Leaderboard

I’m growing a few of these out here, in central San Diego. They are D. Album var. Conjugatum. I believe they came as small liners from John Light, in Florida, maybe around 2017. Planted them about two years ago, and they’ll get more sun this coming year, with some changes to the yard. Southwest/Western exposure, mostly. They’ve been slower, but steady growers. There is a patio overhang without a gutter, so there’s have gotten a decent amount of roof runoff. Still working out the placement of the rocks.

Here's one in La Quinta, CA! Apparently it's from a coconut brought from Maui, HI!

33F this morning, probably had a little bit of frost or it dipped below 32F briefly in the backyard, all the tropicals had some brown spots this morning. NWS showing 31F for tonight and 39F for tomorrow night.

Dictyosperma album first flowering: Only male flowers in the inflorescence, this can happen at the first flowering. For other information on this species: https://www.monaconatureencyclopedia.com/dictyosperma-album/?lang=en

We got a F2 natwood to ground control… please prepare for take off! Could it be the first cone of the specie?!!!

Cocothrinax Alta looking good!

I tucked my ones in today on a nice warm toasty heat mat!

My spindle is growing a new frond. 2 fronds were lost to roommates abusing it. 1 to spidetmites.

. Sexton Historic Grove (5490 Hollister Avenue) in Santa Barbara is the former site of the nursery of Joseph Sexton. The nursery commenced operation at this location in 1869, and, by 1877, Sexton offered Jubaea chilensis for sale in his catalog. Stately, old specimens of Jubaea can still be found throughout the city, such as those at 2044 Garden Street; the oldest are likely the legacy of Sexton’s horticultural activities. Sadly one of the original Sexton Jubaea’s was trimmed with dirty sheers and has succumbed. There is another still doing well at Josheph Sexton’s old nursery site , a couple blocks from the dead one by the Goleta hospital. There are two more at Stowe House in Goleta and some in downtown Santa Barbara also from plantings over 125 years ago. re: pollen I will try to see if I can get some pollen . I have collected pollen from a date palm but they have male or female blooms. I assume getting pollen is best attempted as soon as the spathe opens. I guess if I ever got a chance I would love to see a Jubaea x Jubaeopsis . There are lots and lots of viable Jubaea seed available in SB. I think germinating them is more important than hybrids but in spite of over 125 years of availability there are very few that ever seem to show up in peoples yards. I have five in the ground and I have been growing them for friends who can give them a nice home. I also have lots of luck growing Parajubaea Cocodies, maybe someday I will try a Cocoides x Jubaea but plenty happy with just germinating the seeds add getting them a home somewhere.

They thrive in Sydney, but Melbourne is a stretch. There was a decent enough one for years at a nursery here in a prime position near a pond and with plenty of shelter around it. I’ve got a few advanced seedlings on trial in the greenhouse and whilst they all survived through last winter, they all spotted up a bit with temps down to 2C or so quite regularly. To put it in perspective, I’d say they seem less hardy than Kerriodoxa elegans, Licuala peltata var sumawongii and Areca triandra which were all untouched in the same conditions.

Here is my parvifrons, finally speeding up a bit. 3 leaves in the past year. But a long way from trunking.

Hard to believe! Down in Key Largo with family, grandchildren spring break. Had strong thunderstorms last night and it is overcast and mid-70'sF. Florida is a big and long state!

32 deg here. Thankfully no frost since it was a little windy. Threw blankets over my flower bed of Kalanchoe's I had recently planted, as well as some perennials with new growth, also 2 rose bushes that had tender new growth and flower buds coming out. 2 more nights of this (tonight being more the concern with forecast at 31, last night more just for frost with low of 34).

Will post some seeds to you tomorrow.

Red Latania

Are rocks only decorative or serve also to heat storage?

Another grower in Rhodos island gets his Dictyospma rubrum for the first time blooming.

It was flowered many times but has yet to fruit. There was a fruiting one in Palm Desert, CA, however it was cut down by the new owners They left the two queens palms though 🙄

Exciting New Additions We are very grateful for the continued support through 2025 and into 2026, and are thrilled to announce our updated price list to kick off the growing season. This includes some exciting new additions and old favorites, see the preview below for some highlights: Chrysalidocarpus aff. ovobontsira One of the most exciting new palms, a large Chrysalidocarpus species that came in under the name ovobontsira, but ended up being something more exciting, a palm that doesn't fit neatly into any description and is apparently new to science. It is a gorgeous, moderately fast growing palm with a striking white pruinose crownshaft, upper trunk, petioles, and spadices. Finally available for your own garden/nursery! Orania disticha Hailing from Papua New Guinea, this amazing palm is one of the select set of species that carries its leaves on a single plane, giving the crown a distinctive 'flat' appearance. A great talking point for the tropical / semi-tropical garden. Physokentia petiolata This exceedingly rare Fijian palm has been an extended labor of love to bring into cultivation. The purple crownshaft, bright red inflorescence, and stilt roots make this a unique showstopper palm that inspires and delights. Geonoma oldemanii A clustering Geonoma from Brazil / French Guiana with beautiful large bifid leaves, the newest ones showing a splash of red. A great 'eye level' palm that adds an interesting accent to well planned gardens. Zamia elegantissima A new cycad for the spring list - a stunning landscape specimen with petioles that are relatively spineless compared to others in the genus. All this and many more, available now on our price list! Visit https://floribunda.xyz/pricelist Lemurophoenix halleuxii

🌴🌴🌴❤️🦜🦜🦜🦜

38° 12' N Thanks!

Exactly what I was thinking when I first read it. I was going to offer to send @bruce Steele some rare Syagrus romanzoffiana pollen in exchange for a seedling!

So far this winter (6 days left) no temperatures lower than 29°F / -1.6°C. Musa basjoo are still standing tall with just the leaves frosted. March can be fickle so with any luck, these will pick up right where they left off last year.

Blast off on a nice Princeps and the blue munchii slowly turning blue. This heat wave should help all!

Interesting thread and one which I also missed. Thanks richnorm for the pdf link, outstanding! Although a bit off topic, it seemed like a good place to post a few photos of C. alpinum. Planted out as a small seedling 15 years ago, the going has been oh so slow. Zone pushing in reverse, but it’s still alive. It seems to be coming out of suspended animation and showing some obvious growth. Thanks for the ‘bump’, it provided a bit of inspiration. Tim

Here are some in Southern California! The small one is growing in the Sonoran Desert in El Centro, CA - survived two years so far!

Tucked the atrovirens away for winter, see how she goes, we will see how cool tolerant they are. And the old kangaroo hopping around the garden!

after the freezes, we saw many cold nights and 21 ° and 22 ° F lows---palm doesnt look bothered at all

Same Jubaea about five years ago.

Magic Kingdom. The Pirates Satakentia looks like it will be fine. I didn’t notice the Skipper Canteen bottle palm, it’s either gone or I was just being pulled in too many directions to keep my mind straight.

Melbourne officially hit a low of 25F, and it got down to 25.4F where I'm at. Most of the readings were also 25F, with 26F-ish along the Indian River and some 24F readings west of I-95

Thanks, but it's all about the climate .

You really have many treasure plants there! Congratulations

Thanks! - TomJ, the palm is 21 years old and has been on the ground, in full sun, since 2005. In the last 30 years only twice a station alone in the city has recorded negative temperatures (-4 and -5 °C).

Congratulations!

I just looked it up on YouTube. Could it be the low deserts may be the best place to grow cocos in California. I guess it makes sense climate wise, they stay the hottest during winter, if you can water it enough it looks like it can succeed very well.

Thanks Colin. Useful to have your input on this. I’m still a bit confused about C graminifolia vs C schippii. In Hodel’s 2013 paper (see below), he distinguishes C graminifolia from C schippi based on its solitary habit and one nerved thin leaflets. When I dig into previous history, it seems they were lumped into synonymy based on the study that all C schippii in cultivation were hybridised with C potchutlensis (C x Irving Cantor). Is it possible that C graminifolia and C schippii are one and the same (the solitary or open clump forming palm you describe) and those that are now thought of as C schippii (the large clustering palm you describe) is actually C x Irving Cantor or Irving Cantor backcrossed with the parents? Interestingly, both species are currently accepted on Kew’s checklist and described as caespitose. Photos of seen of C ‘schippii’ are very nice large clumps, but I find it hard to believe that Schipp would’ve described it as one of the most beautiful and elegant palms especially considering there are many other visually similar Chamaedorea (C costaricana, potchutlensis etc). I’d have thought that description would apply more to what I know as C graminifolia with the very dainty leaflets resulting in a unique looking palm. Not meaning to be provocative in any way and I definitely bow to the experts on this but I love a good palm mystery! I’d be curious to know whether the clumping forms of C graminifolia out there always send new stems up via rhizomes away from the main stems as described (like R rhizomatosa) and whether C schippii is any different. Photos I’ve seen of supposed C schippii look to be more traditional style clump forming like C costaricana, potchutlensis, hooperiana etc)

It’ll be interesting to see what the fruit is like. I find Mountain apples to be refreshing but only moderately interesting.

No worries I will give it a go, iam sure the wife’s essential oils will get raided for that one treatment, it’s either that or a foot bath with the peppermint oil!

I'd be interested in getting pollen from you for some hybridization experiments, as there is no ready source here in Florida.

That's really young to be flowering. I would take that as an opportunity to try hybridisation!

You should have no problems out there with the blues. I just live in a tropical sauna with rain in the winter and constantly damp soil all winter...due to a water table that's only about 5 or so feet down. A lot of the blues come from places with very little rain, not unlike San Diego. But I frequently get more rain in a day than a habitat Horridus might see in several months. So like you said, you could just not water one for a couple of months and it probably wouldn't care.

Yes, I understand, John. How is Sancho? When the mats arrived, we had also ordered something else with temperature and thermostat controls. In addition, it would have been better to have the original mat with an adjustable temperature range of 20 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. Returning it is pointless; we will test it now.

Heating mats are here🤗, two 10 " × 20,75 " Let's see how it works.

Chambeyronia on the right Archontophoenix maxima towers on the left. Pritchardia lanaiensis in center surrounded by Archontophoenix tuckeri and Cyphophoenix in front at corner of the roof.

You go! Maybe show us every year!

yes, an acquaintance of mine had this experience. in particular, the heavy rainfall (1,500 mm / year) in his town and surroundings and the sometimes very low minimum temperatures in the winter months were a problem for his Cylindropuntia whipplei. the plant died.

Swolte: thank you very much. Yes, we have been pricked several times like acupuncture ☹️, also from the yucca aliofolia - spanish dagger 😬( picture 2) Colin110082: Yes. SeanK: thank you very much. Yes, it is cylindropuntia imbricata. Allen: thank you very much. Las Palmas Norte: okay, these are not cordyline australis in this case. i rescued these 3 plants from the compost, where some people just threw them in. or did you mean the other one from picture 2 ?

Thanks Harry they are tough and cool tolerant Ernest Augustii I planted some the other week they where in 3 inch tubes iam that confident in them surviving not a problem. Richard

White triangle: