Rio Grande Valley nurseries?

[fr8train]

Are there any nurseries worth checking out in the RGV that sell more unusual hardy palms that are 15 gallon or smaller? Like Brahea, blue med fan palms, more unusual Trachycarpus etc that don't cost an arm and a leg? I did some searching but not much is coming up. 

[Xenon]

Never seen or heard of anybody selling or interested in hardy palms down there. I don't think I've ever seen a Trachycarpus. Now if you want some super cheap royals, foxtails, and anything tropical ornamental you'll have a field day

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, fr8train said:

Are there any nurseries worth checking out in the RGV that sell more unusual hardy palms that are 15 gallon or smaller? Like Brahea, blue med fan palms, more unusual Trachycarpus etc that don't cost an arm and a leg? I did some searching but not much is coming up. 

I am not aware of any that have Brahea, Chamaerops humilis 'argentea' or Trachycarpus other than fortunei but I haven't looked for these specifically.  You might want to check out 495 Nursery (600 E. Expressway 83 in San Juan 956-787-0539) or Munoz next to 495.  They have a pretty good selection of palms at decent prices including some cold hardy palms but mostly ones like Jonathan mentioned.

Edited May 27, 2023 by Fusca

[fr8train]

10 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Never seen or heard of anybody selling or interested in hardy palms down there. I don't think I've ever seen a Trachycarpus. Now if you want some super cheap royals, foxtails, and anything tropical ornamental you'll have a field day

Interesting. I don't understand why. Nurseries in California, Nevada, Arizona etc all have a bunch of stuff to pick from even though there's so much more that can grow there other than the hardy palms. 

5 minutes ago, Fusca said:

I am not aware of any that have Brahea, Chamaerops humilis 'argentea' or Trachycarpus other than fortunei but I haven't looked for these specifically.  You might want to check out 495 Nursery (600 E. Expressway 83 in San Juan 956-787-0539) or Munoz next to 495.  They have a pretty good selection of palms at decent prices including some cold hardy palms but mostly ones like Jonathan mentioned.

Thank you, I'll check that out when I'm down there. 

[5am]

2 hours ago, fr8train said:

Are there any nurseries worth checking out in the RGV that sell more unusual hardy palms that are 15 gallon or smaller? Like Brahea, blue med fan palms, more unusual Trachycarpus etc that don't cost an arm and a leg? I did some searching but not much is coming up. 

Tad Dyers has Sabal causarium in 3 gal pots and mule palms. I’m kicking myself for not having picked up a pair of causarium but if they’re still around in June they’re mine. Look for Dyers nursery in Weslaco. While you’re wandering you’ll be found by either Tad or Rambo. Be ready to do some walking because the green houses are all scattered about and take cash because the card reader doesn’t always work.

The causarium are about the size of the larger minors in back against the wall here.

[fr8train]

56 minutes ago, 5am said:

Tad Dyers has Sabal causarium in 3 gal pots and mule palms. I’m kicking myself for not having picked up a pair of causarium but if they’re still around in June they’re mine. Look for Dyers nursery in Weslaco. While you’re wandering you’ll be found by either Tad or Rambo. Be ready to do some walking because the green houses are all scattered about and take cash because the card reader doesn’t always work.

The causarium are about the size of the larger minors in back against the wall here.

Thanks for the info, I'd pick one up, but judging by their hours I don't think I'll make it :/ 

[5am]

There are a lot of little nurseries that don't come up in my searches. If you're visiting Brownsville by way of 69, take the frontage road through Olmito and you might find the little parking lot nursery this was in. I know nothing of the hardiness of cycads but I've never seen one of these anywhere else. 

[Xenon]

If you're interested in RGV natives that might be hardy or at least marginal in your area, there's Heeps Nursery in Harlingen 

[5am]

I have another suggestion that doesn't answer your question. You're gonna need someplace to put those plants, right?  If they're not all going into the ground, stop at Sebastian Pottery on your way back north. They have a massive selection of ceramic pots at prices I bet can't be found anywhere else in the country. 

[Xerarch]

On 5/26/2023 at 7:12 PM, fr8train said:

Are there any nurseries worth checking out in the RGV that sell more unusual hardy palms that are 15 gallon or smaller? Like Brahea, blue med fan palms, more unusual Trachycarpus etc that don't cost an arm and a leg? I did some searching but not much is coming up. 

Not the valley but I was just noticing a nursery here in Corpus that had several different varieties of med palms, including blue, I was surprised to see.  If you're in San Antonio and looking for a drive it would be closer to come here than the valley.  I haven't seen any special trachy's other than standard, brahea also hard to come by.

[WisTex]

22 hours ago, Xerarch said:

Not the valley but I was just noticing a nursery here in Corpus that had several different varieties of med palms, including blue, I was surprised to see.  If you're in San Antonio and looking for a drive it would be closer to come here than the valley.  I haven't seen any special trachy's other than standard, brahea also hard to come by.

I could not find a brahea armata in any Texas nursery.  I ended up having a 15 gallon one shipped from Jungle Music Palms.  It is doing well in the ground, even in North Padre Island's high humidity .

[fr8train]

On 5/28/2023 at 10:02 AM, Xerarch said:

Not the valley but I was just noticing a nursery here in Corpus that had several different varieties of med palms, including blue, I was surprised to see.  If you're in San Antonio and looking for a drive it would be closer to come here than the valley.  I haven't seen any special trachy's other than standard, brahea also hard to come by.

Nice! Do you remember which nursery you saw the blue med palms at? Were they an arm and a leg? 

5 hours ago, WisTex said:

I could not find a brahea armata in any Texas nursery.  I ended up having a 15 gallon one shipped from Jungle Music Palms.  It is doing well in the ground, even in North Padre Island's high humidity .

Yeah I haven't seen them anywhere either. I picked mine up at a Las Vegas nursery for only $70. I think it's around 15 gallon. I've seen them at nurseries in Phoenix too, but alas I had no more room in my car.

[Xerarch]

22 hours ago, WisTex said:

I could not find a brahea armata in any Texas nursery.  I ended up having a 15 gallon one shipped from Jungle Music Palms.  It is doing well in the ground, even in North Padre Island's high humidity .

 

16 hours ago, fr8train said:

Nice! Do you remember which nursery you saw the blue med palms at? Were they an arm and a leg? 

 

As for Brahea there are a few around town that look pretty good although I can't remember seeing them in any nursey, I have a couple brahea hybrids planted in the yard from "Franken Brahea" seeds acquired from @DoomsDave. I actually have one more in a pot that I don't have room to plant, I could part with it if either of you guys wanted to give it a good home.

The nursery that had a few varieties of med palm was Turner's Gardenland, I don't remember what the price was as I just happened to notice them and wasn't really looking for them, they were fairly small in size though, 3 gallon pot or so.

[fr8train]

1 hour ago, Xerarch said:

 

As for Brahea there are a few around town that look pretty good although I can't remember seeing them in any nursey, I have a couple brahea hybrids planted in the yard from "Franken Brahea" seeds acquired from @DoomsDave. I actually have one more in a pot that I don't have room to plant, I could part with it if either of you guys wanted to give it a good home.

The nursery that had a few varieties of med palm was Turner's Gardenland, I don't remember what the price was as I just happened to notice them and wasn't really looking for them, they were fairly small in size though, 3 gallon pot or so.

Thank you for the info. I'd be interested in the Franken Brahea too, I'd be happy to give it a home 

[WisTex]

Wonder why RGV nurseries don't stock Braheas.  I would think there would be a market for the blue Brahea Amata as a cold hardy alternative to the Bismarckia where a blue palm is wanted.  The last two freeze episodes pretty much eliminated the few Bismarckia on North Padre.

Edited May 31, 2023 by WisTex

[Xenon]

8 minutes ago, WisTex said:

Wonder why RGV nurseries don't stock Braheas.  I would think there would be a market for the blue Brahea Amata as a cold hardy alternative to the Bismarckia where a blue palm is wanted.  The last two freeze episodes pretty much eliminated the Bismarckia on North Padre.

No need for cold hardy alternative in the RGV, they do fine. There are dozens of them along the US-83 medians in McAllen and Mission; the city actually just installed more a few months ago. 
Brahea is also slow while Bismarckia is a comparative rocket (and way more attractive imo). 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Xenon

[WisTex]

2 minutes ago, Xenon said:

No need for cold hardy alternative in the RGV, they do fine. 

I am wondering about RGV wholesalers who supply landscapers and retail nurseries outside the RGV.

[Xenon]

3 minutes ago, WisTex said:

I am wondering about RGV wholesalers who supply landscapers and retail nurseries outside the RGV.

FWIW, Brahea used to be more available in Houston a decade or more ago. There are a few more specimens here and there but just never really caught on. 

Tad Dyer was field planting blue-ish Sabal uresana (and did some installs around Houston) in the RGV, not sure if they are still available. 

In general if you want to shop cold hardy palms, Houston Area is the place to go imo. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Xenon

[Meangreen94z]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:41 AM, WisTex said:

I could not find a brahea armata in any Texas nursery.  I ended up having a 15 gallon one shipped from Jungle Music Palms.  It is doing well in the ground, even in North Padre Island's high humidity .

Barton Springs Nursery in Austin off and on has Brahea armata in different sizes. Last fall I picked up (4) 1 gallon size for $15 each. They have wooden box sized right now discounted down to $400 each , last I saw . Showing a little burn from last winter.

[fr8train]

On 5/30/2023 at 7:29 AM, Xerarch said:

 

As for Brahea there are a few around town that look pretty good although I can't remember seeing them in any nursey, I have a couple brahea hybrids planted in the yard from "Franken Brahea" seeds acquired from @DoomsDave. I actually have one more in a pot that I don't have room to plant, I could part with it if either of you guys wanted to give it a good home.

The nursery that had a few varieties of med palm was Turner's Gardenland, I don't remember what the price was as I just happened to notice them and wasn't really looking for them, they were fairly small in size though, 3 gallon pot or so.

Thanks again for the awesome palm!

On 5/31/2023 at 11:04 AM, Xenon said:

No need for cold hardy alternative in the RGV, they do fine. There are dozens of them along the US-83 medians in McAllen and Mission; the city actually just installed more a few months ago. 
Brahea is also slow while Bismarckia is a comparative rocket (and way more attractive imo). 

I went down there memorial day weekend and I saw a few crownshaft palms, a handful of Bismarckias, and a few Chinese fan palms. There were foxtails occasionally too, but not a ton. It seemed like 99% of everything else were Sabals and Washingtonias, like up here. So it's not like most people down there are really taking advantage of the milder climate. I feel like it would make sense to grow more cold hardy palms that they could then sell in the rest of Texas, rather than all the stuff I see in big box stores which I assume they are at least partially supplying, most of which will die after a winter or two, or it'll burn so badly it looks like crap for a year until it recovers. 

It's too bad Texas cold hardy palms didn't try starting his business down there as opposed to Dallas. 

On 5/31/2023 at 11:17 AM, Meangreen94z said:

Barton Springs Nursery in Austin off and on has Brahea armata in different sizes. Last fall I picked up (4) 1 gallon size for $15 each. They have wooden box sized right now discounted down to $400 each , last I saw . Showing a little burn from last winter.

I saw those when I went up there a month or two ago. Unfortunately they're all little too big for me to transport. I have a 15 gallon that I picked up at a Las Vegas nursery for $70 that's actually put out a few leaves in the short time I've had it. It's another palm I wish was more widespread here, especially considering how good all the ones I've seen around town look. The December freeze didn't seem to faze them at all. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by fr8train

[Fusca]

On 5/31/2023 at 11:09 AM, WisTex said:

I am wondering about RGV wholesalers who supply landscapers and retail nurseries outside the RGV.

I agree with you, Brahea armata should be more available in Texas zones 8 and 9.  Unfortunately most growers here in the RGV field grow their palms and Brahea are famously difficult to transplant so that can be a huge issue for distribution.  Container grown specimens are more difficult to maintain since they need to be watered more frequently which adds to the cost.

[fr8train]

1 minute ago, Fusca said:

I agree with you, Brahea armata should be more available in Texas zones 8 and 9.  Unfortunately most growers here in the RGV field grow their palms and Brahea are famously difficult to transplant so that can be a huge issue for distribution.  Container grown specimens are more difficult to maintain since they need to be watered more frequently which adds to the cost.

I see, that's interesting. I wonder how they do it in Vegas and Arizona, they seem more readily available there and they're not really expensive given how slow growing I've read they are. 

[Xenon]

59 minutes ago, fr8train said:

 

I went down there memorial day weekend and I saw a few crownshaft palms, a handful of Bismarckias, and a few Chinese fan palms. There were foxtails occasionally too, but not a ton. It seemed like 99% of everything else were Sabals and Washingtonias, like up here. So it's not like most people down there are really taking advantage of the milder climate. I feel like it would make sense to grow more cold hardy palms that they could then sell in the rest of Texas, rather than all the stuff I see in big box stores which I assume they are at least partially supplying, most of which will die after a winter or two, or it'll burn so badly it looks like crap for a year until it recovers. 

I just spent the weekend in Port Isabel with a trip to McAllen and Brownsville. If you subtract the Washingtonia you will see thousands of crownshaft palms, especially in residential neighborhoods and newer commercial spaces. Brownsville has several public plantings. In certain neighborhoods, it's pretty much all royals, queens, and foxtails. You think it's only Washingtonia because of their sheer number (millions lol). If you train your eye to ignore the Washingtonia, several dozen giant royal palms can be spotted just driving along 77 and 83. 

Gotta 100% disagree with people not planting royals or foxtails, both sell like hotcakes. Here's an installation at the new Mormon temple in McAllen and some random pics. Stopped by the Cinemark in Edinburg and the border crossing at Nuevo Progresso...saw a bunch of young royals and foxtails there too. Big specimens all over Brownsville, McAllen, etc. Last winter was technically (though not as damaging due to short duration) the second coldest winter in 30+ years plus the 2021 palmagaeddon. The royals and foxtails are all the rage at the flea markets too, which is probably the only current source for coconuts besides sprouting your own.  It doesn't seem like anyone is afraid to plant like in Houston (sigh). 

New palm jungle in McAllen

The coast

 

Brownsville: Probably the tallest royals I've seen away from any kind of structure 

UTRGV

 

Downtown Brownsville 

 

Tropicals galore for insanely low prices at the Brownsville and Alamo flea markets

 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Xenon

[fr8train]

13 minutes ago, Xenon said:

I just spent the weekend in Port Isabel with a trip to McAllen and Brownsville. If you subtract the Washingtonia you will see thousands of crownshaft palms, especially in residential neighborhoods and newer commercial spaces. Brownsville has several public plantings. In certain neighborhoods, it's pretty much all royals, queens, and foxtails. You think it's only Washingtonia because of their sheer number (millions lol). If you train your eye to ignore the Washingtonia, several dozen giant royal palms can be spotted just driving along 77 and 83. 

Gotta 100% disagree with people not planting royals or foxtails, both sell like hotcakes. Here's an installation at the new Mormon temple in McAllen and some random pics. Stopped by the Cinemark in Edinburg and the border crossing at Nuevo Progresso...saw a bunch of young royals and foxtails there too. Big specimens all over Brownsville, McAllen, etc. Last winter was technically (though not as damaging due to short duration) the second coldest winter in 30+ years plus the 2021 palmagaeddon. The royals and foxtails are all the rage at the flea markets too, which is probably the only current source for coconuts besides sprouting your own.  It doesn't seem like anyone is afraid to plant like in Houston (sigh). 

New palm jungle in McAllen

The coast

 

Brownsville: Probably the tallest royals I've seen away from any kind of structure 

UTRGV

 

Downtown Brownsville 

 

Tropicals galore for insanely low prices at the Brownsville and Alamo flea markets

 

 

I mean I did see some of that down there, but it's nothing like the zone equivalent in Florida or California in terms of palm diversity. If that's changing that's great. Idk I was only down there for 2 days. 

I can't imagine all the stuff that can be grown down there in addition to what you've mentioned too. There are infinite more possibilities than up here. 

[Xenon]

6 minutes ago, fr8train said:

I mean I did see some of that down there, but it's nothing like the zone equivalent in Florida or California in terms of palm diversity. If that's changing that's great. Idk I was only down there for 2 days. 

I can't imagine all the stuff that can be grown down there in addition to what you've mentioned too. There are infinite more possibilities than up here. 

9b/10a in Florida has a few more species very commonly planted but I don't remember seeing much diversity in most of Florida (SE FL is a bit better) or SoCal either aside from hotspots like public gardens, private collectors, etc ...it's just the same 10 palms or so 😜. Texas wins the overplanted Washingtonia award though there are some private gardens down there with some really cool stuff i.e Tahina, tropical Copernicia, Hyphaene, Medemia etc. 

[Xerarch]

On 6/5/2023 at 1:41 PM, fr8train said:

Thanks again for the awesome palm!

No problem, I’d been hoping to find a good home for it. And thank you for the S. Tamaulipas!

[Little Tex]

If you ever want hardy palms at decent prices check out nautius nursery in Humble they have tons of stuff