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Growing season pretty much over now in Melbourne, so time for some updates. Starting with the South facing backyard garden. Generally cooler climate stuff growing in here: Archontophoenix myolensis getting very large now. Howea belmoreana to the left, Chamaedorea hooperiana to the right. Hedyscepe canterburyana Lepidorrhachis mooreana pair. Pleasantly surprised with how they coped with multiple 40C+ days and a couple around 44C/111F. Didn’t stop growing over summer. Chuniophoenix hainanensis. Slow here, but happy enough. Oraniopsis appendiculata getting (too?) large A couple of Chambeyronia divaricata settling in nicely. Linospadix apetiolatus (left) and L microcaryus (right). I like the contrast of the entire fronds and finely divided leaflets of these two. Caryota monostachya Ceroxylon alpinum Archontophoenix purpurea. Possibly the nicest colour a palm can produce in my climate.

Not under the powerlines though. My guess is about 14 to 15 years before a 1 gallon will hit the powerlines. My sun exposure Chrysalidocarpus ambositrae is about 10 or 11 years in the ground from a 1 gallon and it will hit that height in another 4 to 5 years, so give it head room. Cocothrinax do well here but won't be a height problem. Arenga engleri cap out on height so are well suited for positioning under those powerlines. You get the added bonus of their fragrant flowers this time of year.

East facing backyard garden. This is really my prime location. Gets the morning sun, warms up relatively quickly but then protected from afternoon sun. New Caledonian and Oceanic species seem to love it. Some things it here which aren’t known to grow in Melbourne elsewhere doing well. Cyphophoenix nucele Bentinckia condapanna Chambeyronia divaricata Euterpe edulis ‘Orange Crownshaft’ Chambeyronia oliviformis Pritchardia napaliensis Hyophorbe indica ‘Red / Southern Form’. Only 4 years from seed, getting too large to capture well in photos. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var hookeri Pritchardia martii settling in after a rough start in ground. Chamaedorea woodsoniana big male getting ready for its Spring pollen spreading. The crownshaft of this one always bulges heavily this time of year. Chrysalidocarpus baronii Black Petiole/Vokona Lodge Chambeyronia macrocarpa var flavopicta Cyphophoenix elegans. One of my favourites in my garden. Very large and great colours.

Moving on to the North facing little nook outside my back door. I use this space for some of my marginal species as it gets reflected heat off the North facing brick but is still somewhat protected to the West from the deck and pergola. Chrysalidocarpus lanceolatus Gaussia maya Dypsis rosea. This frond has been red for months. Chambeyronia oliviformis Chrysalidocarpus arenarum Chrysalidocarpus arenarum crownshaft and petiole detail. Love these colours.

Syagrus weddeliana Trachycarpus princeps Liospadix monostachya Ceroxylon vogelianum Trachycarpus nanus x princeps F1. Slow but finally putting out divided fronds. Ceroxylon quindiuense Pritchardia minor Chrysalidocarpus baronii ‘Black Petiole/Vokona Lodge’ Group of 4 Chamaedorea tepejilote ‘Yellow Inflorescence’ Parajubaea tvt getting monstrous. Size 11 for scale Parajubaea sunkha Rhopalostylis sapida ‘East Cape/Fine Leaf’ Chamaedorea benziei Chamaedorea nubium Ceroxylon amazonicum

Continuing my posts above, I thought I’d post the imposter P. hillebrantii next to the the real P. beccariana. The growth rate and size are apparent. Some close-ups as well. Tim

I didnt realize just how dark this thing is in afternoon sun. Sorry for the off picture, Sancho was tugging me. When the crapes bloom against this black and pink, it should really make a statement. My Black Swan hasn't taken off like I'd hoped, but the Muck Hole isn't going anywhere. The other Redemption has also been slower and maybe got pushed too far into the sun too fast, the Black Magic were a spider mite treat, and if I'm not in the grow room it feels like I need a spreadsheet to remember what all is in there. There's some mystery colocasia too, and I've got a few pots of bulbs I potted up after I took my night night meds that are turning out to be some really dope caladiums. I'm still honked off about the rotten bulbs. Even after replacements were sent, which also rotted, I lost a ton of soil. I'll reuse stuff but I won't reuse anything that something rotted in.

Down in Key Largo:

By golly, I do live here! The oldest one came from a friend’s property on the way to Volcano. The palms were scattered among the native tree ferns and can you believe they didn’t particularly like them? At that time I knew nothing about Pritchardia, so I eagerly dug up the smallest one with a borrowed shovel and hauled it home. That task was hernia inducing for sure. Stayed in suspended animation for about two years then took off. Naivete can be so awesome in the right situation. Tim

Only one new frond but looking good, they're slower when grown in shade.

Cyphophoenix elegans and nucele do well in the coastal zone as does Clinostigma savoryanum. Maybe my neighbor a couple of blocks away, Billy or Dale in HB, can share their experience growing Bentinckia condapanna in the region impacted by the marine layer. I think they will be positive comments.

Gaussia princeps and any of the Hyophorbe will grow in the coastal zone. Give Hyophorbe lagenicaulis reflected heat from a wall for best results. Pseudophoenix sargentii is another Cthat will be slow enough to not cause problems for closer to 3 decades in a height constricted position. If you have headroom for something bigger in a spot, Chrysalidocarpus decipiens does well along the coast from Ventura to Point Loma at a minimum.

A lot of red, with 5 hokoeri in a row!

Dave, I am a little suspicious as to which palms that you can grow that they can't grow in Huntington Beach. You have been to my garden in Leucadia and seen what I am growing. Huntington Beach is very similar if not a little warmer and windier than her due to both local topography and the large flart plane inland from Huntington Beach. Look at Dale's plantings in Huntington Beach and some of the other members both there and in Seal Beach. So there are two parts to your question, first the palms that grow well in the coastal zone of Southern California, and second the ones that are smaller for small lots with lots of power lines impacting the overhead heights. On the coastal zone issues Chambeyronia of all variety will grow, several of the Burretiokentia species, Howea's of both variety, Rhopalostylis of all variations. Chrysalidocarpus of many species will all grow here, ambositrae, affinis, basilongus, cabadae, pembanus, rufescens, prestonianus, robustus, lanceolatus, lutescens, saintelucei and the list goes on. I could continue, but the focus isn't on what will grow in the coastal zone of Southern California, but what will grow that is appropriately sized. So I'm now going to focus on the smaller palms that will grow well in Huntington Beach, here in Leucadia, down in OB, Cardiff by the Sea, or Venice where the next SoCal Palm Society will be. Someone mentioned above the various Chamaedorea, which are good choices. Ravenea glauca is a good choice, but Ravenea xerophilla is a bit of a challenge unless there is a good southerly exposure, perhaps with a good wall behind it for reflected heat. Some of the smaller growing Pritchardia won't interfere with power/comm lines overhead. Burretiokentia kogihensis is a slower growing species that won't be a problem overhead for a long time compared to hapala. Cryosophilia stauracanthia is an uncommon small palm that will meet the criteria. Several Coccothrinax do well here in California's coastal zone. On a slightly different note, there are a bunch of Cycads that give a tropical feel. I don't think is a species in the Encephalartos genus that can't be grown here (Dale in Huntington Beach will verify that). Ceratozamia, Cycas, Lepidiozamia, Macrozamia and several Zamia thrive her for a tropical, palmy feel. Complementary plants like Anthuriums, Bromeliads and Orchids will all thrive. I know I'm missing a bunch of good recommendations but this is just a first swing.

After one night of 1⁰C and another one of 0⁰C for some hours.

I finally decided to put a couple of my Anthurium in the ground. I selected two varieties that I have in duplicate, so if my attempt fails, I still have a backup. One is Anthurium podophyllum and the other is yet to be determined, I don't think it has been named. I had to clear out some small Aloes and a pair of wavy leaf Crassula that I was tired of growing in this spot. The Crassula grows from cuttings very easily, so I overplanted it in too many spots. Below are the initial results and I hope that it is successful. If it works, I'll follow with more Anthuriums in the ground.