Utopia botanicals - walkin' with Clayton

[Walter John]

With the digi camera almost cooled down from Cairns, I decided to crank her up again for a photo shoot at Clayton and Teresa's Utopia nursery property in Valdora, that's east of eden and just south of heaven.

Some lovely rains recently and showers today in fact made the viewing that much nicer.

I'll try and keep the pics in order of my walk with Clayton, and let me say this again, even though I didn't before, thanks Clayton and don't worry Terese , Donna's going to use the shirt for quilting material, so it's all good.

Pigafettas at the dam

Effect of recent rains and showers down one of the many cascade spots.

[Walter John]

I can't begin to describe the amazing plantings at Utopia, let me put it this way, the palm plantings are unique and at times nothing short of spectacular, enough words, bring on the pics.

The famous Dypsis leptocheilos forest, previously known as the famous Dypsis leptocheilos forest.

[Walter John]

one more lepto pic...

natural smiley face from fungii, no tricks.

[Walter John]

As you know, I've been suffering short term memory loss in the short term with palm names, so I'll allow Clayton to ID palms if he chooses to do or is requested to, and believe me if you ask, ye shall receive.

Some goodies here, wedding palms, archo trunks, a Calyptrocalyx and is that a Drymophloeus in the centre ?

Variegated Chamaedorea metallica

[Walter John]

This is nothing unusual at Utopia, there's about a million Chambeyronias planted.

Pinanga kuhlii grouping in fruit looked fabulous.

[bubba]

The beautiful Dypsis leptocheilos forest!Thank you

[Walter John]

Here's a closer view of previous Pinanga pic

Umm..

[Gonzer]

Splendid eye candy for a Sunday morning Wal. The Dypsis forest shot is sublime!

[Walter John]

Swelled bases of Dypsis madagascariensis, maybe lucubensis. That's one of my old table tennis shoes, been upgraded you see.

We got off the beaten track into a tangled web of pinnatifrons and various other palms.

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Beautiful pics, Wal...thanks for those!

Rusty

[Walter John]

Look what we found.

Pinanga caesia

front

back

[Walter John]

We had to haul ourselves up by Dypsis cabadae towards a pair of Livistona fulva.

[Walter John]

A spattering of hard to grow Dypsis sp. 'laffa', Clayton took a few losses before these guys came through.

[Walter John]

Copernicia macroglossa.

front

back

[Walter John]

Dypsis leptocheilos/decaryi hybrid, this from the first batch.

Metroxylon

I love this palm, so healthy, the leaves were something special.

[Walter John]

Dypsis white stems hither and dither.

And up the back we have an Areca catechu dwarf.

[Walter John]

What else did the romans do for us besides the roads ?

Bismarckia plantings ?

What's this native grevillea doing here ?

[Walter John]

Dypsis sp. 'bejoufo' or was that 'bejoufa' ?

[Walter John]

Here's a photo of Livistona and even Clayton is looking for confirmation on the species. Are these Livistona victoriae ? Can you assist Daryl, Newcal, anybody ? Or could they be L.lanuginosa ?

[Walter John]

Just a post before I go.......to bed...........more tomorrow...........it gets even better.

"What have I done ?"

Arenga pinnata (sugar palm)

[Kris]

Dear Wal

thanks for the coverage,those gardens are really beautiful..and wish to see more from our friend clayton's Utopia gardens...

Dear Clayton how are you doing !

thanks & love,

Kris

[BS Man about Palms]

WoW! great stuff Wal!

I believe it was "you gents" that coined "Bejofa" to designate the "wide leaf" palm from Bejofo with the "brain seed" and "Bejofo" as the "fine, pinnate leaf" palm from Bejofo with the "brain seed".

Read it twice.

[BS Man about Palms]

Oh yes! I didn't believe the "smiley Face" bit UNTIL I looked at the close-up!

[bgl]

Wal,

Thanks for the great pictures from a spectacular garden. Hope there's more to come!

Bo-Göran

[tropicalb]

thanks for the beautiful pics Wal!

Man i wish i could be there walking those grounds!

[Walter John]

Never fear........Smith (Wal) is here.

Okay Roy, let's hear it:

"Anything you want, you got it

Anything you need, you got it

Anything at all, you got it

Baby"

Meanwhile back at Claytons, it's time for the Corypha utan show.

Size does matter...........

[Walter John]

What's happened to Clayton's hand ?

It's a fruit actually, anyone want to ID same ? (Look closely at the one in his left hand, I think that's a message to someone )

Man I adore the bases of Coryphas

[Walter John]

The dog would like to point something out on the left, something whiteish.

[Walter John]

Okay, let's get the grey matter going for you folks, can you species ID these guys from the next couple of posts ? Have a go, what have you got to lose ?

Palm One is Brahea

Palm two is Allagoptera

[Walter John]

Palm three is a pair of Ravenea

Palm four is (no genera clues this time)

[Walter John]

When it comes to Chamaedorea plantings at Utopia, expect species multitude plant outs. (must be a better way to word that)

Here's his C.ernesti-augustii with one or two having pinnate leaves, that must be rare.

Gone pinnate

[John in Andalucia]

Try "multitudinous plantings of species" Wal. Or better still, "planting out of multitudinous species". Great shots by the way.

[ariscott]

I missed a lot of stuff when we were there last. One, we had Indi with me and we didn't have Donna with us (thanks Donna... for looking after our baby that afternoon) and Indi wasn't cooperating and Two, it was late afternoon when we managed to get there.... It was hard to leave Australia Zoo .

So, hopefully next time (yes, Clayton, we will be back one day ), I can arrange for baby sitter so I can look at the place properly. It was no fun holding a baby who cried everytime we took a step.

Wal,

Where are that pinanga grouping??

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

I missed a lot of stuff when we were there last. One, we had Indi with me and we didn't have Donna with us (thanks Donna... for looking after our baby that afternoon) and Indi wasn't cooperating and Two, it was late afternoon when we managed to get there.... It was hard to leave Australia Zoo .

So, hopefully next time (yes, Clayton, we will be back one day ), I can arrange for baby sitter so I can look at the place properly. It was no fun holding a baby who cried everytime we took a step.

Wal,

Where are that pinanga grouping??

Regards, Ari

Hi Ari, Donna says hi, no worries and she's glad she's good for something.

I've already posted a Pinanga grouping, unless you wanted to see the coronata clump version (narrow leaflets) which I didn't capture this time around. To fully capture all of Clayton's Utopia plants you need about a week not a couple of hours.

[Walter John]

Try "multitudinous plantings of species" Wal. Or better still, "planting out of multitudinous species". Great shots by the way.

Thanks John, but whenever I try to say "multitudinous" my eyes close and I fall over.

Thanks to everone else's comments , here's part two following.

[Walter John]

Looking down one of the rocky ravines

Some steep plantings

[Walter John]

Clayton has this wild and wooly crazy planting zone up on a rise where he has multi planted palms nobody would ever dream of doing, some of the pics didn't come out too well, but he has multi planted Bismarkias for one, and Raphias for another. It's an experimental study with regard to the plants not getting any attention. They survive and do okay, you have to see it yourself I'm afraid but here's some pics.

Bizzies crammed in (only have lower shots)

Raphias jammed in

[Walter John]

A higher pic of the Raphia grouping

There's a bunch of Aiphanes there too, rather hostile territory really.

[Walter John]

More from this spot, you never know what you're going to find.

[Walter John]

Testing the camera macro on a Dypsis with creeping plants

Looking down the hill from the crazy woolly zone showing a small part of Utopia.