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A nice little 18 year old dypsis louvelli goes in the garden at the end of winter. I have been waiting a long time to plant this special one, one rare palm!

I will say this Geonomas are really starting to impress me in the cool tolerance range. Quite rare palms in this part of the world, but after getting my hands on a few different varieties they are proving to be very cool tolerant, not to bad for palms that are prized ornamentals. Cool tolerance is one thing they need to be to survive in my winter and grow well. Another issue is water they drink like a drowning fish. So if they are to live in the ground it’s going to have to be some pretty good soil amendment landscaping duties. And these are tube stock seedlings not advanced palms, so iam impressed with how well they take 2 degrees celcius Geonoma pycnostachys Geonoma look longivaginata sub sp vallensGeonoma atrovirens Geonoma bondaria

I just happened upon this article published this past April, documenting the rediscovery of a species of Ravenea not definitively documented since its original description in 1927. The species is Ravenea latisecta, and there have been a few possible sightings in the ensuing 99 years, although apparently virtually all of these were misidentified, most turning out to be R. robustior or R. madagascariensis,. According to the article, there are no documented specimens in cultivation. So this is apparently quite a find and gives some hope for other species that have been "hiding" while presumed extinct. You can download the article from ResearchGate here.

We got hit pretty hard by hurricane Lala With many trees down. I got very lucky that the only palm loss was a Kerriodoxa elegans that had the unfortunate fate to end up under a giant fallen Guatemalan cypress and one of my peach palms came down. The Kerriodoxa still has a spear so it will make it. I chainsawed the peach palm and will eat the heart of palm, but it’s already got suckers coming up so no problem there. We’ve had a number of hurricanes come by pretty close, but nothing was ever as bad as hurricane lala. I also learned that the damage seems to be consistent with winds coming down vertically from above as opposed to sideways, which is very weird. Several places had trees down in a 360° radius. I looked this up and it seems to be a thing with hurricanes. They’re called mini downbursts. I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing tolerance of Bismarck palms. But also very disappointed in beccariophoenix which sadly are pretty much all leaning sideways. I am going to leave them that way so they make that coconut style curve at the base. But talk about a weak palm none of them have trunks yet so perhaps they will root in better once they make a trunk. I figured the Big Island would be a pretty safe place from global warming, but clearly it’s not. The super El Niño is churning out storm after storm and Hawaiian waters are now warm enough for them to actually intensify close by. on Sunday, another tropical storm is passing by this time much further to the south.I guess you can pick your poison, either fire And drought or hurricanes. I also learned what a hurricane cut means. Most of our royal Palms are now sporting that hurricane cut. They have a very effective coping mechanism of just dropping lower leaves, which is not good for anything going under them, but they look fine. .

My macrocarpa is doing great in this spot and microclimate. It just opened up a new frond. Thought I would share in case anyone in the area is considering buying one. I would add Im in central Valencia, climate may differ slightly from places further north in foothills where it gets colder, like Saugus, Canyon Country. The teddy bear palm has been doing exceptionally well, it’s almost in full sun most of the day.

Iam not to sure what gives such deep red, I do know it’s anthocyanins that cause the red. But some years I get a lot of deep red colour and other years lighter red. It could be temperature, moisture, heat, cold. Whatever it is we need more of it!

Seasol or seaweed extract for vitamin b stress relief. Which I think some of world could use some right now!

I’ve got some Veitchia arecina, the oldest being about 12 years old and is way overhead. However, it’s never flowered. Then I have another one that is about eight years old and has decided to flower like crazy. It’s pretty cool because the flowers are right at eye level.

Yup, as others have pointed out, these are about as adaptable as they come. Here’s one I plant many years ago; still trunkless, but with fronds nearly head- high.

Photo of mine

Just giving one of the best Australian palms around a bit of palm talk tourism promotion, as your next holiday spot down under in Australia if you want to see them in habitat for yourself on holidays.

It’s pretty easy to see what makes a saintlucei so popular. You can’t go past that beautiful look of an accent palm, with a trunk that’s straight as an arrow and the arched leaves to the white crownshaft. Easy to grow with a little dry, cool tolerance. They love black sandy loam soil that’s free draining. Single plants will set seeds. Just another one of those Chrysalidocarpus that are an absolute winner!

Trachycarpus fortunei growing in a Japanese garden in the Netherlands.

And today’s little special winner is a nice healthy Geonoma pycnostachys, straight out of the end of winter and into the ground. The full royal treatment for this beauty, quality soil amendments along with being right next to the tap, pole position in the garden went into this one, the old chicken pidgeon coop, that had 20 years off bird poo. If I can’t grow this one in that soil iam going home!

Beautiful little palm, with a nice white backdrop should highlight for all to see from the street and make em go wow! It doesn’t matter where they are, you get a big impact statement for not a lot of trouble of growing.

Just a suburban Ravenea rivularis.

Body shape = long / narrow, and oval shaped, + long antennae, + Leg that looks like it has bristles / hairs on it ( Easy to see Via the shadow cast, at roughly the 6:30 position in the shot ) + translucent Elytra / *Tegmina < * specific to Cockroaches > ..The scientific term for the harder, outer / anterior wings of various insect groups, inc Beetles and Cockroaches = Subfamily Blattinae or Ectobiidae member Cockroach sp. A quickie in Roach Anatomy / Morphology: Kind of creepy ( ...for those folks who are creeped out by them at least ) ....but, Not SAPW.

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement! I’m trying to fix the ill-conceived act of planting two Hedyscepes too far from the beach (about 20 miles). They just burn badly here and aren’t a good grow, so I’m going to try to dig and pot and sell them to someone in a suitable climate for them in all their glory.

Ever notice how volunteer palm seedlings grow super fast sometimes. This Rhopalostylis baueri volunteer sprouted less than a year ago at the base of an Archontophoenix in full shade and you can almost see it growing in real time. It’s 2 1/2 feet tall (76 centimeters). The one in the last photo sprouted in full all day sun about the same time. Never a burnt leaf no matter how hot it gets. Not even my 20 year old adults will tolerate direct sun here. There are ten year old A. cunnnghamiana volunteers taller than twenty year old ones that were planted as five gallon plants. Anyone else notice this kind of growth with volunteers allowed to grow where they sprouted? First three pics are same palm. Last one is the full sun one.

Central Texas earlier this week:) don’t hate me but I’m too lazy to add all the individual captions haha . Pics range from my friend Matthew’s personal collection in San Marcos to areas around San Antonio. I even found a non disturbed area of Spanish moss with cactus kinda cool to see those species interact together.

Yes , I have observed this phenomenon. That is a beauty , Jim. I will say that the Rhopalostylus Baueri are pretty fast . I brought a juvenile home from @DoomsDave and this Cheesemania is gonna be a bigun’ ! Yours will probably outdo the parent palm . I don’t know if there is any advantage of climate acclimation but the volunteers seem to sprout and grow very well. Harry

Thanks for looking

I was looking at some rainforest in north qld the other day and spotted these palms. Lots of purple on these ones.

Here’s an update on how this palm looks roughly two years later. It’s been a relatively fast grower for me so far and is one of the most colorful palms in my collection.

Dug a Hedyscepe and stuck in a 15 gallon pot, big drink, in the shade. @happypalms what’s your fave transplant fert? @Harry’s Palms said you had a recommendation.

Rather large ! I can’t use them all but a bunch are spoken for , ahem….Dave! That still leaves quite a few . Harry

Dave I would place in the shade and only use organic fertiliser like fishmeal or seaweed until they re established

They certainly like cooler climates . I’m afraid I’m a little too far inland , like my friend Dave. It would probably grow but struggle . Harry These are growing very well , about 5 miles from the coast in Ventura California. Towering over the second story of apartment building where they were planted by the Sullivans. They are on the north side of the building so they got plenty of shade when they were young. When I was first introduced to these palms , they were still well below the building .

The arborist that removed it is defending their paycheck🙄. Im sure they showed up and convinced the owner it needed to go and they would give them a good deal or some such. That early of a removal means they had no clue if it was alive or not and they were praying on ignorance and the freeze to make a lot of money fast. Im an arborist and see it all the time, there are two groups of us, those that take advantage and those that give a sh!t. The latter barely attend events to keep their minimal CEUs to keep their certification, and usually dont have extra qualifications and def arent a BCMA.

By popular demand: Asta 11 months old, world class clown, spoilt little princess!

I was trimming a couple of old fronds off my Chrysalidocarpus decaryi this evening and just as one came down to the pavers a weevil appeared. It seemed to come out of the removed leaf base which came with a dead inflorescence. I didn't see it emerge but it was under the leafbase immediately as it came down. I haven't heard of them going after any Chrysalidocarpus. I had just removed the dead boot from my adjacent Chrysalidocarpus decipiens. It is a bit worrisome. Smashed the weevil immediately since I don't want it to escape.

All the coconuts in CA right now are in private homes but I would love to show you mine if you’d like to see haha. My biggest just has a couple inches of trunk /is 3 years old only. If you’re looking for a lot of public coconuts, definitely Los Cabos in Mexico, it’s a short flight down and a vacation spot.

Here is the tallest/oldest Chambeyronia macrocarpa at Leu Gardens. It was planted in 2004, its under high tree canopy about 20ft tall. Leaflets totally burned but petioles still alive. The first leaf to open post freeze was 90% burned. Now 2nd leaf is opening, its been slow to recover. And it is flowering.

That is correct. Silver/Grey abaxial with ramenta.

Not to bad at all, I like it! I’ve had Cham plumosa volunteers in all sorts of places in between rocks where you cannot possibly dig, and they are loving life, let em be if there keen on living.

A nice female chamaedorea Ernest augustii inflorescence and a baby foxtail ready to plant!

A very tall one that the leaf fell off in the earlier picture

This morning brought in a much welcome marine layer of coolness. The flowers on our Sabal are quite abundant and fruit on our Butia Oderata, silver. The fruit will disappear as it ripens as the squirrels wait for just the right time . They hop from a neighboring Brahea Edulis , quite interesting to watch! Harry Not sure , but I think this is Sabal Palmetto , although someone told me it may be Riverside. Either way , I don’t think I’ve seen this much inflorescence on this palm before. Silver Butia Oderata (sold as Bonneti) . Behind it is a Brahea Edulis that is barely visible . The squirrels tend to go from tree to tree. The fruit will be a treat for them. In all the years I’ve had this , and it produces fruit every year, I’ve only had one volunteer! No fruit on the ground , but copious amounts from the Brahea , untouched. Squirrels like what they like and the Apricot sweetness of the Butia is candy.

Another one

A lot of zone push winners this winter. And a few proven winners! Lanonia dasyantha Johannesteijsmannia perakensis dypsis rivularis Pinanga sarawakensis dypsis mirabilis dypsis heterophylla Arenga nana lanonia dasyantha

They grow great in Phoenix you can’t get much hotter and drier than that!!! Hard to get a picture in the jungle!!

They really oughta stop planting Queens in SA. I hate seeing them die.

Dioon edule I got from @PalmBossTampa

A few more winter winners. If you try you win a few now and then. Pushing the boundaries on new palm varieties in the cool winter in a subtropical climate. All for the love of palms! Adonidia merriillii variegated Areca mandacanii Geonoma longivaginata Ponapea hentyiiGeonoma pachystachys roscheria melanochaetes Geonoma mooreana

Calyptrocalyx yummutumune! Faired well in winter for a tropical grown palm and planted late summer, no acclimatisation for this one, straight in the ground from the pacsoa showroom! Dont be fooled by this Calyptrocalyx it’s cool tolerant!

Female chamaedorea elegans!

I guess it’s like living in Asia and seeing all these exotic tropicals from their region all around and thinking they are common, while a rare Madagascar palm such as marojejya darinii would be prized. Also if I find a nice exotic looking palm that grows well in my climate I plant as many as I can for those reasons mentioned in favour of the foxtails. If you find a palm that suits your climate well fair enough grow them, and lots of them for that tropical look so desired.

I’d say it would almost be harder to grow them unsuccessfully than successfully. Very adaptable and hardy in just about every way. Have seen them thrive in genuinely cold places, hot and dry places and true equatorial tropical climates too. It’s a contender for the hardiest palm from a fully rounded perspective.

Around 1000 Joeys!