One of my favourite palms to grow

[happypalms]

An all time favourite the lytocarum weddlianum. A beautiful small palm that’s perfect for any garden pretty well much of any size. Very predictable in growth a great landscaping palm for a shady spot or dappled light, not the fastest growing palm but certainly worth the wait that’s for sure. The best part is there easy to grow and propagate, I will be planting more of them around the garden. 

[Cannonball]

I concur, I have a few of these, probably twenty years in the ground, mostly in fullish sun, they always look great.

[Than]

Stunning and quite cold tolerant they say... I wish I could find one!

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, Cannonball said:

I concur, I have a few of these, probably twenty years in the ground, mostly in fullish sun, they always look great.

You can’t beat them. They take a fair bit of sun hot afternoon sun they would dislike in summer.

[Mazat]

8 hours ago, happypalms said:

An all time favourite the lytocarum weddlianum. A beautiful small palm that’s perfect for any garden pretty well much of any size. Very predictable in growth a great landscaping palm for a shady spot or dappled light, not the fastest growing palm but certainly worth the wait that’s for sure. The best part is there easy to grow and propagate, I will be planting more of them around the garden. 

How much cold can it tolerate in your experience ? Beautiful🤗

[wimmie]

Cannot wait for them to germinate, Richard!

[gyuseppe]

I tried to grow it many times and it always died, maybe they don't like the Mediterranean summers

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, Mazat said:

How much cold can it tolerate in your experience ? Beautiful🤗

They are growing in Sydney botanical gardens. I would say at least temps down to 0 degrees Celsius. Frost is not there friend but for sure cool weather at least for a couple of months. Not sure if @tim_brissy_13 has them in Melbourne he’s more in the know of a long cool winter if they can take it. 

[happypalms]

59 minutes ago, wimmie said:

Cannot wait for them to germinate, Richard!

I hope they do for you the seeds were fresh so should be ok. 

[tim_brissy_13]

1 hour ago, happypalms said:

They are growing in Sydney botanical gardens. I would say at least temps down to 0 degrees Celsius. Frost is not there friend but for sure cool weather at least for a couple of months. Not sure if @tim_brissy_13 has them in Melbourne he’s more in the know of a long cool winter if they can take it. 

They love it down here. Mine is now mature, sent out its first flower spike last year so hopefully I’ll start getting viable seed soon. Pics from September last year. It’s definitely happy and growing quickly. 

[happypalms]

41 minutes ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

They love it down here. Mine is now mature, sent out its first flower spike last year so hopefully I’ll start getting viable seed soon. Pics from September last year. It’s definitely happy and growing quickly. 

Well there you go you heard it from the cold guru Tim, so it must be true they do take the cold climate. 

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, gyuseppe said:

I tried to grow it many times and it always died, maybe they don't like the Mediterranean summers

They take summers well. The temperature you get might be borderline for the sp, but definitely give them another go. 

[gyuseppe]

ok Richard

 

[Motlife]

I've seen a pretty big one (~2m) growing under canopy near me, so they must be pretty tolerant of cool damp winters. We have similar winters but much milder summers than Naples, but I would imagine in a humid shady spot with plenty of water theyd do well in Italy 

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, Motlife said:

I've seen a pretty big one (~2m) growing under canopy near me, so they must be pretty tolerant of cool damp winters. We have similar winters but much milder summers than Naples, but I would imagine in a humid shady spot with plenty of water theyd do well in Italy 

Iam not from Italy but from what I understand about the climate there sure to live in certain areas for sure. 2 meters plus that’s an old one. 

[Phoenikakias]

On 2/4/2025 at 9:10 PM, gyuseppe said:

I tried to grow it many times and it always died, maybe they don't like the Mediterranean summers

Fully agree! Besides they do not tolerate soil and water alkalinity. So a complete recipe of failure.

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Fully agree! Besides they do not tolerate soil and water alkalinity. So a complete recipe of failure.

What about growing in containers and using rainwater. 

[peachy]

Until recently I always said Lytocaryums were hardy and easy to grow but this summer my largest one (insignae) has started looking dreadful for no apparent reason. The other 2 varieties I have are doing fine but a lot smaller.

Peachy

[happypalms]

On 2/7/2025 at 9:50 PM, peachy said:

Until recently I always said Lytocaryums were hardy and easy to grow but this summer my largest one (insignae) has started looking dreadful for no apparent reason. The other 2 varieties I have are doing fine but a lot smaller.

Peachy

Not to sure on that one peachy field records of what you have been doing in the past 3 months would be of assistance. IE fertiliser, sprays, water, insect and soil but you know what you’re doing so only you would have some idea. @tim_brissy_13 is the  cold guru and I consider you the queen of palms. 
Richard 

[peachy]

My problem is forgetting all I have learnt over the years so I would hardly qualify as a queen. Women like Meg, Kim, Cindy and the late Pauline, left me for dead as far as palm knowledge went and always did. Yes Tim is very knowledgeable but one can't dismiss Tyrone,  or Troy and Jonathan down in Tassie either. All of them amaze me with their skills in growing palms under far from perfect conditions. I think most people learn to adapt their skills to their climate, soil type, water availability and the micro climates they can create.  Re my L insignae, it's been in the shade house a long time and we have had terrible heat and humidity this summer. They come from a high altitude dryer, colder climate than here so I am going to give it a tiny bit of sun and a cooler spot to see if that does any good.

Peachy

[happypalms]

1 hour ago, peachy said:

My problem is forgetting all I have learnt over the years so I would hardly qualify as a queen. Women like Meg, Kim, Cindy and the late Pauline, left me for dead as far as palm knowledge went and always did. Yes Tim is very knowledgeable but one can't dismiss Tyrone,  or Troy and Jonathan down in Tassie either. All of them amaze me with their skills in growing palms under far from perfect conditions. I think most people learn to adapt their skills to their climate, soil type, water availability and the micro climates they can create.  Re my L insignae, it's been in the shade house a long time and we have had terrible heat and humidity this summer. They come from a high altitude dryer, colder climate than here so I am going to give it a tiny bit of sun and a cooler spot to see if that does any good.

Peachy

We all learn something new everyday, those growers you mentioned have learnt to adapt their skills in such diverse climates. The stress put on grower who has worried about his plants dying in adverse conditions has created sort of a super grower, he or she has learnt ways to get around those adverse conditions through stress. Benefiting from those conditions in solving problems through adversity therefore one learns to adapt to those challenges making them a better grower having to think and solve certain problems. And the end result is better growers some are just better at than others, after all if you apply pressure to a pieces of coal you get diamonds no different than a stressed out grower of tropical palms in winter. I only have half a dozen insignae and there in tubes not in the ground so I have time to learn on those ones.

Richard