Dean / Dorian Ouer Garden PRA " unbelievable "

[Tassie_Troy1971]

After departing Dennis "the Maestro " Willoughby's garden Matty B and i headed up the Encinitas a nice Coastal town in San Diego County . Our destination was our PALM Moderator Dypsis Dean's old garden that has been lovingly thinned out and restored by Dean's Son Dorian whom lives in this man made paradise !

He started his rather large garden over 25 years ago and was particularly interested in many of the newly avaliable Madagascar species. The palms and canopy trees that survived are now mature and established. Featured are rare species of
Ravenea, Dypsis, and New Caledonia species, as well as unusual New World palms.
Dean moved to Hawaii ten years ago, and until recently the constant care and new planting became a thing of the past . Dorian has done an outstanding job of bringing back this garden to it's former glory . the garden was completely
renovated since Dean left and it looked beautiful. A lot of the canopy was opened up and the extra sunlight is what some of the palms really needed . :greenthumb:

Upon arrival i was greeted by this Trithrinax acanthocoma

Dean's security guard had gathered some moss over the yrs

Birds nest fern perched on a rock

Matty was impressed by Brahea nitida

[Tassie_Troy1971]

BS man turns up in Chauffeur driven by his girlfriend in this Muscle car !

Uh oh it's time for another Dypsis diagnostic by BS Man

He is getting serious now as the glasses are put on !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Dorian planted this Chambeyronia houailou and its doing great - no wonder after 25 yrs of mulching and leaf litter

Another dypsis diagnostic by Bill

Bamboo and plenty of it

Nice Cyathea think its a New Caledonia one ,maybe Dean can answer ? Mod Edit: (Cyathea spinosa - I think)

Love these things as they add so much character to the garden

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Nice Howea belmoreana - perfect climate for Lord Howe Island palms

Foxy lady

BS Man surveys the scene for any rare dypsis !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Cyphosperma balansae - and a very nice one at that !

What a spectacular homemade jungle environment !

[MattyB]

Looks like I'm molesting that poor Brahea. I was gentle I swear.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Did you say Giant Ceroxylon !

There were 2 with at least 6 m of CT one was Ceroxylon alpinum and rthe other was Ceroxylon echinulatum i can't remember which one this was but -- "WOW "

[Cindy Adair]

Very nice garden! It must be wonderful to have a child grow up and become interested in maintaining and adding to Dean's California garden.

It doesn't seem likely for me at this point, but you never know...

[Tassie_Troy1971]

I remember i a thread about Hedyscepe a few yes ago Dean said i planted 2 the same size many years ago and one was a rocket and one was a runt "

This one was the rocket Hedyscepe for sure !

This one Er is the runt !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Burretiokentia

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Cyphophoenix elegans -- Visiting here is like a cheap trip to New Caledonia

Chameadorea woodsoniana

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Another palm ,manhandled by Matty B

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Huge Rhopalostylis

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Dypsis decipiens

Dorian was very proud of the pond area ! and rightly so

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Leaning livistona

[Tassie_Troy1971]

ceroxylon again

[Tassie_Troy1971]

[Tassie_Troy1971]

The other Ceroxylon - Will the real alpinum please stand up !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Unfortunately i couldn't take any video's here as my camera batteries were running on vapors after the epic Willoughby tour !

I really enjoyed this garden and seeing all the mature specimens and the best part is that the torch has been passed to the next generation being Dorian whom has done an amazing job with the garden !

Cheers Troy

Stay tuned next week for the Darold Petty "My cloudforest palm collection @ sea level tour "

[richnorm]

My kind of garden, love it. The last ceroxylon with the wispier leaves is probably the alpinum.

[Dypsisdean]

Wow - whoever planted those must be getting really old by now.

Very nice garden! It must be wonderful to have a child grow up and become interested in maintaining and adding to Dean's California garden.

It doesn't seem likely for me at this point, but you never know...

That's for sure Cindy. I would have said the same thing 10 years ago.

Norm - you are correct about the Ceroxylon.

And Troy - you didn't show the species I am most proud of - the one that was the most difficult to raise to maturity.

Thanks for the photos. It's been a few years since I've been back.

[Pedro 65]

Wow - whoever planted those must be getting really old by now.

Very nice garden! It must be wonderful to have a child grow up and become interested in maintaining and adding to Dean's California garden.

It doesn't seem likely for me at this point, but you never know...

You never know Cindy. I would have said the same thing 10 years ago.

Norm - you are correct about the Ceroxylon.

And Troy - you didn't show the species I am most proud of - the one that was almost impossible to raise to maturity.

Dean, great to see your gardens and slice of history is being "carried on" and added to by your son Dorian. Palms and gardens are looking Dorian, keep it up, thanks for yet "another Cali thread" Troy, you must have been "stuffed" when you arrived back home? You better post a pic of "what sp" Dean is "most proud of" Pete

[Tassie_Troy1971]

I am not sure which one it was Dean ! is there a washingtonia hidden in the back somewhere ??

Yes Dean Dorian has done a fabulous job restoring your California palm legacy !

"" Troy, you must have been "stuffed" when you arrived back home? " Not when i got back home but by the time i arrived in SFO and did the rounds with Darold i was for sure .

[Jastin]

Great garden! What everyone doesn't know though is that Matty does a bunch of push-ups right before he poses with a palm so his arms look huge. I know, I've been there when he's getting his picture taken.

[doranakandawatta]

Great pics of a great garden, no need to go to Singapore BG!

Gladly I discovered Palmtalk last year!

Many Thanks

[Darold Petty]

Fantastic garden! Dean was very kind in allowing me to visit unsupervised a few years ago. Dorian was not at home. I stood behind the house; with the gentle sound of bamboo in the wind it hardly seemed that I was in California. Mega-kudos for a two generation garden.

I don't think either Ceroxylon shown could be C. echinulatum. According to Henderson, (and my observation) the leaflets of a mature C. echinulatum are completely pendulous, as much so as a Euterpe precatoria. This is a most beautiful detail, and one that I hope my small plant will someday express.

[richnorm]

Fantastic garden! Dean was very kind in allowing me to visit unsupervised a few years ago. Dorian was not at home. I stood behind the house; with the gentle sound of bamboo in the wind it hardly seemed that I was in California. Mega-kudos for a two generation garden.

I don't think either Ceroxylon shown could be C. echinulatum. According to Henderson, (and my observation) the leaflets of a mature C. echinulatum are completely pendulous, as much so as a Euterpe precatoria. This is a most beautiful detail, and one that I hope my small plant will someday express.

I know what you mean Darold, that's what one thinks of for echinulatum but read this from the recent monograph on Ceroxylon. "Ceroxylon echinulatum is diagnosed by its very long petiole, leaves arched with pinnae regularly arranged, slightly to completely pendulous........" Let me know if you want an electronic copy though suspect you have one already. Could well get more pendulous with age like the quindiense here which are still morphing even with quite a few metres of trunk and after flowering has begun.

[Dypsisdean]

Note that there are three Ceroxylon in this garden. One C. alpinum and the other two were C. sp. collected many many years ago by Phil Bergman. Not sure who came up with C. echinulatum, but it is the first I ever heard of it.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

It Would be great if someone could ;ld positively identify the mystery Ceroxylon

Yes Darold it's hard to believe that you are in dry Southern California when you stand in the backyard .

[richnorm]

Troy brought it up. If your alpinum came from Ecuador then it is now known as echinulatum (formerly known as alpinum subsp ecuadoreanse). True alpinum is only found in Colombia and Venezuala.

[richnorm]

It Would be great if someone could ;ld positively identify the mystery Ceroxylon

Yes Darold it's hard to believe that you are in dry Southern California when you stand in the backyard .

Country of origin is a huge clue with Ceroxylon.

[Dorian]

Thanks for the kind words. =)

The echinulatum ID came from talking with Phil Bergman, who collected them originally. The two that were previously unidentified (the back yard, and by the pond -- not the alpinum) were both collected in Ecuador on a trip that Phil took with his son around 1990. One was named sp. '6000 feet' and the other sp. 'big silver'. Now that they've matured some, they look like the same plant, with the one in the back yard being only about half the size from being in heavy shade.

The leaves do sometimes get slightly pendulous, although I think it had just dropped a couple before the pictures were taken here.

The third ceroxylon in the yard seems to match alpinum, and hasn't been a source of any contention from folks who have seen it in person before, but who knows? =) There were some really good pictures of the trunk and crown that were put up back at the Palm Society tour. It's a much more cream-colored, thick and waxy trunk than the two others, which are more of a silvery-white paper texture. Definitely a different palm, and not collected by Phil.

(Multiple edits because apparently I can't spell tonight.)

Edited September 9, 2013 by Dorian

[DoomsDave]

YOW

i'M composting . . .

wabbly babbly icky acky ucky ucky . . . .

[richnorm]

If they came from Ecuador at 2000m and have regularly arranged pinnae then they can only be echinulatum or parvifrons if collected in nature. And they certainly are not parvifrons!

[Walter John]

thanks Troy for posting, like seeing the guys study the palms up close Professor Bill and Doctor Matty..

[Tropicdoc]

Beautiful! Question: In a garden like this.... in between the palms.... where are the weeds? How do you keep the "forest floor" so clean? Is it just that dry there? Does the shade do it?

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Are you sure this is California? That garden looks amazing, so tropical. Well done, I love the ceroxylons and the giant hedycepe. It's amazing what is possible right along the coast.

[Dypsisdean]

Beautiful! Question: In a garden like this.... in between the palms.... where are the weeds? How do you keep the "forest floor" so clean? Is it just that dry there? Does the shade do it?

The best kept secret of gardening - that I will share with just you.

A thick layer of mulch not only keeps weeds away, it retains moisture, moderated root temperature, promotes micro-organisms, and adds nutrients. With a thick layer of mulch new weeds are very few - only those that blow in or birds drop. So with a very very small amount of Round Up, a brief trip around the garden once a month, and it stays like that.

I understand the aversion some have to chemicals. I do too. But my philosophy is to use as few as you can. Use them to your advantage, in very small amounts, only when you have to. And by using mulch and spraying a very small amount regularly, weed free is easy. For me it is a beneficial trade off to letting things get out of hand and having to use more chemicals later, or spending time on weeding for something more beneficial to the garden - like bringing in more mulch.

You would be amazed at how little you use and how diluted you can make Round Up if you only have a very few young small weeds to attend to every month. And of course you could always use just your fingers.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Great advice there Dean and since i have been using a thick layer of Peastraw as mulch i have notice my soil stays moist and relatively weed free !

It's interesting to note that Deans old Garden in Encinitas and Aaron Bagley's "Bags " appear to have virtually the same Micro climate and i bet Aaron's will look even more amazing in years to come .

Dean did you ever grow Lepidorrachis in the old garden ?

[Dypsisdean]

Dean did you ever grow Lepidorrachis in the old garden ?

Yes - but it was one of the casualties when I left - got slowly covered with bamboo growth. It stayed alive and looked good for about 5 years.