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Nineteen years ago I crossed my fat trunking Butia eriospatha with Jubaea chilensis. I have several of this palms growing here. A few were imported into England also. Yesterday I cleaned the trunk of one of this two. It are beasts! How you call the hybrid of a Butia eriospatha x Jubaea?

Absolute Beast! Bravo!

This year will be more of a work-in-progress year. A lot of stuff has been removed, a lot of stuff will be added. This year might be the year of the Brahea and Livistona plantings. The success of Brahea edulis here has been a motivator to bring more species from this gorgeous genus in for a try. The bed was condensed to a circular scallop bed to make room for a path in this area. Due to the success of Brahea edulis thus far, the former desert bed is getting an expansion with copious trials of Brahea aculeata, Brahea brandegeei, and a few Brahea 'Icy Blue'. All but one of the plantings was grown from RPS seeds picked up last year at this time. About half of the bed is still empty, but there are more Brahea armata, Brahea dulcis, and Brahea 'Icy Blue' waiting for their turn. There might even be a Nannorrhops ritchiana here at a later date. Start of desod - notice how un-Florida-like the soil is here A few views of the first plantings in this area. More to come.

The Wooly Wine Wonder palm?

Dypsis plumosa loaded up with seeds!

There moss on commercially grown blueberry plants. So it doesn’t seem to be an issue for this commercial nursery. And iam sure ifbit was an issue they would be doing something about it as these plants are tissue culture grown. So we are talking about big money in this investment!

I would call it a big Bertha!!!

Bring a trailer! By trying new things and changing things up as you try you learn. I have seen a few people on palmtalk be inspired to do things differently and give things a try, iam no expert by any means and the things I myself have learned on palmtalk have been an inspiration for me as well! Richard

A beautiful palm that would be welcome in a large space to be enjoyed . Harry

That is a beauty! So is the C. hookeri!

Free Areca vestria I suppose! Just doing for a trial and to share the knowledge. Richard

It’s about 20 feet to the top of the taller leaf tip

Looking pretty good for a chamaedorea seed harvest this season. Might have to put a few adscendens and metallica seeds up for grabs on palmtalk, stay tuned!

We did talk about eating them gophers remember! Richard

Thornless, more resilient Canary? Nice cross. Please keep the pics coming Alberto 👍

Things were looking bleak for these Foxtails at Lake Miriam Square. These were newly planted only months before the freeze and were totally brown only a few weeks ago. They're coming back now. Here at the homestead, a Veitchia X Carpentaria that was marked as dead on my spreadsheet may make me a liar. It has a long way to go, but it was totally brown and dead only a few weeks ago. Tropical hardwoods like Delonix regia and Bursera simaruba are coming back.

Bridgeport (KBDR) station reported a freeze this morning, Thursday, April 9th. Supposedly this station is at the airport directly on the water.

You can try but try as you might!

Damn that thing is beautiful. More than I deserve. Sprouting seeds maybe sell the babies.

Absolutely correct...in the name of science, or failing that in the name of Jonathan or Tim!

Good question, with a few different answers. A couple of ways around that one, bare rooted is another method for larger plants, courier is another choice. But the way the cost of things are going, when a plant is $5 for sale and postage is going to cost $25 you’re not going to sell many plants. At the moment what Iam selling is paying for itself in getting my investment back. As the stock grows I will transition to the local community markets and still supply a certain local family owed hardware store mitre 10. And as for the rest of sales word of mouth and contacts that visit the nursery is my main goal. I get a couple of growers coming down from Gold Coast area and for now that’s fine. Ultimately I will still have small stock coming through so those sales will pay for themselves. And after that it’s a unique market I will target, but by ten years time if they want it they come and get it. Doing the markets will increase sales by word of mouth. But hey if it doesnt sell iam quite happy to plant out the best of the best in my garden, that’s one advantage as a grower I get to choose the best strongest and healthiest plants for my garden and that’s what my main goal was, I did that about 30 years ago and look at the garden I got, so round two now with that many new palms available it’s going to be one heck of a ride into the garden for my retirement!

I got you Johnny, I've got plenty

Very nice! harry

You’re welcome on the pics. It grows well on the sandstone rocks in my garden wherever I created shade. I would welcome the moss any day growing on my advanced palms in the garden a great indicator of the moisture levels and humidity. And ladders and gardeners are one hazard I try to avoid, the other day I was 5 meters up a ladder just for a handful of archontophoenix maxima seeds, not worth the risk I thought after, yer sure for Tahina seeds but archontophoenix.🏥

I like it 🌱

Wow, looks really good! Everything looks very deep green and lush, do you have any more pictures of your garden?

Beautiful Dave! I have a few sprouts from the seeds you gave me

They weren't extra cold sensitive, we had 2 planted out. I'm not sure how the one fared after this past freeze. One we lost to lack of water after an irrigation problem. They don't really have any drought tolerance, at least as juveniles.

Two of my Kentiopsis oliviformis are getting ready to bloom for the first time

It is not the size and well-shape of seed the most crucial feature, but rather the existence of the so called operculum or lid, which in case of Sabal seeds in particular resembles a belly button. Where there is a belly button, most probably there is also an embryo inside, where there is not such, most probably seed is sterile regardless other positive features.

Glad to see kitty is alright! That’s BIG Chambeyronia!

I see Conan missed severe injury from that frond . That is a gorgeous palm , Dave . Thank you for sharing! Harry

Yes, you are correct. Dave was just persisting in old habits.

I don't think there's anything wrong with this Butia, it just looks the way it does. It probably even looks above average But it's never going to look quite as good imo as these. Note the difference in how tight the crown appears and how long and also recurved the leaves are. But there's a pretty difference in color between the the three as well. You can't fertilize and water a green Butia to turn it blue....the other physical attributes are probably significantly genetic too. The two Butia below don't look like they get any TLC at all either

The first is Aiphanes minima. They are usually very spiny but can vary with less. And older palms often have less spines on the trunk as they age and wear off. Older Acrocomia do this too. I think the mystery skinny palm is Reinhardtia paiewonskiana.

I have finally been able to bring the three main species of Beccariophoenix together in my Oakland CA garden. B. Alfredii has been growing well from 1 gallon and has really picked up speed this past year (prob close to 4 ft or so of frond length. B. fenestralis has been slow but solid from a 1 gallon as well for the past 3 years (hard to see this palm as its protected and covered by other plants). B. madagascariensis has proven to be very hard for me to track down until this past week in San Clemente! I was able to get a masterfully grown 15 gallon and drove it back to Oakland in my car with palm fronds slapping my son in the face in the passenger seat! B. fenestralis with nice windows! 3 years in the ground. B. madagascariensis with Acanthophoenix rubra in the ground for 2 days lol. Looking good with the recent rains! B. alfredii with beautiful purple petioles and fast growth.

B fenestralis I cleaned up the area around this palm and gave it a good watering. The windows are showing really well and only the oldest frond has any kind of burn of damage after winter. I really enjoy this palm!

Crotons sprouting, foxtail trying to recover, Christmas palms now sprouting green from the center, bottle 2nd spear looks good. Coconut shooting up new growth mostly green but dead fronds all snapped jn the wind storms. Lawn guy cutting them off this weekend. I see no growth on shrubs like clusia.

Bizzy update: We have something emerging other than brown. Its not green or silver, but at least its not brown. Continuing to monitor its progress. And yes, those are frisbees in the background. I will pick them up and move them, but the dogs like to put them back there, so I guess thats just where they will be lol

More general update of what things are looking like. C. macrocarpa is looking rough but is alive. Will cut its crispy fronds once it opens a spear.

Another winter bloomer just opening up. Very similar to the above 'Blc. Ahchung Ruby', this one has more yellow in its throat with a more compact bloom, and is called 'Rlc. Subprasert'. I think these 2 hybrids may even share a common parent as they are so similar in looks and performance. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

I’m not looking for much I don’t have. I’m just saying to me and my time frame that feels slow. Didn’t mean any disrespect. I love these and wish I had them. Just doesn’t look fast.

If you’re looking for a palm that grows vertical real quick go ahead and buy a queen palm from your local big box store. Beccariophoenix alfredii is a fast growing palm when one talks about fronds given per year. Sometimes palms that aren’t self-cleaning and grow vertically so quick can end up being expensive and problematic when it comes to maintenance.

Idk Billy. 14yrs to get to 4ft clear trunk feels slow.

That's amazing! Really does look like a giant coconut. I think mines about half way there. I'm going to need a bigger garden!

Absolute stunner what I would give to be able to grow this palm to that size ! T J

@sonoranfans wow, yours looks amazing! Do you have an overall picture of the whole thing? I assume it might be kind of hard with ~20' fronds.

That's amazing! My largest has been in the ground for 8 years and I suspect it has a ways to go.

@Merlyn those are looking amazing! Really good growth rate too. I tried one several years ago and it just sat there and went from green -> yellow -> almost white, and I ended up just trashing it. It seemed like it needed a ton of iron. I'm going to have to try another one after seeing yours.

@Palmiz and I were just discussing this today. These things pick up size pretty quick. -dale