Junaia australis

[AJQ]

Here are shots of my 3 Juania's enjoy.

I have had this one for 8 years, 7 of which in the ground.

Rgds Andy.

Edited October 7, 2012 by AJQ

[AJQ]

The Smaller one

[AJQ]

Last one, this is the larger one.

Regards Andy.

Edited October 7, 2012 by AJQ

[Alberto]

Congratulations Andy!

It´s always a surprise that a palm from a cold but frost free climate can cope with temperatures like you have in the winter.

I hope my 2 seedlings will grow like yours!

[gyuseppe]

very beautiful !

the climate in southern Europe is not suitable for this species

[AJQ]

Thanks Alberto, I was mega impressed how this palm has handled 2 Very Cold winters in a row. The first cold winter I eventually put up a garden parasol over head during the last couple of days. However, when "Narnia" struck a year later, the Parasol went up immediately along with some fleece. I did not reckon on "Narnia" lasting 6 weeks though............

It survived albeit with Major damage but these photos are recent from a few days ago. This is one tough palm once established.

Prior to this I never had to protect it for 5 years, so I guess it is well established now with a good set of roots. This has encouraged me to source a further 2 Juanias, they are not cheap in this part of the world but very much worth it for another reasonably cold hardy Palm

My baby which was planted in the winter before "Narnia" looked like it was making a recovery............. Unfortunately It did not survive the next years 6 week freeze...........Temps were between -6.6C and at worst, -8.8C. The Juania was postioned somewhere in between those two sensors. The Butyagrus of a larger size only a few meters away did not make it.

Regards Andy.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

They look great Andy -one i have always wanted to try here in this cool oceanic almost frost free climate but impossible to get in Australia .

[DoomsDave]

whoa

That Juania rocks no one can grow it, except for you. Whoa.

Big

expletive

horse!

Not an easy palm to grow. California appears to be a death camp for them, except for San Francisco . . .

[gyuseppe]

but impossible to get in Australia .

also in europe not easy to find this species

[chakoro]

Wow Andy,Great to see something "out of the box " so to speak...this is a very beautiful and rare palm.Thanks for sharing.Craig.

[Miccles]

sensational Andy ! Well done !

Regards

Michael

[AJQ]

Thanks for the replies guys. I hoping that between the 3 of them that there is at least one of each sex, as i believe you need one of each for pollination. It would be a real Bummer if all 3 were the same sex. I shall have to wait and be very patient. I feel that I am very lucky to not only be able to grow them here but to have them in the first place.

Thanks again for all your kind comments :-)

Regards Andy

[Darold Petty]

Andy, with 3 plants the odds are 75% that you have both genders.

[richnorm]

Darold,

I've heard it said that Ceroxylon produce many more males plants than females. Do you have a view on this? Perhaps this is also true with Juania?

[Darold Petty]

Hi Rich, I have not heard of this gender disparity, but plants are much more sophisticated than people recognize! My sole flowering Ceroxylon parvifons is a male plant.

[mike in kurtistown]

Where is Bangor, "Norin Iron"? And what is a Narnia event?

[richnorm]

Hi Rich, I have not heard of this gender disparity, but plants are much more sophisticated than people recognize! My sole flowering Ceroxylon parvifons is a male plant.

Thanks Darold. The flowering Juania here is a male as are the two Ceroxylon quindiense in the same garden. I have read somewhere that male plants survive leaf harvest better than females so that might have led to an observation which does not reflect nature though I think it might have come from a discussion with Rodrigo Bernal.

[Phoenikakias]

Where is Bangor, "Norin Iron"? And what is a Narnia event?

Obviously Hawaii is far far away from 'Hibernia'

Edited October 12, 2012 by Phoenikakias

[AJQ]

Mike,

Bangor, is in on the North West coast of County Down, Northern Ireland, we are blessed by the influence of the Gulf Stream here and puts me in a climate Zone 9a, which isn't that bad considering how far North I am. "Narnia" is a term we have used here for that horrendous Winter we had a year and a half ago, where we had 6 weeks of sub zero temps. My personal low was -8.8c it was -10c only a couple of hundered meters away out on the main road. All the Cordylines were trashed at those temps and -10c is a good marker. Further inland -12c was typical with a record of -19c in Castle Derg !!!!

The snow, if we get any, usually melts after an hour or so and by next morning at the latest. This particular year it stayed on the ground for nearly 6 weeks. The main roads were cleared by the council but local individual gardens remained covered until the weather changed and came in from the normal South West direction. This was a 1 in 120 year event and I dont expect to see these sort of conditions again during my life time.

Regards Andy

[mike in kurtistown]

Thanks Andy, I had an inkling that that was where you were, but your description of things is fascinating, and likely will interest others besides me. My experiences with cold are only for central Florida until 2005 (plastic over the shadehouse, tweaking the thermostats on the propane heaters, big cardboard boxes over treasures planted out in the yard), but that was bad enough. The 2000-2001 winter was rough.