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The color of Arenga Engleri inflorescence. Harry

I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to tracking the collection, but in ground species is something I’ve never tracked. I think I probably should. Someone recently asked me about my total collection including potted palms and I do keep a list of- up to 283 now and it regularly increasing lately. If I had to guess, I’d say about half of those species would be in ground. Will have to sort this list to note in ground too - I’ll get on it!

Anything in Australia is expensive at the moment, and I think the freight to your door would be even more expensive!

More red! Dypsis rosea opening a new leaf.

Manitoba!

8.2 that’s a mega high ph. My ph is around 6 to 5.5, most nutrients are available. I do get a slight phosphorus deficiency due to the sandy soil leaching, and that’s most of the Australian soils around. All I do for fertiliser for the garden is chicken poo pellets. Broad casting handfuls around and the odd handful on the hungry looking palms. I used to broadcast a synthetic NPK mixture, but found that it was not good for the chamaedoreas, prolifiic blue was the one I used. There are not many specific palm fertilisers available in bulk in my area it’s more fruit tree fertilisers. And with so many different palms from all around the globe in my garden it’s not easy to use a NPK mix. So just the good old chicken poo pellets for me!

Three of the five current flushes on this specimen are visible from this angle. All the flushes are progressing but none are even close to reaching the point that leaflets begin to harden.. I love this plant and the way it looks.

I have no idea what the name this one is, all I know about orchids is I like them.

The Arenarius x Latifrons beauty. -dale

I know this thread is about two year old. We have one of these at our nursery on Pine Island. It has been in a pot in our greenhouse for about two years now. I ran across this thread because I am hoping to pick the right spot to plant the big leaf and our variegated Seagrape. I was able to get some cuttings to root about a year ago but sold them. Plan to try again once it gets established (hopefully) in ground. Pics below…the big leaf has mealys and boy do those suckers love that big leaf.

Here is the supermodel shovel for some scale. Tim

Metroxylon seedling looking robust.

My Amherstia is beginning to flower, the chandelier flowers will begin to open soon. New magenta leaves hang limp initially before greening up.

Licuala mapu and licuala peltata sumowongii loving the rain.

Hybrid latania

Dave, I ditto a lot of the same recommendations as @Tracy. I do think Hedyscepe and Ambositrae are fantastic growers in my area. Do they get “too big”….maybe. But you b will get many years of beauty before you need to worry about the power lines. They are an average grower, not like Archontophoenix that grow feet per year. I’d say plant away but know your previous Hedy or Ambo may require removal in 20yrs. Pritchardia Minor, Bentinkia Condapanna, Pinanga Javana, and Hyophorbe Indica are all winners as well. You could also get away with planting a clumping Dypsis like Heteromorpha or Lanceolata as well. They don’t get massively tall (less than 20’) and are fantastic looking. Subsidizing palms for Encephalartos is a winning combination. Some big Encephalartos like Whitelockii, Ituriensis, or Kisambo get very tall if kept upright. You’re talking decades before those would be a concern. HB is prime location for growing Encephalartos. All of mine seem very happy. Cordyline, Plumeria, Heliconia etc all excel as companion plants. My lot is fairly small @ 6500sqft so my gardens are cramped. I know without a doubt I will have to dig plants out as they mature but that’s ok. I knew the job when I took it. If I can get 20yrs out of a plant, I will be very happy. I completely understand I’m the outlier and not the rule though. HB is prime palm tree, cycad and tropical plant growing conditions. So many possibilities. -dale Bentinkia Condapanna Pinanga Javana Dypsis Ambositrae Hyophorbe Indica

Some good rain has the collection looking good! IMG_2840.mov IMG_2835.mov

🙂👌

Pinanga sarawakensis for a splash of colour!

Yep that’s the male, but what lady would want to live in a freezer 🤣

Crysophilla warscewizianus, Schippia concolor, Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana and a Hedyscepe Canterburyana all doing well.

I know, I was just relating that I prefer palms that aren’t the best suited to my climate. The date palm prefers Mediterranean climates like my own.

Summer is about to make its arrival known then it seems. And these figures are probably too low with 30’s C now expected. Still a lot of uncertainty regarding next week, but it is looking increasingly likely that we will be dealing with a heat dome event now. Just look at that anomaly on the models… 👀 So far, the Euro / ECM only has 33C / 92F modelled off the back of that. Although some ensembles have gone to 35-36C / 95F during the last week of May. I am already seeing 38C / 100F being modelled for us in early June. I don’t think I have ever seen that so early before on models. Homegrown warmth building for 10+ days (heat dome scenario) and then reinforced again with 20C hPa 850 temps overhead on this. I think it goes to 39C / 102F in London during first week of June, which is crazy to see modelled.

thanks Merlyn! That's very helpful,

Beautiful palm. Hmm I see what you mean. Almost looks like C pilulifer but not quite right for that either I think. There’s a bit of a key in the recent article on C hamannii of these related species: https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-09/Chrysalidocarpus hamannii PalmArbor FINAL 29 Sept 2025.pdf Honestly though I’m not sure how useful it is. The descriptions are often based on limited samples and may not fully take into account the variability of each species especially when different climates in cultivation are factored in. Also, the increasingly strong possibility of hybridising within Chrysalidocarpus which is even discussed in the article. Interestingly to me, all of the species in the article of which your palm is clearly within the group, are described as having waxy white or partially waxy white leaf bases whereas your palm does not appear to (or perhaps only slightly).

That’s a beauty Tim! I’ve only got a small seedling which is probably about 100 years off reaching the size of yours based on its current growth rate 🤣. Any reason you’re not convinced of the ID? It certainly looks like it could be C malcomberi to me. Definitely in that closely related group of palms with C malcomberi, C pilulifer and manajarensis (and recently C hamannii).

I’ve seen similar growth habits in other root bound palms that needed to be repotted or planted in the ground. Sort of a stunted bonsai effect.

An interesting little batch of seedlings, seeds kindly donated by @palmtreesforpleasure it will be an interesting palm to grow for sure!

I got this as Encyclia prismatocarpa and it also was called Epidendrum prismatocarpum in the literature but both are now pseudonyms for Panarica prismatocarpa. It has been a dependable grower over the years i have been growing them and they bloom right on schedule this time of year. There is an Oncidium bloom photo bombing the show for the Panarica but that is another story for a different post.

Four dypsis louvelli about to show off what they are known for.

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.

Geonoma atrovirens adds a bit of colour to any greenhouse!

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.

Red Latania

Why not let volunteer orchids grow

A touch of colour in paradise!

Calyptrocalyx leptostachys. Tim

yellow Phaius

Young Nepenthes ‘briggsiana’ a cross between Nepenthes lowii and ventricosa.

The first 2 hippeastrums in bloom this year, I have about 100 in the garden

More flowers coming online

Hello all, Since my trip to the Great Smoky Mountains a couple years ago, which is located in the Appalachian Temperate Rainforest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_temperate_rainforest), I have become fascinated with temperate rainforests (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_rainforest) and the fact that we have one here in the Eastern U.S. And I have recently been doing some research to try to determine the boundaries of the Appalachian Temperate Rainforest and see what other parts of the Eastern U.S. qualify for temperate rainforest designation. This is what Wikipedia says are the criteria for a temperate rainforest: For temperate rainforests of North America, Alaback's definition[1] is widely recognized:[2] Annual precipitation over 140 cm (55 in) (KJ) Mean annual temperature is between 4 and 12 °C (39 and 54 °F) I have seen various other sources, and generally it is agreed that a temperate rainforest (which often receives less rainfall than tropical rainforests) must receive 55-60 or more inches of rain per year. It seems that is really the main requirement. What makes a temperate rainforest isn't very well defined and there are varying definitions, however, unlike cloud forests, there does not seem to be a fog/cloud cover requirement, although that often comes with the high rainfall. I have seen some sources cite evenly distributed precipitation across the year as a criterion, but the Pacific Temperate Rainforest, the largest temperate rainforest on Earth, receives far less rainfall in summer than winter (similar to the Mediterranean climate it borders to the south), and relies on fog drip in summer to keep the soil moist and provide water to plants. So if the rainfall requirement is the main requirement to be considered a temperate rainforest, then there are a number of places in the East that fall within that category. I remember reading that there were patches of temperate rainforest throughout the Appalachians up into New England, and I know there is a temperate rainforest in Atlantic Canada. You can tell when you're in a temperate rainforest in the Eastern U.S. by the abundance of understory plants (Rhododendron, mountain laurel, ferns, mosses, etc.) and lush canopy often mixed deciduous and evergreen. The forests where I live near D.C., which average about 40 inches of rain per year, are open, entirely deciduous, and the forest floor is often bare. In the western part of Maryland and parts of West Virginia, some of which average 55-60+ inches of rain, the environment looks much like the Smokies, yet I've never seen them included in any description of the Appalachian rainforest. Pickens, West Virginia, for example, averages 66 inches of rainfall per year. Is that not a temperate rainforest? I was in the Appalachian highlands in WV this summer and it was much cooler than D.C. and had fog/clouds during part or all of each day, much like the Smokies. There are plenty of other places, from the mountains of Arkansas and Alabama up to Maine, that meet the rainfall requirement for temperate rainforest. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, for example, receives 91 inches of rain a year, which far exceeds the requirement, however the extreme winter temperatures may mean it's not considered temperate. If it's not temperate would it be a boreal rainforest? It seems much of the Atlantic Canada's rainforests and the Inland North America temperate rainforest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_inland_temperate_rainforest) wouldn't be considered "temperate" because of their cold winters. Is it possible to have a rainforest in a boreal climate? I know there are rainforests in parts of Siberia as well so it seems it is possible. I will continue to research and try to determine which areas of the East are temperate rainforests, it's something that really interests me. Let me know your thoughts! Map of Appalachian Temperate Rainforest as it's often shown: Average precipitation across the U.S.

If anything the very cold mean annual temp given of 12 C or 55 F max, is what excludes the warmer places, and might leave a void of rainforests between temperate and tropical, which at a minimum have that Koppen 18 C or 64 F coldest month minimum, which translates to an annual temp well over 21 C or 70 F. The coldest mean annual temp of 4 C (39 F) would include very cold areas such as the Adirondack mountains of New York up to almost 5,000 ft, aka the highest peaks there, and would include the eastern US' coldest mountain, Mount Washington NH up to about 4,000 ft or 1200 meters.

With bamboo , depending on the variety , you are talking about something that can grow several inches a day (up to a foot in the tropics) . I have Black Bamboo in a pot that sent out a culm a month ago . The culm is now over 6’ tall and still growing . Rhapis palms are very slow growers so you have plenty of time to react to errant runners. My experience has been that they are fine , both of them are next to pathways and manageable . Then again , I like to garden so ….. Harry