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Hey y’all, I had a question. I’ve had this palm for probably 12 years. A great grower, looks good all the time, almost no burned leaves ever. A few years ago, it began flowering. A little sporadically at first, but now it’s to the point where every leaf base has a flower spathe underneath. The upshot is that it flowers like crazy, millions of little flowers falling, all throughout the year. But absolutely no fruit has ever developed. Any thoughts is what might be causing this? It just looks and grows so dang good in every other way, it’s hard to believe that it’s missing nutrients. Thanks in advance!

Put it out, still in the pot, where you’re considering planting it. Then keep an eye on it and see if it starts to burn. If it does you’ll still be able to harden it off.

As a quick follow up... after i crudely hacked it down with a machete and threw it in the burn pile and quit watering it, i was surprised to find mine growing back from the ground. I admit I'm not keeping it there because for some strange reason I planted a lot of seeds last spring. But an interesting twist.

An often-pruned Japanese Fern Tree, Filicium decipiens. They are usually left to grow wider to create a very thick hemispherical crown, but that one is pruned regularly to create a ball... almost like a standard. Ryan

Five top palms for any collection. Left to right, licuala ramsayi, Chambeyronia macrocarpa,Ravenna glauca, dictyosperma album and ptychosperma elegans!

Next time you’re having a BBQ, or grill as you call them. Wrap up bananas with a piece of bacon 🥓. No iam not. Canadian but when i showed them this one in Canada they loved it. Just try it @DoomsDave you will love it a very Australian thing!

Chamaedorea klotzshciana loving the shade.

Greetings they are a fantastic palm to grow. I have a native grove of archontophoenix Cunninghamiana growing on my property in the creek line. With terracotta pots you can paint the inside with wood glue or a paving sealant it reduces the water loss. By all means place your palm in a tray you will soon notice roots coming out drinking water. Fear not they love water

True, but it could have chosen a nice new red or purple leaf for that flaw. 🤣 Richard

Kerriodoxa elegans

Ptychosperma schefferi

Ridiculously over pruned Acoelorraphe wrightii at Four Arts:

I think the Ernie will stay in the pot for now , I don’t know how long , as it is faster growing than I thought. This was the first one I got from @DoomsDave and it is a fast grower but needs full shade. The Syagrus S. looks like it is shade grown and I was thinking about a nice full sun position in the courtyard but it may burn badly and they are so slow growing here that it will look bad for a few years or longer , hmmm. Harry🤔

The Schizophylla is a tough palm anywhere for that one, the Ernie a nice little corner in the shade. Richard

@DoomsDave great choice 😊🥂 To be clear ćevapčići are Bosnian dish in origin but they are prime dish in any grill party in this part of Europe. Honestly my favourite combo is with some cooked leafy greens with cooked potatoes and fried egg aside but most people just stuff them in pita bread add some diced red onions and some Ajvar. Balkan fast food style. In Bosnia they serve it with yogurt but here the beer is first option This video is how we prepare most veggies for side dish

And a few Cerotazamia seeds from @palmtreesforpleasure have made an appearance. Even a couple of eBay varieties the Stangeria and cycas tuckeri. It pays to shop around!

What’s been popping up on the heat mats. Some interesting varieties coming up and a few late arrivals. Mostly imported seeds, but a few local varieties a big thank you to @tim_brissy_13 for the trackycarpus varietys.

I am just curious what kind of vegetation can possibly grow over there. Btw the Greek toponym of Xerokampos literally means ''dry plain''. Abstract This research paper analyzes the spatial distribution of precipitation and the microclimate of the coastal enclave of Xerokampos, Lasithi, providing strong evidence for the area's classification under the Hot Desert climate type (Köppen: BWh). The study utilizes primary data from a network of homogeneous meteorological stations, comparing the Xerokampos time series (2020–2026) with the reference stations of Ierapetra and Toplou Monastery (Kotroni et al., 2020). While the broader eastern coastline records a mean annual precipitation of over 330.0 mm (Ierapetra: 363.2 mm, Toplou: 337.2 mm), Xerokampos is limited to 219.0 mm, with a mean annual temperature reaching 20.9°C (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 11a) (Magarey et al., 2008). The mathematical extrapolation of historical data from the 1915-1929 period (Mariolopoulos, 1938) indicates an estimated historical precipitation of 148.7 mm for Xerokampos, highlighting its long-term, hyper-arid character. Combined with the extreme precipitation drop during the 2023-2025 triennium (averaging 119.4 mm), the thermodynamics of descending winds (Foehn) (Whiteman, 2000), and the dominance of xerophytic vegetation (Nobel, 1994), strong evidence is provided for the existence of a structural desert zone (BWh) that is clearly distinguished from the neighboring semi-arid (BSh) environment (Peel et al., 2007). These findings align with the official recognition by the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark of the semi-desert climate and the presence of North African flora in the adjacent maritime zone (Koufonisi, Kavalloi islets). Simultaneously, the application of the Holdridge Life Zones bioclimatic system further certifies this identity, as the extreme Potential Evapotranspiration Ratio (PET Ratio) definitively classifies the enclave as a "Subtropical Desert Scrub" (Holdridge, 1947). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19439067

Had a nice dinner under the Roystonea regia: grilled up some cevapcici, which are caseless Serbo-Croatian lamb and beef sausages with some mushrooms in wine and garlic sauce. And a politically incorrect beverage. .

Next time you’re having a BBQ, or grill as you call them. Wrap up bananas with a piece of bacon 🥓. No iam not. Canadian but when i showed them this one in Canada they loved it. Just try it @DoomsDave you will love it a very Australian thing!

🙂

Thank u. I mean I haven't done much. Mostly last minute advice on how to edit the paper before official journal submission. But yes I recently found out about the desert taxa in Xerokampos and I am amazed on how Greece was actually missing this microclimate systematically! Here is an extract from the study

I'm bringing this old topic back to life! As far as P. Roebillini, posted by OP, I found that I prefer ones that are severely overgrown in the pots. When planted in the ground, the trunk widens starting at the crown but stays thin below to the base. This seems like a more tropical look to me. In their native environment, they have consistently skinny trunks from the base up as they grow in more shady locations, with more consistent precipitation. With the amlpe water and jungle, they grow faster stretching to get to the sun. I once planted a tiny P. Roebillini from a 1 gallon pot into the ground and the trunk was over 6 inches wide at the base within 3 years, and just as wide at the crown. I don’t like that consistent chunky look. Hence I buy them overgrown in 3 gallon pots with skinny trunks and often in a clump of three as nurseries like to do. I plant it in the ground, and wait a few months, then cut off the other two at the base for a super nice single specimen as they are singles in their native environment. You can definitely tell which ones were planted in long overgrown pots yielding thin trunks at the base with gradual thickening as the crown heads to the sky!!! Love it!!!

I got mine from Bret too. It didn't look too interesting until it got bigger so I had kind of ignored it. Also, when I planted it, I somehow forgot to put a ripper on it so it had no water for a year or two and didn't grow. Doing good now, one of my favorites.

Perfect planting size . I have a new one to plant but it is in a bigger pot so I have to find the right spot that will allow me to dig a hole large enough . Harry Syagrus Schizophylla ready for the garden , keeping Ernie company for now.

I grow a lot of palms, and archontophoenix species I won’t grow for a good reason. They simply grow to fast and need constant attention and water. To look good they need constant repotting. You have choosen your container well!

Ptychosperma wotoboho tucked in for the coming winter!

Bismarckia

A gaggle of Hyophorbe lagenicaulis at Four Arts:

For me the slower the better, and the slower they are with age the more beautiful they become for a good reason. It takes years to grow such a container collection! Richard

Dypsis decaryi looking fantastic.

Those look super nice . That Cocothrinax is a gem. I’ve become appreciative of slower growing palms . Harry

Ravenea Rivularis ( Majesty Palm ) love water. I’ve never kept one in a pot for very long but in the ground they can hardly get enough water. The more , the merrier. I have the ground around mine wet all the time . Harry

Silver Copernicia hospita in 7 Gallon Pot-$125. Pick up in Satellite Beach. All my Copernicia’s survived the 27F Freeze here. Beachpalms@cfl.rr.com

A photo explanation of the rain shadow in Xerokampos from Chaniotika Nea newspaper. Unfortunately only in Greek but its relatively easy to infer.

Anchovies in the oven with olive oil , lemon juice, oreganum, salt n pepper, plus a layer on top of pomodorini slices.

I sometimes have that too; put some dry red wine in the mushrooms above. But I like sangria because I like sangria.

Still anticipating the disclosure of the beverage👀

Here’s the recipe for the mushrooms: INGREDIENTS 1-2 pounds crimini mushrooms chopped; 1 large onion skinned and diced; 1-8 cloves of garlic peeled and grated; olive oil; 1-2pounds ripe tomatoes; salt pepper chopped basil and thyme to taste; 1 cup dry white or red wine. PROCEDURE Coat sauce pan with 1/4” of olive oil and sauté grated garlic till golden or brown; add mushrooms, tomatoes, and chopped onion; stir; add wine, salt pepper and thyme and or basil;simmer on low heat uncovered till liquid evaporates. Stuff face, along with cevapcici. Chase with some red wine. So @dalmatiansoap what do you have with cevapcici?

Chrysalidocarpus loucoubensis sowing some color after a frond drop. Tim

I’m growing dodecandra and lutea in Harlingen, Tx z10a.

Clay, where did you get your C. dodecandra seeds? If you ever get any from your specimen, I'd love to buy some from you. I've looked for that species but never have found any seed sources. My C. sebestena is doing fine and about ten feet tall but planted under broken canopy at the edge of my Hibiscus tiliaceus for extra protection, and a few feet from the (heated) pool for a little extra bump in winter. We rarely hit the freezing-point here but usually come perilously close at least once a year. I think this is one of those really tropical dicots that hates long stretches of cool/cold weather (as my winter-shaded, northern-exposure specimen perished in the cold 2022/'23 winter here) but in a south or west-facing suntrap they are very happy. I wish it weren't damaged by strong winds but this seems more damaging in fall, where the unsightly appearance doesn't last long if the tree loses most of its leaves in winter. In spring the new leaves aren't yet out when we get most of those crazy wind-blasts, so they always have excellent appearance in the warm season. This year my tree is looking good and has most of its leaves still. As far as frost/freeze goes I imagine they are more tender in actual frost than with a light dry freeze (i.e., Sonoran desert), and it seems Scott's experience would bear that out compared to wet freezes/frosts encountered east of the Divide. A pleasantly modifying factor in all this is that it's a fast-growing plant, blooms young, and can generally be sourced and replaced readily after a cold winter does it in, without spending much to get it back into your garden. Good for usually frostless Texas/Florida 10a/b areas where it can go for a number of years before it's endangered by a frost. Cordia boisseri (white geiger) is so much hardier and makes a very pretty tree (some really nice big specimens around Key West). It does beautifully here as well (and sets seed freely) but I'm a sucker for the orange flowers and the huge leaves on C. sebestena. Also there is a species occasionally in the trade in the southwest that is a smaller shrub with white flowers, C. parvifolia, native to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and obviously also quite hardy; and a probably uncultivated but showy tall tree, C. sonorae, with white flowers, native to Sonora around Alamos. I also have C. lutea here, and it does nicely as well. I wonder if the orange-colored Polynesian C. subcordata is very tender...something tells me--yes...

I think you're on to something. After a night that dip down to 32 degrees for a short time mine had almost no visible damage. But it's a fine line to walk because after that a hard freeze hit putting temps at mid 20's for several hours. Even covered that killed it. Photos are difference between short 32 and extended 20's

Just a couple weeks later and,voila! Another year of success with orange geiger growing in the Arizona desert. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Beautiful. One of my Cordia boissieri is in flower.

First batch of seeds are now ripe,with a second flowering on the way. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Picture is worth...

Scrawny one: