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Some new additions hit the ground this weekend. Rhapis excelsa 'Super Dwarf' and Rhapis excelsa 'Koban'. The tropicals are Bouvardia ternifolia (left) and Hamelia patens var. patens 'Lowrey Fuzzy Leaf' (right) which both survived our winter freeze just fine with mulch. Chuniophoenix nana. The roots were pretty stunted on these and it looked like they had been in the seedling tubes for a long time. This was the best looking one. Group of seven C. nana. Rhapis laosensis, planted a few weeks ago. I was surprised how fragile and brittle the roots were on this plant and was worried the offset that was just starting to develop would abort, but it has pushed up through the soil fine. I believe this clone is female and would love to track down a confirmed male if anyone has one. Licuala spinosa. Definitely a zone push in Houston and I was trying to balance how much sun they get versus how much canopy. Group of L. spinosa planted among an unknown Hamelia patens cultivar (maybe Lowrey). Mystery Rhapis seedlings at the back and Lobelia laxiflora at the end. Arenga spp. in next raised bed. Mystery Rhapis. Supposedly R. multifida. Not a new plant, but one of my Arenga spp. produced its first offset. Note, the two larger ones were seedlings I didn't bother to separate. This was the first year I didn't cover these (only mulch) and they lost pretty much all of their leaves and one didn't make it.

After seeing everyone’s palms, as well the ones in my yard, I think this is the best palm to come into cultivation in years. B. alfredii is a close 2nd, but can’t think of anything else that comes close..,

I’ll be attempting to zone push this majesty… South facing / semi-protected. Winter low in this spot was 27f so I think it has a good chance with a little protection.

A couple of Golden Malay Dwarfs from around Darwin...easy to spot with their slender trunks and leaf form

I planted my 25 plus year old augustii in the previous summer. After been in the container in the collection and standing y me never fading living with me. Now in one single hit a falling palm leaf comes down snapping the crown out. Such a majestic palm gone. There is some hope I just pushed it into the ground, bit I do t think it will live. So the Metallicas and adscendens get more spotlight now, now the grand old augustii no longer looks over them.

Areca vestria orange!

I’m not suggesting Hawaiian soil is the same as in NZ, I would just find it hard to believe that soil would be the reason they wouldn’t do well. I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence in cultivation that Ceroxylon are picky with soil - in Melbourne alone I’ve seen them thrive in predominantly clay soils and also nearly beach sand. There’s also great examples of Ceroxylon in Tassie, NSW, NZ, California and parts of Europe which all have hugely variable soils. The one thing I do know is that nearly all species apart from C amazonicum, C ravenii and to an extent C echinulatum struggle with tropical conditions. If you’ve got some elevation to keep temps down, give one of the lower elevation Ceroxylons a go. I don’t see why they wouldn’t do well considering they hail from similar parts to Iriartia, Socratea and Dictyocaryum which all do famously well.

SE Houston the past few days (Pasadena/Deer Park) These pygmies have survived the last few cold years, planted 2021/2022. The buds are quite hardy relative to the foliage. There's a reason they managed to stick around for 20+ years prior to the 2021 freeze. New royals to usher in the warm epoch

Concerning Ceroxylon, since living here for the last 17 years and touring a number of gardens, ( I’ve lost count), I don’t ever remember seeing a Ceroxylon of any size. Well, I take that back, I’ve had a C. alpinum growing in the garden for 14 years now. Considering it’s a high altitude cloud forest palm, it continues to grow slowly being totally out of its element. In fact it just put out a new frond after hearing it was in competition with Jonathan’s palm in Tasmania. Power on…I guess? Tim

I appreciate the expertise everyone. Pretty solid on Chamaedorea Radicalis seeing all of the responses. Fingers crossed I can keep the nematodes at bay here. Thank you!

Ok that’s a bit Arenga looking. It appears a bit more linear looking, also the tomentum look, time will tell. Arenga take fair amount of time to germinate. Richard

I hope you get yours in the ground sooner than later, as it will appreciate it. Here are updated photos of my big boy and the medium size specimen. I hope that maybe next year someone will have a female flower nearby when my male is ready to donate some pollen. The base of the male with a size Large Rainbow sandle for comparison in the last photo.

2023 - 2026, extremely fast. Never affected by freezes but appears to have a phytoplasma disease from which it seems to be healing. There's 2 new spears coming up fast.

Yep Harry, the dwarfs are much more manageable 😊

Licuala cordata. Winter is here, so no more potting up seedlings that have germinated. There holding up well. They are not in the rain, there under the veranda, so no cold and wet for them. Time will tell. Adonidia merriillii variegated lanonia dasyantha large formchamaedorea metallica licuala paludosa Livistona decoraSyzigium boonjie Areca vestria red form

A proven classic for that lime green colour and bold shape in the garden. They thrive in my cool wet winter days!

Time will tell if they take my summer heat!

The jungle got my attention!

One little palm that’s been around longer than most of us who have been growing palms. A fantastic little palm that’s shouldn’t be forgotten earning its place in any collection in the garden. A true little winner that’s earned its place in the palm world and for good reason. Such a classic palm!

Kinzyjr, I see three orders in your photos. Thanks for the pics..

Most of the exposed and neglected majesties I've seen around are bouncing back. Even the ones near Katy (low 20s). The things are like cockroaches

Better than you'd think. There are lots of royals pushing out new growth there. Same thing with several foxtails. They're definitely "on the mend" and not by any means fully back to their prior form but you can tell they're still alive and growing.

I have a couple of the green form of uresana as well. They are small but are growing very fast compared to the blue. Multiple times as fast so far. I expect they will be trunking in a fraction of the time.

Thank you , Richard! I will have to be patient. Harry

I have a rare Phenakospermum guyannense plant that has been growing in a one-gallon-size container for about a year. It is well established and ready to send to you. I don't know how cold-tolerant it is, but I wouldn't try it in CA; southern FL would be a better bet. It is an offset from the mother plant in the photos. $100 plus shipping. Phenakospermum guyannense, commonly known as the South American Traveller's Palm or sororoca, is a monotypic genus in the family Strelitziaceae and the only native species of this family in South America. Native to the Amazonian Basin (including Suriname, French Guiana, and the eastern Amazon River basin), it is a palm-like giant herb that grows up to 7–10 meters (23–33 ft) tall with a pseudostem. The plant is characterized by large, fan-shaped leaves arranged in a single plane, resembling those of bananas or the Madagascan Traveller's Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis). Its most distinctive feature is a massive, erect inflorescence that can reach one-third the plant's height, featuring green to yellow-green bracts that hold small, creamy flowers pollinated by bats (Phyllostomus genus). While often cultivated as an ornamental for its exotic form in tropical and warm subtropical regions, it requires full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained soils to thrive.

So nice! And beefier than I thought at the base... I'll need to make the planter wider than I thought! I was assuming mine would mostly go more vertical, but seems like it might get wider as well. Good to know! I also recall your comment about making sure to protect it from wind. On mine the top fronds will have some wind exposure, but relatively mild. Here's hoping you get a female to pair with "Julio" - If not (and mine ends up being female), perhaps we can setup a "date" - since we live relatively close. 🏹 🌴 ❤️

They don’t mind the cool weather the Rhopalostylis, yep just wonder down to the greenhouse, argh I might grab a tray of adscendens today they look good in the garden and grow well i thought! Richard

This may be a better view of the sprout in question . Either way , I will know soon enough!😄Harry It has grown a bit since this cropped photo , but still no leaf, hmmm. Sure looks different . If it’s a weed , jokes on me.

Yes , the seedling is a Chamaedorea ….but next to it , if you look closely is a sprout coming up with no open leaf yet . It is much darker in color. Harry

Yes, that specimen is a female.

The good old seeds , guaranteed genetic diversity, many phenotypes and you may luck up with a variegated winner if you’re lucky. Seeds certainly have a place in the home garden, I just throw handfuls of Radicalis seeds around and they pop up in places you couldnt even dig a hole to plant in, in between rocks. My sandy soil is always moving and with leaf litter the seeds get covered easily. Your little seedling doesn’t look like an Arenga, chamaedorea looking. Richard

This particular queen in Galveston is sooooo green 🤩.

Some photos of the garden over the past week…

Sabal DeFuniak - May 29, 2026

This lot lot also got my attention. Howea fosteriana chamaedorea radicalislinospadix minor

A lot catches my eye in the garden and today it was. Bactris gassiapaes Dypsis basilonga Chamaedorea metallica

With all the rain we’ve had and the long summer days, this palm dropped another leaf and is now showing another ring of trunk.

Looks just like the C. Radicalis I have growing around my garden. Some have very relaxed leaflets , others vary a bit . All of mine end up as tree form. Harry This is more upright This pair has more of a relaxed leaflets habit Growing up through a neighboring Pritchardia These are all on the shady section of the garden . I also have some in full sun. Very cool hardy and sun tolerant .

Agree with C radicalis. Looks typical in every way to me including the inflorescence.

Chamaedorea graminifolia?

I agree with radicalis, looks a lot like it, and surviving those temps unscathed probably rules out pretty much any other Chamaedorea than maybe microspadix??

Mine has been in the ground since 2021. Got it from Steve Anderson (Florida, I believe). You can see the growth charts below with the y-axis in inches of top frond height. I believe the Miamiensis has gone unprotected the past 5 years and, as a result, it regularly experiences temps in the low teens. I haven't had any problems with it. Zero care.

@RiverCityRichard I have 20+ C. radicalis I grew from seed from non-trunking parents and another couple I purchased that might have a little C. oreophila mixed in. They vary a bit in how stout they are at the base and how delicate the leaflets are despite all growing in roughly the same conditions. These appear to be growing more of a trunk than mine, but otherwise fall within the variation I see. If others have different thoughts, I'm curious to know as that is impressive cold hardiness and would be viable for my climate here.

They are very pretty trees. Recently saw some at a local nursery in Arizona. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

A few of the palms this June. Sabal uresana, Sabal palmetto "Lisa" and Butia odorata to the right. Neighbors's CIDPs behind. Washingtonia robusta CIDP Butia yatay x Jubaea chilensis Phoenix sylvestris Bismarckia nobilis Trachycarpus latisectus

Hilo is already rainy but this year seems quite over the top. We have already accumulated 137 inches since January 1. In our micro climate, we get upwards of 180 inches a year, but it usually is quite a bit less. Last year we only got 89 inches. There are still 7 months left so we may end up in record territory this year. May alone featured 40 inches total. As a result of the high rainfall, we have literally little to no fruit set on any fruit trees. Palms seem largely unaffected and in fact are growing like weeds. El Niño is supposed to be associated with drought due to reduced trade winds but we have very strong trade winds which makes me wonder if the El Niño will actually form as predicted. I don’t see any evidence of El Niño in our local weather. At this point, I’m concerned that my feet may start growing webbing in between my toes.

Hard to get pics while driving but a royal and a bunch of foxtails and idk what this other palm is

Hudson beach in northwest pasco seems to be an extremely warm micro climate...... not to far inland from this was in the mid teens this winter.

@JLM Hope the Bismarckia makes it out of the woods for you. Down this way, winners and losers are sorting themselves out. The seeding Ptychosperma elegans by the parking garage has perished, but on the other side of the garage, the Satakentia liukiuensis is making a solid recovery.

rained again last night an hour before sunset and another burst after sunset too. I'd guess half an inch. Dew point at 73F and humidity in the air today at sunrise 94% RH. I dont care for this sticky weather but most of my palms are loving it.