Leaderboard

An update at the end of July, 2026.

Veitchia

Kerriodoxa elegans, Johannesteijsmannia altifrons, Geonoma atrovirens, iguanura wallichiana var major, Areca vestria red form, sabinara magnifica, reinhardtia gracilis, chamaedoreas are must have, variegated rhapis. Then there are Zamias, Cerotazamias they all compliment palms and there are many of them to collect. Good luck once the palm bug bites you it’s a whole new world of plants!

Arenga micrantha and Engleri, two species that grow very well here and are also resistant to light frost

Chamaerops humilis cerifera

Dioon mejiae seems to always flush later into summer for me. Perhaps it needs more heat than some other cycads I am growing?

Chrysalidocarpus saintlucei gets thicker in full sun and thinner trunk in shade here. Full sun specimen front and center in this photo.

Update on transplant 6 months ago. Going well, almost unaffected

my yard images

A species that probably doesn’t get much attention on here - Gaussia maya. It’s been bulletproof for me on a north facing brick wall which probably helps with additional heat retention. Love the chunky base, will look great when the leaf bases start to fall off.

Here on the west coast of Oz only cunninghamiana and alexandrae are common. The other 4 are completely missing from the mix as they are purely collectors palms. I suspect that many of the Archontophoenix getting around are not pure and are various combinations of cunninghamiana and alexandrae. I reckon I have quite a few Alabangs growing here. A pure cunninghamiana will have the ramenta underneath the leaf. I’ve grown some seed thinking they are cunninghamiana and they don’t have the ramenta. Over time they get a faint amount of silver under the leaf. So probably a cunninghamiana mother and pollen from an alexandrae. I’m growing all the 6 species here but I need to try and seperate them to try and create straight up species in the future.

Fronds steadily increasing in size, thats what you want. Five foot hoe standing next to palm for scale. Keep the core health and away from freezing this winter and it will continue to grow. In 35 years it will look like this:

The plumosa are flowering again, and I have finally worked out the boys and girls and where they are in the garden. No flowers opening up yet. But some daily observations will be the order for the day. I will try and hand pollinate them this year. I managed to get 4 seeds pollinated last season only to have the rats get them, right on harvest there clever little sods. In the 25 years they have been in the garden only twice I have had good seed set naturally where Mother Nature lined it all up. A nice landscaping palm that’s tolerant of a lot of hard conditions.

A nice sallaca, variegated lanonia dasyantha, dypsis Pembana all looking good in the garden.

Yellow Latania

Here are some detail shots I took today.

Hi Tim, here are couple shots of mine Purpurea hybrids. You’ll see purplish crown shafts with silver undersides of leaves but missing ramenta. I have 3 with varying degrees of purple. And I’ve noticed during summer months when a new leaf base falls off it’s not as vibrant as in spring when it’s cooler.

Wide leaflet Zamia splendens

A nice garden in Kaikoura, about 2 hours north of Christchurch, taken on holiday recently. Is the second pic a standard Butia odorata, looked a but different to me?

Red Latania

This Cocothrinax was labeled as argentea or argentata, but when I posted it in past years I was advised it didn't key to either. I am still waiting for its first flowers. It does have some silver color on the leaf underside but it is modest. It has been a good grower. I thought it was time to solicit thoughts on a species id again. Here it is...

@JLM Haven’t posted in a while, so thought I’d give you a little yard update after the last few of not so good back-to-back winters. The only thing that’s been protected with just blankets (no heat) is my Pygmy Date. Still growing out half of it’s defoliated fronds but is otherwise doing good. The coastal areas have stayed within 9A throughout all these past few bad freezes, including the snow event, so no real palm losses here fortunately. Sorry to hear about your Queen! It looked beautiful and had good size to it.

Here you go, updated photos. This flush is going through senescence. No sign of the next flush yet but this plant can do that. My female one went bare between its last flushes too. I included a photo of a leaf on the female plant too.

Doing a bit of cleaning up the dead fallen Australis leaves, with two growing near each other a mature one and a juvenile one, and the difference in the thorns on the young palm in comparison to the mature one is incredible. You most certainly wouldn’t mess around with a young palm when doing a bit of cleaning up. Whereas the mature one they are not so deadly. It’s obviously a defence mechanism but against what I don’t know, perhaps kangaroos munching on young palms, or is it a Gondwana time defence mechanism, back when there where some rather large marsupials roaming around eating them. But there is certainly a difference in the thorns!

Shouldn’t be a problem for you I don’t think Richard. Mine is a different kind of heat, but mine breezed through 44C a few times this summer in filtered afternoon sun. Seedlings don’t mind either. I haven’t heard that they are too sensitive to humid heat either. Northland NZ would be right at the top of my list of places on earth to grow palms. Of all the places I’ve visited, it’s where every palm is just so perfectly green and lush. And where else can you grow Juania, Lepidorrachis, Hedyscepe, Ceroxylon, highland Geonoma and Parajubaea side by side with Pinanga javana, phillipinensis, all New Cal sp, most Dypsis and Chrysalidocarpus and even some Areca species? I’ve never visited Hawaii but I’d imagine it’s one of the closest places but just cooler all year round allowing those heat sensitive species to thrive (while limiting the true equatorial species). Here’s a few pics from a nursery up that way that I took in 2018. Really should’ve taken more photos but was caught up staring at everything 🤣 Hedyscepe canterburyana. Still can’t get my head around being able to go to a nursery and buy one of these! Pinanga javana and a nice little palm at the front left (maybe Geonoma orbigyana @richnorm ?) Geonoma undata grove and friends Prestoea acuminata var Montana Arenga micrantha just to stay slightly on topic with what might be Allagoptera caudescens front right

Here’s a front yard near my house with a couple of Archontophoenix that I’ve long suspected to be A cunninghamiana x alexandrae or the reverse. Similar traits to ‘Teracarpa’ above; very large and thick trunk (can see a smaller A alexandrae behind the one of the left if you look closely, even the S romanzoffiana are smaller overall), speckled olive green and brown crownshaft, growth rings all brown with some scales on the upper ones, abaxial surface of leaflets with some silver and no noticeable ramenta that I could see. Interestingly they have the A alexandrae cream coloured flowers. These hybrids tend to lean towards A alexandrae from what I’ve seen.

Licuala sp would all be out of the question if you’ve got Beccariophoenix alfredii getting damaged. Lanonia dasyantha in a very protected spot under canopy up against a house or something…maybe but marginal at best I’d say. Chamaedorea radicalis and C microspadix should work well under some protection. Butia sp. Trachycarpus sp although summer heat might be a struggle for some of them. Maybe give Guihaia argyrata a go if you can find one. Chamaedorea humilis shouldn’t have a problem and some varieties like var argentea and ‘Vulcano’ are quite attractive. Rhapidophyllum, Sabal sp, Nannorrhops and some Brahea species should do well too.

If you have no joy with the seed, sing out and I can send you some seedlings or seed. cheers Richard

Iam impressed with them that much I got 110 seeds to get a few more around the garden!

Generally speaking, are the blue joeys (Johannesteijsmannia magnifica) known to be more stout in form as seedlings/immature plants than the green joeys (Johannesteijsmannia altifrons ) ? I’ve only been growing this one seedling magnifica (from 1st seedling leaf stage) and noticed it doesn’t develop those long-strap like immature leaves like the altifrons I have raised. I grow indoors. Because the magnifica is much smaller than my altifrons, I have grown it along with my higher light orchids. The altifrons are well over 3’ so I can’t get them under the orchid lights. I noticed from photos that the mature magnificas look like the altifrons in form, possibly broader; the blue underside of the magnificas being the obvious difference. Although, perhaps any of these form differences in photos can be due to stretching in lower light vs more stout in stressful high light levels. I just want to be aware if I’m possibly light-stressing my magnifica. Pictured below, magnifica on left is younger than the altifrons on right.

After 2 relatively mild winter in a row the jubaea seems much happier. No visible winter damage last year and strong healthy growth with the frond size steadily increasing. After the January ‘24 freeze that years fronds were smaller than the previous year. Luckily it’s on its way to out growing that years damage and stunted growth. 🙏

Dypsis decaryi soaking up the afternoon sun. And a nice bunch of Arenga engleri seeds!

It’s looking quite good so far, if these varieties haven’t been cooked by the cold temperatures by now, then they are standing a fair chance of making it through winter. This is there first winter and a lot of the larger varieties have been purchased from the tropics. So there foliage is taking it quite well, considering it’s tropical growth. One thing I can’t work out is why the mattenensis havent been cooked by the cold yet. They are just sitting outside with the rest of the seedlings, no hothouse. Temperatures down to 2 degrees celcius not to bad for a zone push! Licuala poonsakii Calyptrocalyx flabellatusAreca tinomPonapae hentyi Arenga nana Geonoma pycnostachys Licuala mattenensis

I’ve seen A cunninghamiana, A alexandrae, A tuckeri and A maxima all throw coloured new fronds at times. Have heard reports of A myolensis doing the same but haven’t seen it myself. Never heard of A purpurea doing it. I don’t think it’s a reliable trait to distinguish between Archontophoenix sp.

Definitely. The city government orders these from Jungle Music. The employees working at Hollis have told me this variety is the most resilient to cold out of all of the various species that they've ordered. We have Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, alexandrae, and I think a few maxima sprinkled into some spots. My thought was that it would generate enough interest for genetic testing amongst the scientific community, but to my knowledge, that hasn't happened. It would be really interesting to have genetic testing done to verify or refute some of our theories as to the origins.

A nice young carpoxylon macrospermum! She’s a slow mover that one!

Has taken all year, but a frond on my Chambeyronia macrocarpa has finally opened up.

As juveniles they appear to be a little more robust looking. But as germinated seedlings they are pretty hard to tell apart, perakensis are a little more skinneri looking as seedlings. But if you were to mix them up they would just look like a bunch of joeys to the untrained eye. I haven’t seen many advanced magnifica but from what I have seen there appears to be slight differences, more robust looking. There is a the silver metallic blue colour about them, and the ones in Singapore gardens are some of the finest I’ve seen. All in all yes there is a slight difference in magnifica to all the other varieties. I have only seen one lanceolata Johannesteijsmannia and advanced one that was a true specimen to see. Definitely a lot thinner leaves on them. Hers a few Altifrons plants in the collection and garden about 5 years old the ones in the ground, and the seedlings about 12 months old. And they love water!

This is the product I am using.

The seed market is very volatile in the fact that you are dealing with a living cell, this makes it difficult for the sellers to guarantee viability and germination rates. As we know some seeds germinate a long time after we have said they are no good. The big difference is when we get fresh seeds the difference is amazing in germinating rates.

Wallichia densifolia git my attention today.

This Encephalartos Arenarius x Horridus had… you guessed it yellow leaves. Hit it with the chelated iron and almost overnight they greened up and a couple weeks later it started to flush! If you guys have any problem yellow plants give it a try and it should work for you. And thanks again Gene at Az!!!!🤙

This is the only Chamaedorea in my garden that is growing faster than my Tree Form Radicalis. I got one from @DoomsDave a couple years ago. It had one frond and was nice and green . It is now almost 6’ tall! I wish I had more . Harry Adoption day about two years ago , soaking my new palms after a long trip home! This afternoon , the tip of the last frond almost even with a 6’ fence with a few “rings”. I could easily squeeze on or two more next to it . I will if I run across any small ones.

18 months post cold event

Way back when the Remarkable Palms of Tampa Bay thread was started, many of these palms graced the thread. The palms on this thread come from City Hall, the parking garage areas, and the surrounding landscapes that do not include Hollis Gardens or Lake Wire since they have their own threads. This thread picks up after the municipal gardens were exposed to 25F during the February 2026 Freeze. With perhaps the best microclimate in the metropolitan area, there are palms that survive here that are difficult as little as 6 miles east or west of City Hall. When we give tours of the palms collections, this area is one that raises the most eyebrows. Carpoxylon macrospermum - City Hall South Entrance Pseudophoenix sargentii - City Hall South Entrance - Damaged, but recovering well Chambeyronia oliviformis (Kentiopsis oliviforms)- City Hall East Entrance - Damaged, but recovering. This palm had strikes against it before the freeze due to overtrimming. Satakentia liukiuensis - Parking Garage West Entrance - Damaged, but recovering well Pseudophoenix sargentii - Parking Garage - Damaged, but recovering well. It should set seeds this year. Pseudophoenix sargentii - Parking Garage - Damaged, but recovery is slower. One may end up dying. For now, this is enough to get the thread started. It gives @SubTropicRay a glimpse at a few species he asked about in the Lake Hollingsworth thread. There is a Pseudophoenix that survived near the midpoint of the walking trail, but that photo and post will have to wait for now.

You’re not alone , Jim. I had a beauty ( Wodyetia Bifurcata)for 7-8 years with about 7’ of trunk . One year it started pushing shorter fronds and looking poor , eventually it died . The other one I had died within a year of planting , I have tried everything to save them. I have a palm friend a few blocks away that has one that is huge and healthy ( producing lots of viable seeds!) . He also had another one that did exactly what mine did . I tell people “ hit and miss” for these . I have two small ones that I bought from a private grower who was getting rid of them because he lost so many . He said “ I quit !” I got a great deal and they are plugging along slowly . Some gardens have really nice Foxtail palms , I just haven’t figured them out yet. Harry

Dave’s “ Droopy” , from our trip to his jungle. Harry

It’s the beginning of soil making on lava in the background of this Metroxylon is a pile of trash tree. It will take 2 to 3 years with the pigs help to get turned into soil so I’m just gonna keep throwing debris behind this bloke. We are building the soil up for a nearby rainbow eucalyptus, but the palm will benefit as well..

Hey there everyone. Its been a while. Had a rough NYC winter this year. Lots of snow and cold wet weather. Windmill Palm took a little beating!! But still thriving! 16ft to top of crown, 12ft to top of trunk. Just gave her a prunning. Unfertlized seeds avaliable.. not sure if you can pollinate them? Good luck to all this winter!! Bobby

A nice new taitungensis flush!