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For Tim Merry Xmas

@dalmatiansoap I think you’re more than a bit too cold for Ptychosperma elegans where you are, hate to say that. They grow great here in California, but we get spotting on the leaves in winter; I think the big difference is a shorter cool/cold season.

This species does seem to enjoy the heat, and is also very drought tolerant. There are several planted around in Phoenix, Arizona palm gardens. Here's mine. Slow but steady... Each frond is about 12 feet tall, but the plant still looks like a giant carrot. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Temps in the high 30s I can live with, not knowing when any decent rains are forecast is the problem, it could get drier and drier for the next 3 months it’s difficult to tell and with summer in full swing already, I have enough to water as it is. So no knew plantings for a while unless it’s in a heavily watered area under irrigation. Richard

No fry . Lower left leaf is browning due to age. Your probably seeing sunlight thru the leaves, maybe something not seen so strongly in Great Britain. Saw about 24f. Still got blooming petunias and impatiens on the patio(rare here, this late). Filifera leaves brown once the leaf hits about the 90 degree angle. Hybrids can hold lower Removed the "fried" leaf

Good microclimate on a gorgeous winter day

This season in NZ. Chathams have flowered once or twice but the kermadecs haven't started yet. Last seasons seed is just maturing on the kermadecs

For those who did not know. I've grown this Chamaedorea Elegans directly in the top of my aquarium for a couple of years now. It's done great! It's a great way to grow out those small grass tuffts they sell for cheap at the box store.

Also calyptrocalyx sp. sanumb in same area performing well for 2 plus years fingers crossed this also gets a nice red leaf.

Don't give up yet Dave my calyptrcalyx polyphylus has been in the ground for 5 yrs it keeps trying to flower its in sheltered courtyard with no wind and plenty of bright light no direct sun and fast draining soil.

From what I know they are very similar. Arenarum will split rather than sucker. That’s the main way to tell them apart. The inflorescence is different as well.

Kentiopsis piersonorium It may be too hot to plant in the ground, but it’s perfect summer heat for repotting palms. Calyptrocalyx doxanthus Sabal mauritiformis and a nice Stangeria eriopsis

Really beautiful weather this entire month! What temperature was your thermometer reading there?? Filifera looks great! Great map of New Mexico.. you can see the continental united states (minus hawaii/ kialuea) youngest lava flows..

Cattleya ‘Imperialis’ - treating me to a 2nd blooming In 2 months. And one of the blooms measures 7.25” across!

Agree with others ..increase your irrigation. Regarding sulfur, sul po mag will help but less so during the cooler months compared to when the plants are in active growth ( warmer months ) While the effect is temporary / gradual, applying sulfur will increase the acidity of alkaline soil when added. Helps break up heavy clay soil as well ..to some degree at least. I myself would start dumping piles of leaves around those specimens to start getting more organics into the soil around them / lower the soil's native ph more permanently. Grow fine in our native, highly alkaline soil ..as long as they get regular water ..and some afternoon shade.

Clear Lake Shores, Texas

It had sped up a bit only after I had buried next to it a mastiff dog🙄! If it were a Caribbean sp, I'd say it needed some dose of voodoo magic, but it is actualy from the West Coast. I like the bright reddish fiber around leaf bases.

It’s normal for lutescens to have a red spear. Mine do the same thing. Especially if they are shaded. Here’s one of mine. The first shot shows two spears. One red and one green. These are the same plant just two different suckers.

Yours looks quite happy and good coloring. I planted mine down the hill for good reason , it got really thick and deadly with its spines. A lovely palm but , when planted in the ground , can get large. Harry I plan on removing most of the suckers off and leaving just the , now hidden , center trunks . I’m probably going to need a chain saw and thick clothing!

Don't be scared...it's just a palm lol!

I will say at this point how cool is that, well done, theres a few popping up around the world in different locations now!

I will say at this point how cool is that, well done, theres a few popping up around the world in different locations now!

Picked up another one to plant in the garden!

C pembana from 2 gal? 4 years was eye catching today.

How are you sure that original specimen had not hybridised with other Ropalostylis spp?

Here’s some of my older pics from years past.

Maradol is probably my favorite papaya. Mine taste like sweet candy when ripened on the papaya plant. The ones sold in the grocery store are absolutely horrible! Unfortunately, the grocery store Maradol papayas give them a very bad name or taste. They are picked too green and will never develop their sweetness, but color up and taste disgusting. 🤮 I don’t have any solos now. My strawberry papayas have been ripening in the last month and I just picked one a week ago, they’re extremely sweet, but no seeds, which is very strange. Hawaii solo papayas are commonly sold in the grocery stores throughout the U.S. They typically taste really horrible, also. I usually just buy them for the seeds. Here’s a few pics of my papaya plants

I've seen holes on the side, but they're at the edge of the base

It is pushing those bricks out pretty badly. I have really only left them to protect the trunk from the weed trimmer. It is big enough now though that the leaf bases would be plenty of protection.

You are correct about the sun. It gets sun from sunrise until the last hour or so of daylight. In a year or two it will be tall enough to catch even that last little bit of light each day.

Leaning bricks!!!! A good sign!

Phil at JM usually has them and can ship. Not cheap but they never are. Honestly I wish I’d bought ours from him instead of from an unnamed local grower. My wife and I still call it “the $500 palm” and it wasn’t in the best shape when we got it.

No luck on the Lady Palms😭. Just this: The taller one looks pretty good.

I have three other species tucked away in another part of the yard. oreophila, plagiocarpa, and praemorsa. Banksia are very tempermental for me. It took a while to figure out a good soil mix to grow them in pots. From seed I get very high germinatiin rate, but also get very high damp-off rates so I only end up with a couple seedlings surviving the first year. But after that they do ok. -Matt

Beautiful Gardenia! BTW I’ve had good luck with a Trichocereus such as was posted above for many years with zero protection. I think the tag says hardy to 35F but they are hardier than that. Happy to post a pic of the one I had in Albuquerque if anyone wants to see. It had electric pink flowers in early summer that were gorgeous! It may still be alive, I haven’t checked in a while few years though. Anywho, here is a photo from a BigBox yesterday in San Antonio. Some nice big Bottle Palms, Queens, and small Mexican Fan Palms.

They do well with proper watering too, like a lawn. Today's pic Sarcasm

Costco today; $30

Not a palm, but a great find at my local WM.

More found today. $248, largest has about 40" of trunk.

Thank you! And thanks for all the tips. I found a another specimen that had a larger trunk size than the one I had so I guess its worth replacing, even if the old one would have made it. I drove to a HGC in Tomball (combine w visit to Arbor Gate!), however, ALL the 15G ones there had spear pull. I then drove to another HGC 20 minutes south and they seemed better! Still some dwarf growth but I hope that toughened them up. See pic. Planted yesterday! I did keep the old one. I ordered it through mail (since I could not find ANY Canariensis in stores) and it was naturally of a smaller size. When I dug it up, it also had a lot of circling roots (almost 6 inches worth, vertically) so maybe it was for the best. I have it in a pot now and we'll see whether it lives. I'll keep you all posted.

Not a big box store but a fairly large nursery in Ventura had a bunch of large , one gallon Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana for $11.99 . They are very healthy so I picked one up a couple weeks ago and stuck it the side of my house where it gets about 2 hours full morning sun . It didn’t burn , even a new frond that had just opened still look green and growing strong . A new spear started to emerge immediately! I haven’t had a small king in a while . These are already hardened off , which is why I prefer this nursery . Harry A really healthy one . I couldn’t resist for the price . The largest frond was still barely open when I got it , now a new spear is pushing out! I love King palms even though quite common here , they grow rapidly at this stage! I was confused by the name “ Seaforthia” but @Jim in Los Altos assured me that it is indeed a Cunninghamiana . Also the mottling around the leaf bases is a dead giveaway away. Such a healthy palm . The last ones I bought at Lowe’s took over a year to show signs of growth and burned immediately . This nursery has some of the more rare stuff as well. Chamaedorea Plumosa (huge) , Chamberonia Macrocarpa , C. Costariciana, Howea F. . Rhopalostylus , etc. Harry

@Swolte, I think the CDPs are all over the place in the Houston area. As I said, I was at the other HGC mentioned above, and they had both of the sizes for the CDPs. No freeze damage for the small ones, though. Unfortunately for me, no Bismarckia at the Lowe's which had them last year.

I saw Serenoa today at Lowes out near the hinterlands close to Katy. $93 though which to me seems high for a smallish palm. I bought one last year for $30 that was 2/3 the size of these at a local nursery i suspect they’ll end up going to the clearance section so that’s when I’ll make my move. .

Mix of blue and green Sereona + Butia at the blue store in McComb, Mississippi Looks kinda like Butia catarinensis? Thoughts? I've been wanting one

This year the palms never left. All the usual culprits were available. They’ve been bringing in fresh stock though. The only thing that has stood out to me are the single Phoenix roebellinii that I have seen.

My local Lowe's has a bunch of Southern Magnolia brackens brown beauty for 130$ Which is not a bad price because they are pretty big I didn't get a good pic Sorry

Earlier today at Lowe's I found this Aucuba japonica for 4$ I will be planting it tomorrow

picked up a decent sized queen palm from Lowe’s this past weekend Saw they had windmills, Washingtonias, pindos, Pygmy’s and Sylvester’s as well…was hoping to find a decent sized mule palm

I do hope you have success Dave! I love this entire genus.