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I just got back from a brief road trip to Bahia de Los Angeles to see the northernmost red mangroves on an island in the Gulf of California! It is a tiny coastal village in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and only satellite internet. Nevertheless, I stumbled upon some incredibly rare palms in a random garden! Anyone know any information about this garden? I tried knocking on the doors nearby but nobody was home, but there was a house pipe with wet ground beneath it so it looks like someone is tending to these palms. Click here if you want to see ALL the photos from the road trip First is the trip's purpose: the colony of red mangroves with the second pic being the particular northernmost mangrove in the colony. I'm guessing palms are Medemia argun, Bismarckia nobilis, Copernicia baileyana, Hyphaene coriacea, Cocos nucifera (only one in the village), Sabal riverside, Brahea armata (native), and Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera.

A fellow Floridian can better tell you how quickly these recover. For me, it come down to cost. Queens are very cheap. I would opt for a larger one in 10" or 14" pot.

Intriguing subject regarding the lack of palms from what one would expect to be one of the most lucrative areas in the world-New Guinea. It causes me to wonder how Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, on the Intracoastal in WPB was able to score this Calyptrocalyx spicatus probably 70 years ago:

The palm didn’t miss a beat with the move… Seems equally happy in its new location. Both the old and new locations see a lot of sun (the new location slightly more sun than the old). I haven’t tried it in either of my two “worst of the worst” spots for sun, but it seems fairly sun tolerant to me (within reason). Likely similar to lutescens in that regard, but more cold tolerant (as in fewer “fried” looking fronds coming out of winter). Here’s a snap I just took at 9:30am this morning…

I'm biased. Needs redone though... AI art is trash.

Estaba con la esperanaza que alguien aqui conoceria la persona responsable para esa sorpresa en el medio de la nada! XP There are trunking coconut palms all the way up to San Felipe! There is actually one on the side of the main road just a few miles south of the outskirts of Mexicali as well that's about to get a trunk that I've seen over the last few years.

I’ve been cleaning up the garden beds recently, and they are packed with bromeliads. Here’s some of my favorites so far this year. They really start to multiply over the years.

Post some of the palms on signs and billboards. Driving around Harlingen I see several daily. Here's a few.

Palm Sunday - looks like our last freeze is behind us! Going in-ground this weekend with a few agave and Sabals. Also adding a L. Chinensis to my protected section. Elephant ears and exotics are going outside. This year will be all about non-palm additions. Working on adding “fillers, thrillers, and spillers” to my beds. Saving $ for some rare broadleaf evergreens around my wooded area, and a lot of flowers for my wife. Also working on re arranging my garden to be more low-maintenance. Putting the right plants in the rights spot, and not having to water so much. My favorite addition has been a Bog Planter/Frog Hotel I’ve started for the kids. Really looking forward to this taking off.

This plant needs to be potted up badly. I'm willing to sell this plant for $1100. Socal pick-up only, or perhaps I can meet some of you out of towners half way (within reason). This plant will be put into a box the first weekend of April and will no longer be available for this price. 9+ X 9+ inches of caudex, super blue, sex unknown.

I think A macrocalyx is one of those species where the >2000m examples are the outliers for the species. In cultivation A macrocalyx is known to be particularly wimpy to cold especially the red var marie. I guess possibly most in cultivation originate from much lower altitude which would be true tropics? Heterospathe muelleriana and H obriensis interest me because they aren’t known below 1000m so would expect them to have some cool tolerance. Not sure I’ll ever be going on a seed hunting expedition up there, good luck to anyone willing!

Here’s a picture of Sabal palmetto along the St. John’s River in central florida. Roots can grow in air and in standing water. The river edges get flooded from each hurricane and thats what probably eroded away the shoreline overtime. I thought this picture clearly shows how resilient and impressive this species is.

They were probably imported from the US because getting most of those species in my country is super hard.

Hydriastele gibbsiana is very high up on my wishlist. Never seen seed available or even really spoken about anywhere in cultivation. Still never grown Ptychococcus lepidotus but would like to try. Other than that, there’s a few highland Calamus species that would likely grow well in our climates, but still not too many others from >2000m. Palms of New Guinea is a good resource which has a nice summary I’ve attached. The Heterospathe sp are interesting.

Great pictures, Kyle 🤗

Wow, this thread was a blast from the past and quite interesting...looks like I learned a bunch of stuff that I've subsequently forgotten! I imagine that we probably know a bit more about the highland palms of NG now?

This part of the garden definitely caught my attention after I planted this anthurium, just the pop that spot needed!

Yes, I posted my updated report here: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/92659-2026_02-florida-palmageddon-observations-and-damage-photo-thread/?page=8#findComment-1254265

Update: the first spear has opened with a nice salmon color. I expect future leaves will look better, not having been stressed in the weeks prior to opening.

Well just adding to my blog here. I had my first in person customer today. Sweet lady, home health care nurse. She and her daughter showed up looking for the elephant ears I have on FB marketplace, and they were just kind of in awe of all the stuff I've got growing _out here_. She told me she keeps killing her houseplants, I showed her how to mix coco coir and perlite and stop using potting soil, her daughter was fascinated with the kittens. Sancho didn't make an appearance, and she killed a bee that flew in after I told her I was allergic so I basically gave her the plants for half price and gave her a philodendron. I think she'll be back once more stuff sprouts up. I've got dozens more bulbs to sprout. And then there was a bunch of "ohhhh yeah that's not for sale" 😂

jax beach …pic taken fall 2024, no damage xmas freeze 2022, 70% burn feb 2026 freeze.

Yes, I thought the same thing. More evidence about how the general public view palms. Palm = pinnate palm. I was impressed that the dentist named his/her practice after a Texas native palm even if the picture isn't accurate!

All the logos look like Cocos nucifera to me (even the Sabal advert) which, while present in the area are far from common.

Close-up on the blooms:

I dunno how common this knowledge is, but fire ants can't stand the smell of cedar. They had mounded up all around one of my Trachies and I just snapped a couple twigs off the cedar tree and stuck them in the mound. Now I just have a Trachy covered in dirt.

My lafazamanga caught my eye this evening, and I thought I’d share a photo of it post-transplant (which happened months ago). 🪏 as far as I can tell, it’s very happy in its new location, and hasn’t missed a beat from the move.🤞 Has been such a great plant for me, so I’m hoping it will do as well in the new (equally prominent) location. 💕