The good old Howea fosteriana

[happypalms]

You can’t go past the ever popular kentia palm easy to propagate and grow fits into any garden situation seeds do take a long time to germinate a year or so I have  two variegated kentia in the garden these ones are around 25 years old sort of slow growing in a dry situation once established they grow a lot faster 

[peachy]

I love the good old Kentias. They used to be expensive but now Bunnings shove a handful of seedlings in a pot and for about $25 you can get 5 or more plants once you separate them. I am yet to plant one in the ground because they make such good house plants but once I get some canopy going,  a couple of the older ones can go in. Eating my heart out over the variegated ones.

Peachy

[Rivera]

Still expensive in northern California!

But also my favorite. Forsteriana and belmoreana both.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I love the way they catch the wind. 

 

 

[happypalms]

58 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I love the way they catch the wind. 

 

Oh yes don’t underestimate the bellmoreana even better than the fosteriana bells are rare you can get seeds if you do or knock you spot the odd one around now and then there native habitat is lord Howe island off the coast of port Macquarie about 2 hours south 

[peachy]

I went there many years ago and nearly froze to death.  I only ever managed to get 1 belmorana all the years I have been in Qbld,  and it took me only 5 months to kill it.

Peachy

Edited September 18, 2023 by peachy

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, peachy said:

I went there many years ago and nearly froze to death.  I only ever managed to get 1 belmorana all the years I have been in Qbld,  and it took me only 5 months to kill it.

Peachy

What you killed a kentia there impossible to kill my first job in the nursery trade was counting kentia sprouts to send to holland then moved onto the potting bench yes the bell has a cool punk look 

[happypalms]

14 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I love the way they catch the wind. 

 

You better stake them palms to a truck we have a saying in Australia bloody wind it would blow 💨 a dog of a chain that’s some wind you have there and if I see a stray dog  I shall contact you 

[peachy]

9 minutes ago, happypalms said:

What you killed a kentia there impossible to kill my first job in the nursery trade was counting kentia sprouts to send to holland then moved onto the potting bench yes the bell has a cool punk look 

Even the plain old kentias had short lives in my house for many years. I could never understand why they had a reputation for being hardy. However, I have finally managed to work out their needs and likes finally.  Now they thrive although I still don't totally trust them

Peachy

[happypalms]

52 minutes ago, peachy said:

Even the plain old kentias had short lives in my house for many years. I could never understand why they had a reputation for being hardy. However, I have finally managed to work out their needs and likes finally.  Now they thrive although I still don't totally trust them

Peachy

As easy as they are they sure take a long time to germinate just don’t overwater them if in a container 

[Rivera]

Baby bels.

Yes, I did kill one - over potted and over watered. I'm erring on over growing them before going up a pot size now, even if it slows them down. That and lots of pumice. 

[Patrick]

On 9/17/2023 at 8:04 AM, Rivera said:

Still expensive in northern California!

But also my favorite. Forsteriana and belmoreana both.

I see them on Ebay every now and then for cheap; but they've gone WAY up in price over the last few years. There's one on there now for starting bid 24 bucks; but then it's in FL so it will never make it into CA it would probably get swiped by USDA on the way in. I think I got mine for like 8 bucks a piece 5 years ago or so. Fortunately I still have one, in ground and it's doing quite well. No trunk yet but it will get there; and then I will have the ability to get my own plants.

[Darold Petty]

I attended the 1984 IPS Biennial in NSW and Queensland.  We visited a large property in the suburbs of Sydney.  The host has a block of Howea forsteriana about 6-8 meters square.  He had planted myriad palms there, all the fallen fronds remained in place, and all the volunteer seedlings were allowed to struggle on their own.  He had just narrow pathways through this massive clump of palms.   

  I thought this was great, and I had the ambition to have a small area of my garden with a completely closed canopy of Howea foliage.  I now have nine Howea palms in an area about 3 by 8 meters, soon my ambition will be realized,  and I will be able to walk underneath this canopy !    

[Rivera]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

I see them on Ebay every now and then for cheap; but they've gone WAY up in price over the last few years. There's one on there now for starting bid 24 bucks; but then it's in FL so it will never make it into CA it would probably get swiped by USDA on the way in. I think I got mine for like 8 bucks a piece 5 years ago or so. Fortunately I still have one, in ground and it's doing quite well. No trunk yet but it will get there; and then I will have the ability to get my own plants.

Yeah, I try to get plants from SoCal and not FL if I go the mail order route. 

Nor Cal is kind of starved for Howea availability outside of the houseplant market ($!), considering they're such a common plant in So Cal. 

Limited market I guess with the dry heat and frosty winters inland. The coastal strand and the bays offer opportunity. The nurseries bring in many other tender subtropicals that can't take the valley climate. 

[happypalms]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

I attended the 1984 IPS Biennial in NSW and Queensland.  We visited a large property in the suburbs of Sydney.  The host has a block of Howea forsteriana about 6-8 meters square.  He had planted myriad palms there, all the fallen fronds remained in place, and all the volunteer seedlings were allowed to struggle on their own.  He had just narrow pathways through this massive clump of palms.   

  I thought this was great, and I had the ambition to have a small area of my garden with a completely closed canopy of Howea foliage.  I now have nine Howea palms in an area about 3 by 8 meters, soon my ambition will be realized,  and I will be able to walk underneath this canopy !    

I have done the same with a grove of about 20 planted all together a fantastic canopy for a understory garden they are a wonderful palm there quite common in my area I have seen them by the semi trailer load 10 metres plus with a crane to lift them off quite impressive to watch 

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, Patrick said:

I see them on Ebay every now and then for cheap; but they've gone WAY up in price over the last few years. There's one on there now for starting bid 24 bucks; but then it's in FL so it will never make it into CA it would probably get swiped by USDA on the way in. I think I got mine for like 8 bucks a piece 5 years ago or so. Fortunately I still have one, in ground and it's doing quite well. No trunk yet but it will get there; and then I will have the ability to get my own plants.

I’ve gotten several palms from FL this summer. No problems at all. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

1 hour ago, Rivera said:

Yeah, I try to get plants from SoCal and not FL if I go the mail order route. 

Nor Cal is kind of starved for Howea availability outside of the houseplant market ($!), considering they're such a common plant in So Cal. 

Limited market I guess with the dry heat and frosty winters inland. The coastal strand and the bays offer opportunity. The nurseries bring in many other tender subtropicals that can't take the valley climate. 

Last year I bought two huge 15 gallon Howea at Lowe’s for a client. They were outdoor ready too and just $99. They had two 24” boxed triples for $299. If Lowe’s has none in stock, they will often special order them. I’ve done that too. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

11 hours ago, happypalms said:

You better stake them palms to a truck we have a saying in Australia bloody wind it would blow 💨 a dog of a chain that’s some wind you have there and if I see a stray dog  I shall contact you 

We are actually pretty wind deprived here for the most part. Breezy weather comes with approaching winter storms but, being in a valley makes strong winds very rare. 

[Rivera]

6 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Last year I bought two huge 15 gallon Howea at Lowe’s for a client. They were outdoor ready too and just $99. They had two 24” boxed triples for $299. If Lowe’s has none in stock, they will often special order them. I’ve done that too. 

Good to know, thanks Jim!

[WaianaeCrider]

MY planting of 4 are doing well in my little almost desert.  They get watered 2 times a week at night for about 30 min.  3 small 180^ spray heads off 1/2" poly pipe.  First planted in Nov. of 2019. Second photo was April of 22.  Last photo  today.

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

MY planting of 4 are doing well in my little almost desert.  They get watered 2 times a week at night for about 30 min.  3 small 180^ spray heads off 1/2" poly pipe.  First planted in Nov. of 2019. Second photo was April of 22.  Last photo  today.

Love the tractor oh and the kentia 👍

[WaianaeCrider]

10 hours ago, happypalms said:

Love the tractor oh and the kentia 👍

When I bought the place the tractor was there in the bushes.  It's an International Harvester "hand crank" tractor.  My dad go it running in the 70's and we used it to get some of the land ready for home grown veggies.  It's long now dead, but I like it's look and touch up the paint now and then.

[Darold Petty]

   for the yard art tractor !

[Patrick]

23 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I’ve gotten several palms from FL this summer. No problems at all. 

Oh nice! Lucky you! I've had my stuff pulled a couple times now, it's a real bummer. First they send you a letter that says "we pulled your stuff and we are quarantining it to make sure it doesn't have bugs". The next letter two weeks later says, "Congratulations! Your stuff didn't have bugs. We incinerated your stuff. Have a nice day." 

Edited September 19, 2023 by Patrick

[happypalms]

2 minutes ago, Patrick said:

Oh nice! Lucky you! I've had my stuff pulled a couple times now, it's a real bummer. First they send you a letter that says "we pulled your stuff and we are quarantining it to make sure it doesn't have bugs". The next letter two weeks later says, "Congratulations! Your stuff didn't have bugs. We incinerated your stuff. Have a nice day." 

Nice of customs to do that I had a similar experience only to get a bill as well then one lot of a 1000 seeds got held up the letter mumbo jumbo then a stack of phone calls then seeds sent back to my supplier then resent only to have the waiting game again then only I got about 150 to germinate but the cruel part was it was Johannesteijsmannia seeds plus another bill 💸 

[Darold Petty]

I had palm seeds sent from New Zealand with an APHIS 587 permit.

They were intercepted and destroyed by the USDA because the sender wrote my name adjacent to the green and yellow official label, and also because there was no bill of sale included in this free, gift shipment.   Two violations that have nothing to do with disease pathogens or harmful insects.

[WaianaeCrider]

3 hours ago, Patrick said:

Oh nice! Lucky you! I've had my stuff pulled a couple times now, it's a real bummer. First they send you a letter that says "we pulled your stuff and we are quarantining it to make sure it doesn't have bugs". The next letter two weeks later says, "Congratulations! Your stuff didn't have bugs. We incinerated your stuff. Have a nice day." 

probably related to the same guy that confiscated the box of cigars my friend tried to mail to me here in the islands.