Travel Serendipity in South Florida

[Cindy Adair]

 

As often happens traveling, a chance meeting at a Miami breakfast diner resulted in an impromptu palm garden tour! 

 

My tour host was long term PalmTalk member, Wade Kemp, who told me he had in fact been on this forum that very morning.

 

He reports that some of his trees are more than 20 years old and he thanks both Mike Harris of Caribbean Palms, Dale Holton of Holton Nursery and Andrew and Mike Street (all PT members) for some of these beauties.

 

With Wade's permission I will introduce you to just a few of his treasures.

 

First a stunning Coccothrinax sp. ‘Azul’.

 

Next that’s Wade and me enlisted to show the size of his Copernicia macroglossa.

 

He points out damage from the recent Hurricane Irma, but to me visiting from post Hurricane Maria PR, all looks perfect.

 

Here is his very cute recently rescued dog sharing the spotlight with a big Hemithrinax ekmaniana.

 

Now two Coccothrinax with C.moaensis, an amazing Cuban species in the front and C. borhidiana in back.

 

 

 

Although Wade also has mature trees such as this lovely tall Pritchardia thurstonii in the ground,

 

 

even those with limited space can make room for another pot or two.

 

I liked this beautifully grown Pseudophoenix sargentii confined in a pot for many years showing perfect symmetry.

Later Wade volunteers to help remove some weeds in Miami’s Morningside Park Palmetum before application of a better type of mulch.

 

 

Here is the “after” photo of an impressive Kentiopsis oliviformis.

 

 

 

I even ran into another PT member at the Tamiami Orchid show on Friday.

 

It was CB Lisa who heard a FL rare plant vendor ask me about post hurricane PR and connected the question with my photo from PT!

 

She had driven from 3 hours away and it seems long odds we would have connected in the huge crowds at the orchid show’s opening day.

 

I enjoyed chatting with her and can now connect the name and her posts. Hope to see Lisa at a Biennial in the future too.

 

So as I enjoy the luxuries of electricity and hot water for a few days, I look forward to more planned and unplanned conversations with fellow palm lovers as always! 

 

 

 

 

[sur4z]

40 minutes ago, Cindy Adair said:

 

As often happens traveling, a chance meeting at a Miami breakfast diner resulted in an impromptu palm garden tour! 

 

My tour host was long term PalmTalk member, Wade Kemp, who told me he had in fact been on this forum that very morning.

 

He reports that some of his trees are more than 20 years old and he thanks both Mike Harris of Caribbean Palms, Dale Holton of Holton Nursery and Andrew and Mike Street (all PT members) for some of these beauties.

 

With Wade's permission I will introduce you to just a few of his treasures.

 

First a stunning Coccothrinax sp. ‘Azul’.

 

Next that’s Wade and me enlisted to show the size of his Copernicia macroglossa.

 

He points out damage from the recent Hurricane Irma, but to me visiting from post Hurricane Maria PR, all looks perfect.

 

Here is his very cute recently rescued dog sharing the spotlight with a big Hemithrinax ekmaniana.

 

Now two Coccothrinax with C.moaensis, an amazing Cuban species in the front and C. borhidiana in back.

 

 

 

Although Wade also has mature trees such as this lovely tall Pritchardia thurstonii in the ground,

 

 

even those with limited space can make room for another pot or two.

 

I liked this beautifully grown Pseudophoenix sargentii confined in a pot for many years showing perfect symmetry.

Later Wade volunteers to help remove some weeds in Miami’s Morningside Park Palmetum before application of a better type of mulch.

 

 

Here is the “after” photo of an impressive Kentiopsis oliviformis.

 

 

 

I even ran into another PT member at the Tamiami Orchid show on Friday.

 

It was CB Lisa who heard a FL rare plant vendor ask me about post hurricane PR and connected the question with my photo from PT!

 

She had driven from 3 hours away and it seems long odds we would have connected in the huge crowds at the orchid show’s opening day.

 

I enjoyed chatting with her and can now connect the name and her posts. Hope to see Lisa at a Biennial in the future too.

 

So as I enjoy the luxuries of electricity and hot water for a few days, I look forward to more planned and unplanned conversations with fellow palm lovers as always! 

 

 

 

 

...are you still without electricity ?

[Kris]

Dear Cindy,

Thanks for those lovely stills of palms.And very surprise to see some palms growing in big plastic pots and they seem to be very healthy.I was of the opinion that only those planted in the ground grows well.

Love,

Kris.

 

[CB Lisa]

Serendipity indeed! What a surprise to look up and see someone whose face I’ve seen so many times on her amazing posts of life in Puerto Rico...the incredible plants she’s been able to enjoy collecting and planting down there on her beautiful property (tho maybe just a bit beat up right now!) and the accounts of hurricane ‘survival’ and post-Irma and Marie aftermath! She is just as nice and positive in person as she appears on her posts, and if Cindy is representative of the type of people that attend the biennial trips, I do hope I get the opportunity to join them someday and highly recommend the rest of the PTers consider going as well! 

[CB Lisa]

Very, very impressed with Wade’s collection and growing ability! Absolutely beautiful plants! Way to grow, Wade!  

[DoomsDave]

So nice to see, and keep them coming!

[Mandrew968]

Palms have made me a luckier and happier man. See you tomorrow, Cindy!

[Cindy Adair]

2 hours ago, sur4z said:

...are you still without electricity ?

Hi Peter!

I have perfect (up to 2000 watts total) electricity- if I choose to use my wonderful Honda portable generator. Nothing from the city yet except the much more important water,

Sadly not practical for my current electric hot water, so cold showers are the norm until I can get solar!

[Cindy Adair]

7 minutes ago, Mandrew968 said:

Palms have made me a luckier and happier man. See you tomorrow, Cindy!

Big nursery show TPIE- hope to see some other familiar faces too!

[Cindy Adair]

1 hour ago, DoomsDave said:

So nice to see, and keep them coming!

Thanks Dave! One day I’ll get to CA...

[Cindy Adair]

1 hour ago, CB Lisa said:

Serendipity indeed! What a surprise to look up and see someone whose face I’ve seen so many times on her amazing posts of life in Puerto Rico...the incredible plants she’s been able to enjoy collecting and planting down there on her beautiful property (tho maybe just a bit beat up right now!) and the accounts of hurricane ‘survival’ and post-Irma and Marie aftermath! She is just as nice and positive in person as she appears on her posts, and if Cindy is representative of the type of people that attend the biennial trips, I do hope I get the opportunity to join them someday and highly recommend the rest of the PTers consider going as well! 

So sweet of you, Lisa!

And the IPS appreciates your plug for the Biennial too.

Thanks!

[Cindy Adair]

1 hour ago, Kris said:

Dear Cindy,

Thanks for those lovely stills of palms.And very surprise to see some palms growing in big plastic pots and they seem to be very healthy.I was of the opinion that only those planted in the ground grows well.

Love,

Kris.

 

Thank you Kris and hopefully Wade will see your compliments too.

He clearly has the keys to good culture!

[Jeff Searle]

Hi Cindy,

  Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures of Wade's garden. So nice to hear your in town, hope to see you at TPIE.

Jeff

[Josh-O]

great pics Cindy. Keep them coming

[BS Man about Palms]

Fantastic!!