Visited Blanco Dates Farm in the Philippines

[PhilippineExpat]

The date palm (phoenix sylvestris I think) is a very popular landscaping tree here in the Philippines. A lot of businesses, housing developments, and upper income households have them. I think they're the most beautiful tree I've ever seen and my wife loves them, too. Because of our love, we decided to go where everyone gets their date palms: Blanco Dates Farm. Unfortunately their dates are out of season so we weren't able to try them out (and plant the seeds). They said their dates all become ripe in June. I was surprised because I thought all warm weather plants fruited throughout the year, but I'm still new to tropical gardening so I'm pretty ignorant lol. We also learned the trees grow about 1 foot per year. Their pricing is $50 per foot of trunk and 1 year old seedlings are $7 each (minimum purchase of 10 for the seedlings ). They don't help with delivery or planting, but they do excavate the tree for you.

My wife and I decided not to get one because we don't have the money for a large one and we weren't interested in seedlings because we're not sure if we will live in our current home beyond 10 years. Also, our garden is way too small to be able to fully appreciate a full grown date palm. We're hoping to one day upgrade to a larger plot of land and then it would be worth planting date palms and bismarcks  Or better yet, hopefully we will have the money for some 10-12 foot dates palms and skip the seedlings. In the mean time, we are VERY happy with our two phoenix roebeleniis which are the perfect size for our small garden and are far more affordable. We think we will get one more because we love them so much. 

 

 

[Jeff985]

That’s actually a really good price. Here they’re 2-3 times that. 

[PhilippineExpat]

19 minutes ago, Jeff985 said:

That’s actually a really good price. Here they’re 2-3 times that. 

Yeah everything is cheaper here in Asia  Unfortunately that includes the wages  So $50 per foot of trunk is a lot of money for me and my wife. The roebeleniis are about $10-15 per foot of trunk from my experience, plus there is no need to pay for a 3rd party delivery truck or a team of people to plant them like you would with the date palms. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by PhilippineExpat

[necturus]

It's interesting that they are able to get dates from those trees. Around here people say date palms don't produce fruit because it is too humid, but obviously it's very humid in the Philippines.

I don't know if I would call them the most beautiful trees, but they definitely have a unique character and are impressive, especially in large groups! You could also easily grow Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix rupicola, the latter of which is easily the most beautiful Phoenix.

[Jeff985]

24 minutes ago, necturus said:

It's interesting that they are able to get dates from those trees. Around here people say date palms don't produce fruit because it is too humid, but obviously it's very humid in the Philippines.

I don't know if I would call them the most beautiful trees, but they definitely have a unique character and are impressive, especially in large groups! You could also easily grow Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix rupicola, the latter of which is easily the most beautiful Phoenix.

They produce fruit here. My Sylvestris produce fruit and I see dactylfera with fruit all over the place. I’ve heard that it doesn’t taste good because of the humidity though. 

[necturus]

Yup, I meant edible fruit.

[PhilippineExpat]

9 hours ago, necturus said:

It's interesting that they are able to get dates from those trees. Around here people say date palms don't produce fruit because it is too humid, but obviously it's very humid in the Philippines.

I don't know if I would call them the most beautiful trees, but they definitely have a unique character and are impressive, especially in large groups! You could also easily grow Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix rupicola, the latter of which is easily the most beautiful Phoenix.

Wow the fronds of rupicola are stunning! However, I like the date palm even more because of its gorgeous trunk. Coupled with its fronds, there is so much texture to look at and it all compliments each other. And while the fronds aren't quite on the level of rupicola, they're still gorgeous, especially when they have a more silver color.