Progress rebuilding our 0.61 ac Palm Paradise after Hurricane Ian

[PalmatierMeg]

Back in late 2022 Hurricane Ian tore all our gardens apart. We lost dozens and dozens of palms and tropical trees and continue to lose others almost two years later. Members of PT generously donated replacement palms for which I will be eternally grateful. We lost 80%+ of our shade canopy - it's returning, but slowly. Early in 2023, my husband's lymphoma returned but this time did not respond to chemo. He became very sick and we were unable lay mulch, fertilize or plant. Our usual rainy season was replaced by record heat and drought. By midsummer he was accepted into Moffitt Cancer Center for CART treatment using his own engineered cells. We spent most of last fall living in Airbnbs while he was hospitalized for weeks.When we finally moved home I was his sole caretaker for the following 6 months. The winter was wet, sunless and chilly and I couldn't work in the yard until April.

But starting a few weeks ago we were well enough to contemplate whether we could tackle yard work again. We bought multiple pallets of mulch and paid several people to spread it. We also bought about a dozen bags of time release fertilizer and managed to spread it before the mulch. I have also been repotting Aspidistras and investigating potted philodendrons. It's still something of a struggle finding shady areas to place them. We have palm seedlings we germinated as replacements for the many dead/dying palms. But the weather has turned hot and dry so we don't dare plant anything outside the irrigation zone for fear it will be burned to a crisp by sun and lack of rain. Planting will have to wait until at least mid-June.

As I have posted few, perhaps no, yard photos for the past year +, yesterday I snapped some shots of our back yard jungle and part of the Garden Lot.

First up: A few background photos

Back Yard Jungle from the East

Back Yard Jungle & Rhapis laosensis looking east

Cocos nucifera looking SE in Back Yard Jungle

Back Yard Jungle looking east

Jungle Palms

Areca catechu Semi-Dwarf

Hydriastele beguinii 'Obi Island'

Howea belmoreana

Attalea butyracea 'Mutant Leaf'

Howea forsteriana

Ravenea julietiae

Golden Adonidia merrillii

Chambeyronia houailou

Carpoxylon macrospermum

Syagrus schizophylla

Licuala rumphii

i

Large Cocos nucifera in Back Yard Jungle

 

More photos tomorrow. Enjoy

 

 

 

[D. Morrowii]

Looking really beautiful over there @PalmatierMeg! Keep sharing those photos. 
Glad to hear your husband ifs feeling better too. 

[bubba]

What a stunning garden! Thank you.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

@PalmatierMeg Wow still a garden that makes us Southern folk jealous. Would love to see updates pics of your World famous Sabal row ! Also your Carpoxylon looks worthy of a Hawaiin garden and a place on my bucket list.

T J 

[Merlyn]

@PalmatierMeg the garden looks great!  I especially like the mutant Butyracea, you need to distribute seeds from that one!    It looks a lot like my "whole leaf" Elaeis Guineensis, also with the funky non-pinnate leaves. 

[SeanK]

Yard looks like it's shaping up. I hope your hubby is feeling better these days.

[Harry’s Palms]

Some beautiful palms and garden. It’s hard to believe that there was a major hurricane that annihilated that area not too long ago. The rebirth is amazing , especially with what you have been dealing with . Best wishes for continued momentum on both fronts. Harry

[palmfriend]

It is really nice to see your garden recovering! Of course it is a lot of work but definitely worth it!👍

All the best to you and your husband -

 

Lars

 

[sonoranfans]

Looking beautiful Meg, amazing progress!  May the rains fall consistently on your palms this summer!

[PalmatierMeg]

14 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

@PalmatierMeg Wow still a garden that makes us Southern folk jealous. Would love to see updates pics of your World famous Sabal row ! Also your Carpoxylon looks worthy of a Hawaiin garden and a place on my bucket list.

T J 

Sabal Row is on borrowed time so I should update its photos for posterity. I planted all those Sabals circa 2009 to eventually block the abandoned house two lots away. Although that house was eventually sold and occupied Sabal Row is doing its job with the added bonus of blocking major hurricane winds and saving our house many $1.000s of damage.

Unfortunately, Sabal Row is not located on our property and the site is seawalled and staked for development so it’s just a matter of time.

[PalmatierMeg]

34 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

Looking beautiful Meg, amazing progress!  May the rains fall consistently on your palms this summer!

And on yours. Last summer was a disaster for western FL.

[quaman58]

Meg, it has always been such a pleasure to see pictures of your garden and hear your obvious passion for it. The things that you can get to grow, there are all but impossible for us out here on the West Coast. Your perseverance in rebuilding is amazing as well, and it again looks beautiful. I’m so glad to hear that your husband is feeling better and that you guys were able to do things together to enjoy life again. All the best..

[PalmatierMeg]

1 hour ago, quaman58 said:

Meg, it has always been such a pleasure to see pictures of your garden and hear your obvious passion for it. The things that you can get to grow, there are all but impossible for us out here on the West Coast. Your perseverance in rebuilding is amazing as well, and it again looks beautiful. I’m so glad to hear that your husband is feeling better and that you guys were able to do things together to enjoy life again. All the best..

Thanks. May I say you can grow palms I have no hope for in my wildest dreams? What goes around....

[PalmatierMeg]

Thank you all for the many kind words. I will continue with photos of plants in 1/3 of the eastern part of our 3-lot Garden Lot (125' x 125'). The Back Yard Jungle takes up about the southern 1/3 of our original 2-lot home site (85' x 125'), which is 8% larger than a typical 2-lot building site. So, by Cape Coral standards we have a huge residential combined lot. Not included at this time are the Caribbean Garden, East Side, West Side, 2/3 of Garden Lot and Sabal Row (not on our property). We have very few large palms remaining on our Garden Lot while we wait for smaller replacements to grow upward as Hurricane Ian's eyewall blasted over Pine Island, then us with wind gusts of 179 mph (no calm eye to relieve the carnage). So, in my mind and while some people continue to argue at me with their cherrypicked opinions, we went through a cat 5 hurricane - end of story. You had to be here to understand. I was told by a PI PTer that the north end of PI experienced wind gusts of 225 mph. I take personal experience over stats anytime. And, remember Hurricane Andrew (1992) languished at cat 4 for years before someone cared enough to raise it to cat 5. Helps that Andrew slammed SEFL before rocketing across the State into the Gulf - SWFL is the red-headed stepchild of FL and is used to being overlooked. 

First, a few general photos. None of the adult palms have set seeds for the past 2 years

Garden Lot looking NW: Sabal minor Emerald Isle Giant R); Allagoptera arenaria & brevicaulis L); unknown small Acacia tree w/yellow flowers (I think) center; Roystonea regia; Dioon edulis; Syagrus sp/hyb

Garden Lot Center looking SW: Cocos nucifera Panama Tall, multiple Coccothrinax spp/hybrids

Garden Lot Center facing north: Delonix regia, center (this tree fractures into pieces during major hurricanes but my husband insists on growing it back - be forewarned); Livistona saribus & muellerii L); Unknown Coccothrinax, lower right; Adenium obesum (desert rose) lower center

Livistona muelleri: grown from seed sent to me from Italy ca. 2009. Very slow growing

Livistona saribus green & Livistona muelleri, lower right

Areca catechu Dwarf: took a hit from Ian but appears to have recovered 1-1/2 years later. I've planted juvenile palms I hope will grow up to provide some canopy

Sabal causiarum has tripled in size since Nov. 2022

Attalea phalerata - the only surviving Attalea from Ian. Do not plant near the house if you get major hurricanes.

Cocos nucifera Dwarf Red Spicata Twins germinated 2015 L); Roystonea violacea juvenile R)

Coccothrinax unk sp/hyb x2

Cocos nucifera Dwarf Red Spicata Solitary, germinated 2016

Sabal palmetto 'Mocksville' NC. Mother palm famed for surviving record low temps F in the 1980s. Not yet trunking but sending up its first flower spathe(s). Well worth looking into

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens 'Fused Leaf' Thailand

 

Blue Copernicia baileyana? gigas? You decide. Cuban seed collected in habitat, 2014

Ravenea rivularis R); Livistona decora L)

Latania loddigesii (Blue Latan) and 2) Latania lontaroides (Red Latan). One is male the other is female but as they aren't flowering I can't recall which is which. And no, they have not hybridized even though they are side by side, so no seeds.

[Leelanau Palms]

What magnificent palms. I'm smiling as I type this. Thanks for sharing!

[ahosey01]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Thank you all for the many kind words. I will continue with photos of plants in 1/3 of the eastern part of our 3-lot Garden Lot (125' x 125'). The Back Yard Jungle takes up about the southern 1/3 of our original 2-lot home site (85' x 125'), which is 8% larger than a typical 2-lot building site. So, by Cape Coral standards we have a huge residential combined lot. Not included at this time are the Caribbean Garden, East Side, West Side, 2/3 of Garden Lot and Sabal Row (not on our property). We have very few large palms remaining on our Garden Lot while we wait for smaller replacements to grow upward as Hurricane Ian's eyewall blasted over Pine Island, then us with wind gusts of 179 mph (no calm eye to relieve the carnage). So, in my mind and while some people continue to argue at me with their cherrypicked opinions, we went through a cat 5 hurricane - end of story. You had to be here to understand. I was told by a PI PTer that the north end of PI experienced wind gusts of 225 mph. I take personal experience over stats anytime. And, remember Hurricane Andrew (1992) languished at cat 4 for years before someone cared enough to raise it to cat 5. Helps that Andrew slammed SEFL before rocketing across the State into the Gulf - SWFL is the red-headed stepchild of FL and is used to being overlooked. 

First, a few general photos. None of the adult palms have set seeds for the past 2 years

Garden Lot looking NW: Sabal minor Emerald Isle Giant R); Allagoptera arenaria & brevicaulis L); unknown small Acacia tree w/yellow flowers (I think) center; Roystonea regia; Dioon edulis; Syagrus sp/hyb

Garden Lot Center looking SW: Cocos nucifera Panama Tall, multiple Coccothrinax spp/hybrids

Garden Lot Center facing north: Delonix regia, center (this tree fractures into pieces during major hurricanes but my husband insists on growing it back - be forewarned); Livistona saribus & muellerii L); Unknown Coccothrinax, lower right; Adenium obesum (desert rose) lower center

Livistona muelleri: grown from seed sent to me from Italy ca. 2009. Very slow growing

Livistona saribus green & Livistona muelleri, lower right

Areca catechu Dwarf: took a hit from Ian but appears to have recovered 1-1/2 years later. I've planted juvenile palms I hope will grow up to provide some canopy

Sabal causiarum has tripled in size since Nov. 2022

Attalea phalerata - the only surviving Attalea from Ian. Do not plant near the house if you get major hurricanes.

Cocos nucifera Dwarf Red Spicata Twins germinated 2015 L); Roystonea violacea juvenile R)

Coccothrinax unk sp/hyb x2

Cocos nucifera Dwarf Red Spicata Solitary, germinated 2016

Sabal palmetto 'Mocksville' NC. Mother palm famed for surviving record low temps F in the 1980s. Not yet trunking but sending up its first flower spathe(s). Well worth looking into

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens 'Fused Leaf' Thailand

 

Blue Copernicia baileyana? gigas? You decide. Cuban seed collected in habitat, 2014

Ravenea rivularis R); Livistona decora L)

Latania loddigesii (Blue Latan) and 2) Latania lontaroides (Red Latan). One is male the other is female but as they aren't flowering I can't recall which is which. And no, they have not hybridized even though they are side by side, so no seeds.

That Ravenea really surprises me.  I would think they wouldn't like your sun or your soil.

[PalmatierMeg]

24 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

That Ravenea really surprises me.  I would think they wouldn't like your sun or your soil.

FL sun doesn't faze it (it's been in the ground 30+ years. Our soil is alkaline dreck but it doesn't seem to care much but it loves a/c runoff. Hurricane Ian never budged it off vertical, just tattered the fronds. Its shorter companion (no a/c runoff) also took on Ian with few effects. This species is a winner against major hurricanes.

[Harry’s Palms]

I believe that is the tallest Ravenna Rivularis I’ve seen . The one I have is 25 years old and not near that tall. I can understand why they would survive a lot of wind given the girth of the trunk at the base. Your palms look very nice , thank you for sharing. Harry

[happypalms]

Omg what a disaster for you to loose your palm and have your garden ripped to pieces iam fortunate enough to not get cyclone’s in my area just cold weather that stops me getting the ultra tropical plants I have not seen pictures of your palms or garden before its amazing some nice advanced palms you have and some rare ones as well totally beautiful I understand what it takes to grow palms well and you very have done that well done ps I love the cat in the picture