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Another large frond!

Looks can be deceiving but…… Richard

@JLM Hope the Bismarckia makes it out of the woods for you. Down this way, winners and losers are sorting themselves out. The seeding Ptychosperma elegans by the parking garage has perished, but on the other side of the garage, the Satakentia liukiuensis is making a solid recovery.

Here’s that coconut today. Slight bit of green showing in the center, so there is a chance.

Mine's looking pretty good at the moment too...

The longest I have heard of is 20 years for a Parajubaea! That's if you don't count the 2000 year old Judean date palm.

This is such a cool tree! So glad I was finally able to get one in the ground. It has performed flawlessly for me, so far, even with temperatures up to 110F. I really enjoy watching it go through its calisthenics routine everyday. Every morning, all the leaf stalks are oriented towards the east, and track the full sun all day to the west, where they finally start to fold up each evening, and close when darkness approaches. Looks to be a fast growing winner for Arizona. 👍 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Brahea armata

Over the past 5 or 6 years, I’ve made it a habit to clip the fruiting branches of Sabal minor that were originally growing in a confined area along the back of my property and toss them where I’d like them to spread. I do nothing more than hurl them in the general area except occasionally giving them a vigorous shake so the seeds are less likely to crowd together. Here’s the area that first had a population of S.m. with camellias growing up through them. They’re roughly 6’ tall. Since they’re slightly raised above street height, along with the camellias they provide an effective privacy screen. (Pavement at left is the service alley that runs behind the houses.) The effort, such as it was, has been a resounding success. At the side of the house, there originally was an outlier - a lone, rather wimpy specimen, which is now a cluster of half a dozen or more robust plants: Across the driveway, plants are now reaching full size: (The ribbon driveway is a work in progress. I’m looking for some old brick to create a border along the outsides, so people exiting their cars don’t step into mud.) Even though it has been a few years, I’m pleasantly surprised by how quickly and thoroughly the wee palms have established, reached adult size, and have begun to bloom. What also surprises me is how few of these tough, maintenance-free, and, to my eye, beautiful palms I see used in landscapes in my area. It’s native here, for heaven’s sake. I have my eye on a few roadside areas just aching for a little palmification!

This book was added to the library about a month ago. A great book by some great folks who made the Summer 2023 Multi-society Meeting unforgettable. This is highly recommended if you don't want to deal with widespread damage and death after a cold snap.

Thank you, @RiverCityRichard . Hoping this one pulls through yet another devastating cold front.

Bizzy Update - 6/3/26 After a few days with highs in the 90s and high humidity, this thing has finally started to show noticeable day to day growth. This is the first sign of an actual frond emerging. Its still pretty pale, so that worries me a little, but we are getting there little by little.

Thanks Hu! I am an overly excited Palm Dad! Harry

Yes but the fruit is always BELOW the crownshaft.

That is the sibling to my larger Encephalartos (arenarius x latifrons) x latifrons. It was flushing later than the more vigorous and larger sibling from the same seed batch. It is still a very attractive plant despite being a little different in leaflet form and lacking the vigor.

Thought I’d bump this thread and post an updated photo. So far so good, still going strong. Tim

Some exciting news I’m moving to Florida this Fall - Port Orange to be exact it’s Z10A so I have the chance to grow some cool palms much easier than Texas weather permits 😅😅😅. I’ve been busy selling some palms and digging up a few I want to bring along. Seed grown Alexandre dwarf and tall form Radicalis Purpurea

This one is a native Floridian orchid growing on one of my Christmas palms. It always sends out a huge display mid May through June. Mixed in is a bromeliad compacta which self attached to the tree from the ground. It's all at eye level so maybe 5 feet from the soil. I always look forward to the display. Gets bigger every year.

Got these Leptocheilos in December fresh from Colin Peters. He sent extras and so I gave some to Nature Girl. They looked fantastic and I expected them to all be germinating in no time. I put them on the heat mat and nothing happened. Then, nothing continued to happen. After it warmed up, I put the pots outside and forgot about them. 6 months later and here they finally come. Not sure what happened because Nature Girl had about 100% germination.

One of my Sabal uresana in October 2025 and then again June 2026, both pictures at dusk. Last winter it saw lows of 17°F two nights in a row with 26°F as the high in between and took no damage. West of Austin.

A can of worms has been opened. On the porch, slouching in the big wicker settee under the lazy old ceiling fan with iced tea in hand, and ready for the story to commence.

Harvest season and progress on a flush after I returned from a short vacation.

Iam unfamiliar with the import process into the US, you have one advantage on your side for growing rare exotic slow palms and that is your age. Due to the fact it takes so long to get advanced palms by the time your 30 years young you will have cracked into the exotic market and by the time you hit 50 you should have some pretty good stuff behind you that is well advanced!

the function of red leaves is unresolved as far as I know. There are at least a dozen different hypotheses proposed. One of the more popular hypothesis is that insect herbivores that attack plants are often greenish, somewhat camouflaged on a green leaf but stand out on a red one. This reportedly would makes them easy targets for insect herbivore predators. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367253021000724 The most common and effective mechanisms for deterring herbivore insects and grazing by mammals involve some terpenes that are contained on the surface of the leaves in trichomes. How Sesquiterpenes Deter Herbivores Direct feeding deterrents: Many sesquiterpenes have bitter, pungent, or irritating properties that make plant tissues unpalatable to herbivores. For example, β-caryophyllene and other sesquiterpenes found in clove, basil, and other plants can reduce herbivore feeding by altering taste or causing physiological discomfort Number Analytics+1. Repellency: Volatile sesquiterpenes can act as airborne repellents, discouraging herbivores from approaching or settling on leaves, flowers, or fruits IntechOpen. Toxicity: Some sesquiterpenes are toxic to herbivores, either directly or after metabolic breakdown, reducing survival or reproduction of feeding insects IntechOpen. Indirect defense: Sesquiterpenes can attract natural enemies of herbivores, such as parasitoid wasps or predatory insects, thereby reducing herbivore populations indirectly

They are such a beautiful palm, dry tolerant and will drink as much water you give them. Tolerant of shade and cool conditions. One of my garden favourites!

I like your style @Manalto . Sometimes it's better just to take the layup rather than shoot from half court. It looks great!

Variegated lanonia dasyantha still growing true!

First year of multiple blooms on my Brachychiton discolor and on the skyrocketing shoot from the rootstock of my dwarf grafted Jacaranda plant.

Spring has sprung here: Jacaranda hybrid, Hakea laurina off season bloom, and Brachychiton hybrid

Burretikentia hapala peeking in...

Socratea rostrata always gets my attention! Both in the container and in the ground. Iam buying a Time Machine just to fast forward and live 40 years from now. Just to see the palms in full glory!

I planted K. sarmentosa in March and was surprised to see it flower this week as it's one of the few winter flowering Kniphofia. Our hottest weather of the year (~33 C/90 f) also scorched all the leaves which isn't a good sign going into summer. The smaller plant at the front is K. thomsonii which was also affected. There are some ancient threads on various failed attempts to grow Kniphofia in Florida. Have any of the newer cultivars or different species improved upon this? These are planted in a raised bed with a fair amount of sand in the mix and are on drip irrigation.

Incredible how much diversity indeed!

I’ve been feeling the same way, like the whole vibe shifted fast. I still watch, but it hits different now. Holding onto whatever parts of the game still feel honest.

Your love of gardening and plants shows , Richard . Very nice job , I needed the “garden tour “ for my Thursday morning ! I don’t know what I would do without my wee garden . I do suffer from a bit of anxiety from time to time . My garden is my therapy . For over a dozen years we lived on a sailboat and sailed “the islands” and that was therapy . Now , at 71 years young , my garden of palms and my bicycle provide that relief. Harry😎

A little late but here's my last surviving Lyto. I learned so much from him despite so little actual interaction, and his wealth of knowledge especially about soil mixtures and these palms made me into the plant dork I am today. Do I follow his attention to detail and scientific methods? No. But did he have a lasting impact on me? Absolutely. I've been so careful with this plant after losing my others, and even if it just sits in the corner getting nothing but light and water it'll always be special.

Here’s one small palm I fell in love with straight away. These little understory palms are an absolute beauty of a palm. Just as good as any small chamaedorea in the garden!

I can see why as well!

Theres quite a big difference between the two varieties of dasyanthas. Large form or hardy mapu as they are calling them. And the standard dasyanthas you get a lot of variations, having to pick out the best from a seedling batch. With the large form having far more mottling straight from the get go!

Mine are super slow. Yours too?

Have met his nephew and wife who are in Bochum in his apartment right now ... his last words were for his Lytos and me ... And now? Have loaded 3 larger and one really large L. weddelianum + 2 L. itapebiense (one mid-sized, 1 seedling) and a L. hoehnei into my car ... this was the last promise I gave him; to take care on his "babies", as long as I am alive. Heaven was crying on my way back, much of rain came down ... 😪

great shot! it barley survived 2011 but it is pre 2011