Las Vegas Palms

[OverGrown]

Just spent the last couple days in Las Vegas and snapped a couple pics. This house's curb appeal/landscaping was insane... He had tiki torches on switches, waterfalls, etc etc... This is so MONEY!

Driveway

Front Gates...

Edited June 19, 2010 by OverGrown

[OverGrown]

[OverGrown]

A few neighbors...

[OverGrown]

From the Mirage

[OverGrown]

Here is an interesting concept for interior plantings from City Center

Edited June 19, 2010 by OverGrown

[peachy]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

[Mike in Nelson]

This area obviously suited to the more Arid loving palms?

[iamjv]

The mass CIDP planting at the Mirage is still a favorite of mine.... have walked those grounds many a time. Jv

[Kailua_Krish]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

Haha, about 300 miles to the beach Peachy! But Im sure you could snag some housing now real cheap there! Besides, who needs the beach when you can spend all day at the casinos

-Krishna

[Xerarch]

This area obviously suited to the more Arid loving palms?

Las Vegas only gets about 4 inches of rainfall a year, that's just over 4 cm. So yes, it is a very arid region. Humidity in the summer many times is in the single digits.

[Xerarch]

This area obviously suited to the more Arid loving palms?

Las Vegas only gets about 4 inches of rainfall a year, that's just over 4 cm. So yes, it is a very arid region. Humidity in the summer many times is in the single digits.

*oops, I meant 10 cm, not 4

[Central Floridave]

Great Shots!

I just got back from Vegas as well.

Photo thread here:

http://www.2ndlight.com/fusetalk/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=109392&enterthread=y

,,,

[Jon T]

Some money and love of palms buys a lot of mature good stuff in Vegas. I especially love that blooming brahea armata. You probably won't see any better example outside of the Sonoran desert.

And besides the hot and dry, since the lows in Vegas may drop into the teens every decade or so, there's not much else more exotic than phoenix/washingtonia/chamaerops/butia. Maybe a sabal or livistona at a PSSC member's house. What's nice is there isn't any of the anti-palm snobbery you see in CA.

[velutina]

Is the first house near the Rio Secco golf course?

[Mike in Nelson]

This area obviously suited to the more Arid loving palms?

Las Vegas only gets about 4 inches of rainfall a year, that's just over 4 cm. So yes, it is a very arid region. Humidity in the summer many times is in the single digits.

*oops, I meant 10 cm, not 4

And quite similar in your area Xerarch?

[OverGrown]

Is the first house near the Rio Secco golf course?

No, its in the Summerlin area.

[OverGrown]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

Very far.. Las Vegas is a desert in Nevada, Approx 300 plus miles from the beach...

[OverGrown]

Would a Bismarkia survive out in Vegas???

[iamjv]

Occasionally it gets very cold in Vegas so I don't think a Bizzie would live 'long term' there. Jv

[peachy]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

Very far.. Las Vegas is a desert in Nevada, Approx 300 plus miles from the beach...

Oh Drat. Are there any plans of moving it soon ?

Peachy

[Kris]

Beautiful stills of phoenix palms and i love your stills !

Thanks & Love,

kris

[Kris]

Great Shots!

I just got back from Vegas as well.

Photo thread here:

http://www.2ndlight....2&enterthread=y

Thanks for that lovely link ! beautiful stills of that place...

[Xerarch]

This area obviously suited to the more Arid loving palms?

Las Vegas only gets about 4 inches of rainfall a year, that's just over 4 cm. So yes, it is a very arid region. Humidity in the summer many times is in the single digits.

*oops, I meant 10 cm, not 4

And quite similar in your area Xerarch?

Similar but we get about 8 inches of rain and the winters notably warmer, allowing us to grow citrus, bougainvillea, more palms and other sub-tropicals that won't survive in Vegas

[velutina]

And quite similar in your area Xerarch?

Similar but we get about 8 inches of rain and the winters notably warmer, allowing us to grow citrus, bougainvillea, more palms and other sub-tropicals that won't survive in Vegas

Winter lows in Las Vegas rarely get below 30F (-1C). I would say Phoenix is usually 5-10 degrees warmer. My area is 9a and I think phoenix is 9b. Agree Xerarch? The killer for Vegas is the cold snaps that happen every 10 years or so when it gets below 20F (-7C). And every 30 years or so it gets cold enough to wipe out the CIDPs... Which means no bizmarckia here (although I see them for sale occasionally). Good news is Vegas is warming. I think 9 out of the top 10 warmest years have been in the last 10 years. (possible due to heat-island effect?). But who cares... i'll be moving to Michigan soon for residency.

Here are the winter lows for Las Vegas (notice 2007):

03/04 - 31,31,31,30,30,29

04/05 - 31,30,30

05/06 - 30,30

06/07 - 31,31,31,30,30,29,28,26,26,25,23

07/08 - 31,31,31,30,30,29,29,28

08/09 - 31,31,30,29,29,28

09/10 - 30,29,30

You can see how an extra 5 degrees would make a big difference (ie Phoenix)

Edited June 20, 2010 by velutina

[Xerarch]

And quite similar in your area Xerarch?

Similar but we get about 8 inches of rain and the winters notably warmer, allowing us to grow citrus, bougainvillea, more palms and other sub-tropicals that won't survive in Vegas

Winter lows in Las Vegas rarely get below 30F (-1C). I would say Phoenix is usually 5-10 degrees warmer. My area is 9a and I think phoenix is 9b. Agree Xerarch? The killer for Vegas is the cold snaps that happen every 10 years or so when it gets below 20F (-7C). And every 30 years or so it gets cold enough to wipe out the CIDPs... Which means no bizmarckia here (although I see them for sale occasionally)

Here are the lows for Las Vegas (notice 2007):

03/04 - 31,31,31,30,30,29

04/05 - 31,30,30

05/06 - 30,30

06/07 - 31,31,31,30,30,29,28,26,26,25,23

07/08 - 31,31,31,30,30,29,29,28

08/09 - 31,31,30,29,29,28

09/10 - 30,29,30

Yes, I would agree for the most part. It looks like the temps you are quoting are the official lows reported from the airport which are artificially higher than the rest of the area, the same thing happens here, it is very rare for the airport here to record a freezing temperature yet a quick drive through town in January shows that temperatures routinely fall below the official low.

Without the heat island Vegas is a 9a and Phoenix is a 9b, those 5 degrees can make quite a difference in plant material though, the other differnce is that the highs in Phoenix in winter are about 10 degrees warmer while the July highs aren't too much different, blazing hot in both.

[velutina]

Summerlin (where the house pics in this thread were taken) is about 1000 ft higher than the airport and quite a bit colder. I frequently hear of snow in Summerlin while my house gets rain and 40F temps. I definitely wouldn't plant all those mature ($) palms in Summerlin!!!

Here is some data from a station near me, the airport, and Summerlin. Look at the yearly lows in Summerlin! I sure hope the house in this thread are not near the official Summerlin weather station!!

Henderson (Station KNVHENDE6 Elevation 2050ft)

05/06 31.4F

06/07 25.8F

07/08 29.0F

08/09 30.0F

09/10 30.5F

Airport (Station KLAS Airport Elevation 2177ft)

05/06 30F

06/07 23F

07/08 28F

08/09 28F

09/10 30F

Summerlin (Station KNVLASVE35 Elevation Elevation 3018ft)

05/06 26.5F

06/07 18.1F

07/08 23.7F

08/09 26.0F

09/10 26.7F

Edited June 20, 2010 by velutina

[mjff]

Summerlin (where the house pics in this thread were taken) is about 1000 ft higher than the airport and quite a bit colder. I frequently hear of snow in Summerlin while my house gets rain and 40F temps. I definitely wouldn't plant all those mature ($) palms in Summerlin!!!

Here is some data from a station near me, the airport, and Summerlin. Look at the yearly lows in Summerlin! I sure hope the house in this thread are not near the official Summerlin weather station!!

Henderson (Station KNVHENDE6 Elevation 2050ft)

05/06 31.4F

06/07 25.8F

07/08 29.0F

08/09 30.0F

09/10 30.5F

Airport (Station KLAS Airport Elevation 2177ft)

05/06 30F

06/07 23F

07/08 28F

08/09 28F

09/10 30F

Summerlin (Station KNVLASVE35 Elevation Elevation 3018ft)

05/06 26.5F

06/07 18.1F

07/08 23.7F

08/09 26.0F

09/10 26.7F

I didn't notice anything in the photos above that would be severely damaged by the lows you posted for Summerlin. I have several species of Phoenix here that have laughed at 18F, and weren't even killed by 12 hours below 15F with a low of 12F this last winter. They were defoliated, but with the blazing hot weather we've been having are recovering rapidly, and now look almost like they did prior to the freeze.

In the first photo is that a Jubaea on the right side of the driveway just before the house?

[DoomsDave]

OG:

You are quite the invertebrate traveler!

Love that first house -- whoever that is, is a man or woman after me own heart, as the Irish say . . .

[velutina]

I didn't notice anything in the photos above that would be severely damaged by the lows you posted for Summerlin. I have several species of Phoenix here that have laughed at 18F, and weren't even killed by 12 hours below 15F with a low of 12F this last winter. They were defoliated, but with the blazing hot weather we've been having are recovering rapidly, and now look almost like they did prior to the freeze.

In the first photo is that a Jubaea on the right side of the driveway just before the house?

Like the Phoenix apocalypse of 1990? It was 11F at the airport. I can only imagine what Summerlin was... Phoenix is not a long-term species here in Vegas. Yeah, you might be able to go 30+ years if you're lucky, but i'm talking about Las Vegas (not Summerlin). Buying all the mature Phoenix is a gamble for that home-owner. I hope they have good luck and get to enjoy their palms for many years before they die from cold.

In the first photo, all I see in the location you describe is a tall W. filifera and a small Queen.

You had a Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix canariensis survive 12F??

Edited June 20, 2010 by velutina

[mjff]

I didn't notice anything in the photos above that would be severely damaged by the lows you posted for Summerlin. I have several species of Phoenix here that have laughed at 18F, and weren't even killed by 12 hours below 15F with a low of 12F this last winter. They were defoliated, but with the blazing hot weather we've been having are recovering rapidly, and now look almost like they did prior to the freeze.

In the first photo is that a Jubaea on the right side of the driveway just before the house?

Like the Phoenix apocalypse of 1990? It was 11F at the airport. I can only imagine what Summerlin was... Phoenix is not a long-term species here in Vegas. Yeah, you might be able to go 30+ years if you're lucky, but i'm talking about Las Vegas (not Summerlin). Buying all the mature Phoenix is a gamble for that home-owner. I hope they have good luck and get to enjoy their palms for many years before they die from cold.

In the first photo, all I see in the location you describe is a tall W. filifera and a small Queen.

You had a Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix canariensis survive 12F??

It may be a W. filifera. It kind of looks like the fronds are pinnate on my screen (which is very high resolution, so the picture is small), but they could be fans too. It's hard for me to tell from the photo. Nice fat trunk whatever it is.

I have a Phoenix humilis, 2 P. dactyliferas, 6 CIDP's, 2 P. sylvestris, and 2 P. theophrastis (I recently added a P. acaulis which is planted with it's trunk underground, but that was after the freeze). They were all completely defoliated, but all recovered. Near the airport there is a CIDP with about 4' CT. It got down to 10F over there, and last time I checked that CIDP had survived. There are CIDP's in San Antonio that survived the 1989 freeze (-2F), or so I'm told. I wouldn't try those temps with a 5 gallon plant, but a mature plant (one old enough to flower) is a lot cold hardier than many give them credit for.

[iamjv]

Martin, indeed there are CIDP and hybrids of them that survived the two hard freezes of the 80s (1983 and 89) and are still going strong here... however, the lows were 6F and 9F respectively at the airport. I think the colder parts of Austin (near Bergstrom AFB) hit that horrid temperature but I am not certain if there were any CIDP in that area of Austin that survived those temps.

In Nogalas Arizona, I personally have seen phoenix CIDPs and Dacty's that survived the -3F that was registered in Dec 1978. The trees still live today... Jv

[Don_Licuala]

Beautiful! Thanks for the shots of the Braheas. How cold does LV get normally? I recall seeing photos of snow in 2008-2009.

[mjff]

Martin, indeed there are CIDP and hybrids of them that survived the two hard freezes of the 80s (1983 and 89) and are still going strong here... however, the lows were 6F and 9F respectively at the airport. I think the colder parts of Austin (near Bergstrom AFB) hit that horrid temperature but I am not certain if there were any CIDP in that area of Austin that survived those temps.

In Nogalas Arizona, I personally have seen phoenix CIDPs and Dacty's that survived the -3F that was registered in Dec 1978. The trees still live today... Jv

Thanks for the confirmation JV. I'm pretty sure when I checked Weather Underground regarding the '89 low for San Antonio it said -2F (it's been awhile since I checked, so maybe my recollection is bad), but either way they are a lot hardier than most give them credit for (18F seems to be the consensus).

[velutina]

Martin, indeed there are CIDP and hybrids of them that survived the two hard freezes of the 80s (1983 and 89) and are still going strong here... however, the lows were 6F and 9F respectively at the airport. I think the colder parts of Austin (near Bergstrom AFB) hit that horrid temperature but I am not certain if there were any CIDP in that area of Austin that survived those temps.

In Nogalas Arizona, I personally have seen phoenix CIDPs and Dacty's that survived the -3F that was registered in Dec 1978. The trees still live today... Jv

Thanks for the confirmation JV. I'm pretty sure when I checked Weather Underground regarding the '89 low for San Antonio it said -2F (it's been awhile since I checked, so maybe my recollection is bad), but either way they are a lot hardier than most give them credit for (18F seems to be the consensus).

Thats amazing!!! Any idea of what other species pulled through? Washingtonias?

I heard a story that when The Mirage opened in 89/90 they lost all their freshly planted palms from the extreme cold and ended up painting the leaves green in order to open the casino/hotel on schedule! Im sure the stress from trasport/planting decreased their cold hardiness.

Hotels on the strip plant things all the time that would normally not do well in Vegas. For example, I saw a row of large ficus at the Wynn recently. Replacement costs isn't an issue I guess.

Edited June 21, 2010 by velutina

[velutina]

Beautiful! Thanks for the shots of the Braheas. How cold does LV get normally? I recall seeing photos of snow in 2008-2009.

Typical low is maybe 27-30F

It snowed about 6" where I was. It often gets cold enough for snow, but there just isn't any water to freeze.

Edited June 21, 2010 by velutina

[mjff]

Martin, indeed there are CIDP and hybrids of them that survived the two hard freezes of the 80s (1983 and 89) and are still going strong here... however, the lows were 6F and 9F respectively at the airport. I think the colder parts of Austin (near Bergstrom AFB) hit that horrid temperature but I am not certain if there were any CIDP in that area of Austin that survived those temps.

In Nogalas Arizona, I personally have seen phoenix CIDPs and Dacty's that survived the -3F that was registered in Dec 1978. The trees still live today... Jv

Thanks for the confirmation JV. I'm pretty sure when I checked Weather Underground regarding the '89 low for San Antonio it said -2F (it's been awhile since I checked, so maybe my recollection is bad), but either way they are a lot hardier than most give them credit for (18F seems to be the consensus).

Thats amazing!!! Any idea of what other species pulled through? Washingtonias?

I heard a story that when The Mirage opened in 89/90 they lost all their freshly planted palms from the extreme cold and ended up painting the leaves green in order to open the casino/hotel on schedule! Im sure the stress from trasport/planting decreased their cold hardiness.

Hotels on the strip plant things all the time that would normally not do well in Vegas. For example, I saw a row of large ficus at the Wynn recently. Replacement costs isn't an issue I guess.

The W. filiferas and Sabals in San Antonio pulled through in 1989 as well. JV can probably add some more (Butias and Trachys?). The Jubaea along the Riverwalk was there, but I'm sure the microclimate it is in stayed warmer, not that the cold should have been a problem for it judging by what they have taken in El Paso.

You can see the lows at my place below, and I have a collection of over 80 species of palms(over a dozen species of Sabal, every Butia species available in the US, etc.) that get minimal to no protection during the winter. Lots of fried fronds this year and spear pulls, but I have fingers on one hand to count the casualties on with some left over, and most of those were recent additions that were not established yet and/or pretty small (5 gallon or less).

[John Case]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

Very far.. Las Vegas is a desert in Nevada, Approx 300 plus miles from the beach...

Oh Drat. Are there any plans of moving it soon ?

Peachy

Peachy,

Haven't you heard? The Big One on the San Andreas Fault will cause the bulk of California to fall into the sea, and make Las Vegas the new West Coast draw,....it was in all the papers....

[peachy]

Oh good, that will make it much nicer. Any ideas on when its going to happen ? I am in the mood to move house at the moment.

Peachy

[RyManUtah]

Nice neighbourhood, some really lovely palms....hmmm I might think about moving. How far to the beach ?

Peachy

hm... i like 2hrs north of here... and it takes me six hours to the beach haha, so probably about 4.

[alex_7b]

Vegas looks like a good place for a palm safari.