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It's a blank slate!

Thank you! Unfortunately, it's in El Centro, CA, which isn't the best climate for palms - it's a hot desert climate that sometimes gets winter frosts, but I figured I will be here for about 5 years, so figured I might as well buy a house before one day moving into a permanent place. It's amazing how difficult it is to get exotic palms in California! Only a handful of commercial places sell them, but I know many enthusiasts have backyard nurseries! I've been having fun experimenting with what can handle the hot desert climate, however, and have had a few surprises, so am looking forward to experimenting in a place that won't randomly shut off the water when I leave town! lol

From Madagascar to Chile. A magnificent collector's palm tree. For anyone who wants to be tempted.

Congrats Kyle! Obviously I can’t help unfortunately but I know it’s been a source of frustration for you not having your own place and full control of your collection. I fully expect your palm collection and obsession will get completely out of control now if you’re anything like me 🤣

I got mine as an established palm at a non specialist nursery sold as D decaryi. Not cheap, but a bargain for what it is. It’s done relatively well considering my climate is far from ideal for them; C leptocheilos doesn’t grow reliably long term and there are only a handful of mature C decaryi around and they seem to need very well drained soil or they rot in winter. Even my pure C decaryi gets bad brown tipping and the trunk gets a bit wobbly each spring from what I assume is root rot. My Tribear doesn’t have that problem. A bit of brown tipping but that’s hard to avoid in my climate for most species.

Latania

Red latania

Might be planted a tad deep. This species is particularly sensitive to rotting. I’d say it might be safest to dig away a bit of the soil around the stem until you reach the root initiation zone.

Hello! I was just wondering if anyone had backyard nurseries in San Diego, Los Angeles, Palm Springs area and if they were selling any palms! I just bought a house in El Centro, CA, and would like to start collecting plants to plant out in the fall!

I have to say it was beyond disappointing when I worked and prepared 14 years towards finally moving to Hilo, HI, and had everything set up to establish myself there, only to be met with a housing crisis, living out of my car/hotel, and subsequently having to emergently find a new job, which just happened to be in El Centro, CA. If I had moved to Hilo, HI only 6 months earlier, none of this would have happened 😔 Now I have my eyes on Mexico in 5 years to finally have my permanent garden, as it looks like Hawaii and coastal southern California are no longer realistic options for a large palm garden. Either way, though, it's been fun experimenting with palms in the desert and seeing which ones can take the heat. Many palm trees have pleasantly surprised me!

It’s crazy the places you have been and lived. I will admit, El Centro wasn’t on my list for you

Chamaerops humilis. Mediterranean fan palm. I hope to see it grow like never before.

My Encephalartos ituriensis is flushing but this is a very difficult one to photograph. In order to get the whole plant in the photo I have to stand pretty far back and lose detail while the tall leaves blend in with the canopy. Also, the existing leaves are erect and do a good job at hiding new flushes. Here’s a couple of photos from different angles trying to show the flush.

@N8ALLRIGHT Me neither, until now. Ok, thanks. I appreciate your input!

And costa

@Phoenikakias here are few pictures of hastula

New leaf on an Alocasia Cuprea Red Secret. The camera does this color no justice. It's so shiny and metallic.

I acquired this as Encephalartos middelburgensis as a 2 leaf seedling. Some have said it looks more like nubimontanus but it has more upright leaflets than the nubimontanus I am growing. Perhaps a nubimontanus × middelburgensis. Patience and cones may sort out the mystery for me. Both the main caudex and the largest pup are pushing out flushes in the photos below.

Thank you…the picture doesn’t really show the damage to the fronds. All of them really got hammered. But I do like the way it keeps on ticking.

Just saw it posted on the FB group and surprisingly, it wasn't mentioned here, yet. The newly described Attalea taam from the Colombian Amazon 🎉. That is a really cool looking trunk!! Hopefully some seeds will make it to Jeff eventually 🙃. Abstract: https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.739.1.5 Full article as PDF with pictures: https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.739.1.5/53627 Some more pointers in this FB posting: https://www.facebook.com/Palmsmithy/posts/really-pleased-to-have-been-involved-in-this-paper-providing-the-illustration-of/1679777533474493/

That’s fairly young but not uncommon for Chamaedorea . Good looking palm. Harry

Video of my small Zamia Splendens. This plant was grounded in a heavily shaded spot for 3yrs and didn’t flush at all but did give me this little tiny cone. I decided to dig it out and move it to a sunnier area. 3-4 months later, I got a single leaf flush. Them just noticed another single right behind it. Either my timing is impeccable or this thing likes a little more sun than I was giving it. Either way, I’m happy it started moving. Such a cool plant!! -dale IMG_8070.mov

We come in peace!

Strangely beautiful!

A big pair on this one. The boys get some additional extension when they unscrew like this.

A couple of Cycas at different stages of flushing in the next photos. The Cycas thouarsii was acquired as a seedling in a 3×9 liner. It is ringed with pups and has a long spread or said differently, it takes a big footprint if allowed. I trimmed many of the lower leaves again, to allow the new flushes space. The almost hardened flush on a Cycas acquirdd as taitungensis is the second plant. It was also acquired as a seedling in a 3×9 liner. Patience is rewarding. I read that Cycss taitungensis has been lumped in with revoluta. This plant has more red fuzz on the lower sides of the rachis and top of the caudex than my plants acquired as revoluta though.

I trimmed some lower leaves that were beginning to yellow on my Encephalartos lebomboensis. The lower leaves were also smothering some adjacent plants. The plant is flushing so it will still hold plenty of leaves.

I think this Encephalartos kisambo pushed cones s couple of years ago but I didn't see them fully develop to confirm it's sex. Based on the early stages of these 2, I am guessing female.

The multi-caudices Encephalartos horridus male is awash in flushes right now. The pale green leaves have yet to harden and attain their final blue color.

Some of the many Brahea brandegeei blooming in old palm canyon in the western edition of Balboa Park. I believe this old palm canyon is over 100 years old.

Dale it's seeding like crazy 🤪 now could be in the hundreds if they all stay on the 2 large inflorescence