Texas Palms

[Robert Cade Ross]

Quite the massacre in this yard
Pearland Tx 

[Robert Cade Ross]

2022 survivor and present Ribbon palm 

Alvin Tx z9b

[Robert Cade Ross]

Alvin palm tree farm groundwork’s today 

I noticed they were finally digging and cleaning some of the larger palms for sale today and loading onto trailers to plant across the area  

[ChrisA]

The one I remember seeing was in a Texas sized bucket that must’ve been 5’ across. The palm would’ve been overhead.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Houston majesty palm recovering 

potential 2021 survivor lol 

[MarcusH]

More Robusta.  This one keeps coming back like weeds from the freezes we got in the last few years.  I can see the trunk getting really fat now.  I put my work shoes ( size 9) in front of the trunk for comparison.  One photo shows my Filifera that I grew from seed. It's already getting "big" . In 5 years or so they will both look big in our yard. I have 4 more Filiferas in the backyard,  all still young though.  Our Butia is growing well too . 

[Robert Cade Ross]

11 minutes ago, MarcusH said:

More Robusta.  This one keeps coming back like weeds from the freezes we got in the last few years.  I can see the trunk getting really fat now.  I put my work shoes ( size 9) in front of the trunk for comparison.  One photo shows my Filifera that I grew from seed. It's already getting "big" . In 5 years or so they will both look big in our yard. I have 4 more Filiferas in the backyard,  all still young though.  Our Butia is growing well too . 

You need a Jubaea X pindo 😉

[Chester B]

2 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

You need a Jubaea X pindo 😉

Maybe, but I think Sabal mexicana or uresana would be👌

[Robert Cade Ross]

Every time I drive to Kemah I’ve crossed what appears to be the largest W robsuta in the Houston area unfortunately it’s locked behind a gated community I need a drone it appears 😹🤫

[Ben G.]

I thought I would post a few pictures of some nearby palms I like. These are all right off FM 1103 in Cibolo.

First is a neighborhood with three washingtonias at the entrance. I think they are pretty impressive for being as tall, think-trunked, and healthy as they are. I have seen a lot of similar washies in the area that were struggling after last winter (while thicker ones fared better), but these looked good by the time I moved here on May 1st.

All three with a car for scale:

Right side:

Left side:

[Ben G.]

There is also a vacant lot not far from those washingtonias that has a couple of "wild" CIDP growing there:

The City of Cibolo has grown really quickly over the last couple of decades, so I wonder if there used to be a farmhouse on this spot? Seems weird to have two large CIDP naturalized in this spot, when I don't see them naturalizing anywhere else nearby.

When I first visited San Antonio back in 2014 I remember seeing some CIDP naturalized in the ditches and medians around the highways closer to central San Antonio. There have been a lot of hard freezes since then though. I feel like the only naturalized palms I see around the highways now are sabals and washingtonians.

I would love for someone on the forum to prove me wrong though. 🙂

[amh]

4 hours ago, Ben G. said:

The City of Cibolo has grown really quickly over the last couple of decades, so I wonder if there used to be a farmhouse on this spot? Seems weird to have two large CIDP naturalized in this spot, when I don't see them naturalizing anywhere else nearby.

When I first visited San Antonio back in 2014 I remember seeing some CIDP naturalized in the ditches and medians around the highways closer to central San Antonio. There have been a lot of hard freezes since then though. I feel like the only naturalized palms I see around the highways now are sabals and washingtonians.

I would love for someone on the forum to prove me wrong though. 🙂

It is hard to tell where those CIDPs came from, unless you can find a rare Cibolo native who would know what had been located in that vacant lot. There could have been a business, church or homestead at the location in the past(check out bexarcad). I have seen date palms pop up in weird areas and as I mentioned in the past, there were a bunch of unidentified phoenix palms growing on a vacant, forested property off of Poss road in Leon Valley, just east of the little league fields. The palms had been there for years until they died in the winter of 2008-09. I could be wrong on the date, because I haven't been to the area since 2010.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Time to zone push these majesty palms 

spring of 2025  they go into the ground at my new house - Manvel Tx z9b 

[MarcusH]

Another nice shot of group planting.  Sabals and Washies near downtown SA.

[thyerr01]

@Robert Cade Ross Those are some impressive sized R. rivularis. I definitely think that is the way to go with these - get the absolute largest you can find. I'm keeping an eye out for some good discounts on these as we get to towards winter.

[Chester B]

9 minutes ago, thyerr01 said:

@Robert Cade Ross Those are some impressive sized R. rivularis. I definitely think that is the way to go with these - get the absolute largest you can find. I'm keeping an eye out for some good discounts on these as we get to towards winter.

I saw huge ones the size of the biggest in the photos on clearance at Lowe’s in Texas City but it was about 3 weeks ago.  I was tempted. 

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

I saw huge ones the size of the biggest in the photos on clearance at Lowe’s in Texas City but it was about 3 weeks ago.  I was tempted. 

They are hardy to about 20°F . Against a house with Christmas lights and a tarp they will live as long as you are willing to protect them . 

[Meangreen94z]

14 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Time to zone push these majesty palms 

spring of 2025  they go into the ground at my new house - Manvel Tx z9b 

I owned a house in Lakeland from 2015 to 2018. The garages are nice for just about everything including protecting large plants 

[Robert Cade Ross]

1 hour ago, Meangreen94z said:

I owned a house in Lakeland from 2015 to 2018. The garages are nice for just about everything including protecting large plants 

The upstairs area is huge could overwinter some large plants inside haha 

[Robert Cade Ross]

3 hours ago, thyerr01 said:

@Robert Cade Ross Those are some impressive sized R. rivularis. I definitely think that is the way to go with these - get the absolute largest you can find. I'm keeping an eye out for some good discounts on these as we get to towards winter.

Thanks ! Got them at Jimbo’s Nursery in Sante Fe close to Galveston for reference. 
$45 each they have some in 30 gallon pots they are basically the same size as the larger one I got but they wanted $90 lol .

[amh]

Can majesty palms grow in coastal areas?

[Robert Cade Ross]

2 hours ago, amh said:

Can majesty palms grow in coastal areas?

I don’t think they like the sea spray - strong sea breeze . I’m about 48 miles inland 😹😹😹so can’t really register that 

[jwitt]

3 hours ago, amh said:

Can majesty palms grow in coastal areas?

In Hawaii, yes.

[amh]

1 hour ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

I don’t think they like the sea spray - strong sea breeze . I’m about 48 miles inland 😹😹😹so can’t really register that 

 

39 minutes ago, jwitt said:

In Hawaii, yes.

Would about 1/5 mile from the water be safe?

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, amh said:

 

Would about 1/5 mile from the water be safe?

I've seen them growing in Galveston and South Padre, but not directly on the dunes of course 

[amh]

Just now, Xenon said:

I've seen them growing in Galveston and South Padre, but not directly on the dunes of course 

Good to know,  I was curious about Port Aransas.

[Meangreen94z]

John Fairey Garden. Phoenix canariensis, Butia, Sabal uresana, Sabal causiarum, Nannorrhops ritchiana, Serenoa repens , rhapidophyllum hystrix, Brahea moorei, Brahea dulcis, Brahea berlandieri(now merged with dulcis), Brahea ‘bella’(now merged with dulcis), Dioon edule, Cycas panzihihuaensis , Yucca rostrata, Nolina nelsonii

[_nevi]

On 9/4/2024 at 5:37 PM, Xenon said:

I'm so tired of living in the shadow of 2021. Bizzies are hardy here for the most part. Even my cold western suburb had several Bizzies dating back to the mid 2000s until that wretched freeze. Anyhow, it's time to move on and look forward 😜 

What can be done to escape the shadow?

[Robert Cade Ross]

On 9/16/2024 at 7:25 PM, _nevi said:

What can be done to escape the shadow?

Plant more palms 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

[Xerarch]

On 9/15/2024 at 9:25 PM, amh said:

Good to know,  I was curious about Port Aransas.

There were some reasonably big ones in Corpus pre '21, I have one in the back yard and I live a block away from a salt water bay, not the same as a block from the gulf but I'm sure they would be fine in many parts of Port A that aren't on the immediate coast, as far as salt goes

[Xerarch]

On 9/4/2024 at 5:37 PM, Xenon said:

I'm so tired of living in the shadow of 2021. 

I was just thinking about this today, I actually hate that I get excited about finding new large queens or bizzies that are '21 survivors that I hadn't noticed before.  As if queen is the new zone push, it's so lame.  Also it doesn't help that none of the winters post '21 have been very good.  My ultimate low for calendar year '23 was 36 degrees in my yard, but that hardly helps when plants don't care about calendar year, only winter, which spans years.

[amh]

On 9/4/2024 at 5:37 PM, Xenon said:

I'm so tired of living in the shadow of 2021. Bizzies are hardy here for the most part. Even my cold western suburb had several Bizzies dating back to the mid 2000s until that wretched freeze. Anyhow, it's time to move on and look forward 😜 

While it has caused great adversity to us palm and tropical plant growers, 2021 and the subsequent years have become very educational for our understanding of the cold hardiness of plants.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Alvin /Manvel Tx z9b 

[Robert Cade Ross]

Galveston this morning. Another Bismarck survivor but it’s dying trunk was bleeding 🥲.

 

our avocado tree is getting huge on the island! Sadly no fruit 😐

[ChrisA]

 

About an hour ago here in SA!

 

[MarcusH]

Was at a customers house today. Found another palm enthusiast in San Antonio .

[Robert Cade Ross]

18° survivors 

Dickinson - south of Houston 

[Dwarf Fan]

On 9/15/2024 at 9:25 PM, amh said:

Good to know,  I was curious about Port Aransas.

There is a house with that has 2 Majestys growing for a few years less than a mile (0.9) from Corpus Christi bay.

They don’t look like the salt air is affecting them.

I spoke with owner he covers them up during freezes.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Galveston yesterday, discovered an additional Bismarck 2021 survivor! 

[Robert Cade Ross]

2022- present queens in Friendswood today already have full crowns !