My Garden in Pyrgos...

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your kind comments everyone,I really appreciate them!

Phoenikakias,

Exactly what Keith said(thanks Keith! ). It's not a named variety,its just that my Washingtonia robusta were grown from seeds collected from a Sonoran population of this species and should thus be perfectly pure I love them and hope to plant 2-3 more if I find the space!

Hello Andrew!

Thank you very much for your kind comments,I am glad you like my garden!

My garden is located in Pyrgos,330km away from Athens! I don't protect any of my plants there but Pyrgos is warmer than Athens. Some of them would be a tough grow in Athens,and the more marginal ones probably wouldnt survive there,except in the best microclimates!

Thanks Bill,I really appreciate your comments! I am looking forward to my canopy forming and maturing for sure! I am planting a few more trees in places that were initially planned to be more open or have deciduous canopy(almost useless,obviously,the deciduous trees were there already and I am just planting evergreen replacements for them)as nothing frost sensitive survives there!

Tom,thank you very much for the very encouraging words,much appreciated! I am glad you think it should work ok!

This past spring I sprouted the majority of the tree species I am gonna need for filling my tree canopy plus a few understory species as well and will be planting out the hardier ones now and next year the rest. I hope to donate some to the school next to my garden to create a windbreak from that side too before it even hits my own canopy trees to keep the whole area warmer and the more sensitive trees ok(such as Mango,Rollinia and a few others)!

I will keep posting photos as things grow and hope they get big soon!!!

Thanks! Happy growing to you too!!!

I will be getting down to Pyrgos again this week for vacations and some more plantings/maintenance,so I will be posting some updated photos soon!

[Cedric]

I'm really impressed that you managed to find so many species available. Jungle in no time.

[Kostas]

Everything you see I had to grow from seed or import at a smallish and manageable size,so its impossible for me to have instant jungle here due to lack of plant availability. 95% of the plants you see in my garden are not available in Greece. Of course,if you know where to search,and have patience,you can find everything from abroad and small things eventually grow to look awesome I am still trying to get a few key species for my garden though so its not easy or fast. I am far from done with my plantings!

[Kostas]

Hello

Just got back from Pyrgos where i spent a good part of my summer vacations and had a great time working in the garden and hanging out with my cousin! Since its been some time from my last photo update,i took many pictures for you to see! Here they are!

Male Cycas revoluta flushing! Washingtonia robusta(Sonora) behind it

Washingtonia robusta(Sonora)

Stangeria eriopus(Forest Form)

Howea fosteriana

Coccothrinax alexandrii var. alexandrii

Alcantarea imperialis(Dark Form) along with Livistona mariae and Encephalartos cerinus

Encephalartos cerinus

Livistona mariae

[Kostas]

Another Stangeria eriopus(Forest Form)

Dypsis lasteliana

Bismarckia nobilis(Silver)

Chambeyronia macrocarpa(Hookeri)

[dalmatiansoap]

Your Bizmarckia growth is impressive Kostas! Share the secret with us!

[Kostas]

Thank you very much Ante!

I think the key is my very long growing season in Pyrgos(much longer than what Athens has due to the area's specific climate. Pyrgos can have frequent 25C daily highs till the middle of December sometimes) along with my shallow ground water level and high ambient humidity even in the high heat of summer. It definitely likes to be deep watered in summer and grows much faster with its water needs covered than if left to fend for itself and only surface irrigated. This June mine put out 2,5 leafs in just a month,crazy growth! Growth gets faster every year so far and this year it started growing quite early,before we got 30'sC,unlike the previous years. I love it and can't wait to see it trunking!!!

Continuing with the update,here is my other Washingtonia robusta(Sonora)

Beccariophoenix alfredii

Encephalartos concinnus

Stangeria eriopus(Forest Form)

Cycas micronesica(Rota)

[Kostas]

Sabal domingensis(seeds bought as S. causiarum,not sure which one it is)

Cycas micronesica(Rota) recovering. It had problems with the hot summer sun plus hot mulch last year,this summer I left a weed right next to it to protect it from the sun ands its recent flush is going well

Beccariophoenix alfredii

Musa 'Kandrian' holding a bunch

[Kostas]

Grevillea robusta seedpods on one of its main side branches It flowered for its first time this year!

Rhaphidophora decursiva climbing on G. robusta's trunk. Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco) visible at its base.

Various epiphytes growing on my Grevilea robusta's trunk. The big one visible is a recently mounted Asplenium australasicum

Rock formation with Aechmea gamosepala and 2 Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco). Leaning Dicksonia antarctica visible to the right

Rhopostylis baueri var. cheesemanni

[Kostas]

Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco). Also in this picture,a second C. tepejilote(Blanco) and Wettinia maynensis that are very hard to see right now...

Normanbya normanbyi. This palm is older than you think!

Cycas micronesica(Rota)

Dioon spinulossum

Another Rhopalostylis baueri var. cheesemanni

[Kostas]

Sabal domingensis(seeds bought as S. causiarum,not sure which one it is)

Livistona mariae

Pritchardia schattaueri

[Kostas]

Hedyscepe canterburyana. This one didn't like the heat or the sun and lost some of its leafs. It's stable some time now though so hopefully it will only get better again. The Howea next to it should provide canopy for it soon

Howea fosteriana recovering well. This one was very slow to recover after its outplanting more than a year ago. Sometime ago I found its dripper totally clogged and much of the soil around it eroded from the cats. After addressing these problems,it is finally growing at a good pace and should look good again for the first time since i got it,by the end of this year

Dioon spinulossum

From right to left: Howea fosteriana, Rhopalostylis baueri var. cheesemanni,Castanospermum australe,Lepidozamia hopei,Schefflera actinophylla and Philodendron bipinnatifidum

[Kostas]

Beccariophoenix alfredii

Xanthosoma violaceum,Ceroxylon amazonicum and Howea fosteriana

Cryosophila warscewiczii

Zamia hamannii

Hedyscepe canterburyana

Cibotium glaucum

[Kostas]

Prestoea acuminata var. montana

New Caledonian seedling,probably Actinokentia divaricata

Cryosophila warscewiczii recovering. This one rotted to the ground after last winter as well as the winter before the last. I don't know why but the greenhouse grown Cryosophila warscewiczii have always been dying to the ground for me in the winter while the one I germinated and ground planted as very young seedling has never gotten cold damaged for me. Since even these greenhouse grown ones survive and come back after winter,I hope that they will eventually acclimate and become as hardy as my seed grown one is

Cycas multipinnata(behind the potted Alocasia odora)

Reinhardtia paiewonskiana

[KennyRE317]

From what I've seen and heard that bismarckia might outgrow that hole

[Kostas]

Hi Kenny

I know that,the hole currently is 1m in diameter which is too small for a Bismarckia trunk plus some air around it. I plan to enlarge it once the trunk starts approaching the edge

[Kostas]

Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco) and Ceratozamia miqueliana

Chambeyronia macrocarpa(Hookeri)

Prestoea acuminata var. montana

Stangeria eriopus(Forest Form) and Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco)

[Kostas]

Various epiphytes on my Olea europea. Stanhopea tigrina,Canistrum seidelianum,Platycerium superbum and Zamia pseudoparasitica can easily be seen in this picture

Newly mounted Platycerium superbum and Zamia pseudoparasitica

Canistrum seidelianum flowering!

[Milos Srejic]

Hi Kostas. Amazing garden! How old is that chamaedorea tepejilote? Did you grow it from seed?

Milos

[Cindy Adair]

I really enjoyed your garden update! What a nice collection you have.

Your Grevillea is lovely. I'm afraid my tiny one succumbed to too much water I think. I knew it would be borderline for my conditions. I like your epiphytes too.

[Fallacia]

O.M.G. & 3 LOL!!!!! WHAT A TROPICAL PARADISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drool:

I haven't too many to say, only that: YOU ARE REALY MAD!!!!!

All the planet's tropical world in your garden!!!! But from all this tropical madness i'm gone crazy mostly with your two archontophoenix alexandrae!!! i think is the most elegant tropical palm for my tropical palm tastes, but although i am mostly a subtropical palm lover, that tropical rainforest synthesis in your garden made me crazy!!!

And that i noticed Kostas, is that every older palm grows a new and a new and a new one is planted every year... W.T.F.??!!!

I devoted a couple of hours to look at your palms's growing rate!!!

Keep planting everywhere... nothing else to say!!!

Edited August 23, 2013 by Fallacia

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your kind comments!

Hi Milos,thank you

My older Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco) you see are about 3 years old from seed,germinated by me and planted out soon after. The small Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco) you see i got as seedlings earlier this spring/summer and i am slowly planting them out. I have some more of them i will be ground planting once our rains start. I love this species!!!!

Its a very fast growing one though and adds a lot of trunk height with each leaf once trunking,around 10cm,so it will be quick to hit the ceiling of a house unfortunately.

Thank you very much Cindy! I am sure my garden is nothing compared to your piece of jungle! Nothing like the real thing!!!

I am glad you like my Grevillea robusta! This species is quite nice and real fast growing,a very satisfying tree and the foliage looks fern like in the shade or with high humidity! Its wood is a little brittle though,hurricane force winds brought down half of my Grevillea robusta last winter,the windward branch of the main fork of the trunk. This made it ugly but thankfully its thickening its trunk and the other main branch in a way that is starting to make its trunk look straighter again and natural looking so hopefully its gonna look great again in just a few years with its fast growth! Its already acceptable looking again

Grevillea robusta should grow fine for you. Its grown as a timber species in Hawaii so it should be able to handle your tropical conditions once established. It doesnt mind excessive rainfall and wet soils,i have mine in an area of my garden with yearound wet but decent draining soil and it just grows amazingly fast due to it!!! When i compare it with other specimen in my area,mine has been a true rocket,probably thanks to the abundant water supply. From what i know,Grevillea robusta are thought to start flowering at about 10years old while mine flowering in 4 and something from a 2m tall sapling So i am sure it will love your water,try another one or sow seeds directly in the ground,your tiny one was just unlucky! For better odds,plant it somewhere that get sun,maybe at the canopy edge or at a part of your property with no tree cover yet. If you plant in a very wet area,where rotting is easier,make a small mound of sand/rocks,maybe 10cm tall,and plant it on it,it should give it good drainage to help it get going in the start and then it will be strong enough to deal with wet soils and make good use of them

You have the climate to grow epiphytes to perfection! I love yours too,you can literally fill your trees with them! I hope to cover a good portion of mine with them too eventually. Initial establishment takes time but once established and rooted well,they are quite hardy and tolerant of abuse by animals and weather!

Thank you very much Fallacia

I am glad you liked the rainforest theme! Rainforest species are my favorite with their green,ringed trunks,droopy leaflets and a general appearance that screams tropical! Archontophoenix alexandrae is a beauty indeed and a rewarding species to grow. I love them with their ringed trunks!

I still have a lot of planting to do in my garden,many palms and other plants I have planned aren't in the ground,mainly due to lack of availability and time. Hopefully,by next year,I will mostly be done with the main plantings in my backyard. Then,of course,I will have to do the side patios I have long planned to make and of course the front yard patios Still lots to do and its been almost 5 years already!!!

[Maxim]

Kostas,I sitting in rainy Moscow with pleasure I look a photos of your garden

[Kostas]

Thank you Maxim,i am glad you are enjoying them!

Continuing with the update,here is my biggest Ceroxylon amazonicum at ~1,5m tall!

Veillonia alba. This one has been dying back its leafs but the spear opened ok and green. It suffered from having its dripper clogged twice this summer and didnt seem to like the heat coupled with sun that is getting. Hope the new,acclimated leaf doesnt get affected and that it recovers well!

Dioon spinulossum,Codiaem variegatum and Pritchardia schattaueri

...plus Xanthostemon violaceum!

Cycas multipinnata

[Kostas]

Mangifera indica

Ceratozamia miqueliana with Parajubaea cocoides seedling to its left(the tiny, dark green blade of grass visible!)

Dictyosperma album var. rubrum. This one passed last winter successfully,losing all greenhouse grown leafs but retaining the single partially acclimated leaf it opened last summer after ground planting it! This summer it grew a nice acclimated leaf as you can see and its spear is growing at a good pace! I hope it survives long term here for me,i love this species!!!

Ceroxylon amazonicum still recovering...I left it some weeds to shade it some,they hate the sun coupled with high heat,especially as that small palms...

Philodendron bipinnatifidum

[Kostas]

Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco)

Cyphophoenix(Veillonia) alba. This one is steady and growing well!

Castanospermum australe

Alcantarea imperialis(Rubra)

Dypsis lastelliana along with Pritchardia schattaueri

Dioon spinulosum and Pritchardia schattaueri

[Kostas]

Alcantarea imperialis and abused Wittrockia 'Leopardinum'(W. gigantea?). Hope the Wittrockia pulls through,it has seen cat damage,frost damage,severe drought(the cats cut it lose and was hanging upside down from its tree...) and i think had some center rot as well. A few weeks ago i put together this rocky area for an Alcantarea imperialis i still had potted and placed the Wittrockia along with it as it can be lithophytic as well. Still seems strong enough to recover,hope it does,soon!

Monstera deliciosa,last winter's planting and thats why you see damage. Its greenhouse grown leafs were cold damaged while its acclimated leafs were unfazed,like my other Monstera's

Recovering Chambeyronia macrocarpa(Hookeri),mainly from sun damage(during our hottest summer of the last 5 years at least,no data before that) last summer. This is its first good spear since then,the previous one it grew was stunted,malformed and the snails loved it...This one looks good and i cant wait to see it fully grown and open. This seedling has worried me a lot!

Newly planted Dioon spinulossum

Cryosophila warscewiczii. This is my seed grown one and seems to always be unfazed from everything. Winds used to shred it a bit but it didnt seem to mind. It has been quite some time till it last got any severe wind damage even though we have had quite strong winds,seems to be hardening up as it grows!

[Kostas]

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Some views of the garden with Archontophoenix alexandrae's trunk...

...and it's crown above

[Kostas]

Chamaedorea tepejilote(Blanco)

Zamia standleyi flushing

Another Zamia standleyi also flushing!

Magnolia grandiflora

Female Cycas revoluta

[Kostas]

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Encephalartos munchii(Blue). This one endured low light conditions for a year or more and severe drought while still in its baggie and seemed to be recovering before i finally ground planted it. Hope it recovers well and flushes soon!

Zamia standleyi's under the Howea fosteriana's

Syagrus romanzoffiana and Howea fosteriana

[Kostas]

Stangeria eriopus(Forest Form)

Coccothrinax alexandrii var. alexandrii

Calistemon laevis

Encephalartos cerinus

Another Encephalartos cerinus

[Kostas]

Strelitzia reginae

Yet another Encephalartos cerinus!

That was it! I hope you enjoyed it!!!

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Wow Kostas

This has to be the most detailed account of a new gardens development ever on palmtalk .

The Bismarckia looks great and i can remember when you first planted it !

[limoncik]

Kostas, nice palms and garden!

[doranakandawatta]

Kostas,

With your garden I am lost about climate!

Are tropics in Greece too?

You have so many species I am used to see in Sri lanka or in Singapore, how are you doing that?

regards

Philippe

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your replies and comments!

Thanks Troy! Its about 2,20m tall now and growing great! Hope to see it 3m tall before the end of the year!!!

Thank you limoncik!

Thank you Philippe,great to hear this from you with all the nice species you can and are growing in Sri Lanka,plus have them growing all around!!! Isnt Rhynchophorus ferrugineus present in Sri Lanka? How damaging is it there and what are its natural enemies?

Tropics arent in Greece unfortunately but the warm and humid climate Pyrgos has for most of the year allows me to grow a nice variety of tropical species i really like! I am not set for moving to the tropics unfortunately,at least not in the foreseeable future,so i try to bring the tropics to me through my garden and hopefully through the neighboring gardens and the general area as well in the future The good thing is that many tropical plants can withstand temperatures below 0C and at the minus degrees C for brief periods without limited or no damage,temperatures that they would never see in a normal year in their tropical habitat,not even close! Some of my very favorite palms and plants though are quite tropical in their needs and will be hard to get established or to have survive long term here,like Veitchia joannis,but hope i will succeed with some of them eventually

Our great problems here are Rhynchophorus ferrugineus,Paysandisia archon,frosts and record low temperatures. Overcoming the first 2 means monthly applications of nematodes in a chitosan suspension which works great but is expensive for a big amount of thick trunked palms while the last two need tree canopy,which is slow and good microclimate creation through careful planning of canopy and other features of the landscape. My plants and garden are far from perfect with the frost burn marks and the sun burn marks of the cool loving species during heatwaves but they are getting better and better each year as my canopy expands. Hopefully it will look like a lush piece of the tropics some day,without noticeable burns!

Enjoy the real thing you are fortunate enough to have!!!

[Phoenikakias]

Some progress, this is very pleasant. Kostas how many fronds keeps right now your arecastrum? Your Strelitzia looks to my eyes like it needs more sun (elongated petioles). But as a whole picture your garden gets nicer, keep up

[MMerville]

Very nice photo documentation Kostas.

Michel

[doranakandawatta]

Kostas,

Bringing the tropics to you through the garden you do is a real "gardener attitude" and follow the basics of the tradition of XIX's century in Europe, which gave wonderful parks and gardens.

We can discover this tropical feeling in Villa Hambury in la Mortola , Le Rayol or Villa Ephrussy de Rothschild in France, Val Rameh in Menton and it's lovely to see mature Syagrus, Cayota, Archontophoenix, Rhopalostylis ... in these gardens.

With Loxococcus you start a bigger challenge but when I went to meet Loxococcus in his habitat last month, I was frozen under heavy rain...so why not?

Thank you for showing the photos of your garden

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your kind comments

Phoenikakias,

I dont know how many leafs my 2 Syagrus(Arecastrum romanzoffianum is a synonym,Syagrus romanzoffiana is the valid name ) hold,havent counted them recently. The only thing i know is that they are trunking and by next year i hope to see some clean and hopefully fat trunk on them!

My Strelitzia reginae is in shade most of the day,i like its look that way with its long petiole leafs,makes it look lush and tropical and fits ok as an understory. The Calistemon laevis is there to stay,so it just has to do with whatever sun it gets! It flowers fine in shade so far,so it doesnt really need more sun,its well within its limits. Its a very resilient species here,i have seen it thriving in sun or shade and doesnt care for drought,it handles it fine! I will be adding more of them as fillers once i finish the front and side patios as they look beautiful in sun or shade

Good to hear you like how everything is looking better! They just needed their time,and still do!

Thank you very much Michel,glad you like it

Philippe,

Good to hear you mention this about Loxococcus! I tried this species when i was beginning my garden and loved everything about it but suddenly lost them late in the winter,assuming(most probably wrongly at this time as i didnt know my area well yet),it was lack of heat as the local weather station recorded no subzero temperatures and yet they got brown necrotic areas on them and died. But i wasnt yet aware of the frost that occurs in my area and that the lows i get in my garden are many times different from my local weather station's recordings. Seeing the Loxococcus and Oenocarpus pictures again i realize that what damaged and killed them was most probably the frost and not lack of heat. Knowing their habitat can be cool too helps a lot! I will try both species again, under canopy this time and will try to plant them a little bigger if possible. I am already growing Oenocarpus bataua again which i will overwinter inside this time and ground plant when they get some bulk on them. I plan to do the same with Loxococcus next time i find this beautiful species!!!

Thanks Philippe!