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The garden is looking exceptional, Mike. I still recall how we first connected—receiving an email from a lawyer is not usually associated with good news. However, as a complete beginner with an interest in acquiring and cultivating palms, you have achieved outstanding results. The Hedyscepes have developed remarkably well, and the addition of subtropical companion plants provides a refined finishing touch.

In regards to planting small palms, from little things big things grow!

Thanks Kiwan. I’m fortunate to be in a very mild (for NorCal) microclimate here. Pacific influence, SF Bay buffering, and just enough inland for some good warmth. I just ordered more palms from FB. tonight. I got a suggestion to try Pinanga ‘Maroon Crown Shaft so I ordered a few as well as Chrysalidocarpus ‘Baby Red Stems, Chamaedorea arenbergiana, and Pritchardia aylmer robinsonii. It’s going to be a challenge selecting places for them all! I’ve planted all of the first batch.

Just buy that plot of land the sooner the better, and plant as many palms as you can. Iam happy with my block of land, 28 years living on my land and love it. Buy your plot of land and build your dream garden. It does take a long time for a palm garden to grow so the sooner you start the better, and if you need more time before you buy, start growing your collection in pots so when you get your land, you will have a head start on the palm collection and palms to plant good luck. But never stop growing and collecting palms and one day your dream garden will appear!

Seed weevils. Female lay eggs probably when the palm is flowering and the offspring dig in and eat the growing seed. When they mature they will exit the shell via a circular hole they create. The seed is dead. Weevils seem to cotton to some species of Sabal and ignore others. I don't know why. I don't have a problem with most of mine, except for one cultivar. After I harvest and clean a batch of seeds I put them in a baggie and send a spritz of Raid inside as a welcoming gift. Then I wait for several weeks, pick out the dead seeds, wash the live ones then let them dry. Certainly notify the seller but be aware he can't know what seeds are infected either. He should take measures to improve his QC before he sends them out. He should also include more than a few extra seeds to cover in case there are late arriving weevils. Oops, my bad. I got you mixed up with a PTer in PA. What SE state do you live in? (GA, FL, SC, NC other?) I need to know so I can tailor a credible answer. I don't know how far north seed weevils can survive without knowing even the state you live in.

This happened while I was cleaning up and/or repotting some of my Dyckias yesterday. I started to go to the garden shed to get a pot. I looked down and saw a 4" gecko scurrying beside me but 3-4' away from my clodhopper shoes. I paused. The gecko paused and I observed his head tilted to the left so he could look up at me. I started to walk and the gecko scurried in lock step with me. I paused again and so did he, head tilted so he could peer into my eye. I grabbed the pot I wanted and when I turned around, he was gone. I didn't see him again but I knew he was close by and watching me work with my plants and dirt. I have a feeling he was eating well, i.e., bugs from what I provided and certainly not Dyckia seeds. I make it a practice not to harass, try to capture or intentionally cause any of my local geckos problems and he somehow knows this. He was not some mindless automatron just a guy seeking a tasty meal. People underestimate the intelligence of animals. For a lizard this gecko had some brainpower. So do his fellow geckos. If you got them, be glad.

Got some unpredicted rain yesterday but won't know how much until daylight - I'd be thrilled to get 1/4". That constitutes a gulley washer at our house during the past couple years. The Drought Dome over our neighborhood must sprung a rare leak.

Have been looking at plots online recently, is it a good size for ya or do you wish you had more? It's sometimes feels a bit abstract. I'm still a year or two from committing just trying to get a good understanding, certainly been enjoying seeing the species you've been growing and planting, but also have a bit of a fondness got the big monster palms I've seen on my travels haha.

Thanks everybody. Colin, your earlier contribution ( shared between Troy, Ted and me )really boosted my garden . Always room for more exotica. Each of the 4 LHIs does well but quick growth of the hedyscepes is a pleasant surprise. Harry, baueri was a strap leaf about 10 years ago but is a remarkably fast grower and has lovely shape. Jonathon, the butia has gone well and will be a substantial tree soon. It’s presently a bit concealed by faster growers. Mike

It's amazing how you have a southern california garden in northern california! Incredible garden!

Lovely garden . That big Bauri is amazing! How long has that been in the ground , and planted from what size? I planted one about a year and a half ago (Cheesemania) . It is still sorta small but getting bigger pretty fast. I’m afraid I’ll have to walk around it when it gets like yours😄. Harry Silly me , I thought they were a bit smaller than R. Sapida!

Dave, I’ve always been a “plant them even when they’re tiny” kind of guy. Many of my big honking palms were planted as 2 or 3 inch seedlings directly to the ground. Here are just a few of them… @Jim in Los Altos. I have done that as well and been ok. I was just curious how others have done it . Some of them stay in pots for a while just because I am deciding on final spot or don’t have time to dig the hole. Harry ‘These two came home from Maui with me in 4” pots . Pritchardia H. above and Chambeyronia M. below . Planted within a week of coming home .

It looks like a Sabal, however the fronds lack the classic costapalmate recurvation typical of Sabal. I wouldn't say not being full sun is a "rule out" for these species. I have seen Sabal yapa in their habitat in the Yucatan and the seedlings emerge from beneath a dense canopy in deep shade, many times. Now that I can see the entire palm, however, it looks more like Chelyocarpus ulei. If this is in Santa Barbara, I believe that would be a more likely option.

Yes, those are weevils, and they can be a real pain!!. You can separate the good seeds from the bad by soaking them discard any that float and keep the ones that sink. Just be sure to store the survivors in a cool, dry area afterward. Also you should contact the seller about this.

Dave, I’ve always been a “plant them even when they’re tiny” kind of guy. Many of my big honking palms were planted as 2 or 3 inch seedlings directly to the ground. Here are just a few of them…

@Jim in Los Altos sure an if yer not a better man than me! I always pot up and wait they’re rooted then move ‘em out or move to bigger pots.

Agree with your observation. Doesn’t look typical of remota which usually has those heavy looking cuppy fronds. I think that leaves P hillebrandii by process of elimination? Is there anything else you think it could be? I’m also not seeing obvious lepidia in your photos however it can be hard to tell without looking late it in person, which would be consistent with P hillebrandii and would confirm ruling out most other species.

Important, history -related questions: How long has it been in the ground? What time of year was it planted? Grown in a pot, or field dug ..IE: uprooted from a place where they are grown in the ground? All of this is important in determining what to do next.. While it is true you don't want to soak it ....frequently.. a big plant like that has to receive some water after being planted, esp if not planted in the fall / time of year when it might receive some rainfall provided irrigation after installation. If it had been grown in a greenhouse, it may shrink a bit as it adjusts to life outside in the real world ..as a pose to the " near perfect " conditions inside a G.H. If you can access it, how does the crown look / feel? ..Tight? ..or sorta wobbly? Wobbly could mean trouble ( rot issue or something else ) Tight/ not seeing any brown where the leaves emerge from the growth point(s) in the crown?? it should pull out of it's current funk once it gets warmer. If you haven't yet? ...I's start providing some water ...A deep, once a week soak, ...Maybe once every two weeks if your soil ...5 -8" below the soil surface.. stays moist for long periods, and / or the weather is cool / chilly.. Use a garden trowel to check, not a water meter ..they don't work.

If I was in Santa Barbara, I'd take you up on the Nannorrhops for sure.

@SeanK Most of Georgia has been deep red for some time. As much as we complain down here, it must be way worse there! I sure hope that this pattern breaks soon.

It sucks they lost it. There are a surprising amount of coconuts coming back. I'd stop short of saying a majority just yet, but there are parts of town where there are more of them than crownshaft palms. Very sad. Keep your chin up, though. We have a long growing season ahead of us. With a little luck, hopefully the drought will break and everything will leaf out quick to give you some cover again. The herd was officially thinned. It looks like the building might have blocked some of the wind. I've seen a few photos of crownshaft palms coming back at Leu Gardens, if you ever go up that way.

Could I freeze the seeds to kill pests or would that harm the embryos

I bought sabal seeds off etsy recently. At least 3 of the bags have these bugs in them. Are these duds or a danger to my garden? Can I treat them to save other seeds innthe bag & prevent further infestation? About to message seller. I think theyre palm seed weevils, caryobruchus gleditsiae.

i Tim, Not remota as it has the droopy leaf tips and a cuppy leaf. I have one in my garden, Wollongong and Sydney botanic gardens, they all look the same. More pictures of the mystery Pritchardia.

I think I’d narrow it down to P hillebrandii or P remota Colin. The frond structure seems to have that P hillebrandii structure of being strongly undulate but still having relatively stiff leaflet ends. I think P remota tends to have droopier leaflet tips but I know this trait can vary. The cottony covering on the folds seems quite thick so I’d guess P wailealeana is out. I think maybe time to get out the magnifying glass and look for any lepidia on the abaxial surface of the fronds. I can’t tell if it’s there. If not, P hillebrandii I think. I don’t suppose anyone is in touch with Hodel? I’m guessing he’d be able to identify at a glance.