My Palm Garden

[ghar41]

After the first rains in the Fall, it's a great time to photograph gardens here in the San Joaquin Valley California. Weve had a season of growth, it's before the first frost, and the rain has knocked down the particulates that can give us some nasty air quality.

Here is the front of the garden. It faces North so it's planted heavily with cold hardy palms.

Here are some of the palms in the front. Trithrinax campestris

[ghar41]

Brahea moorei

Chamerops humilis var. argentea

[ghar41]

Butia archerii.

Butia paraguayensis. The color didn't come out that well in this picture...it has a bluish color that is unlike any palm or cycad that Ive ever seen.

[ghar41]

Dypsis decipiens

Phoenix acualis. Not particularly attractive, a dwarf that grows well and is rarely seen in collections.

[jayfro6]

Nice healthy palms, and your climate should keep them looking tip top. Thanks for sharing.

[ghar41]

Now around to the back. On the east facing side of the house Ive planted many of my most tender palms.

Some, like this Parajubaea coicoides are here to take advantage of morning sun, while minimizing the effects of late day heat, at least until the palm grows over the house.

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Partially obscured by the King Palm leaf hanging straight down, is Euterpe edulis.

On the lower left is one of my largest Brahea mooreii's. The white back of the leaf is visible.

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Archontophoenix cunninghamiana var. illawara.

Just to the left of it in the above picture is this Encephalartos villosius. They both are growing in a low area that I keep soggy and rarely completely drains.

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Walking around the pool area

This is one of my favorite palms. Trachycarpus martianus "khasa hills"

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Continuing around to the hot late day sun side of the pool.

This Parajubaea sunkha started growing immediately after I planted it from a 15 gallon last summer. I think this is going to be a great palm for this area.

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Now walking through the passage behind the back of the house.

This Arenga micrantha is growing back here.

[J. Ingram]

Beautiful garden!

[LJG]

Nice!

Hey in Post #9, pic #1, is that a urinal?

[ghar41]

Leading around to the west facing side of the house.

Trachycarpus latisectus. This is a fast growing palm...grows during the middle of summer, unlike other Trachys.

[Frank in Vero]

You have a great looking garden, Glenn. Thank you for posting the pics.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Wow, nice garden!

Very tropical looking.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Glenn,

Nice growth this year. Everything looks great.

[edric]

Great layout! Ed

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Looking good Glenn

Some great hardy species and the pool area is very inviting .

[Succulentum]

Amazing green SoCal tropical garden, Glenn

bravo

Jean-bernard

[gyuseppe]

really beautiful

[PalmGuyWC]

Glenn,

Your place looks very palmy, and you have a great collection, all well grown too. I'm curious.......where did you find your Butia Paraguayensis? If you got it from Patrick, it probably came from my tree. As I recall, mine started blooming only 5 years after it germinated. Next to B. yatay, it's my favorite Butia.

Dick

[Shon]

Great job. It's really cool how you took advantage of each little microclimate. I'm curious of what your highs and lows are where your kings are at.

[peachy]

Glorious plants in a beautifully landscaped garden. Well done.

Peachy

[cencalpalmguy]

Hey Glenn, great looking collection. Are those 3 tall palms on the east side of your house all a. cunninghamianas? I have tried growing them here in the south valley with little luck. It seems like it's either way too hot and dry or cold and frosty. There's been a very light frost here nearly every morning for a few weeks now but it seems to warm up well in the afternoon. Hows the frost been there? Chad

[Lowey]

WOW Glen truly amazing garden, how many years of growth are we looking at? everything looks great and so neat, it must be a great area for the family

[ghar41]

Thanks for all the great comments.

LJG- Yes it is a urinal! (just kidding..im not sure what you meant, maybe it was a typo? )

Jean Bernard- Thank you...and identifying my Northern Ca. garden as a Southern Ca. garden I take as a compliment also.

Dick- Geez, I can't remember where I got the Butia paraguayensis. Either I picked it up at an auction, or, more likely, I got it from Bob Fowler before he left.

Shon and Chad- Ive had 24 F , and 112F so far with these Kings. Ive seen many A. cunninghamiana's come and go here in Sunset zone 14, and I really believe these have done so well over the past 5 or 6 years for a few reasons...these are "Illawara's" (they grow faster than the standard species here in Northern Ca.) I start them in morning sun only (until they grow over the house), they recieve heavy watering, and they are planted close to a warm building (one that is heated during the winter.) Also, I mulch the ground regularly around these trees...they should never dry out and they appreciate the consistency in soil temperature. These have flowered over the past two years. There are 3 other plants that I planted at my old place in '97, that are still there....even though they get little care from the new owner. As far as cold weather goes, had frost this morning...yikes, this is early in the winter for that! Our biggest problem for palms like Kings are the dry, clear, cold nights that get into the low 20'sF, then are followed by rain and fog. Dead tissues on Kings need to be removed and treated with Daconil, if possible, to get best success. The larger you can get the tree the better chance it has to survive.

Lowey- I started my first palm garden at my last house in '94, moved here in '02, and started putting palms in February 2003 after the swimming pool was completed. Many of these palms were dug from my last house, and other places around Northern California.

Here is another part of the garden I havent included. As you come in the back yard, I have this shade area.

[ghar41]

It's planted very tightly with palms, so its difficult to tell what's what. I planted many of these because I believe that at some point a heavy freeze will thin it out.

From top to bottom...Chamaedorea oblingata, C. radicalis, C. earnestii augustii. Chambryonia macrocarpa to the right.

[ghar41]

Rhopolostylis sapida var. Oceana

Chamaedorea stolonifera

[JD in the OC]

Nice collection! Nice garden!

[ghar41]

Chamaedorea "benzeii"

Oh, and one last pic...this is Euterpe edulis. It's not in my shade area but it's one of my most marginal palms and I just hope it makes it from one year to the next! Thanks, Glenn

[LJG]

Glenn, in that pic in the center in the back (looks like a storage area) there is a white something that kind of looks like a mens urinal. No joke intended. I was asking because I pee on my trees. Just thought you boys up north did it different.

LJG- Yes it is a urinal! (just kidding..im not sure what you meant, maybe it was a typo? )

[cencalpalmguy]

Hey Glenn, whats the growing behind the big sago in pic 9 with long verticle fronds?

[Alicehunter2000]

Amazing what can be grown with just 1/2 zone (5 degrees F.) difference. I wouldn't even attempt half the stuff you got.......very well grown.

[Kris]

Dear Glenn

beautiful garden and i see many varities of palm all stocked but close to each other,the dense effect is very nice !

And that Chamerops humilis var. argentea Is a show stopper ! very nice on thy eyes..

Phoenix acualis.a dwarf that grows well and is rarely seen in collections.

These 2 palms are very beautiful..

thanks for the tour,

love,

kris

[ghar41]

Ah...lol....it does look like a urinal! It'd be convenient, my wife is always screaming at me for bringing dirt in the house. but no, Its just junk, styrofoam, plant stuff piled up back there. And yes, we create our own soil amendments.

Glenn, in that pic in the center in the back (looks like a storage area) there is a white something that kind of looks like a mens urinal. No joke intended. I was asking because I pee on my trees. Just thought you boys up north did it different.

LJG- Yes it is a urinal! (just kidding..im not sure what you meant, maybe it was a typo? )

[ghar41]

Im guessing your referring to the cycad, Lepidozamia peroskofianna. There are two of them...Ive been very disappointed at the growth rate. It hasnt thrown a new top over the last couple of years, and I notice one of them is yellowing on the tips.

So far Im finding that palms grow just fine with heavy root competition but cycads do NOT like it at all.

Hey Glenn, whats the growing behind the big sago in pic 9 with long verticle fronds?

[ghar41]

Amazing what can be grown with just 1/2 zone (5 degrees F.) difference. I wouldn't even attempt half the stuff you got.......very well grown.

Hi David,

Yes, but 9b isn't really a great representation of my climate. It's probably colder than that! Sunset zone 14 is more accurate...I'm dry and hot in the summer, and cold and wet in the winter. My all time lows aren't very low, but dry extended freezes come in and are followed by cold foggy and/or cold rainy weather. So...I don't do well with subtropical plants like Wodeyetia bifurcata or Roystonea regia...in fact they wont grow here at all. Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is marginal here, at best, and mine only look good because they grow so fast.

There in Panama City, if Im not mistaken, you are subject to extended freezes that come in from the North, and dip into single digits. And correct me if Im wrong, but you dont have the heat that say.. Orlando has, correct? I lived in Tuscaloosa Alabama for a year, and we drove down to Gulf Shores, and Panama City a couple of times and I remember enjoying the mild temperatures (and lots of rain!) It seems like there must be lots of palms that would love it there.

Funny how most people (including me) would take Panama City Florida's climate over Modesto, Ca. but palms see it differently.

[freakypalmguy]

Excellent Glenn. Lush and green, not a brown frond to be seen.

[Darold Petty]

Len, all of us hip growers pee on our palms. That's why they grow so well. I learned this from Dick Douglas, (Palmguy WC).