Big box stores -2024

[ChicagoPalma]

On 4/14/2024 at 8:36 PM, redbeard917 said:

That's exactly what Harry's Palms was talking about way upthread, greenhouse grown and stretched out. I remember when 3 gallon Butias were a staple of the big box store, for under $20. I planted one at the family commercial property and my dad ran it over with the riding mower, but it somehow lived and put up some new growth, and then my brother started hitting it with the riding mower until it died. All along the northern Gulf Coast they sell Foxtails, I can't imagine why. People buy them and they die even in the best winter. But the store has a return policy, so savvy shoppers will make use of it. Seems like a giant waste of time and resources.

We got a store like that up north, thats one of the places I bought my smaller potted windmill. They are not a big box store but are just a greenhouse version of one. Thanks to some research, they used to sell a lot of windmills and needles a couple years back but to popular demand they were removed and they started bringing in over-stretched greengouse grown tropical palms and mark them up 20 percent and calling them freeze hardy. Boy oh boy were they overpriced. There was a 6ft florida thatch palm with the most streched out petioles I've ever seen for 200 bucks when I went there this year and it was considered by the store freeze hardy. Of course someone bought it and it died during the winter but the store does have a 30 day return policy which I think is just stupid. I found some small lady palms for $150 there and I think a triple trunk L. Chinesis that was at a good size for about $200. They also bring in the large stretchted out majesties that die every year once brought inside by the hundreds and make good money off of it by calling them faster growing than other stores and of course marking it up 20 percent. You can get the same thing at HD that are not that stretched out for $60 bucks instead of buying it there for $72. Enough of my yapping for now but even up north we have a similar problem and most of these stores up north are a massive scam.

[HiltonHead2004]

14 hours ago, Robbertico18 said:

Bottles and spindles survive in HHI?

I had a Spindle that made it two winters but that's about it. 

[Leelanau Palms]

4 hours ago, ChicagoPalma said:

We got a store like that up north, thats one of the places I bought my smaller potted windmill. They are not a big box store but are just a greenhouse version of one. Thanks to some research, they used to sell a lot of windmills and needles a couple years back but to popular demand they were removed and they started bringing in over-stretched greengouse grown tropical palms and mark them up 20 percent and calling them freeze hardy. Boy oh boy were they overpriced. There was a 6ft florida thatch palm with the most streched out petioles I've ever seen for 200 bucks when I went there this year and it was considered by the store freeze hardy. Of course someone bought it and it died during the winter but the store does have a 30 day return policy which I think is just stupid. I found some small lady palms for $150 there and I think a triple trunk L. Chinesis that was at a good size for about $200. They also bring in the large stretchted out majesties that die every year once brought inside by the hundreds and make good money off of it by calling them faster growing than other stores and of course marking it up 20 percent. You can get the same thing at HD that are not that stretched out for $60 bucks instead of buying it there for $72. Enough of my yapping for now but even up north we have a similar problem and most of these stores up north are a massive scam.

Committing palmicide on such a scale! 😢 

[ChicagoPalma]

2 hours ago, Leelanau Palms said:

Committing palmicide on such a scale! 😢 

Might as well plant 500 lemon trees and let them die.

[Xenon]

Queen jungle at Costco@@@ (99 and i10) c'mon Houston make queens a common weed again 

And the price is right! 

 

[DTS]

Stuff I saw close to my house

[Chester B]

Atascocita Lowes has a bunch of large palms and other exotics on clearance today. Lots of Bizzies, foxtails, queens and Butias. They even have one of the large Encephalartos on sale. Finally got my Butia, 14 gallon for $80. 

[Gville Palms]

I have been seeing so many discounted nice palms lately. These 6 foot Washingtonias at Lowe’s were discounted to 50 dollars. There is a Pygmy date behind them on the left with ~4 foot trunks for 40. There was also a 7 or 8 foot, triple trunked Chinese fan palm for 60. I almost bought it but it was too large to fit in my car (should have taken a picture). I guess it is a good time to buy palm trees! 

[ChicagoPalma]

On 4/29/2024 at 3:12 PM, Xenon said:

Queen jungle at Costco@@@ (99 and i10) c'mon Houston make queens a common weed again 

And the price is right! 

 

 

13 hours ago, Gville Palms said:

I have been seeing so many discounted nice palms lately. These 6 foot Washingtonias at Lowe’s were discounted to 50 dollars. There is a Pygmy date behind them on the left with ~4 foot trunks for 40. There was also a 7 or 8 foot, triple trunked Chinese fan palm for 60. I almost bought it but it was too large to fit in my car (should have taken a picture). I guess it is a good time to buy palm trees! 

I need some of both up here! No washingtonias here and queen palms that size are around 80 dollars here.

[Leelanau Palms]

...and from the Lowes up here in the frozen tundra of northern Michigan we have the Majesty, Sago, and Phoenix (all $25-30):

 

[Colin1110082]

Not a big box store, but my local nursery had this cool thing. I also bought a musa Basjoo today for 40 dollars and some elephant ears. The Basjoo has a pup coming up. I’m not sure what palm that is, but it was 300 dollars 😳 

[Fusca]

42 minutes ago, Colin1110082 said:

Not a big box store, but my local nursery had this cool thing. I also bought a musa Basjoo today for 40 dollars and some elephant ears. The Basjoo has a pup coming up. I’m not sure what palm that is, but it was 300 dollars 😳 

Looks like Licuala grandis.  

[Ben G.]

I picked up a box store butia last night. I want a large one pretty bad, but they seem to be hit or miss in the San Antonio area. So I bought a cheap one to see how it does in my yard.

Maybe I will pay for a big one in a year or two, if this one grows well.

I chose this one because it was much more green than the others in stock. It also had less recurve to its fronds. I don't know if either of those traits are permanent, or if they are just symptoms of greenhouse growing conditions.

 

[Ben G.]

On 5/8/2024 at 11:36 AM, Chester B said:

 

You got a pretty good deal. Butias of that size are selling for $150 at box stores around here.

[Chester B]

21 minutes ago, Ben G. said:

You got a pretty good deal. Butias of that size are selling for $150 at box stores around here.

It was $160 on clearance at 50% off.  Finally planted it today, and I'm glad I was patient and got a decent sized one.

[Leelanau Palms]

10 hours ago, Chester B said:

It was $160 on clearance at 50% off.  Finally planted it today, and I'm glad I was patient and got a decent sized one.

Can you please share a picture?

[Chester B]

its 6-7 feet away from the fence but looks closer in the photos. It will brush the fence once it bulks, I’m planning for 14’ diameter. 
The fence is 7 feet tall for reference. 

[Leelanau Palms]

The yard is coming along beautifully 

[redbeard917]

This jumped out at me. The Villages, FL Lowes. Arikury palm, Syagrus schizophylla. $84.98. 6.5 gallon pot.

[Keys6505]

On 6/22/2024 at 7:58 PM, redbeard917 said:

This jumped out at me. The Villages, FL Lowes. Arikury palm, Syagrus schizophylla. $84.98. 6.5 gallon pot.

I was in that store last week too while down there visiting my parents.  I typically check out different big box stores early in the morning while the rest of my family is still in zombie/pre-caffeinated state.  I was in several Lowe's between the villages and just south of Orlando.  I saw a few Lantana which I've seen down there before but this was the first year I saw these Schizophylla and Licuala Grandis which were the same size but I believe maybe $20ish more.  I also saw these 13gal Mules which I've never seen for sale in this size at a big box in TX.

[Robbertico18]

I don’t think I’d be able to pass up on that deal for a mule 

 

around here they are smaller sized and cost around 250~300

[Nomad NYC]

Here in the New York City area for palms, in the "Big Box" stores the pickings are pretty slim ( unless you love majesty palms ).

One would have to leave the city limits to find more variety - In my case, that meant going over the border to Valley Stream, Nassau county,  to The Home Depot there. Usually during summer time , that store had more palms species on sale.

On one my recent trip there, I was actually shocked to see that  there were some Phoenix roebelenii in stock :

  

( I was even more shocked when I saw the price tag  )

 

   

They did have some small ones, but even their $69.54 dollar price was a little bit too steep ( even for me ).

 

There were two Livistona chinensis nearby as well ( I already have one seed grown one already, but was tempted to get it, since it so rare to see on being sold here ).

I guess these palms are better sellers outside the city,  where there are more people that have the disposable cash and can afford to pay these prices,  I guess (  and to illustrate that point, I returned to the store a week later, and all the Phoenix roebelenii and the two Livistona chinensis were gone  ).

[Colin1110082]

I forgot about this thread but I recently went to a Lowe’s outside Hartford CT they had Christmas majesty dwarf date buccaneer and bottle palms. They had bananas there too

[D Palm]

Local Walmart in N. Florida. I did end up purchasing this clearanced queen.

[SeanK]

On 7/13/2024 at 7:28 PM, Colin1110082 said:

I forgot about this thread but I recently went to a Lowe’s outside Hartford CT they had Christmas majesty dwarf date buccaneer and bottle palms. They had bananas there too

Hmm, go figure. Buccaneer palms at a Hartford Lowes.

[SeanK]

On 6/22/2024 at 8:58 PM, redbeard917 said:

This jumped out at me. The Villages, FL Lowes. Arikury palm, Syagrus schizophylla. $84.98. 6.5 gallon pot.

I imagine The Villages has an HOA and strict rules on what to plant.

[ThePalmGuy101]

I live in Virginia in Hampton Roads, and this years selection here was one of the worst I’ve seen all together. Home Depot was pretty good, they had Queens, Foxtails, Bottles, Spindles, Bismarckias, Chinese Fan Palms, and the usual Cat/Robellini/Majesty. But lowes, they got majesty’s and spindles in 3 gallon, so very random🤣🤣🤣. Ugh, I was hoping for a good season, hoping 2025 is better 

[Fusca]

It never ceases to amaze me how/why the big box stores can have Pseudophoenix sargentii (buccaneer) and Hyophorbe verschaffeltii (spindle) shipped to sell in Connecticut and Virginia but not to deep south Texas where they have a shot at life.  😞  And you can't make a special order to get them either.

[Colin1110082]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

It never ceases to amaze me how/why the big box stores can have Pseudophoenix sargentii (buccaneer) and Hyophorbe verschaffeltii (spindle) shipped to sell in Connecticut and Virginia but not to deep south Texas where they have a shot at life.  😞  And you can't make a special order to get them either.

Yes I wish I got a picture but it we went to a Lowe’s outside of Hartford and I always look in the nursery section. They had small adonidia a few single but mostly double or triple and lots of your usual majesty’s and Pygmy dates, they had a lot of buccaneer and a few bottles. I ended up settling with a Pygmy date. I was originally going to go adonidia but we needed something for our back deck as an “annual” potted plant. Next year I’ll go adonidia. Lots of them had burn marks on them. We have family down there so we go quite often. They had dwarf cavendish banana as well. The robelini were the best looking thing, everything had burn marks or yellowing. The bottles didn’t look great 

[SeanK]

15 hours ago, Colin1110082 said:

Yes I wish I got a picture but it we went to a Lowe’s outside of Hartford and I always look in the nursery section. They had small adonidia a few single but mostly double or triple and lots of your usual majesty’s and Pygmy dates, they had a lot of buccaneer and a few bottles. I ended up settling with a Pygmy date. I was originally going to go adonidia but we needed something for our back deck as an “annual” potted plant. Next year I’ll go adonidia. Lots of them had burn marks on them. We have family down there so we go quite often. They had dwarf cavendish banana as well. The robelini were the best looking thing, everything had burn marks or yellowing. The bottles didn’t look great 

Funny you mention Adonidia. I was in Miami in 2022 (west of I95) staying at an AirBnB. These were popping up in the yard under the parent. I kept thinking of folks paying $$ for them. It's like people buying palmettos when they're simultaneously growing out of the asphalt in SoFL.

[Colin1110082]

11 minutes ago, SeanK said:

Funny you mention Adonidia. I was in Miami in 2022 (west of I95) staying at an AirBnB. These were popping up in the yard under the parent. I kept thinking of folks paying $$ for them. It's like people buying palmettos when they're simultaneously growing out of the asphalt in SoFL.

We don’t have palms here obviously but that story is similar to a tree called the eastern white pine it’s everywhere here, all you see in the woods here are those pines and they are in everyone’s yard yet people pay money for them. Just in the woods up the street from my house there are probably hundreds of decent sized trees.

[SeanK]

16 minutes ago, Colin1110082 said:

We don’t have palms here obviously but that story is similar to a tree called the eastern white pine it’s everywhere here, all you see in the woods here are those pines and they are in everyone’s yard yet people pay money for them. Just in the woods up the street from my house there are probably hundreds of decent sized trees.

Those start growing in NC. If they're here in GA, someone planted 'em. We do see some Virginia pine here. Never see Pitch pine.

[Colin1110082]

4 hours ago, SeanK said:

Those start growing in NC. If they're here in GA, someone planted 'em. We do see some Virginia pine here. Never see Pitch pine.

My favorite conifer is balsam fir. I have a Fraser fir in my backyard. Balsams wild range ends in southern NH, about 50 miles north of me 

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:42 AM, Chester B said:

its 6-7 feet away from the fence but looks closer in the photos. It will brush the fence once it bulks, I’m planning for 14’ diameter. 
The fence is 7 feet tall for reference. 

A nice selection of palms and a great start on the new garden. That's some very green grass also. Mine's the typical PNW shade of "straw" color right now.

[Chester B]

Thanks.  I have a ton of other species in pots ready to go in the ground, but I need to develop more garden space first.

The only way to describe the grass here is "aggressive".  The hotter it gets the denser it gets and even though I have a high hp mower I have a hard time cutting it.  It's so dense it's like walking on a sponge.  I've removed some structures and was left with large areas of dirt.  If you give it a month or so it will all be grass.  No watering, no fertilizing, I literally do nothing other than cut it.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

Thanks.  I have a ton of other species in pots ready to go in the ground, but I need to develop more garden space first.

The only way to describe the grass here is "aggressive".  The hotter it gets the denser it gets and even though I have a high hp mower I have a hard time cutting it.  It's so dense it's like walking on a sponge.  I've removed some structures and was left with large areas of dirt.  If you give it a month or so it will all be grass.  No watering, no fertilizing, I literally do nothing other than cut it.

Interesting. As you're likely aware, the only things growing uninterrupted in my lawn are some weeds, especially catsear. Easy mowing.

[Fusca]

On 3/25/2024 at 5:15 PM, Chester B said:

@Xenon  Which Lowes is this - Katy?

Those Dioons will go on clearance I bet.  Nobody is going to want to pay that money for a "Sago Palm".😜

You were correct!    I picked up this 7-gal Dioon spinulosum today half price.  Unfortunately the 14-gal size were sold out but I'm betting that this guy won't take too long to catch up.  It's a little beat up but it does have a pup already.

 

[Chester B]

39 minutes ago, Fusca said:

You were correct!    I picked up this 7-gal Dioon spinulosum today half price.  Unfortunately the 14-gal size were sold out but I'm betting that this guy won't take too long to catch up.  It's a little beat up but it does have a pup already.

 

The big ones are on clearance at my place, but I am scared to roll the dice.

[Fusca]

12 minutes ago, Chester B said:

The big ones are on clearance at my place, but I am scared to roll the dice.

Yes, that's understandable.  I read where they're good down to around 23°F which shouldn't be a problem here but iffy there.

[Chester B]

24 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Yes, that's understandable.  I read where they're good down to around 23°F which shouldn't be a problem here but iffy there.

I've only been here one winter and we had four nights below freezing and two were below 23F.  Not a huge deal to protect, but I really want to limit the number of plants I'm worried about in a cold event.  I ended up spending my money on two Lowes Clearance trunking Yucca rostratas.