Suggestions for an oddball double or triple palm planting?

[MattyB]

Dypsis leptochielos holding down the corner...

[MattyB]

Clinostigma savoryanum triple is just butter...

[MattyB]

Caryota urens fail because it's too hot and not enough water...

[Briank]

1 hour ago, MattyB said:

Purple King

I really want to find a Triple Purpea.  Or should have I just buy some 3-5ga and stick close together? Oh the choices 

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, MattyB said:

Chambeyronia mix the green w/ hookeri

Kinda like Ebony and Ivory . . .

[NOT A TA]

I've been interested in the effects of phototropism on palms from a design point of view so I've been observing them here in S FL the past 15-20 years.

Some palms get the gentle outward curve trunk like say Adonidia merrillii  where as some will just grow a straight trunk on an angle away from each other (as seen in previous pics in this thread) and still others appear not to be affected much at all growing almost straight up.  One of the traits I've noticed is that the palms here with very dense crowns seem to be more prone to the effects of phototropism than those with more translucent crowns. So before choosing a particular palm to invest the time and money making a double or triple of that will take years to become the specimen of your vision, I'd look at a lot of ones you're considering to determine their growth characteristics.

As an example, a Cocos nucifera planted out in the open will grow on an angle about 5 degrees toward the south where a Roystonea regia will grow straight up. So the Cocos is more likely to have the growth characteristics to create an aesthetically pleasing double or triple. Sabal palmettos planted as mature trees will often grow at almost a 45 degree angle away from others if planted within 8 feet or so of each other.

If you desire the gentle curve look you'll need to use plants that have certain growth characteristics that were grown together but if the ones you want grow with a straight trunk but on an angle you may be able to start with large single plants that are planted on an angle.

[Merlyn]

11 hours ago, MattyB said:

Chambeyronia mix the green w/ hookeri

I like the idea of a double or triple Chambeyronia even more now...how about a watermelon on one side, Hookeri in the middle and regular green on the other side?  I would just need to find a potted Hookeri to make that one, I already have the other two!

Edited October 26, 2019 by Merlyn2220

[Palm Tree Jim]

11 hours ago, MattyB said:

Clinostigma savoryanum triple is just butter...

Killer!

[The Gerg]

I’ve been obsessing over mixed triples lately. (Two different palms, not three). As mentioned earlier in this thread, I’ve recently potted together Arch. purpurea and Chambeyronia macrocarpa. I told @Hilo Jason in a different thread pics of his Fallbrook garden inspired that. The emerald green crownshaft next to purple crown shaft is very appealing.

Another one I’ve been thinking about mixing up is D. leptocheilos x D. pembana. Coincidence that @akamu just happened to post triples of both of those separately. I would like to see it mixed so most likely I will do so. The blueish green rings next to white rings with red crown shaft would look cool I think. Of course these might look their best as juveniles and maybe less attractive when mature.

 

Who’s our photoshop expert out there??? 

[The Gerg]

Actually I have this potted Dypsis pembana. I will just slide it on over next to one of my Dypsis leptocheilos and try to shoot it as if they were planted together. I think I would like it. A pembana on each side of the leptocheilos maybe. If potted together young maybe they could develop a little bend with a little luck.

[Hilo Jason]

Some great updates on this thread. Thanks for all of the recent pictures!

[Butch]

What about a Wodyetia and Veitchia in the same cluster... The offspring could be interesting ..... I've got both as volunteers in the ground.... Maybe I should stick them in a pot?

Butch

[The Gerg]

4 hours ago, Butch said:

What about a Wodyetia and Veitchia in the same cluster... The offspring could be interesting ..... I've got both as volunteers in the ground.... Maybe I should stick them in a pot?

Butch

That offspring WOULD be attractive. Maybe even “Foxy”.  

[Butch]

Does anyone clump together for the express purpose of cross fertilization? I know it wouldn’t be an exact way of doing it, but no climbing a 20’ ladder and doing it by hand. 
Butch 

[akamu]

A friend of mine planted a dypsis leptocheilios and a dypsis decaryi  with a tri bear as a triple about 10 yrs ago and it is kinda cool to see both parent plants with the cross  that they produce. Sorry no pics at this time This would be fun to do with other hybrids like foxy lady etc so many options 

[Merlyn]

So I had a crazy idea yesterday and planted a couple of weird triples...a Chamberyonia regular Macrocarpa (center), watermelon (right) and Hookeri (left).  It's in a partially shaded spot under two queens with a couple of Bottles on each side.  It's taken over part of my seedlings area as I plant them out:

On the east side I had planted a small Bismarck a couple of weeks ago, and then added a regular green Livistona Chinensis on the SE (right side) and Livistona Mariae on the SW (left side).  They are about 6" center-to-center, so hopefully the trunk bases will grow together and push each other apart:

The Chinensis above came from the center of a grid of 5, and I replaced it with an eBay-sourced "Butia x Jubaea" hybrid that looks at least superficially like it could be a hybrid.  Even if it turns out to be a plain greenish Butia it'll still be an interesting combo!

[palmfriend]

Hello there,

 

I found some interesting ones yesterday in an Okinawian botanical garden...

How about this one?

A quadruple P. roebelenii. (Nice I would say.)

But this arrangement could be almost unique...

A quadruple of D. decaryi.... 

 

best regards 

Lars

 

 

 

[Jadd Correia]

Old triple canary planting

[miamicuse]

if Chambeyronia are planted as a group (say a regular one with a hookeri and a watermelon) how far do you space them out if at all, if you put them right up against each other the fronds are so stiff and long will the fronds compress against each other?  Or if you do plant them in a group will it be better to plant different height ones?

[Merlyn]

@miamicuse I have done both.  The close planting was with bigger palms, so they are opening fronds 6 to 8 feet tall now.  They don't seem to mess with each other too much, probably due to the limited number of fronds at aa time.  The other ones are a couple of feet apart and still quite small, only 2ish feet tall.  So it's hard to say which is "better" IMO.

[miamicuse]

@Merlyn I have a Chambeyronia and a hookeri both in 1 gallon size only about 2' tall and I am thinking about planting them together...I couldn't find a watermelon or I might consider a triple.  However I worry if I get them real close as they grow they will angle out from the middle which I see a lot of the group planted palms do.  I don't like this look for the Chambeyronia I want both to shoot straight up so I wonder if I need to plant them say 12" from each other (or more).

I have a row of six pairs of Livistona chinensis that were planted as doubles (not by me) and they all grew in a V shape which for Livistona chinensis I think it looks fine for Chambeyronia I definitely want to avoid that.

[Merlyn]

@miamicuse I planted the trunks roughly a foot apart, and they are generally speaking growing straight up.  Here's a full shot of the three this morning, as I take a break from digging my new path:

And the trunks are mostly straight.  The trunk on the right is being pushed away by the frond I marked with red lines in the center upper of the picture.  If I cut that one off they wouldn't currently interfere with each other.

[SeanK]

On 10/26/2019 at 12:03 AM, NOT A TA said:

I've been interested in the effects of phototropism on palms from a design point of view so I've been observing them here in S FL the past 15-20 years.

Some palms get the gentle outward curve trunk like say Adonidia merrillii  where as some will just grow a straight trunk on an angle away from each other (as seen in previous pics in this thread) and still others appear not to be affected much at all growing almost straight up.  One of the traits I've noticed is that the palms here with very dense crowns seem to be more prone to the effects of phototropism than those with more translucent crowns. So before choosing a particular palm to invest the time and money making a double or triple of that will take years to become the specimen of your vision, I'd look at a lot of ones you're considering to determine their growth characteristics.

As an example, a Cocos nucifera planted out in the open will grow on an angle about 5 degrees toward the south where a Roystonea regia will grow straight up. So the Cocos is more likely to have the growth characteristics to create an aesthetically pleasing double or triple. Sabal palmettos planted as mature trees will often grow at almost a 45 degree angle away from others if planted within 8 feet or so of each other.

If you desire the gentle curve look you'll need to use plants that have certain growth characteristics that were grown together but if the ones you want grow with a straight trunk but on an angle you may be able to start with large single plants that are planted on an angle.

Interesting 🤔.  In general, the effect is better if the palms have a couple feet of wood beforehand. They can be angled apart when planted. This way, it seems like it happened naturally.

[Billy]

7 minutes ago, SeanK said:

Interesting 🤔.  In general, the effect is better if the palms have a couple feet of wood beforehand. They can be angled apart when planted. This way, it seems like it happened naturally.

 I have to disagree. I think the angled look is best achieved when one plants them out young (5g) and let them naturally find space.