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Let me introduce you to the Tau Kiani Botanical Garden on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile. I think I’ll have to contribute some exotic palm trees; they have something interesting going on there on the island.

So when we do that, the flowers open within about 48 hours and then begin getting some pollination for seeds. Crazy, this is the only species that this is a problem with. Weird. First picture is today’s surgery. The second & third has some surgery that we did about six weeks ago.

They're fast! I'd already grown them from seed, but I didn't remember they were fast,second leaf and germinated at the beginning of May.

What is killing them? I have one here on O'ahu for about 25 years. Planted next to a leaky lily pond so it get lots of water from the pond. Have not taken a picture in about 5 years.....Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle attacked once but drove them away from this palm.

Hey all, here’s something I can’t quite figure out. My neighbor and I have a couple of this species and they throw out flower spathes regularly. But they simply never open on their own. So… We’ve taken to performing surgery to free up the flowers.. The thickness of the spathe is just crazy thick. We have found that if we simply allow them to sit, eventually the contents of the spathe will just get moldy-and yet never open. We are generally perplexed at why this is happening, but it is what it is. It actually requires a combination of a sawzall, a vibrating saw, and some clippers deftly used to remove the woody section without damaging the flowers excessively. The walls are thicker than my thumb is wide.

Recently had a chance to drive past the old place and check it out. Fortunately the new owner was standing out the front and recognized me, so invited me for a quick walkaround (I only had 15 mins free) Mid winter here, and everything was looking pretty good. The new owner is doing a good job! Looking over towards the Beccariophoenix alfredii and Ptychosperma lauterbachii Veitchia joannis was looking good Pritchardia hillebrandii (rescued from Wal's place ) was doing well Dypsis 215 was still there but owner told me had struggled with dryness and lost some stems. Dictyosperma were growing well, although one has succumbed (or is about to) to a health condition...v. conjugatum on right Ptychosperma lauterbachii was covered in inflorescences and was looking awesome...IMO a better palm in that climate thn P.macarthurii Beccariophonxis alfredii...8.5 years from a 200mm pot...doing well! Full size Alcantarea in front of it for scale Satakentia were looking awesome...should be more widely grown in SE QLD those crownshafts were fat! And the Neoveitchia rescue palm is still alive! Satakentia crowns

Gaussia palms are actually quite showy when old boots are trimmed off. Here's some of mine... I've sold about 2 dozen of these to fellow Arizonans - just based on their unique looks. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

They grow by the thousands in my area. Just about every part of the subtropical rainforest you go into they are there. Often seen growing with Livistona Australis and linospadix monostachya and lepidozamia peroffskyana in their habitat. You have some great Australian palms there !

My house has changed after 5 years on this forum…. It’s a jungle out there. (After many holes dug, a truckload of fertilizer and mulch, and a zillion gallons of water) Thanks for all the assistance.

Here is a pic of my five Gaussia gomez-pompeis. Seeds collected by a palm colleague "in a cultivated setting" in Cuba in Nov 2006. These five were planted out in Jan 2010. The Podocarpus trees behind them gave afternoon shade until they were partially cut a year ago. Full sun in the morning and early afternoon. The two small ones in back were in near-total shade until the cut and are much smaller and bent toward the available light. All have been in full sun for the last year. The one on the left has had inflors for a couple years but has not developed fruits.

I was attracted to a different species in the genus for similar reasons. I planted this Gaussia princeps with the wall and white fence to its east, so it would receive reflected heat from them as well as the afternoon sun. Other palms have grown over the years so it receives more filtered light now. It has quite the bulbous trunk as you can see. It holds 2 to 3 leaves normally and has never flowered.

For vacation for few days in Punta cana I saw rows of Pseudophoenix vinifera (commonly known as the Hispaniolan Wine Palm) unfortunately some are dying but others looks super healthy… They lost a lot of them … Some still looking good I hope the city will do something to preserve them they might be very old here … IMG_2776.mov

Pritchardia

Arenarius flush hardening off

Thanks for looking!

I wax walking up the front entrance to my home and noticed the boot was ready to drop off my Chrysalidocarpus decipiens. Here it is after removing the old boot.

@Meangreen94z the Pearland palms are nuts, great work. Amazed by the majesty palm, very jealous of the A. totai. My yard is neglected and much less palmy these days, but a few things are chugging along: Sabal uresana from Barton Springs Nursery. Not as silvery as the John Fairey palms but still pretty nice. I am not sure what this one is. Also bought from Barton Springs Nursery in a 1 gallon pot years ago. I remember the pots and signage had different labels, some said Sabal bermudana, others Sabal domingensis. It has grown nearly as fast as my Sabal causiarum and looks very similar. The causarium is unfortunately dead... a transplant casualty during our yard remodel.

Just a few midsummer yard shots from today: Starting with the biggest and the fastest...my filifera continues to grow larger by the day: Next, we will see the smallest and slowest growers I have in the ground, a couple of Trachycarpus fortunei x waggies: Both are growing fine...just quite slowly. They sit on the east side of my home and I am planning to remove the grass in this entire area in the fall to create a nice bed. Right next to the back porch I have a corner with 3 C. radicalis in it. One mature non-trunking form, a juvenile trunking form, and second year from seed non-trunking form: The rest of that same bed is occupied by my Rajapuri bananas and some dypsis lutescens that I grew from seed my daughter collected on a past vacation: My Sabal mexicanas that both spear pulled last winter after 20F and freezing rain (had to trunk cut the second one) : My Butia that also had to be trunk cut after the freezing rain: Silver Chamaerops, P. sylvestris, and second year mule seedling: From left to right C. radicalis seedlings, BxJ, and S. mexicana community pot. And the mule that replaced my Butia in the ground after the spear pull and trunk cutting: I know it should be less hardy than the Butia, but it is definitely getting established quicker. Fingers crossed for a winter or two of zonal average lows and no freezing precipitation so it can really get going strong.

This plant I acquired as Encephalartos arenarius × woodii has been a vigorous grower. I planted it in late 2010 from a 15 gallon. The id might be incorrect as it could be arenarius × natalensis but I still find it's glossy dark green leaflets attractive. It is different than an Encephalartos natalensis × arenarius I planted a little before this one, which is growing in my Carlsbad property. This is the first flush on it this summer. I expect all the other pups and main caudex growth point to follow soon. I removed a few leaves today to allow this flush space to push up.

@Janni , @tim_brissy_13 @happypalms @gyuseppe Here is a very instructive example in a Chamaerops of mine. You can see both strictly male inflorescences and ones with male and female flowers, all of them produced in a single year.

This Cycas is now hardening the flush I posted a few weeks back. The leaflets don't start until about 5 feet up the rachis.

Hi! These huge double foxtails are absolutely high and gorgeous, approximately around 12 meters or higher, but the other one is shorter, I believe they are about 30 years old! The appearance First Foxtail is going to bloom its flowers Second Foxtail is currently riping its fruits

This is the tallest and probably the older queen palm I 've seen in person. It's in Lisbon, Portugal. It competes some of these tall washingtonias.

I can't answer about the bottom end temperature that Encephalartos sclavoi will handle because I don't ever get frost on any plants in my garden. Mine does appreciate some shade. The shaded side holds it's green leaves longer with the sunnier side showing some decline earlier on old flushes. Here are some updated photos as he pushes out seven new cones.

Very warm and very dry start to summer. Multiple days over 100F, and long stretches between rain. I fertilized a month or so ago, and been watering a couple times a week. Getting some beautiful green growth. All discoloration was from transplant shock last year, and will probably trim it all off next spring. So far, just been clipping the burnt-ends. It’s putting out its 4th frond of the summer, and all the new ones at over 7ft long. Easily my favorite plant in the yard, and very exotic looking for the area. NC Zone 8a.

I have a seed bank at the house and some of the seeds have been here a while in some cases ten years or close. Including Nanorrhops among others that include Braheas, Jubaea. Gonna plant some and see how it goes! Anyone have experiences to share? Give ‘em to me bay bay as Rick James would have said….

Here is my fiji currently after 100% defoliation.

This view

Betel nutz and bamboo…

Pinanga insignis on a rainy day. Tim

Here’s my new baby! Harry That “bottle” shaped base got me! At this age , to me , resembles the Hyophorbe I saw in Hawaii years ago.

These old threads are helpful . I just got a nice example from @DoomsDave and am planning on planting it in the ground . Dave has them planted in sun and a couple in shade , they are all doing well. His climate is very similar to mine but it is good to hear of other’s experience as well . Any others out there , post pics of yours , I think this somewhat tropical palm with SoCal tolerance is worth a good look! We are experiencing an extended period of heat/humidity so I may delay planting it right now . The place I have in mind is out in front of our side yard and gets afternoon sun (warm). As soon as it gets a bit lighter out I will post a photo of it. Harry

I can confirm this observation 100%. Such spp are called polygamous. One year they can produce inflorescences of exclusively one sex. Sex may alternate from year to year. In other years or specimens can be produced within same year inflorescences of both sexes, frequently in a strict sequence depending on season. In other years or other specimens hermaphrodite flowers are produced. Nature finds a way...

Ok I planted a palm tree. I wanna be cool again. I also don't know if it's trying to push an inflo or if a Bahia grass seed literally sprouted right next to the growth point. Anyway this is the Mexicana @5am sent me about 14 years ago and I mounded it up just enough to where I ran out of raised bed soil.

July 16, 2026 Sorry for the mess

I do. As far as I know I was the only one attempting this palm. I grew one for years in Clackamas Zone 9A and they had one planted at Raintree Tropical in Silverton Zone 8B. I'm not sure if its your camera but the color looks yellow to me. Doesn't look like the blue form, but not dark green enough for the green form so time will tell. However when you look at my videos below the blue color doesn't come through all that great either. If yours is a green form it will be less hardy. I had the Highlands or Silver form. I currently grow both forms of this palm, and green is a much faster growing palm, similar to other large Sabal species. The one at Raintree in the display gardens was maybe 3-3.5' tall and was killed one winter when Salem got some pretty cold air. Mine survived, but barely grew, it got a little bigger every year. It would hold about 4 fronds and was under 2' tall. Planted full sun, well draining soil and watered regularly in summer and fertilized with Palmgain each spring. My last year winter in Oregon, we had that winter bomb cyclone 2022/2023 and it killed it with protection. I cut off all the fronds and left the stump in place, but around late June it reappeared and regrew all the fronds it lost. Now that I am down here in Houston, and live in a very Sabal friendly climate I have a better understanding of these palms. I grew at least 8 species/hybrids/varieties of Sabal in Oregon and here double that number. There are mature uresana here in Houston, although they are rare. If I move back to Oregon would I want to grow a Sabal uresana? - the answer is no. At best they're going to limp along and remain small, but larger ones are likely to fade away over a few years. You can't replace the heat and sun intensity that we get here, and uresana and a large number of the Sabals really need it. So I think you got a great palm and starting with a larger one is likely a good move, but I don't think your chances for success are in your favor. Based on my experience I would say the best performing Sabals for Oregon are minor, Louisiana, Birmingham (so slow), Brazoriensis (will trunk), Rosei (trunking) and palmetto (hardiest of the trunking Sabals). Rosei was a real surprise, they are much hardier than reported. These are the last videos I posted of it. Apparently I had two, but I don't remember the smaller one. Picture of one of my current Highlands form. Its far more silver in real life. Uploading Attachment...

Thought I’d bump this thread again. One of the advantages of garden tours here on Hawaii Island, you are sometimes gifted with seedling by the host. Such is the case with these two Pelagodoxa from a Palm Society event about ten years ago. They have grown well despite lack of soil and have obviously found fractures in the lava rock. The one is starting to seed, but the other one is taking its time. In another recent post, a thread about Anthurium, these palms are located in the same area, but are taller than surrounding plantings and do suffer a bit with wind gusts. Tim

One of my unknown Prtichardias has a spadix with flowers emerging from it's spathe for the first time. The spathe is an interesting cluster of bulbuous shaped heads that individually open. I don't have Don Hodel's book on Pritchardia species to help identify the species. Thoughts are always welcome.

My Hydriastele beguinii Obi Island seems to be losing it's entire leaf characteristics as it grow bigger and taller, My yucca is flowering. and Nymphaea wanvisa red also flowered in the pond. Finally, a branch of the Ficus benjamina came down from thirty feet above, landed only about 2' from where I was standing. I don't think I would be making this post if it landed on my head.

Stopped by today…July 15, 2026… and it’s doing a lot better than it was last August (the last three pics were from last year when I thought it wasn’t gonna make it).

The garden creates a beautiful space with more privacy, an outdoor living space. A well planted and spaced outdoor garden makes the lot feel bigger with privacy and height. We are of the same mind there. Your growth is excellent, keep doing what you are doing. I started about 15 years a go and added palms more slowly I think. Parts of Florida can give really fast growth. If my experience is like what you will see in the future 10 years, you should expect a lot of height. Palms that don't grow so fast(like the pseudophoenix) will balance out the garden canopies in 10 years as things get more height. As for selling the house, every day there has been made more special by the gardening effort. I find my garden very calming, a place to sit and relax. It is my blood pressure medication, and a much more healthy option in personal healthcare. Every couple years I will plant something small out now. Most of what I plant now will be slow growing and will not attain much height. I do have a few volunteers I may let go to maturity though.

Cerotazamia SpToman St Charlie.

Burretiokentia koghiensis was planted as a 5gl from Joe in San Marcos about five years ago.

the second pic is rupicola for sure. Note how you can see through a leaf close to the stem for a inch or so then the leaflets blocks sun/sky away from the stem. The second pic shows this very well. Sometimes it doesnt come from a pic due to the leaf angle with the camera or due to a full crown blocking light. Here is my rupicola triple, hard to make out the individuals. This is a 15 years from 3 gallon triple cooking in our worst drought in 30 years with limited irrigation water. Each palm of the triple has about 5' of trunk still covered in dead leafbases. A closeup of the stem shows the "see through" at the stem Rupicola is not a large palm, the leaves are 8' long and the tree trunk, leaf bases on, is about 13-15". Mine were well watered, right next to irrigation popup and palms that are near the popups tend to get thicker trunks as they get more water and the trunk is ideally 65-70% water. I have found that trunk thickness of a number of common palms here depend on watering and soil drainage(can kill water intake if root systems are small. Those not on irrigation are always skinnier of the trunk. Rupicola is a great mid size palm, not a large palm.

Here’s the same palm 5 weeks later going into winter growing even stronger. Not a problem for marojejya in cool climates, we have a zone push winner and a great one at that.

Brahea

And they are not even in my greeenhouse or hothouse, just outside under the verandah on the NE side of the house dry and not wet in the rain. Cold wet conditions is what gets your seedlings, not this batch! So far so good!

I thought my coconut was gone a few years back after a record winter rainfall. I cut it to clean the rot but I was expecting it will not make it anyway. It's not growing in it's normal climate but it's still surviving today.

mine produces lots of fertile seeds

@Banana Belt I see this a lot with local Sabals. The ones in natural forests here are usually full crown but all the fronds below about halfway down are dead and crispy brown. But they fall off complete with the boot in time and leave a completely smooth trunk. Only the Sabals in people's yards still have boots, for the most part. It's probably because people cut off the frond and then gravity doesn't pull the boot off, like you said. I routinely cut off brown or cold-damaged fronds for cosmetic or clearance issues. But I try to not tear off boots until they are ready to fall off. If I'm pruning stuff and the boots just peel off easy then I'll peel them off until I find one with some resistance, and stop there. The only exception is stuff like a Bottle palm, where I use a razor knife and super sharp shears to carefully snip off the old boots. I might clean up old boots on a Bismarck or Alfredii for similar cosmetic reasons...and because the giant flying cockroaches ("palmetto bugs") love to live in the rotting old boots...