All Activity

Been MIA from here for a while (you know life got busy), but I'm really excited for my Brahea Aramata to be blooming for the first time ever. I bought it almost 20 years ago as a tiny plant from Lowe's and I know how dramatic the flowering can get on these. Finally I see some flower stalks forming. Not as exciting to my friends and family so I thought I'd share with fellow palm enthusiasts 😆

I’m honestly not sure. Just my experiences with them. Maybe get a small one; if it croaks at least you won’t lose a lot of money.

🌴🌴🌴🦜🦜

Light rain and drizzle predicted here in the short term. Will be interesting to see how your theory pans out over the summer.

The Sabal palmetto Bridgeport palm survived but lost 2/3 of its fronds looks good for a unheated palm who survived one of the worst winter seasons in a long time with only a mummy wrap Resembling a palm in Florida which has a hurricane cut and was transplanted we will post a photo when it warms up and recovers from the winter damage No spear pull Bridgeport being on the coast ,warms up slowly this time of year hopefully , as itv warms we will get 6-10 new fronds this spring summer fall 2026 so we are feeding her now and hope for the best soon come DtZ naturally

Agree with the ID. These have come on strong in the last few years as a good choice for many areas. They are considered to be a SFL native and grow well in full sun. I have a triple that survived the brutal winter although they were almost completely defoliated. They are pushing out new growth including inflorescences which I am removing to allow all the energy for the leaves. My volunteers (1-3 years old) under them all look fine with only some minor cold damage which implies that the wind really was the problem. Well, obviously the cold was the problem too but the wind was crazy. This is a great palm but it does better if protected from the wind. The petioles can be quite long and have a tendency to tear in even modest wind.

Where are these tall windmill palms in Knoxville that you mention? I do get up that way periodically. I know of a nice one in Maryville but haven't checked on it in since 2023 or 2024. It's a shame that UT has removed most of Frank's palm plantings from a decade or so ago. They had some nice ones.

Heh, heh, the security camera footage made me laugh when I saw you acting out. You one ‘lolo bruddah.’ Tim

I didn’t know that about the travellers palm die suddenly. Do they die because of cold snaps? Flowering? I was going to buy a 25 gallon.

Yep, passed plenty of the big Mangoes growing on that side of town pretty often.. If they're still there, were some chunky Guamuchil in the same area too.

✅✅✅

This is correct, if referencing " traditional " Arborvitae, Genus Thuja.. " Chinese " Arborvitae, Genus Platycladus, < Single - species genus > are a 50s - 60s landscaping option relict you can still see planted in warmer areas like S. Cal ..and here in AZ though. Agree w/ Bougs... don't have a pool, but, after yanking the last of the " old skool " types from the backyard, glad to be rid of them. Will probably take until sometime this fall to never see a remnant flower bract hanging out somewhere in the yard ever again, lol. Bamboo is only something you'd plant if you have the space ..and yes, lol, def. not near a pool ..Only plant clumpers ..unless you have deep pockets to shell out lots of $$$$$ trying to correct damage done by running types, both on your property, and surrounding neighbors.. Podocarpus would be the least messy of the 3, imo, and aren't too hard to keep shaped ..though i'd ditch the out dated, OCD -afflicted " obsessively shape everything into un-natural, geometrical shapes " waste of time, and / or wasted $$$ for busywork and train them to be dense and " controlled ", but look more or less as nature intended. Can't recall how it did there compared to the standard green Podocarpus Maki types but, Blue -colored Podo. ( P. elongatus ) is quite nice, and would get away from the mind numbingly boring, " everything is green " funk many people seem to end up in. Keep in mind, while they look similar, Afrocarpus gracilior isn't a Podocarpus and will get big / isn't so keen on being penned in, long term at least, ..and drop lots of fruit.

Yeah they've got some fun stuff over there. That area is such a great microclimate. There are some MASSIVE mango trees over there in NW Bradenton too, especially along the river. Like big grandfather live oak size, but in mangos. Sorry it's "somewhat" off topic, but a cool picture I took a few days ago over there at Palma sola botanical park.. royal poincianas going off!

Last night the "laterals" were just inching out from the stalk. My granddaughter for scale in one photo. This morning, the lateral which will hold the flowers are more prominent on this Puya alpestris.

Thanks. To lower the pressure, I put a restrictor washer in the line, and a couple of inline ball faucets, both set to minimum. By drilling 1/32 in holes in the hose, I got the drip rate I wanted. Still, this is very inaccurate, and if the plants survive, I will set up a proper watering system with timed emitters. Fingers crossed!

Hey all, I purchased this at a botanical garden in Hilo back in 2017. It was just one of those plastic wrapped touristy things, like plumeria cuttings that they sell. I remember it looking like a chunk of wood, and I didn’t even know what end was up when I planted it, but it’s sprouted roots within a few weeks and actually started growing pretty nicely. A few months ago I had somebody working on my roof and he clearly dropped something on it, because when I came home, it was basically lying on its side, not completely snapped off at the base, but really wobbly. I straightened it up and put a pole in it and cross my fingers. Then I started noticing the fronds browning in a really strange way, just segments of them. And I couldn’t figure it out. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the fronds were actually dying down toward the base, but we’re maintaining as much green as they could as long as there was some energy being pulled up. Anyway, long story short it looks like the base is beginning to heal itself and for the first time in a few months, it’s actually throwing a new frond. Tough plants!

Perhaps, although I would use a faucet (sillcock) after the PRV. Also, I would move the pots into the shade

If I put plants out for display, I typically use the ugly, black nursery pots. Then, drop them into a fancy ceramic pot the next size up. I've bought H.sinensis in 6 inch and repotted immediately into 10 inch (black). That I drop into a pretty 14 inch pot for the neighbors to see.

Great in Atlanta, or Pittsburgh or Cleveland. Not so much in inland so cal.

I am in the “love it” camp. I have a large one on each side of the house. When they form trunks the color under the old leaf bases can be amazing. The new spear can have a pink color as well. Harry The coloring , from golden orange to pink as the new spear emerges. This one on the east side of the house now has a few trunks reaching the roof line . This is one of the younger stems , maybe 6-7’ tall so the coloring is visible.

@SCVpalmenthusiast good that you’re giving your situation some thought ahead of time. I offer thoughts based on things I’ve learned over the years. @Tracy’s planting is great, but it will take awhile. Cycads get pricey. That's a nice pool you have there, and I’d do all possible to keep stuff out of it. That’s a serious exercise in itself I’ve found. Many of the otherwise great screens will drop a lot of debris and be a pain because of that, and I wouldn’t plant them. Podocarpus, bougainvillea, bamboo, etc. Arenga engleri have a big footprint, like 8 by 8 feet. I have four of them. I think too big for your space. DON’T use Ravenala Travelers palms. They look great, then they give up and die suddenly. Maybe use White Bird of paradise, Strelitzia Nicolas. Not quite as spiffy but much more reliable. Maybe consider Caryota mitis. I have some and they’re a dense screen, though they will need occasional cleaning out dead trunks. That house you’re concerned about looks awful far off; do you really need a dense screen? Maybe a less dense easier to maintain screen will be just as good?

Thank you I appreciate the fast response

Mine is over 4 meters tall. Richard, if you ever get these seeds again, don't forget me!🇮🇹