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Growing season pretty much over now in Melbourne, so time for some updates. Starting with the South facing backyard garden. Generally cooler climate stuff growing in here: Archontophoenix myolensis getting very large now. Howea belmoreana to the left, Chamaedorea hooperiana to the right. Hedyscepe canterburyana Lepidorrhachis mooreana pair. Pleasantly surprised with how they coped with multiple 40C+ days and a couple around 44C/111F. Didn’t stop growing over summer. Chuniophoenix hainanensis. Slow here, but happy enough. Oraniopsis appendiculata getting (too?) large A couple of Chambeyronia divaricata settling in nicely. Linospadix apetiolatus (left) and L microcaryus (right). I like the contrast of the entire fronds and finely divided leaflets of these two. Caryota monostachya Ceroxylon alpinum Archontophoenix purpurea. Possibly the nicest colour a palm can produce in my climate.

Here is a photo album I made at McBryde and Allerton Gardens in Kauai, Hawaii where I paid extra close attention to labeling each photo correctly! Even at this garden, I feel like some palms were mislabeled, so I did not photograph them. Click here for full album Here is a P. beccariana

North facing backyard garden away from the house. These palms need to cope with hot sun and frost. Not much protection from anything here. Jubaea chilensis Brahea calcarea Beccariophoenix alfredii (left) and a Syagrus sp from S sancona seed many years ago which isn’t. I think I’ve narrowed down to S orinocensis, S picrophylla or S oleracea. Arenga engleri. Slow grow here. Sabal bermudana Chrysalidocarpus sp bef. Never been completely happy this one, possibly too exposed and planted too small. Pritchardia maideniana looking great now. This is a tough palm. Phoenix rupicola. My only Phoenix in my collection (mostly by choice due to size constraints)

East facing backyard garden. This is really my prime location. Gets the morning sun, warms up relatively quickly but then protected from afternoon sun. New Caledonian and Oceanic species seem to love it. Some things it here which aren’t known to grow in Melbourne elsewhere doing well. Cyphophoenix nucele Bentinckia condapanna Chambeyronia divaricata Euterpe edulis ‘Orange Crownshaft’ Chambeyronia oliviformis Pritchardia napaliensis Hyophorbe indica ‘Red / Southern Form’. Only 4 years from seed, getting too large to capture well in photos. Chambeyronia macrocarpa var hookeri Pritchardia martii settling in after a rough start in ground. Chamaedorea woodsoniana big male getting ready for its Spring pollen spreading. The crownshaft of this one always bulges heavily this time of year. Chrysalidocarpus baronii Black Petiole/Vokona Lodge Chambeyronia macrocarpa var flavopicta Cyphophoenix elegans. One of my favourites in my garden. Very large and great colours.

Moving on to the North facing little nook outside my back door. I use this space for some of my marginal species as it gets reflected heat off the North facing brick but is still somewhat protected to the West from the deck and pergola. Chrysalidocarpus lanceolatus Gaussia maya Dypsis rosea. This frond has been red for months. Chambeyronia oliviformis Chrysalidocarpus arenarum Chrysalidocarpus arenarum crownshaft and petiole detail. Love these colours.

Syagrus weddeliana Trachycarpus princeps Liospadix monostachya Ceroxylon vogelianum Trachycarpus nanus x princeps F1. Slow but finally putting out divided fronds. Ceroxylon quindiuense Pritchardia minor Chrysalidocarpus baronii ‘Black Petiole/Vokona Lodge’ Group of 4 Chamaedorea tepejilote ‘Yellow Inflorescence’ Parajubaea tvt getting monstrous. Size 11 for scale Parajubaea sunkha Rhopalostylis sapida ‘East Cape/Fine Leaf’ Chamaedorea benziei Chamaedorea nubium Ceroxylon amazonicum

My little Cyphophoenix Nucele has been in the ground 11 months and it is opening its second frond. This one takes a while for the frond to fully open . Harry On the right side is the frond that opened about 5 months ago , much larger than the other fronds . The lower , yellowing frond will be trimmed off after the new frond fully opens. this view clearly shows how each frond is getting noticeably larger with wider leaves. I guess it’s happy in a spot that only sees a couple of hours of morning sun . This is a palm I had never heard of , so a bit of a gamble . I am expecting similar growth habits to Chambeyronia .

Hmm that’s possible I’m going to plant it to the ground soon I’m expecting rapid growth since it’s growing season

I got this as Encyclia prismatocarpa and it also was called Epidendrum prismatocarpum in the literature but both are now pseudonyms for Panarica prismatocarpa. It has been a dependable grower over the years i have been growing them and they bloom right on schedule this time of year. There is an Oncidium bloom photo bombing the show for the Panarica but that is another story for a different post.

Here’s one out back; just a massive beast, with a leaf spread of at least 15’. An absolute seed factory, with three generations of seeds, holding at all times. 5 gallon bucket for scale…

Plants never stop giving joy too the eye!

Calyptrocalyx elegans

Yeah Rich, it sure looks like it. Great looking specimen.. Funny, here in my Mediterranean garden, mine has a really heavy trunk. A few months ago I was at a botanical garden in Maui on the road to Hana. The one that I saw there had an extraordinary thin trunk. Otherwise, perfectly happy and healthy looking!

Down in Key Largo:

Not under the powerlines though. My guess is about 14 to 15 years before a 1 gallon will hit the powerlines. My sun exposure Chrysalidocarpus ambositrae is about 10 or 11 years in the ground from a 1 gallon and it will hit that height in another 4 to 5 years, so give it head room. Cocothrinax do well here but won't be a height problem. Arenga engleri cap out on height so are well suited for positioning under those powerlines. You get the added bonus of their fragrant flowers this time of year.

Possibly a result of too little water? If it's in a pot, sometimes if the growing medium dries out, it is almost impossible to get it rewet without slow dripping from a hose or submersing the plant in a bucket of water. You may think you're watering the plant when in reality, the water is just running down the sides of the bucket and the plant is receiving very little. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Just a couple of joeys fairing up well in the cold temperatures. With the winter temperatures getting down to 3 degrees Celsius the joeys are doing fine in it. Sometimes they overreact with palms in cold weather saying they won’t grow it’s too cold, there to beautiful they won’t take the cold. Well for such a tropical looking palm joeys take a fair beating in the fridge department that’s for sure. Just because there rare doesn’t mean they won’t take the cold, just treat them like any other palm and they grow fine. Mind you though there not rocket ships in the grow department I will say that!

I have 3 large water tanks I do collect my domestic water, then I have a bore for the nursery and garden. Living in the bush without town water you can never have enough water in storage.

The chypophoenix iam looking forward too having that one in my garden. I managed to germinate the Ramsayi myself so got lucky, it will be one spectacular palm that’s for sure. Richard

Some good ones in there Tim, well done on the temperate growing of palms. A lot of homework has been done and a lot luck has come your way!

There’s always something around worth looking at!

Like most chamaedoreas shade is the order of the day! Richard

A few more good ones going in the ground, what’s the easiest way to grow a palm , plant them in the ground! Bentnickia condapanna Chamaedorea deckeriana lanonia dasyantha chamaedorea benzei Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana

Yet the area I live in is dry sclerophyll forests. Last years big wet season in one area got 3000mm in total. There are microclimate pockets in my area and I guess one of those is my property.

I couldn’t wait for the rats to get this rare one, they can’t get out so in theory they can’t get in, an old rat trap should do the trick!

Continuing my posts above, I thought I’d post the imposter P. hillebrantii next to the the real P. beccariana. The growth rate and size are apparent. Some close-ups as well. Tim

Cyphophoenix elegans and nucele do well in the coastal zone as does Clinostigma savoryanum. Maybe my neighbor a couple of blocks away, Billy or Dale in HB, can share their experience growing Bentinckia condapanna in the region impacted by the marine layer. I think they will be positive comments.

Gaussia princeps and any of the Hyophorbe will grow in the coastal zone. Give Hyophorbe lagenicaulis reflected heat from a wall for best results. Pseudophoenix sargentii is another Cthat will be slow enough to not cause problems for closer to 3 decades in a height constricted position. If you have headroom for something bigger in a spot, Chrysalidocarpus decipiens does well along the coast from Ventura to Point Loma at a minimum.

Dave, I am a little suspicious as to which palms that you can grow that they can't grow in Huntington Beach. You have been to my garden in Leucadia and seen what I am growing. Huntington Beach is very similar if not a little warmer and windier than her due to both local topography and the large flart plane inland from Huntington Beach. Look at Dale's plantings in Huntington Beach and some of the other members both there and in Seal Beach. So there are two parts to your question, first the palms that grow well in the coastal zone of Southern California, and second the ones that are smaller for small lots with lots of power lines impacting the overhead heights. On the coastal zone issues Chambeyronia of all variety will grow, several of the Burretiokentia species, Howea's of both variety, Rhopalostylis of all variations. Chrysalidocarpus of many species will all grow here, ambositrae, affinis, basilongus, cabadae, pembanus, rufescens, prestonianus, robustus, lanceolatus, lutescens, saintelucei and the list goes on. I could continue, but the focus isn't on what will grow in the coastal zone of Southern California, but what will grow that is appropriately sized. So I'm now going to focus on the smaller palms that will grow well in Huntington Beach, here in Leucadia, down in OB, Cardiff by the Sea, or Venice where the next SoCal Palm Society will be. Someone mentioned above the various Chamaedorea, which are good choices. Ravenea glauca is a good choice, but Ravenea xerophilla is a bit of a challenge unless there is a good southerly exposure, perhaps with a good wall behind it for reflected heat. Some of the smaller growing Pritchardia won't interfere with power/comm lines overhead. Burretiokentia kogihensis is a slower growing species that won't be a problem overhead for a long time compared to hapala. Cryosophilia stauracanthia is an uncommon small palm that will meet the criteria. Several Coccothrinax do well here in California's coastal zone. On a slightly different note, there are a bunch of Cycads that give a tropical feel. I don't think is a species in the Encephalartos genus that can't be grown here (Dale in Huntington Beach will verify that). Ceratozamia, Cycas, Lepidiozamia, Macrozamia and several Zamia thrive her for a tropical, palmy feel. Complementary plants like Anthuriums, Bromeliads and Orchids will all thrive. I know I'm missing a bunch of good recommendations but this is just a first swing.

Pseudophoenix vinifera at Mounts:

It’s been a year and my queen palm even from a repot hasn’t done anything the spear has stayed the same since September and doesn’t show signs of opening but it’s firm and green I’m thinking of planting it directly to the ground very soon is this behaviour normal ?

Hi, my first post here and I'm going to try and revive this thread. I just bought this palm that was unknown by the nursery that sold it to me and in trying to track down what it is I came across this thread. So know I'm almost positive it is a Pelagodoxa Henryana, does this seem right? If so it sounds like sounds like we will have the best luck planting in a wind protected area that is not full sun all day? We live in Papaikou, Hamakua Coast, Big Island. We have been here about 5 years. The property we moved on to has an absolutely incredible palm collection, there must be over 30 different varieties. A fraction of which we have been able to confidently name but learning more and more each day. So, we are now trying to thoughtfully add on to the collection. Thanks for any help!

Colin is the man for these seeds!

It just goes to show never give up on your seeds. I had this lot dead and buried, took them off the heat mat and put them on the potting bench around 12 months ago to use the old medium in some potting soil. Well iam glad I didn’t use that mix. I lucked up on one seed sprouting. If they haven’t rotted away completely, keep those seeds around you just never know your luck.

I remember posting this Anthurium awhile back and Marie said it might be A. hookeri and white seeds would confirm the ID. It finally started producing seed and they are white. Yea. Agee other photos as well. Glad to see this topic still going strong. Tim

Hey y’all. I recently moved to Northwest Florida from coastal North Carolina, and with that, I can finally plant out my potted palms. To start off this thread, here’s the Needle Palm finally in the ground this morning…

Those are lovely , Richard. Cyphophoenix Nucele do well here , judging by the one I have on the side of the house. A variegated Licuala Ramsayi to boot! Harry

Unless they have rotted away, don’t give up. Every now and then I turn off my heat mats just to give them a fluctuating bit of heat. I guess most tropical seeds require heat but some not continuously. Does photoperiod play a role in germinating seeds, I guess to some extent with long days you have extra warm weather, the same for short days as well I suppose, cooler temperatures. I use etoliation for most of my seeds, so darkness with heat combined. The container these seeds where in was a clear plastic container. So light may have been a factor. Where is a botanist when you need one?

It most certainly is a special one , I wonder if the rats will have a go at. After all it’s rare and just one single plant. It’s bound to be on the menu!

I didnt realize just how dark this thing is in afternoon sun. Sorry for the off picture, Sancho was tugging me. When the crapes bloom against this black and pink, it should really make a statement. My Black Swan hasn't taken off like I'd hoped, but the Muck Hole isn't going anywhere. The other Redemption has also been slower and maybe got pushed too far into the sun too fast, the Black Magic were a spider mite treat, and if I'm not in the grow room it feels like I need a spreadsheet to remember what all is in there. There's some mystery colocasia too, and I've got a few pots of bulbs I potted up after I took my night night meds that are turning out to be some really dope caladiums. I'm still honked off about the rotten bulbs. Even after replacements were sent, which also rotted, I lost a ton of soil. I'll reuse stuff but I won't reuse anything that something rotted in.

I have had many seeds germinate at 2 - 3 years - chambeyronia magnifica, Basselinia moorei most recently. I had given up on them, taken them off heat and placed them aside in the office only to later find a baggie of sprouts. Does the daily temperature variation trigger germination? They seem to pop end of summer, were day time highs important? If they don't pop on squeezing, hurry up and be patient

A lot of red, with 5 hokoeri in a row!

Below some palms in the green house I took during my visit to Antwerp zoo

This is mine, Weston, FL (zone 10b) about 4 years in the ground

Tall skinny Thrinax radiata in the bright:

After one night of 1⁰C and another one of 0⁰C for some hours.

Got the spot filled up nice and quickly. Maybe still some room left though 🤣 Ceroxylon amazonicum

Growing season in Melbourne has started now, so it’s a good time for an update on some winners and losers from winter and some new plantings. I got down to around -1C/30F a couple of times and had around 15 frosts which is around average. Day time temperatures were slightly above average which helped. Chambeyronia divaricata pair - first winter in ground, no issues at all but slow. Euterpe edulis Orange Crownshaft and Bentinckia condapanna. A bit of spotting on the B condapanna but otherwise ok. Hyphaene petersiana first winter in ground has survived - just. Let’s see if a bit of warmth can kick start it back into growth. Linospadix apetiolatus and L microcaryus enjoyed winter and even kept growing. Lepidorrhachis pair loved winter as expected. Such a bright green. Oraniopsis in the background never has any issues with winter. Geonoma stricta was the only loss in ground due to cold this year. It didn’t even make it through June. If you’re thinking about planting one of these in Melbourne or a similarly cool climate…don’t 🤣. Some new plantings: Chamaedorea benziei. The one I kept in a pot grew faster than the 3 already in ground. It joins the triple to make a quadruple planting Chamaedorea alternans double planted Chamaedorea oblongata ‘Loran Whitlock Bubble Leaf’ form. Apparently there’s some history to this form and may be distinct from oblongata. I’ve planted all 4 of mine here in the hope of maximising chance of seed. Jubaeopsis afra Pritchardia minor. Particularly excited about this one. Seed from @richnorm a few years ago. A massive Chamaedorea cataractarum taking up a very large space was removed to make way for this.