Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

What happened to all the palm tree sellers of the past?


Logolight

Recommended Posts

So I've been on hiatus from my palm collecting hobby for a while and would like to get back in to it.  However, after browsing through the web, I've noticed that the few sellers I could find have either gone to wholesale purchasing only, have raised their prices and some substantially, carry a more limited stock now, or have just disappeared altogether.

Just a few years back I could make a purchase on line or by phone of up to four different palms up to 1gal size for less than $50.  Most of the palms I purchased were more rare but they were relatively easy to find.  But now I can't find many of those same palms anywhere.

Are there any nurseries that I'm missing that still sell individual sized palms at liner/1gal sizes at reasonable prices?

 

Thank you.

  • Upvote 1

Jacksonville, FL

Zone 9a

 

First Officer

Air Wisconsin Airlines (USairways Express)

Canadair Regional Jet

Base: ORF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff just put out a new price list. Plenty of pretty rare palms and great prices with a $100 minimum that is easy to reach. His one gallon plants are usually over sized.

Acanthophoenix rubra one gallon (huge) $20

Clinostigma savoryanum  one gallon $12

Kentiopsis pyriformis one gallon $15

http://www.floribundapalms.com/prices.lasso

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Floribunda has a great selection of tropical and subtropical palms. I purchase my cool climate palms from sellers on eBay. I just got two lush Ceroxylon species palms in one gallon containers. 

Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

Facebook Page

Las Palmas Design & Associates

Elegant Homes and Gardens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another plug for Jeff and Suchin. Their palms are oversized, and even factoring in shipping, hard to beat. 

I’m guessing the lack of demand makes selling palms a pretty toughenterprise unless you’re doing crazy volume. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last recession was extremely hard on the independent nursery business. Combine that with folks reaching or nearing retirement age, plus drought in some regions, and *poof!* a lot of the suppliers disappeared. If you like your suppliers, trade with them regularly or they, too, may disappear.

  • Upvote 3

Kim Cyr

Between the beach and the bays, Point Loma, San Diego, California USA
and on a 300 year-old lava flow, Pahoa, Hawaii, 1/4 mile from the 2018 flow
All characters  in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think part of it too is the marketplace.  In California at least, in the early 2000s there were palms being planted everywhere, as the tropical look was all the rage, and a lot of the palm suppliers could provide palms wholesale as well to places like HD and Lowes.  I remember seeing lots of plants I recognized, from suppliers I recognized, at the Big Box stores.  Between the 2007 freeze and the water restrictions and everything else, palms are just not as 'in" as they were 10-20 years ago, at least in SoCal.  That, combined with the reasons Kim mentions above, probably give more than enough reasons for people to leave the market.

Also, for anything beyond the 10 or so most common species, there isn't much of a market, as consumers don't know (or care) what they're getting, other than "it's a palm tree."  And for the less common species, frankly a lot of people on this board (and people on eBay) have backyard nurseries that make it difficult for any larger business (with employees, insurance, payroll taxes, etc.) to compete on price.

Resident of Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, San Diego, CA and Pahoa, HI.  Former garden in Vista, CA.  Garden Photos

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to all for the info, I'll look at those mentioned.  Yes, there was a time within about 3 or 4 years ago when I could go online and find: A. vestiaria, Carpoxylon, Hydriastele microspadix, Normanbia, Hedyscepe canturbuyana, Pinanga speciosa, rhopalostylis baueri, even Roscheria melanochaetes.  All within $15-25.  I haven't been able to find any of those in my recent search.  I've also noticed the number of Ebay sellers have dropped off dramatically since then.

Thanks again!

Jacksonville, FL

Zone 9a

 

First Officer

Air Wisconsin Airlines (USairways Express)

Canadair Regional Jet

Base: ORF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another plug for Floribunda :wub::yay: Just got my third order last Friday. Jeff and Suchin never disappoint! I'm pretty sure many of the eBay sellers get their stock from Floribunda as well. A couple sellers I have in mind grow them up beautifully then sell them.

  • Upvote 3

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...