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Woke up to the alarm going from the security cameras, so in a pair of jocks raced out the door half asleep, and there was this palm theif going hell for leather shoving palms in her trolley faster than Donald trump’s tariffs going around the world. I don’t know who got more of a surprise, the palm pilfering fingers froze up in shock at some raving palm nut standing there in his jocks half asleep or me seeing this google eyed palm nut helping herself to the finest palms know to man kind. I mean come on I had heard of rumours on palmtalk about a heist, apparently possum peachy and her accomplise California @Harry’s Palms sitting in the getaway truck had plotted a hit unknown to me but iam sure others where in on it, butter fingers @gyuseppethe Italian connection iam sure was involved, he has some good connections to move such goodies abroad @Than @Phoenikakias, and some local connections @Jonathan and @tim_brissy_13 had orders in for anything that would live in refrigerator. But I shrugged off such a brazen attempt. California Harry was heard yelling hurry up will you, but then I heard him say quick grab that one as well. I mean how much can koala 🐨 bear! An international hit right from behind the scenes, with the mastermind of the operation going hell for leather at it. I have put up a picture of the said palm pilfering person involved. So any information is greatly appreciated, as the authorities just said good luck catching her we been waiting for years to catch her, she keeps alluding us. And she had a possy of pekinese dogs as protection foaming at the mouth sent charging at me! Just let it be known that the peachy possum gang and the head Don @palmtreesforpleasure the mastermind behind such a brazen attempt have all been put on Santa’s naughty list, where watching you lot🌱🤣

Howea forsteriana is one of my favorite landscape palms. I planted several small ones throughout the years. These are some of the ones in the front yard. They become very dramatic in the wind and since coconuts are impossible here, these are about as close as you can get as a Cocos impersonator.

@gyuseppe @Phoenikakias and @Than the European connection she blurted it all out faster than a rat up a drain pipe. Sobbing as she confessed saying I had nothing to do with it, well the security footage tells another story!

It should be fine, although we have some cold lows coming this week. This is a pic from about 24 hours later. I’m def glad the fronds rebounded back.

Well , stand by . This was just a practice run with basic recognizance . We now have mapped out the greenhouses and camera angles. Peachy now knows the lay of the facility . Harry

Falsom prison blues is the only song she will be listening too! ☝️

Peachy was at my house, the whole night !

Lies all lies. I spent the whole day at Mass. Peachy, (foully maligned and deeply wounded)

Anywhere there are handsome millionaires, not so handsome billionaires and hordes of sycophantic queens, I'll be there !!

They can grace my garden anytime!

She’s already pleading insanity!

Of course, always follow senior's (but not senile) advice!

I admit it but it was @Phoenikakias's idea! I was dragged into it!

I am 'Robyn' Hood and will give my share to local botanical garden.

I knew you were involved, never trust a Californian again. I suppose all the booty was headed for the black market. Going too unsuspecting buyers who knew nothing about the origin of said palms. Better yet straight into your garden. Iam sure @DoomsDave must have had a personal interest in such a heist, putting you up too it! From now on any sweet eye lid bating ladies are banned from such a nursery!🤣 Richard

@Skenny, I wouldn't worry about exposure to 28°F. If there's a a heavy frost predicted I would cover it with a frost cloth or a sheet. My Phoenix roebelenii is about the same size as yours and mine has endured 27°F unprotected for each of the last 4 years. No frond damage except one year it had a spear-pull but quickly grew out of it.

No supplemental heat for the past 3 winters (this one included).

I was lucky enough to see a nice little grove of them once, nice palm I got a few seeds that day as well and had a bit of luck germinating a few. Even @palmtreesforpleasure was interested in one the seedlings, and if I can impress him iam doing pretty good I think!

Now your talking my possum, trippin’ in all that jewellery! Richard

Ravenea glauca shining in summer!

My Carpentaria

Is that Robin Hood the one in men in tights (Mel brooks) It’s too late it’s all written and signed in her confession, Robyn allright!

That’s not what she confessed too, apparently you were the one to organise international shipping! 👍

Richard, it's true that I said I was coming to steal all your precious palms, but I have nothing to do with it, I'm good for nothing, I'm all smoke and no roast! 😥

A true gentleman never tells……….🤫

Wait for the sequel! Richard

There was no stopping this lady of palms, driving 4 hours on a hot day one way, although that Volvo she takes pride in had the AC going flat out. All ips members have a pre booked appointment anytime! Richard

With great joy it was my pleasure to have you visit happypalms, after all your our matriarch of palms, the grandmother within the Nan we all wanted. I bet if we went nana peaches we got spoilt with ice cream got to do what we wanted never had to ask for biscuits and got to stay up late, there where no rules only our loving grandmother! It was a hot humid day and there was no stopping this lady she spotted the greenhouses and knew exactly where to go. Talk about an eagle eye for the good stuff, this lady knew her palms and many a noneclature lesson was bestowed upon me, like the matriarch she was, I thought for a minute iam going to be writing a hundred times I must pronounce Caryota and licuala correctly, and won’t be catching the bus home until it was written out. We both had a wonderful time, knowing that love of palms was boiling in our blood, the knowledge of palms known, the passion in her eyes for palms were like a child in a candy store. One could see the excitement the adventure of it all and best of all the love of palms. Thanks for visiting @peachy it was a wonderful experience and a day etched in my memory! Peace love and happiness Your friend Richard @happypalms

I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before... the excessive jewelry rings a bell. Monaco? Wimbledon? Aspen? 🤨

“ I know nothing….” I never reveal my connections. Harry

I've got seedlings of both Syagrus oleracea and picrophylla and would be happy if either one turned out like @Cindy Adair's! 😊 Here in South Texas L. saribus looks better with some shade. Here's my green petiole form.

Nothing in my yard took any damage except for the outermost, oldest leaf on my Cocos looking a little spotty. Biggest surprise to me was probably that my Bulnesia arborea and my Senegalia polyacantha covered in new, green shoots didn't have the slightest hint of wilt or leaf dieback. Ultimate low was around 30F.

The Pacific Ocean acts to moderate extremes. I'm on the Island (Vancouver Island) in the Pacific Ocean. We have two distinct seasons, the rainy fall and winter, and the dry pleasant summers. Spring is a transitionary mix. Regards.

In my own case, Phoenix roebelenii (Pygmy Date Palm) is on its own, for better or worse.

I'm unsure if I'll even bother wrapping up my foxtail as temperatures drop to the mid-20s this weekend. I could just let it sink or swim. I suspect it'd almost certainly die if I did that, though, so I will likely wrap the trunk up to at least give it a fighting chance. Seems that my 9b zone has been reaffirmed by this winter's weather. Probably not much more tropical than a bismarck is safe here without canopy protection. Hopefully my quadruple king will at least continue to do okay since it's protected by overhead canopy.

Interesting small palm with some pretty cool stilt roots. You can tell by the leaves that it’s an Areca. From the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands. Tim

Photos today following the ice storm. Low this morning got down to 22F, and the high got to 32F. Washingtonian robustas: Washingtonia filifera: Sabal uresana

About 30 years ago I bought a Butia Bonetti in a seedling band with just a couple of strap leaves . It was a dull green color. I had no idea what it was but a close friend said it was just a Pindo palm ( Butia ) . It is now a very large Butia Oderata that is very Silver / blue . Around here there are plenty of green ones but fewer blue ones . Mine was about 8-10 years old before slowly pushing out very silvery fronds. Some show color earlier. Good luck finding the one you want . It should be easy to find though , I don’t consider them rare at all. Harry ‘This is as the sun is setting with shade on part of the palm On an overcast day from down next to the palm. Give these lots of room , they get very large! This is a greener one at a local church . I think it may be changing to more silver . Mine was a bit younger when it started turning color.

Too late where onto you, the palm police come around and dusted for fingerprints. Richard

Is the first tree damage from last year? Is that thing going to make it or was the new spears now affected

I'd say their "new" USDA Zone Map is about to be proven hilariously wrong. When it came out I wondered if anyone actually lived in the places where they arbitrarily drew the lines. In the past I've always posted that I live in a "9B/9A borderline" area. The current forecasting is for 2 nights at 27 at the airport, meaning probably 24-26ish for me: The only advantage (if you can call it one) is that it's supposed to be fairly windy on Saturday night, so less chance of frost. But in reality I'll probably get at least 5 or 6 straight nights of frost and sub-freezing temps. For sure it's the coldest and longest duration forecasted cold front I've seen in my ~25 years in this house. Everything else has been 1-3 days and then it's back to the 70s.

Took this, this evening

Super nice coloring there , makes me want to visit the islands again. I don’t get a true sunset on our place on this south facing hill. I do get some spectacular sunrises though! A SoCal sunrise with the Howea! Harry

Good luck tomorrow Tim, That's a bit scary. Almost as scary as our forecast 17 max next Monday...this crazy summer is continuing true to form. Last night was COLD, got down to 7 degrees...tomorrow 34c. Don't plan a picnic!!

Actually it was worse in the past by nearly every metric. In terms of absolute minimum temperature, The freezes in the 1980s, 1962, and 1890s were dreadful. Most of the places getting 20s and 30s next week went into the teens during some or all of those events. In terms of hardiness zones, the forecast from Weather.com has my minimum during this event at 32F. The minimum for the entire winter thus far is 31F. That's in line with the 2023 USDA Hardiness Map putting my portion of Lakeland in USDA 10a. The 1990 zone map had Lakeland in 9a and Orlando in 9b. That means the locations in question averaged low-20s and mid-20s each year, respectively. The zone maps from 1990, 2012, and 2023 show the change over time, even if they aren't great planting guides by themselves. In terms of long stretches of below average temperatures, January 1940, January 1977, Jan/Feb 1996, January 2010, and December 2010 had long stretches of cold that were much worse than this. While I wouldn't call it normal or typical, it does happen with regularity.

Adventitious roots on C. costaricana and T. fortunei lending a bit of tropical flair to our cool-weather garden

They have grow a lot in the last year

Update 01.23.26 Palm shows signs of growth, as indicated from sharpie line. Yay ! I was not expecting any growth this fast. I think the palm is loving the sunnier spot in the yard.

All in all a horrible unnamed system. Seems it has taken up to 10 lives and damaged some areas worse than cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. No ill effects here just 35mm of rain. Now a couple of days of summer being on holiday as it drags up a big outburst from the Southern ocean. Does look like better comming, the high pressure belt looks like will return and hopefully stick around all Feb like last year.

I'm afraid the "conventional route" is your best bet to find a particularly blue Butia. At a grower in Florida might be the best way to find one with more to pick from. 12 years ago when I lived in the Houston area I visited 4 different Houston Garden Centers to find a blue one. Once I located an exceptionally blue mature Butia odorata and grew up a seedling from it but it turned out green! They're so variable it's not likely to find a dependable source of blue ones. I don't know if other species are any faster or more likely to be blue. Butia hybrids with Syagrus (mules) are always green and hybrids with Jubaea are likely green also but definitely faster.