All Activity

Crotons sprouting, foxtail trying to recover, Christmas palms now sprouting green from the center, bottle 2nd spear looks good. Coconut shooting up new growth mostly green but dead fronds all snapped jn the wind storms. Lawn guy cutting them off this weekend. I see no growth on shrubs like clusia.

I believe parts of California have experienced a record-breaking heat wave, which may cause brown tips even without excess fertilizer. I presume you have watered them extensively during this hot, dry streak? Keep watering. The good news: Phoenix roebelenii produces more leaves more rapidly than almost any other palm on earth. Your browned tips will soon be overhung with new green fronds. Water generously.

Looking good, Mike! Finally a really fine day to get some work done outdoors. Thanks for uncovering these beauties to share with us here. I do envy your soil! Palms grow more robust with that deep soil.

Such a tease.. < Is it Late June yet? >

Hiya Anyone with fresh Euterpe Edulis seeds?

You GO @Josue Diaz!

Always love to see your garden. That rupicola is really one of the focal points there. I like that you have a good mix of palms, flowers, and other tropicals.

You’ve got a lot of free mulch at least 🙃. Once everything picks up the pace your garden will start to feel a lot more lively. It’s disheartening to see everything so brown but live moves forward, which i’m sure you already know.

I know there’s a lot of anti queen sentiment around here but i’m really not looking to drop money on replacements. I know they’re invasive and such but I want a fast growing palm and I like the look of a well treated queen, and I grew both of them from seed so im somewhat personally invested in them. A bit of more bad news though the one in my backyard has spear pulled as well. I’m going to do more peroxide with that one. I’m really just wondering how long should I wait on peroxide for results before I take more drastic measures. I know trunk cut is not optimal but I did it last year for my backyard queen and it recovered, though with my luck lightning struck twice. Worst case scenario one or the other dies I’ll plant a date palm in its spot I have way too many date palms waiting to jump in the ground. Or something else if space does not permit.

Lots of activity going on in the gardens.

Thanks, Been sitting on these for a minute in case I needed them but they need to get in the ground and I can’t use them.

@Chester B and @Allen There has been some growth. I am still a little worried about the very center spear though. It was lighter in color right after I cut it, but it has turned kind of brown in the sun. It is growing up though. The pill bugs you can still see in the photos also indicate there is plenty of dead tissue still around to eat too. I am planning to let it keep going to see if the rotted part of the spear finally pushes high enough to show some green...or it pulls out to reveal a new spear. What do you think?

Recently purchased this 7g “weepy form” of C. Onihalensis from Chip Jones Nursery. I’ve read a few posts from people having a hard time growing these in Florida, albeit, in areas a bit warmer than north Orlando. The specimen at Leu Gardens looks great. I also have a smaller “upright form” I’d like to plant out as well. Anyone have any successes with these in ground in Florida? And if so what soil/sun exposure has been the trick?

I had a row of foxtails and with the large recent rain event leached them of nutrients, to a very noticeable yellow. I also had a perfectly green Joey palm I planted next to a spring and within a month it went yellow due to leaching. Phosphorus is about the only real issue if your garden is in the bush with native plants not really wanting a lot of it, a good indicator that our soils in Australia are generally low in it. But apart from that the garden creates its own mulch and withe gum tree mulch from the bark and leaves small amounts of micro and macro nutrients are available enough to sustain good health. Chamaedoreas, New Caledonian and Madagascar palms all do well in my soil and climate. But the irrigation is the key to success for me.

This big Encephalartos Hildebrandtii also got completely burned. But the Dioon Rzedowskii in the bottom right looks like nothing happened! The Attalea Butyracea on the right side took about 50% damage but should pull through. And after pruning it has about 6 great looking fronds, and a new flush starting on the offset. They flush bronze, so it it hard to spot. Just around the corner one of my big Beccariophoenix Alfredii just opened up a new frond! The tips of the new frond are a touch burnt, but otherwise it looks great! Below it from left to right are an Encephalartos Kisambo with 2 or 3 short fronds in good shape, a Natalensis "Oribi Gorge" with no damage, and a Turneri "Boila" that took about 75% burn. These are the Encephalartos after pruning, with a new flush in an Encephalartos Chimanimaniensis "Choala" circled in the lower left: And this is what it looked like before, with the photo taken from the right side of the above one:

I hate that I live somewhere that the climate changes from hell to Siberia.

Livistona drudei right at home in the Australian bush!

Love these neat fruits from Brazil!

That shot of the Plumeria against that stately Royal Palm is exquisite! You guys had a warm winter and we had a cold one! Here is one that caught my eye today:

Here's one of those really weird cycad things...90% of the fronds on the Encephalartos Whitelockii (right) and Cycas Diannanensis (left) are burnt to a crisp. I pruned off all the D-E-D stuff, and found two completely pristine fronds...not a hint of even leaf damage! These aren't the only cycads I've seen do this. It's like they decided that this ONE FROND was going to survive!

Kim, here is my contribution from here on Hawaii Island, not far from Leilani Estates as you know. No rain today (yet) and my camera battery is now charged up. Acanthophoenix rubra acquired from Floribunda in Jan 2017, planted out in Oct 2018. Had to clear years of dead leaves. Little older ones had numerous and lengthy spines on the crownshaft. Newer leaves and present crownshafts are completely without thorns. Trimmer and 8x8x16 blocks provide scale. Just for interest, I also photographed my Acanthophoenix roussellii. Also acquired from Floribunda, date not recorded. Planted Jan 2016. Has been flowering profusely for a couple years, but, so far, no fruits at all.

End of March West Coast SST Anom. look from SOTO / NASA World View: CFSv2 SST Anom. Forecast for April: Salt included ofcourse.. Today's SST readings from various parts of CA. Scripps Surface temps: Bottom SST temps off the Pier: Elsewhere around S.Cal: Obviously cooler off N. Cal. than further south, ..but still running above avrg. for this time of year..