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Palms at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah, GA


JLeVert

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I went to a citrus meeting at the Coastal Gardens in Savannah on Saturday. The Gardens are about a mile from the Ogeechee River south of downtown and about the coldest place in Savannah. It was started as a USDA plant introduction station in the 1920's, but now is a cooperative effort of Chatham County and the University of Georgia.

Sabal domingensis (the big one) next to S. palmetto (the little guy)

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Liviston drudei (at least that is what the seed was purchased as when I bought it )

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Sabal 'Brazoria' (just starting to trunk up)

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Phoenix canariensis

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Left to right: Livistona nitida, L. saribus, L, chinensis, L. dicipiens

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Acrocomia totai (or whatever it goes by now), with two Trithrinax acanthocoma in the front

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Butia x Syagrus (one of several)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b295/jlevert/DSC_0255.jpg

Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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That Livistona nitida has been a pretty fast grower! It's put on a whole lot of trunk since I've last seen it. I'm always amazed that the Acrocomia is still alive there. It's gotten quite tall now also. Thanks for the pics!

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I'm surprised by the Acrocromia growing there! I would have figured that they would be less hardy than queen palms.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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I'm also surprised by that Acrocomia- it's enormous and this just shows how cold hardy they are.

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I don't think that all Acrocomias are created equal. This one came from plants in Gainesville, FL.

Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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Hmm interesting. Whats the lowest this Acrocomia has seen temperature wise?

* Just saw you replied in another thread that this area has seen a low of 13 degrees. Impressive for this particular Acrocomia.

Edited by smithgn
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That Acrocomia has defoliated several times. It just keeps on coming back. It blooms and bears seed as well. Here is the trunk. Not really a good climbing tree.

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Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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Joe,

Does the acrocomia defoliate every year? I have three from seed purchased from RPS in the yard all but the one planted in deep shade have defoliated every year for the past 4 years. They roar back in the spring and usually have a full head of leaves by the beginning of our cold weather.

The L. drudei is a surprise. I have never tried them in Gainesville but I always read that they were only hardy into the mid 20Fs, at best. Love the way this palm looks as a juvenile.

Jason

Gainesville, Florida

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I have read the same thing about L. drudei which leads me to believe that the seed was mislabeled. That Livistona in the picture has never had any significant damage. It is in a sort of wet spot in semi-shade with only pine trees close by. It has been largely neglected.

I don't live in Savannah, but I don't think that the Acrocomia defoliates every year. I need to ask a few people to make sure. The one in the picture is in full sun all day.

Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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Very cool closeup picture. That particular palm has always been a favorite of mine. Starting to wonder if I'll be able to grow that in my area... The bamboo farm doesn't by any chance have a policy against harvesting seeds from these beauties, do they? Lol starting to consider a drive down there...

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I have read the same thing about L. drudei which leads me to believe that the seed was mislabeled. That Livistona in the picture has never had any significant damage. It is in a sort of wet spot in semi-shade with only pine trees close by. It has been largely neglected.

I don't live in Savannah, but I don't think that the Acrocomia defoliates every year. I need to ask a few people to make sure. The one in the picture is in full sun all day.

I almost pulled the trigger awhile back on a really nice 25 g L. drudei at Rockledge Nursery near Melbourne FL awhile back. Talked to one of the older nursers there and he talked me out of buying it. They have a few big ones in the ground at the nursery and he said they get beat up really bad during frost events in the upper 20Fs and has had them more or less defoliated in the couple of events that went into the mid 20Fs.

Was the seed from a home owner? Might be a hybrid.

Have only seen a few adult plants and they look very similar to L. decora, IMHO. The young plants that I have seen look different than young decoras, with the drudei having a less divided and less droopy leaf as a juvenile.

Jason

Gainesville, Florida

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Seed came from Inge Hoffman in California. It was the only Livistona I grew at the time, but after several winters, I really doubted whether it was actually L. drudei. It's a nice palm nevertheless.

Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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  • 1 month later...

L. Drudei is so tropical in situ that it's hard to imagine it having much cold hardiness. Mine in Jacksonville burns with the first frost, just like banana. But it fully recovers in just a few months. That plant in savannah looks just like the one I got from Rockledge some years ago. I just figured it's planting site below those pines gave it the advantage. Mine is very exposed. I have a seedling here in Winter Haven and it's doing alright this winter. So far, no freeze, but we have a month of possible sub freezing lows possible so it could still get whacked.

Land O Lakes FL, a suburb on the North Side of Tampa, FL

Summers are great, 90f/32c in the day & 70f/21c at night with plentiful rain & sun

Winters are subtropical with occasional frosts and freezes. Tropical cyclones happen.

We have a few Royal palms in the warm microclimates but Coconuts freeze.

I am a Kayaker, Hiker, Bicyclist, and amateur Photographer that loves the outdoors.  

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Isn't this the bamboo project initially funded by Barbour Lathrop...David Fairchilds early benefactor ?

The Palm Mahal

Hollywood Fla

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The whole story of the Bamboo Farm is in David Fairchild's book The World Was My Garden. Some of the bamboo was already there which is what attracted Lathrop's attention. Unfortunately, bamboo has never been used for many commercial projects in the US after decades of research at the Bamboo Farm. Now we have bamboo flooring! This is part of the original grove. It was heavily cut and cleaned several years ago.

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Joseph C. Le Vert

Augusta, GA

USA

Zone 8

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The bamboo forest is cool looking.....if anyone ever collects seed from that A. totai, I would be interested in a few....thanks

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Alice, Acrocomia Sp. anything Is freaking hard to germinate. very low percentages. I have a friend who use to germinate for a living and sowed 3000 (fresh) seeds and only had a 2 % germination rate at best. This is a palm you defiantly want to buy as a 1 gal+ to get a head start.

I'm also on the hunt for a few of these my self..lol

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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David, I saw a few big 25 gal Acrocomia Totai's on the Florida plant finder that are at least 12' tall a perfect. I'm not sure how far you are from homestead? Could be wort a drive to grab a couple beauties??

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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Alice, Acrocomia Sp. anything Is freaking hard to germinate. very low percentages. I have a friend who use to germinate for a living and sowed 3000 (fresh) seeds and only had a 2 % germination rate at best. This is a palm you defiantly want to buy as a 1 gal+ to get a head start.

I'm also on the hunt for a few of these my self..lol

That's surprising to hear. I recently visited a garden with a mature Acrocomia (I think it was aculeata), and it had a carpet of seedlings under it, and I was told that it had to be cleaned out every year because of that.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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David, I saw a few big 25 gal Acrocomia Totai's on the Florida plant finder that are at least 12' tall a perfect. I'm not sure how far you are from homestead? Could be wort a drive to grab a couple beauties??

LOL Josh.....I have the same (distance) perception about California many times. Homestead is only about 10-12 hrs. one way....according to if you make bathroom and eating stops...lol.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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David, I saw a few big 25 gal Acrocomia Totai's on the Florida plant finder that are at least 12' tall a perfect. I'm not sure how far you are from homestead? Could be wort a drive to grab a couple beauties??

LOL Josh.....I have the same (distance) perception about California many times. Homestead is only about 10-12 hrs. one way....according to if you make bathroom and eating stops...lol.

That's so true. My grandparents used to live in Pensacola, and my folks lived in Orlando. When we would all meet up in Pensacola, it took my folks longer to drive there than it did me coming from Nashville!

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