Leaderboard

Dave, I ditto a lot of the same recommendations as @Tracy. I do think Hedyscepe and Ambositrae are fantastic growers in my area. Do they get “too big”….maybe. But you b will get many years of beauty before you need to worry about the power lines. They are an average grower, not like Archontophoenix that grow feet per year. I’d say plant away but know your previous Hedy or Ambo may require removal in 20yrs. Pritchardia Minor, Bentinkia Condapanna, Pinanga Javana, and Hyophorbe Indica are all winners as well. You could also get away with planting a clumping Dypsis like Heteromorpha or Lanceolata as well. They don’t get massively tall (less than 20’) and are fantastic looking. Subsidizing palms for Encephalartos is a winning combination. Some big Encephalartos like Whitelockii, Ituriensis, or Kisambo get very tall if kept upright. You’re talking decades before those would be a concern. HB is prime location for growing Encephalartos. All of mine seem very happy. Cordyline, Plumeria, Heliconia etc all excel as companion plants. My lot is fairly small @ 6500sqft so my gardens are cramped. I know without a doubt I will have to dig plants out as they mature but that’s ok. I knew the job when I took it. If I can get 20yrs out of a plant, I will be very happy. I completely understand I’m the outlier and not the rule though. HB is prime palm tree, cycad and tropical plant growing conditions. So many possibilities. -dale Bentinkia Condapanna Pinanga Javana Dypsis Ambositrae Hyophorbe Indica

This has become a handsome medium sized palm with a nice colored crown shaft after leaf sheath drop. It was acquired as C. malcomberi in a 1 gal. container in late 2011 and still not convinced of the ID. Anyway, here are a few photos from last week. Tim

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.

Interesting palm, getting scary big as well. Every year I look at it and go hmmmmm…… Acquired it in a 1 gallon pot in 2019, still no trunk and extremely long fronds. Interesting pinnae arrangement in pairs, thin and long. Dioecious, I doubt I’ll be getting a mate. Too bad, I was looking forward to making my own buttons from the seeds. There is an orange handled full size shovel in one of the photos for scale. Tim

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.

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.

A top little miniature palm, easy to grow they flower pretty well much after a couple years of growing. Cool tolerant growing as far south as Sydney. Somewhat dry tolerant, perfect shade understory palm, patio, greenhouse and mist likely indoors. Very predictable growth pattern and they will fit into pretty well much any space available. The perfect miniature palm. And yes @gyuseppe I shall be thinking of you for a few seeds. And @tim_brissy_13 have tried this little beauty in your backyard refrigerator.

Metroxylon seedling looking robust.

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)

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.

Encephalartos latifrons x altensteinii natural hybrid. This came from Loran Whitlock in around 1980. Loran got a group of 5 plants in Durban at a nursery. I've been able to acquire 2 of them over the decades. This specimen hasn't grown for 4 years, but had tremendous cataphyll spread at the apex. There are rarely, but occasionally, man-made hybrids available; but they always lack the lustrous beauty of these plants from the natural population. 21 leaves this time. This was originally an 8-inch tuber. Now it's 2 feet of stem!

Pinanga sarawakensis for a splash of colour!

The color of Arenga Engleri inflorescence. Harry

Yellow latania opening a new frond

The Cyphophoenis nucele will grow to be a beautiful specimen Harry. Mine has several years of growth ahead of yours so is a nice preview of what to expect. Separately, what caught my eye in the garden this morning were some flowers in different states of development. First on a Burretiokentia koghiensis, then some blue and red orchids growing adjacent to each other. Cleisocentrum gokusingii (merrillianum) are the blue flowers and fragrant Maxillaria tenufolia is the red flower.

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 .

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…

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

Down in Key Largo:

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.

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.

The nana would have to be one of my favourite small understory palms, so easy to grow and propagate. Very easy to hand pollinate, somewhat cool tolerant, tolerant of a little dry weather. You can predict its growing pattern for the landscaping areas. Perfect patio palm. Will take a little morning sun and just down right beautiful.

Hi all, Some years ago, this palm was purchased as a seedling, labeled “Dypsis sp. unknown, rare”. Knowing full well that this was a mere marketing ploy, I elbowed other customers out of the way in my effort to grab it before someone else could. In all seriousness, it was very pretty, showing a nice chalky white crown shaft at that young age. It’s a medium size palm, and has kept that attractive white crown shaft. I’m just not sure where the separation point is between the two species. I suspect others are growing this, so feel free to weigh in!

Piccabeen palm in Australia is the common name. And yes the good old Bangalow palm is Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana. It’s a good sales trick, oh i havent got that palm! So if you see a piccabeen palm for sale you already have it!

Without looking at the palm , I cannot help. I will say I bought two “King” palms at HD years ago . One was a double and one single . I knew immediately that the single was not a Cunninghamiana like the double . Turns out it was(is) an Alexandrae . It has silvery undersides and a bottle shaped trunk . Big box stores don’t really know palms that well. Harry

Little update on the bondaria and she is doing well.

Yep I’ve got C tenella going well here Richard. Similar size to yours shown. Like yours, they flowered after only a couple of years from seed, both females though unfortunately so no viable seed. Just checked today and they’re sending out new inflorescences again for the next season. No issues down here in the fridge. Photo from a year ago. They’re a bit larger now.

Here is the supermodel shovel for some scale. Tim

More red! Dypsis rosea opening a new leaf.

Here you go @Than one of five Venturis we have at work!

Licuala mapu and licuala peltata sumowongii loving the rain.

Chamaerops humilis Vulcano Brahea moorei @Jonathan Haycock Chrysalidocarpus pilulifer x madagascariensis F1 Chrysalidocarpus prestonianus hybrid (possibly x pembanus or x cabadae F1). Love the colours on this beast especially when it gets wet. One palm that just doesn’t look like it belongs down here on the freezer, just looks so tropical.

Now for my South facing garden on the blind side of my house. Not much space or sun here, so Chamaedorea sp are well suited. Chamaedorea oblongata Chuniophoenix nana Chamaedorea arenbergiana x nationsiana F1 Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii Chamaedorea anemophila. Chamaedorea liebmannii Chamaedorea metallica Chamaedorea brachypoda Chamaedorea elatior fronds recently served as a nice rodent snack. Thankfully they left the growth points and it’s making a recovery.

West facing backyard garden now. This garden isn’t protected by the retained warmth of the house and cops fairly intense afternoon sun. About half the length of this garden is tricky to keep moist due to a neighbour’s massive P canariensis sucking up the moisture. I mainly plant quite hardy species here. Future plans include some of the rare Trachycarpus and Chamaedorea sp once there’s a bit more canopy. Arenga micrantha @Jonathan Chamaedorea alternans Ceroxylon echinulatum Chamaedorea radicalis tree form. Gets tall fast! Chamaedorea plumosa Laccospadix australasica Arenga disticha A pair of Trachycarpus sp Nova behind the bromeliad Cyphophoenix elegans

Royals as the sun goes down:

I'm told this is Calyptrocalyx hollrungii. Such a pretty palm.

Here is one of my Butia odorata x Parajubaea torallyi var. torallyi F1's at City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane.

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.

Calyptrocalyx elegans

Just planted the Sabal Causiarum today…can’t wait to see the growth on this one.

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.

Pseudophoenix vinifera at Mounts:

More flowers coming online

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

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!