Frankston Palm Garden Victoria Australia

[coops 3214]

Ive had  good growth out of my ambositrae, albofarinosa, baronii, and onilahensis down here, the ambo is the newest 1 and hasnt gone thru a  winter yet but there fine down here,  ive got cabadae, pembana and ampasindavae in pots that struggled thru winter and i dont know they will make it this 1 as they havent put on much growth but u never know, 

[Sir Oxylon]

Great that you got those 4 Dypsis spp. working for you here. I guess the others are the more challenging more tropical Dypsis. Have you got a well lit warm spot inside where you could nurse them through winter? I don't think they would mind the drier indoor atmosphere for a short while. Better than cold.

[coops 3214]

Yeah I'veput them into a friends glasshouse, im going to get a few  more dypsis in spring 1 will be a carlsmithii which i really hope takes off, 

[Sir Oxylon]

Coops I have several D. carlsmithii that I germinated. They are very small and will take some time but if your patient I can grow one of them up for you that you can have for free in a few years. Save you some money. I also have several D. basilonga and D. malcomberi as seedlings. But buy if you want something sooner.   

[coops 3214]

Have u tried dypsis heteromorpha?? Ive organised a bigger carlsmithii to save myself years i hope anyway 

[Sir Oxylon]

Never tried D. heteromorpha.

[Josh-O]

59 minutes ago, Sir Oxylon said:

Never tried D. heteromorpha.

try it!

its the right thing to do..

[tim_brissy_13]

I've tried many Dypsis over the years, I'm sure I'll forget a few but for what it's worth:

Bulletproof in Melbourne:baronii, onilahensis, albofarinosa, decipiens (apart from the usual struggles that everyone can have with this one)

Grows well if taken care of and in the right position: decaryi,arenarum, lutescens

Marginal: all of the prestoniana complex (incl. Robusta, 'canaliculata' etc. I think prestoniana would do well in a good spot I need to give one another go), carlsmithii, pembana, dark mealybug ( mine is trying to struggle it's way through its second winter in the ground), cabadae x madagascariensis, nauseosa, plumosa

Very tough grow: leptocheilos, Highland redneck, leucomalla, pinnatifrons

Complete wimps:heterophylla, scottiana

Sad to think that most of these didn't make it, but largely for reasons other than cold damage. I had an unidentified pest problem a while back but whatever it was, it loved the big Dypsis sp.

 

[Sir Oxylon]

Thanks for the info Tim. I haven't got onilahensis or albofarinosa but looks like they are certainly a must for us. Interesting you rate the leptocheilos as a very tough grow. I wouldn't have guessed this. If mine starts to decline too much in the ground I may dig it up and grow it larger in the glasshouse. I think all the rainforest understorey small pinnatifrons-like Dypsis will be very tough here. D. scottiana really surprises me. I would have thought they would be tough as nails (south Madagascar and up to 500m altitude) but I have one and I agree-very temperamental. I have mine in potting mix and wonder it would go better in our very sandy soils-they are from white sands.

[coops 3214]

Ive got a small scottiana planted out on the south side of my house very cold and its just opened another leaf go figure lets see how it looks in another 2 months

[tim_brissy_13]

Scottiana surprised me as well, I remember it barely lasted through June, perhaps it's sudden decline was due to a form of rot rather than purely from cold.

I was probably a bit harsh on leptocheilos it could be in the marginal category. I see it as one of those palms that may just need a bit more heat than Melbourne can give to look good- similar to Ptychosperma elegans, Dictyosperma album and Roystonea which have all survived fairly long term here but eventually decline.

[tim_brissy_13]

Of all of the Dypsis I've grown here's my favourite: D baronii. All three stems have flowered this year but no viable seeds yet. You can see in this photo that they grow to a similar bulk to nearby A cunninghamianas. 

[Sir Oxylon]

They are beautiful Tim. Great that they are flowering too-the ultimate sign of success. There are a few different forms of baronii that I will be on the look for. I will take a pic of mine. I think it is a bit of an unusual baronii. Its still small in a pot but I had the usual baronii years ago and from memory looked a bit different. There is a black petiole form as well. Maybe I have that one?

[Sir Oxylon]

Here's a pic of my small Dypsis baronii. Is this what they usually look like at this size?

[coops 3214]

2 minutes ago, Sir Oxylon said:

That looks more like my dypsis ambositrae than my baronii

[tim_brissy_13]

I'd agree. Looks like my ambositrae and I'm not sure I've ever seen a baronii with a heel.

[Sir Oxylon]

That's also what strikes me as bizarre. I didn't think baronii ever get heels. I bought it off Clayton York who labelled it as Dypsis sp. aff. baronii which suggested it is something a bit unusual. I would like to get an ambositrae sold as ambositrae to compare.

 

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Hi Daniel

Yes your Dypsis baroni looks a lot like Dypsis ambositre to me ! But hey that isn't a bad thing !

I am growing around 50 species down here in coastal Hobart !

cheers Troy

[Sir Oxylon]

I also think it is rather neat. I wanted an ambositrae. It doesn't flinch in the cold so if it is not one of your 50 spp. it could be Troy. Now I have got to track down a baronii. 

[Mohsen]

On 5/30/2016, 6:43:09, Sir Oxylon said:

Hi,

This is my first post on PalmTalk. I am a palm nut from southern Australia in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston. Frankston is next to a bay and I am about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the water. We have hot summers- at least a couple of days around 40 degrees C (104 F) but averaging high twenties (around 80 F). Coldest temperatures in winter is between 0 and 4 degrees C (32F-39F) but averaging around 8 degrees C (46F). The main limiting factor to growing tropical palms here is the low winter maximum daytime temperatures with average July maximums of 13degrees C (55F).

My current residence is my first house (I am 28). Wanted to start early so that I might see my palms get to maturity. It is on a reasonable sized residential block of 1050 square metres (1/4 acre). I plan to fit as many palms as possible into the backyard and on both sides and leave some of the front for Australian natives. I have been collecting palms for several years but most of my plants are still in pots and are small. I focus on temperate palms but do love to venture into the marginal side of things. I recently built a heated glasshouse (photos attached) and my plan is to get marginal palms large in there (it is steamy on sunny days) and then try them out in the garden with the idea (optimistic thinking) that they will be more resilient to cold then. I also use the glasshouse to germinate seeds and raise seedlings.

I have a few plants in the ground. I have pics of some of my larger things. Plant 1=Parajubaea coccoides, Plant 2=Oraniopsis appendiculata, Plant 3=Ceroxylon ventricosum (inspiration for my username), Plant 4=Sabal minor and Plant 5=Rhopalostylis baueri in flower,.

Daniel

Welcome Daniel

I think we have almost same problems with weather at my property and yours, although we have higher average max during  the winter days...

but at least you have places to plant more palms in ground, I am forced to keep most of mine in pots...

I lived one year in Melbourne and used to go to a restaurant ( forget the name ) in Frankston few times, I think it has  a milder weather compare to suburbs more toward inland?If it is true , then you should have better chance there as well...

BTW, have you ever tried Bizzie over there...

 

[tim_brissy_13]

Momsen - here's the largest and nicest Bizzie I know of in Melbourne.  There are a few nice ones popping up around town, looks like they don't mind our winter as long as they are in a good spot with a nearby wall for reflected heat. This one is on the Southbank of our Yarra River in the city. It's hard to judge the scale but it is huge - maybe 4m tall and doesn't even look like it has clean trunk yet.

[Sir Oxylon]

Mohsen Sydney would have a much warmer winter than here during the day and be nicer on palms in general. I have had a Bismarckia in a pot for many years. It saw all kinds of extreme weather 46 degrees C down to -3 degrees C. It became a bit stunted from lack of warmth over the years but kept going. I still have it in a pot but it is in the warmth of the glasshouse now and is thumping along. There is a nice large Bismarckia 1 km from me but not as big as the one Tim has shown us. That is magnificent-for down here. Apart from the heat reflection I think if you plant these out large in Melbourne there will be no stopping them-they are very slow as small plants here because of the lack of winter warmth-but they don't die. Mine would be about 2 foot tall now and I think I will get it at least twice that size before I put it in the ground. Melbourne Botanic Gardens put in 2 large Bismarckia recently that look good for winter. 

[Sir Oxylon]

Hey I recognise where that Bismarckia is. That is the Swanston Street bridge over the Yarra. I recognise those Trachycarpus above. I am going to check out that Bismarckia tomorrow.

[tim_brissy_13]

Yep that's the one. I think the photo above was from late January so it will be interesting if there is any noticeable growth since.

[Howeadypsis]

On 04/06/2016, 01:21:13, tim_brissy_13 said:

Of all of the Dypsis I've grown here's my favourite: D baronii. All three stems have flowered this year but no viable seeds yet. You can see in this photo that they grow to a similar bulk to nearby A cunninghamianas. 

Gorgeous!  Those crown shaft are so vivid!

[Tassie_Troy1971]

On 05/06/2016, 9:51:26, Sir Oxylon said:

I also think it is rather neat. I wanted an ambositrae. It doesn't flinch in the cold so if it is not one of your 50 spp. it could be Troy. Now I have got to track down a baronii. 

Palms for Brisbane - ask for Ben Smith re Baronii

[tim_brissy_13]

re baronii - you could also try A J Flynn in Melbourne. Opposite side of town but easier than Brisbane if they have any left in stock. I got this one for my new place this summer gone and there were a few left at that stage. 

 

[Sir Oxylon]

Will give AJ Flynn a visit very soon. I don't think that Bismarckia has grown much since the photo was taken but is in fine form-no burning, looks like the ones in QLD. Bit of a crime that it is so tucked away down there-I didn't even now it was there until you alerted me about it. I think they would have planted this individual as a very large plant.

[tim_brissy_13]

I'm sure it has been there at least 6 or 7 years. I remember it during my uni days as a much smaller plant. But I do agree, I think that they are a great option to plant as a larger plant here, they can sometime stunt as seedlings but seem relatively problem free when larger. The only reason I don't have one is space at my new place, but it's great to see a few popping up around town: Melbourne Botanic gardens as you say, St. Kilda botanic gardens and even Melbourne Uni planted a couple under their big Jubaea in the botany area.

[Sir Oxylon]

Those Bismarckia in System Garden Melbourne Uni have been in for about 3 years and really moved along last summer (I used to work as a gardener there). Last summer Sabal domingensis, Caryota mitis, and Beccariophoenix alfredii that I germinated went into the ground in the Jubaea bed. 

[Sir Oxylon]

There is also a Pritchardia hillebrandii in that circle now too. Between four and three years ago I planted Ceroxylon on Professors Walk next to the Old Arts Building. The two at the front are Ceroxylon ventricosum and the one at the back is C. amazonicum. At the entrance of System Garden next to the Agricultural Science building or whatever they call it these days (Royal Parade side) there is a Brahea nitida that I planted with a Dioon edule. They are both going really well but unfortunately they have to come out and shifted some time because of the agricultural building. Keep an eye on Melbourne Uni as there may be some other nice things appear in the gardens over the next few years. If you like cycads there are some very nice cycads going in too.

[Sir Oxylon]

If anyone plans to go to Melb Uni let me know and I may be able to come and show you around and possibly get a friend from the gardening staff there to come around too.

[coops 3214]

You will have to post pics of the uni, thats great going to be some nice palms in the future 

[Sir Oxylon]

I will take some pics next time I am in. 

[Pedro 65]

Daniel, welcome to PTalk, you look young from your Avatar pic or was this quite a few yrs ago when you where in Darwin?

Matey, lucky you with a Dypsis ambositrae, I still havnt got 1 of those.

Since you Love Ceroxylons, are you growing ant Quindiuense at present?

Do you put clear plastice over the top of your shadecloth in winter?? etc

Keep  keen, and trial and error with palms. You can plant  and 5 and 4 die but 1 has found and shown you the primo spot for them etc etc

Pete 

[Sir Oxylon]

Thanks Pedro. The pic was several years ago-I was 21 then now I am 28. Possibly my favourite palms in Aus those Lodoicea. It suprises me that you don't have ambositrae-sounds like you have a pretty epic collection. You live in gods country as far as palm growing is concerned. Love your neck of the woods. I really love your avatar-it's a Cyphokentia (Moratia) cerifera isn't it? I have a few of the species as seedlings/small plants that you are growing really well as much larger impressive plants, e.g. Dictyocaryum lamarckianum, Cyphosperma balansae, Lemurophoenix and plenty of Dypsis. The Dictyocaryum went through our winter last year outside (I didn't have the glasshouse then). They got burnt a bit but they are small plants (2 foot tall) and it was a bad winter so I think in time and more size I may be able to sweet talk them in to growing for me-they are currently in the glasshouse and growing quickly in the warmth. I think they prefer the heat here rather than the cold. I have Ceroxylon quindiuense, peruvianum, ventricosum, echinatum, alpinum and amazonicum all germinated from seed. Ceroxylon are quite hardy for me-more so than I suspected as they dont seem stressed in our hot summers. The quindiuense are still small in pots. Probably give them another year and a bit before I put some in the ground. The shadecloth is mainly for stopping plants getting burnt in summer-our summer sun is potent. It does offer protection from cold in winter but not cold enough here to worry about plastic we don't usually get frost. The limitation here for tropical palms is prolonged cool rather than the very cold. Will keep very keen.

[Pedro 65]

Yes Dan, my avatar is a Cyphokentia ceifera, would love to see your Dictyocaryum when you have time to take a snap and when it bounces back to health, its impecable that they have unimpeded drainage, too much water sends them backwards q/smart if drainage isnt fast.

You have plenty of Ceroxylons, good luck with them all and happy gardening and stay keen.

I  Better hit the hay

 

Pete

[coops 3214]

Any updates on your stuff daniel??

[SirOxylon]

I will post some pics soon.

[coops 3214]

Ill be very keen to see how the rednecks go in Melbourne  how many leaves have they put out?? I dont think big w in geelong even have a garden section??