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Hello everyone, My name is Sebastián Vieira, and I’m writing from Colombia. I’m a naturalist and currently the Executive Director of Salvamontes Colombia, a non-profit organization focused on the conservation and restoration of threatened species and their habitats, mainly through the creation and long-term care of private natural reserves. Although I didn’t come to conservation through a formal biology track ( I originally studied and worked as an engineer and spent many years working in telecommunications ), my interest in plants and the natural world has been with me for as long as I can remember. Over time, that curiosity slowly turned into field work, conservation projects, nature photography, and taxonomic research, especially on Pleurothallid orchids. It was that long, hands-on relationship with nature that lead me to be a co-founder of Salvamontes, and nowadays, its leader. Andy Hurwitz invited to come and participate in PalmTalk, and share with everyone here our amazing story, so it’s really nice to finally introduce SalvaMontes and our work here, especially thanks to the invitation from the International Palm Society, whose support has been fundamental for one of the projects I care most deeply about. That project is the Sabinaria Natural Reserve, located in the Darién region of northwestern Colombia, close to the border with Panama. This is an incredibly rich rainforest area, still poorly studied, and it happens to be the only place on Earth where the striking palm Sabinaria magnifica is found. A few years ago, while visiting the area, it became clear that much of the known habitat of Sabinaria magnifica was privately owned and increasingly exposed to deforestation and land-use change. Given how limited the species’ distribution is, it doesn’t take much habitat loss to create serious long-term risks. With that in mind and with crucial support from the International Palm Society, we were able to acquire and legally protect 50 hectares of tropical rainforest, securing what we believe is a meaningful portion of the global habitat and population of Sabinaria magnifica. Today, that forest is permanently protected as a private natural reserve. What makes this especially rewarding is that Sabinaria magnifica also works as an umbrella species. By protecting its habitat, we’re also conserving many other threatened organisms that depend on the same intact forest. This includes species like the critically endangered harlequin frog Atelopus fronterizo and the rare tree Magnolia sambuensis, along with many other plants and animals that are still little known. For us, Sabinaria is much more than a single-species project. It reflects a broader way of doing conservation: protecting habitat first, learning directly from the field, working with local communities, and committing to long-term stewardship rather than short-term interventions. I’m really glad to be here and look forward to learning from all of you, sharing updates from the field, and exchanging ideas about palms and their conservation around the world. I am also sharing some images showing the Sabinaria palm and its natural habitat. Finally, it is very important to thank and recognize the important support and participation of biologists Norman Echavarría, Norberto López, Saul Hoyos, Gloria Galeano and Rodrigo Bernal. Without them this project would not be a reality. PS: I will come back soon with additional information and images. Warm regards from Colombia, Sebastián Salvamontes Colombia

I just made another order of never before tried palms. Can’t wait to get them.

Bummer I guess mine isn’t going to bloom this year!!

Date: Saturday, June 6th, 2026 Time:10am – 2pm Location: A Private Garden in Melbourne, FL Details: The tour will feature a new garden that contains over 50 species of both natives and exotics. The garden is planted on grade and has measures in place to control run-off to combat drought. Vendors are welcome. We will have a plant auction at the conclusion of the meeting. Please Bring: An Umbrella A chair for comfort A palm, cycad, or companion plant for the auction *** Please reply with an RSVP to cfpacs.membership@gmail.com if you plan on attending to receive the address. ***

My guess is that our stick trees may not bloom until June. With your mild winter, most kept their leaves and are already rolling!

Not very long at all to germinate 5 to 8 weeks, bottom heating 30 degrees Celsius, coco coir perlite mix just slightly damp for germination. My growing medium is 60 percent coco peat, 30 percent good quality potting mix, 20 percent perlite, with volcanic crushed rock powder. I don’t overwater them as seedlings they don’t like too much water especially in winter. I also use Agrifos a systemic fungicide for root disease. I have some in my garden in black sandy loam soil.

These are two local specimens This tree has very dense wood:

I'm gonna open with this meme. Anyway as always price is OBO, white monstera. Yes it was sold by Costa but it's been confirmed they did not grow them, it's from the Kunzo lineage also confirmed by them. Not an albo or creme Brule or Thai con. Rehabbed and is now pushing out of a 1g pot. I've got it listed elsewhere for more optimistic prices, these were sold in March and didn't last long. $75 obo for y'all plus the ride.

Certainly a very sunny April, we might get a touch of drizzle Monday night

In My large one only ever holds 4 leaves and a spear,. A few more years and will get there!

This Spring’s annual order from Floribunda has arrived! Three one gallon Basselinia glabrata, two Pinanga coronata, two Cyphophoenix alba, and three 4” container Prestoea montana. Are are robust and big for container size as is usual.

I have a feeling the Pinanga 'Maroon Crownshaft' may do well for you. I ordered one from Jeff last year and it sailed through winter looking perfect (yes, I know, it was not much of a winter!) and so it might do well in favored spots like yours in Central California. A few others that have surprised me with their winter hardiness here in Palm Springs are Areca laosensis (much easier for me than A. triandra) and Areca vidaliana (which was a suggestion from "Happy Palms" Richard). For some reason Pinanga coronata has always crapped out on me eventually...maybe because I'm hung up on the 'kuhlii' form, which may just be difficult compared to the other forms of this species. Jeff used to sell his "blunt leaf" form and I used to grow it in the Keys, it grew quite fast and made almost a barrier hedge for me there and then Irma's seawater-sweep killed them all. Like you I ordered a P. coronata from Jeff a couple of months ago and this one he's selling seems more like the old-fashioned 'Pauleen's Ventura' type. Maybe it is hardier. I'm surprised you haven't grown it in the past, or have you? I always think you must be in a very cool spot (I think I'm too used to the climate of Carmel, which is one of my favorite air-conditioned spots on the planet)...obviously you get some decent heat. You must, because I can't stop ogling that xWodveitchia you have. That is truly a spectacle and you need to pat yourself on the back for that one!

Too lush and green! I think this species needs to experience some winter drought to put on a good flower show. I only water mine once a month December through March, plus whatever may fall from the sky. 🤷‍♂️ aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Looking good Richard. They’re pretty fast down here. Maybe there’s not enough warmth for them up there 🤣 Here’s 8 years of growth from a very nearly dead seedling I managed to transplant from a garden before it died. Glad I did.

Good grief no, I got seed back in 2010, so it took awhile to germinate and get them to plantable size. Hawaii fast, but not that fast. Tim

Like all the farmers say, "There's always next year". It was an unusually warm winter in the Phoenix area, and it pretty much decimated the stone fruit crops in the valley. We have 3 apricot trees, and a nectaplum, and not a single flower on any of them for the first time ever.🤷‍♂️ aztropic Mesa, Arizona

This is an elegant and somewhat overlooked palm. Took a few shots around the hood:

These palm trees aren't very popular, but they have a very tropical, delicate, and elegant appearance. I only managed to germinate 10 seeds of Ptychosperma schefferi, purchased from RPS Germany. Only 3 palm trees survived.

As my European friends say, having tropical or delicate palm trees in a cold climate means their palm trees will spend their entire lives in pots. So they looked for ways to bring home such exotic luxury.

You'll have to remove all the soil and replace it with non-desert or clay soil. You could try leaving this palm tree in pots for its entire life. It certainly won't die. You need to determine what caused its death. It could be the hard soil underneath (like clay) that didn't promote root growth, or it might be suffocating.

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Hugo, I appreciate your contributions to Palmtalk, thanks. However, conditions vary a lot, especially between the north and south hemispheres. I have grown Ceroxylon parvifrons and C. quindiuense to adult, flowering specimens. I have also grown at least 8 Jaunia palms from seedlings to approximately 1 to 3 meters in height. I can state clearly that, in California, healthy looking Juania palms will die suddenly and without any apparent symptoms after several years of normal growth. (P.S. My garden temperatures range from 2C to 20C throughout the whole, yearly cycle. ) best wishes, Darold

The rest of the buds opened for this nice bouquet display.

They look a lot like young Ceroxyla, so intuitively a big NO for a trial in my climate.

Here’s a unique Encephalartos Horridus I got from @Sr. Califas but a Kevin plant marked “Special”. I called Kevin and he said this particular plant was germinated using noticeably unique parents that possess great color and different shape structure. I’m all for rare. Pictures don’t really do it justice as the emerging frond is even more purple than it looks. Looks to be a few more emerging behind the leader as well. -dale

I lost two small palms, and had a Needle palm spear pull, along with a a bunch of cosmetic damage to the newly growing spear on a number of mostly Butia and butia hybrids. That spear damage usually result in 2-3 blemished or broken off fronds, but with all the heat, everything has moved on to 100% blemish free fronds. The needle that spear pulled fortunately is pushing all new growth now.. So I'm hoping that now many will after this summer be established and less likely to take damage. Sabals, Filiferas , Trachys and Chamaedoreas all didn't seem to care about the cold. Weirdly I lost all nine of my Plumbagos even though they are hardy to zone 8. I finally gave up on them this weekend and started replacing them.

Wow wee, Jim. What else can one say? Truly spectacular and all these new goodies I'm sure will do beautifully under your deft hand. And I agree on planting small...not only because the plants seem to like it when their roots can decide where to go from a young age, but also of course it makes it so easy to stuff these things into all the little nooks and crannies that are just aching for another palm (especially when those big containers just won't fit, dang it). Plus no broken back trying to dig a hole for a 15-gallon monster (or lugging it home). Only water, fertilizer and (quite a bit of) patience are required. Life goes along, you blink a few times, and suddenly everything's big and beautiful!

Could be mislabeled!

Plus you're not so far from the New Madrid fault line.

Despite the wettest autumn/winter period on record we are now enduring one of the driest periods on record here now with many places on 0.2mm / 0.007 inches for the entirety of April so far. Some Met Office stations are on 0.3% of long term average rainfall for April up to the 25th.. The humidity levels here today have been as bad, if not worse, than Phoenix, Arizona. Some places in southern England have been in the single digits for humidity! London Heathrow not even in the top 10 least humid and still down to 14% humidity there… The Met Office station at Odiham (not far from me) down to 12% humidity… University of Reading, again not too far from me, down to 9% humidity earlier today… Looking at PWS stations in central London, I can also see humidity down to 9% there with a dew point of -14C almost, which is ridiculous. Again these are low level sites, not mountain peaks, in April. A few reports of 7% humidity at low level stations too in southern England. High pressure is absolutely dominating and firmly established over the UK… Obviously the wildfires are spiralling out of control again with numerous evacuations and properties burnt down. Serious problems in Northern Ireland tonight with evacuations underway… Things are only going to get worse before they get better. As I type this as 1am, humidity is still only 37% here. I have forgotten what rain looks like. Think I may have had a few drops about 3 weeks ago. Forecast for the next 7 days…

This is what you get for $600 in Australia a stunning Geonoma atrovirens. Worth every cent. Consider if you want that $500 palm, look at what it has taken in years and water to grow it, I don’t hesitate to buy a palm I want if you want that palm buy it!

Now for the hillside crew. Harry Solitary Chamerops Humilus , never suckered Next to the Mediterranean is the first Cycad to show new growth. Cycas Revoluta This Rhapidophylum Hystix has survived two gopher attacks and numerous wind events. Livistona Australis ‘Brahea Edulis. I call it the elephant! Brahea Armata needs a bit of a trim? This Sabal is a mystery . It was a very small seedling when I planted it . It’s either a Palmetto or Riverside . It was a gift and the grower lost some tags . Livistona Chinensis is a monster….with teeth! One last look up through the Mediterranean Fan palm before heading up to the deck. Believe it or not I have recently cut over 50 fronds off this thing. No suckers ever produced from it but , man , tons of fronds. Harry

OK , you showed us yours , I’ll show you mine!😂 After watering , I took a walk about the garden . I even wandered down the hill. Our rainfall this year has really helped a lot of our plants. An early warm spell , minus the wind , was a bonus. Harry CYPHOPHOENIX Nucele getting ready to open a new frond Chrysalidiocarpus Lanceolata enjoying some morning sun Pritchardia H. Not shy at all! Chamaedorea Radicalis Tree Form a volunteer that popped up in just the right spot. Howea Foresteriana needs no introduction. It seems like the Rhopalostylus Bauri Cheesemania just opened a frond and the new spear is already shooting up Caryota Mitis has opened a few fronds already . This thing has had a few trunks cut out of it over the years and just keeps on trucking.

I paid the gardeners $250 to move it and they did a pretty good job.

Lovely garden . That big Bauri is amazing! How long has that been in the ground , and planted from what size? I planted one about a year and a half ago (Cheesemania) . It is still sorta small but getting bigger pretty fast. I’m afraid I’ll have to walk around it when it gets like yours😄. Harry Silly me , I thought they were a bit smaller than R. Sapida!

Harry, all but one are planted as of today. One more to go into the ground. I rarely keep any palms potted for long. I don’t like to wait until summer. I did put the Pinanga coronata palms into a big decorative pot however.

Congratulations! I got my spring order from Floribunda about 10 days ago. My container garden was decimated by Ian and last winter's nights in the upper 30s. For future orders I am sticking to Floribunda and sellers I know on PT. TIP: If a palm seller peddles stuff with outdated scientific names or cutesy meaningless monikers consider red flags raised high. 'Nuff said.

….and Santa didn’t need to deploy his sleigh! Great haul , Jim . Reminds me of my visits to @DoomsDave . Just curious , do you leave them in a protected environment for a while , or plant them out right away ? Harry

Hey who’s a croppin now Jim, I know the feeling very well, keep them coming, I wanna see more!🤣

They look great, as usual! Best self made holiday is the day the box arrives.

just wanted to update this topic on what my fused leaf has grown into. It is about ready to go in the ground