3-20-10 FULL PRA day plus, tall Rhopys, Jubea's, rare Dypsis

[BS Man about Palms]

SO, as usual you will have to deal with my usual "lack of photo's and skills" but you can get some of the flavor of a Full day of Palmyness... First stop was at the 30+year old garden of Jim Wright.

Some of my racing friends from my "past life" and my avatart photo have been getting more interested in Palms lately. So I invited them to a tour..She made it, he couldn't.

So Leslie stands in front of Jim Wright's schizolobium (sp)? for scale. Her hubby Mark, is a big fan of these and planted one in the front yard last year.

Here is looking around from Jim's rooftop orchid greenhouse...

[BS Man about Palms]

Looking to my left.... out towards Mission Bay. In another 50 years you may spot the Jubea's we went to from here..

Like crossing the street, I look right again....

ACK!, what jumped into my viewfinder? a Pohonkelpa!

I cannot over snark here as Paul has yet to post HIS photo and my Fashion ensemble was hard to beat yesterday...

[BS Man about Palms]

Spinning 180 degrees around you can see the back yard jungle..

It takes a long time to get Rhopy's with 20'+ of trunk...

[BS Man about Palms]

A few years back Jim spent a long time building walkways around the place to facilitate viewing...

Whimsical fun all over, Kim will probably have great photos of that..

[doubravsky]

Here's a view from the street..... sorry for the poor pic. Forgot my camera so it's from my phone...

[BS Man about Palms]

Here is a pic from the back Yard looking west. Well actually the house next door which Jim owns..

It seems a while back some of my Florida friends challenged me to say that So Cal didn't have any big Kentiopsis oliviformis....

the one in the foreground left with 20' of trunk should prove that wrong...

A nice Chambeyronia hookeri

[BS Man about Palms]

Thanks for the street shot Dave.. I never got one.

Shon was there, or at least hiding behind this leaf. He weasled out of the group photos though...typical.

More flavor..

[BS Man about Palms]

Still more at Jims..

Not used to seeing a Staghorn that goes ALL THE WAY around the tree..

[BS Man about Palms]

A peek inside the orchid greenhouse..

[BS Man about Palms]

Well- I had great dreams of a pic in front of the Jubea's at Mission Bay, but when Matty said "how about a picture here instead"? I realised the turnout was not as likely to be as good... But I made the announcements best I could and Pogobob and Shon, avb and I'm sure some others missed getting in the group shot at the base of the Kentiopsis....

But thats OK, when had some other people wander into the shot that weren't Palmtalk folk too, so I guess it evened out...

Two versions..

This is gonna be hard, but I'll spot the folks I know in a general left to right fashion....kinda reminds me of the group Costa Rica shot.

PLEASE, if you are a Palmtalk member in this photo and I don't know it, point it out to me!!! I'll use folks "handles".

l to r.

doubravsky in the blue shirt, (the 5 people in back going l to r I don't know as Palmtalk folks but look familiar), bending in blue-said he was on Palmtalk- but I forgot his name? , Pohonkelapa in that cammo hat, freakypalmguy in the brown shirt in front, fallbrookjason with the shiny head next to Pohon., The immortal Louis Hooper with the slight bend with his wonderful wife in front of him- Louise?, Dave in SoCal in the black shirt in front, Mr rare above Dave, ljg in the white t-shirt in the back row, blond lady-unknown, BS Man in red in front, palmcurry in the black shirt next to me, Kim in the blue floral top above us, Cardiffpalmnut in back in Blur tropic shirt, Nakab next to him in Orange with his Ranch Hand Mary in front of Him, palmgrover next to him in Red tropical shirt, Phil in the blue tropical shirt, and Mattyb as the nut on the far right...

Whew!

[BS Man about Palms]

THEN, some of us did make it down to the Jubea Grove!!...

Here I spied a jet flying over the lone Blue Jubea..

Then we got at least gained Steve in SD for these shots... (use your handy ID chart from above to sort the others)

[BS Man about Palms]

I ran around to quickly count 35 Jubea's in this park!!!!!

I was flying the Dr. Pepper colors to distract Matty. It didn't work....

Photo of a photo..

[BS Man about Palms]

Steve was in such a hurry to get there.... he thought "the world was all coming at him at once..." It WAS.

Then- This is where the better part of me would remember to snap some pix of Lelands garden....Its a neat spot built onto the hillside..

But I failed. Nothing.

BUT, I did see Dennis Willoughby and he said we could stop by his place, no problem.

So, stay tuned for more PRA to come...

If you want to see WAY more beautiful shots, look here:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=22299&st=40

[realarch]

Oh man what a great garden! Thanks Bill, looks like you guys had fun.....but then you always do.

Cheers.

Tim

[BS Man about Palms]

So...the originals couldn't make it, So Leslie and Bill (Cardiffpalmnut) went with me to Dennis' place.

Here we are looking at another Dypsis mystery.

Dennis said he got it as "Dypsis hankona habitat form". It is REALLY different. I kinda lean that its the "schitzy" Dypsis that came in most recently as Dypsis tsarentenensis (but its not that)

Ideas? I have a thread dedicated to this type somewhere. I'll add to it.

[BS Man about Palms]

Dennis said it had been there I think 8-10 years...VERY slow. It also has as much light as he can fit in his backyard. Its getting tight back there!!!

You can see the much smaller leaflets coming out at all angles. I spoke with Bud Zager at the meeting and his Dypsis Tsar. was not looking good..

[BS Man about Palms]

Very nice Cyphosperma balanse..

Rhopalostylus "cheesemanii" form?

A few more to come later...

[Kim]

I'll tag along on this thread, if that's okay...?

The board meeting was underway in Jim Wright's dining room when I arrived with a box of Cuban pastries from Azucar in Ocean Beach. Lots of "mmmm-mmm"s while I snapped a few photos.

Don Martin, PSSC President, peers into the pastry box as offered by Phil Bergman of Jungle Music fame. In the background, left to right, avb/Alan Brickey, Holly Clow, Larry Black, Mark Riedler, and Ralph Velez.

MattyB, pohonkelapa and Steve in San Diego arrive. Doubravsky, Steve in San Diego, and Pogobob already all deep in palm conversation.

[Kim]

Matt gets right to work framing a Pinanga coronata.

I can't help noticing the stunning vriesea collection next to Matt:

Wandering up the walkway into the palminess, I encounter Shon gawking at the density of palms.

[Kim]

Fallbrook Jason is discovered in a suitably reverential pose

Palmgrover tries to blend into the foliage, but his shirt and smile give him away. I persuade him to pose by one of the grand Rhopalostylis sapida for scale.

Jim Wright has a very extensive collection of Chamaedorea in his dense understory.

[Kim]

Towering Rhopalostylis sapida --sweet!

Jim Wright enthusiastically answering endless questions.

A repotting area at the very upper back of his property:

[Kim]

Even the utility area is graced with outstanding tillandsia specimens and philodendrons:

On the other side of the aisle, part of the extensive bromeliad collecction:

I spy Vince/Palmcurry coming through the fronds.

[Kim]

Jim Wright again, answering more questions about his collection

This tall Hedyscepe canterburyana in fruit was cause for much admiration. A specimen of this size is quite unusual in these parts.

I wandered over to the part of the garden developed by Jim's late wife Lise. The Petrea volubilis was a mass of bloom, attracting this monarch butterfly:

[Kim]

This part of the garden is bombarded by hummingbirds who threaten each other and fight over the abundant feeders:

Just beyond this area is a lathehouse where many delicate orchids and tillandsia reside.

Doubravsky wanders through the orchids...

[Kim]

Sorry for the diversion from palms, but the clouds of orchids were so delectable!

Back outside, going back toward the palms, a sweet Brugmansia hanging above a beautifully tiled coompass rose:

[Kim]

Kentiopsis oliviformis!! Woo hoo! Another unusually tall specimen in this garden:

Then I came upon Mike/NakaB and his friend Mary who was thoroughly enjoying her walk through the jungle.

A peaceful scene

Then I found Wayne arriving and we chatted a bit

[Kim]

Looking up into the crown of a recently trimmed Sabal 'riverside'

You never know who will show up at these things -- Len/LJG smiles for the camera. Somehow I missed the name of the other fellow, anyone help?

We were admiring this red emergent leaf. I couldn't think of the name at the time, but now I remember this as a Dypsis utilis. Len thought it was something else -- Len, what was your guess?

That's a Howea belmoreana crown in the background.

[Kim]

Chuniophoenix nana

Makes you want to hang out, eh? (thunbergia mysorensis)

Looking up toward Lise's garden, and who should appear?

He's all puffed up about something...

[Kim]

Another look at the Kentiopsis oliviformis and some Archontophoenix as admired by Paul, Len, Mike and Mary.

Mr. Leland Fletcher with friend Jo Ann Cruz, whose garden is next on the day's tour:

[Kim]

Monarch butterfly chrysalis; tillandsia hairdo!

Group shot of Palmistas:.......................................Hi Dave!

[Kim]

Jim has added a special orchid house on the roof of his home.

The outside deck also affords a perfect view of the crown of his Sabal 'riverside'

[Kim]

Looking through a Howea forsteriana crown to the patio below.................orchids on palm trunks, no wasted space!

H. forsteriana trunk...................Jim continues to greet new arrivals below.

[Kim]

Fallbrook Jason, staghorn fern, and philodendron....... much admired canopy

Another Chamaedorea example

[Kim]

Linospadix with long "braided" inflorescences

Abundant terrestrial tillandsia, possibly secunda under Arenga engleri:

This is how it feels to walk through Jim's garden:

[Kim]

Another reason to be a PSSC member and attend the meetings:

Okay, break time! Up next, the garden of Leland Fletcher.

[John in Andalucia]

Love the sculpted soil around the palms in Bill's shots (#17). All very surreal, and incredibly tidy!

[LJG]

We were admiring this red emergent leaf. I couldn't think of the name at the time, but now I remember this as a Dypsis utilis. Len thought it was something else -- Len, what was your guess?

I guessed Dypsis fibrosa. No idea hwo to tell Dypsis fibrosa from Utilis.

Oh yeah. Shon was there? Where were you hiding dude?

[Gonzer]

Bitchin' photos! Looks like a splendid time was had by all. Now that I know what MattyB looks like I could swear I saw him hoisting a brewski on a raft at 'Floatopia' on the news.

[Daryl]

I love garden tours...great photos of a palmtastic garden!

Daryl

[Walter John]

What a great jungle garden ! That Kentiopsis is amazing. I expect and hope that this thread has a long life, bring it on people.