got to 24. These coconuts take a beating every year and come back every time.

had a cloudburst last evening, my bucket says about 3/4 inch in about 40 mins. At times it rained quite heavy with some puddles int he yard. Hoping it slowed the premature yellowing of leaves. The radar at the time looked like we got hit by a suddenly appearing higharea a few miles wide. I'll take it and whatever we get. Ironically this was the day after our once a week irrigation day.

Several of my big Encephalartos are starting to flush. Here is E. Laurentianus

I only have two in the garden. Both are 30 years old, one is raging along while its cousin is still doesn’t even have a trunk, planted about 3 meters apart. They are tough palms and have done the job that I wanted when planted with a vision. I see them planted around the place in my home town in full sun situations but to me they look better in shade I think. A wonderful tough palms and worth growing!

I stand corrected by @Silas_Sancona and other sages of the desert.

A bit of colour with a Chambeyronia and a couple of chamaedorea flowers!

I’ll take 5 if some are available, shipped to 90712

This came straight from Australia (the seeds) I made about ten of them

Congrats on the milestone Kyle and for the future vision.. For the moment, definitely looks like you've got a nice, blank canvas to create something one of a kind. Since i'm sure you're well on the way to solving the " where to find stuff " angle, some thoughts on the ..other considerations / factors ...or whatever you choose to call it. Being ..essentially.. right next to the Gulf, you're humidity values will be better than here ..more often than not at least.. during the summer = plus.. Some humidity there during the winter too, but since the Gulf itself is cooler and general flow across the region during the cooler months is out of the West / Southwest, air is much drier than it can be during the summer. ( = a good thing as it regards frost potential, compared to areas over the hill, closer to the coast at least ) That said, El Centro sits in the driest portion of the overall Sonoran Desert Eco -region, and just outside the core region for " reliable " Monsoon season rainfall ...a minus, as far as summer rainfall is concerned. You can get more rain than we might from late season tropical stuff though during a good year. Obviously, you can mitigate that " less than ideal rainfall " challenge, esp. if like @BayAndroid mentions, you get canopy - forming trees or palms in the ground, essentially right from the start.. More of it you have? more tender ( to the sun ..and occasional sub - 32F cold ) things you should be able to get away with.. It is pretty amazing what i've seen growing in yards w/ well established canopy. Despite what some seem to assume, El Centro is zone 10 ..solidly, ..if not easily flirting with 10B ATM ..and headed forward.. Worrying about a few days in the low 30s or ..at the worst, the 27 -29F range is silly.. I see the same " risk / possibility " each winter here ...that is when a given winter is actually " cool ". I've also had no issues with some assumed ( ..according to what is suggested by research ) 11B -12B stuff i've grown for ...years... outside, all winter, ..even during the coolest ones i have experienced. You're in a better spot for some of that stuff than here above 1K feet also. As mentioned, keep in mind that being where you are, air is drier, ..compared to somewhere near the coast, or some place like FL. so ..even if it did drop to say 30F on a morning or two in a given winter, that 30F typically only occurs right at sunrise. Very rare that within an hour or two, you wouldn't be back above -at least- 40 - 42F ..So, No, cold won't be your biggest challenge. ..Not 98% of the time at least. You may be many years into enjoying the fruits of your future plans by the time some big, scary cold spell hits that area, if it ever does again. Damage risk caused by heat / all day, full sun exposure? Yes, that is your top mitigation priority, just like it is here.. FYI: for checking the weather / historical stats content, El Centro is technically within our / the Phoenix NWS forecast zone.. Don't depend on weather app non sense. Welcome to the " Desert Rat " club btw, lol While his focus is native /native foraging - centric, you might check out content from Brad Lancaster, author of a couple books / website / YT content related to rainwater harvesting techniques in /for dry climates for any ideas you might not have considered, and adjust said ideas that might interest you as you see fit for what you want to create in your yard. Regardless, Good luck, and look forward to seeing what you create now that you are somewhere where others won't be able to constantly thwart your vision, lol..

That’s impressive @Alberto . Is it in full sun and irrigated?

Thank you all for your replies. The information has been incredibly helpful, and the Kentia photos are beautiful. They make me want to get another one and keep it outside :-).

These are tentatively Sold Out-pending payments. But I should be getting another box next week. Not sure how many though.

Bp x pjc hitting its stride.

We've crossed the midpoint of the year. The daylight hours for us in the northern hemisphere are counting backwards now. As everything in the garden that didn't die or get removed begins recovery mode, a photo of the Livistona decora and a small Copernicia alba and then @palmfriend's Okinawa Garden featuring Livistona chinensis and Arenga engleri. Happy Summer!

If you could send them across that little babbling brook known as the Atlantic then I'd love to buy some. I bought a few of these from RPS several years ago but they'd been shelled, which seems to make them a lot more sensitive in transit, and I had no luck with them.

I started a community pot of these to try in southern Germany. So far they're growing strong!

Yesterday was the 15th consecutive day of +20c max temps in Sydney... in the winter month of June no less ! With records dating back to 1855, it's the longest such run in recorded weather history. I visited Warragamba Dam, south west of Sydney on Saturday; it was a glorious winters day, about 21c and even me, a Darwin resident in the deep north tropics, was comfortable wearing shorts.....

Congrats Kyle! Obviously I can’t help unfortunately but I know it’s been a source of frustration for you not having your own place and full control of your collection. I fully expect your palm collection and obsession will get completely out of control now if you’re anything like me 🤣

My Encephalartos ituriensis is flushing but this is a very difficult one to photograph. In order to get the whole plant in the photo I have to stand pretty far back and lose detail while the tall leaves blend in with the canopy. Also, the existing leaves are erect and do a good job at hiding new flushes. Here’s a couple of photos from different angles trying to show the flush.

I stayed at The Wave Hotel in Lake Nona which is several miles East of MCO and about 25 miles East of Bay Lake. The exotics faired better than to the West of MCO. Survival was very hit or miss, trunk diameter and proximity to buildings seemed to make the biggest difference.