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....So for as many years as i have been taking mental notes of what grows in the garden here, one of the " standout " rarities, tree -wise, is a small -ish Legume fam. tree from Africa.. One i was somewhat surprised to see growing in the garden at all < ..Was my assumption that AZ might be a touch too dry for the genus. Seems to grow pretty easily in S. Cal though. > Regardless, there they were, growing here and there around the garden, happy as pigs in .... Still, despite near yearly visits in the spring, i'd never seen flowers danglin from any of them, ..until yesterday.. ..I also did not realize the garden has as many specimens as it does ...until yesterday. What is this red flower covered thing lurking behind the Aloes? Say 'ello to my little Schotia afra. The highlight of this springs' visit.. Cat calls n' all r' welcome. As vivid as the " near leafless while flowering " specimens are, no way you or i could miss seeing them.. Far more interesting than flowering Plums / Prune or Quince too. ...Another intriguing ...." What element / combination thereof about this winter triggered these " mystery.. Again, this is the first time i've seen flowers on any of the gardens' specimens. Additional huge plus regarding this Genus ..afra in particular.. Absolute Hummingbird ..and Oriole... magnet.. Hummingbirds were fighting over favored spots in each specimen seen. Would bet Common Yellowthroats, Geothlypis trichas ..a New World, Warbler - esque bird that appears to have recently taught itself how to pollinate Strelitzia while trying to get at copious nectar in the boat - like portion of the flowers in parts of California might also be attracted to these. Not quite as showy, but pretty interesting itself, Bulnesia retema, a weird Creosote / Guaiacum relative from Argentina that could pass for a South African Euphorb when seedless / not in flower. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Agree with that as well Tyrone. The adversarial approach by AQIS doesn't help matters or encourage people to do the right thing, although I suspect the problem is more about resources than anything else. There's something like 350-400,000 plant species...guess it's pretty much impossible to vet them all for import risk, however you'd think that families with obvious horticultural or economic desirability would be given preference, ie palms, bromeliads, orchids...all the things we love around here! Probably what's needed are deputations to the DAFF by special interest bodies like PACSOA or the Bromeliad Society of Australia presenting a risk matrix of species for import, to help the government make good decisions. But who's going to volunteer for that world of pain, lol?

Espalier?

These 2 Cycads basically never stop flushing and flushed right through the winter. Encephalartos Cleopatra x True blue Arenarius.

I have lots of Cycads flushing right now! Like Dale said this is an exciting time of year. Here is Hor Wood x Are Wood(aka bride of frankenstein) I can definately see the Horridus starting to come through.

When I planted the two (another a few plants down the wall), I realized that it could be a temporary planting due to the ultimate size. I'm just enjoying them while I can. I still have a few inches between the footing of the wall and the edge of the plant, so still some room before they cause a problem. Speaking of big green cycads, my wife actually likes the Encephalartos laurentianus on the other side of the wall best. She isn't a fan of getting poked by my cycads, so that says a great deal. One of my favorite greens is starting to flush now. It will never be as giant as the Encephalartos ituriensis, but with time, it can get big.

Looking for a small phoenix reclinata pure or low chance of being a hybrid. Dm me if your selling any

squashed queen palm

It could be. It's puzzling because there is littoral rainforest nearby but here it has always been a lomandra groundcover in my time. I'm sure it's salty winds causing the burn. When they are sheltered by other plants they are fine, but as soon as they reach a certain height they become exposed and the burn is noticeable.

Quarantine didn’t stop shot hole borer from getting here. Funny how it got to Fremantle first. All that wood furniture coming through from Asia through Fremantle. Then you hear of borers in wooden furniture from Harvey Norman. I think big business are more likely to breach quarantine, not little palm collectors who have no interest in doing the wrong thing and don’t want to import pests and diseases either. We absolutely need quarantine and biosecurity in this country. It’s how they go about the process which is maddening. They should be working with collectors not against them. A case in point is all the wrong palm names on BICON. They’ve been approached to help correct them. They’re not in the slightest bit interested.

Oh and I forgot to ask also, did your Butia that transplanted similarly pull through?

Noted. Sorry to hear about yours. What a bummer. Didn't know their root balls were more fragile than other palms. From what I remember we were careful putting it in, but you never really know. Reminds me of what I've heard about parajubea. I planted one of those recently and it seems the consensus is those absolutely hate root disturbances. So far so good on that one. This mule is confusing me because it seems otherwise stable and I just got this picture of the crown and it does seem the spears (it has 2) are pushing, albeit slowly now at day 16 in ground. I just wish the fronds would stop getting cannabalized. It seems to be stabilizing, but I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. Anyway, thanks for your input. It's good to know going forward. Sorry again about yours.

....." Arizona is so dull and boring that even the rocks suck "... Chrysocolla and Azurite in matrix. Wish my Chrysocolla chunks would weep like these do, lol.. We have lots of rocky spires and Hoodoos here but, in this case, these chunky bastards you're looking at are the weathered down bones of old, deep Tufa deposits laid down when this area was extremely active volcanically. No natural Perlite and imbedded Apache tear Obsidian deposits in accessible parts of Magma Ridge within the garden ..that i'm aware of.. but the mine i've visited is within walking distance of this spot in the garden. Yes, i stare at rocks, too.. Very important for plant nerds to know their local Geology. Rocks are fun to collect as well, ha ha. Anyway, ..... Pink -flowered Form of Bauhinia lunaroides Piscidia mollis, our near -native " Fish Poison Tree " A few Standout Texas / N.E.'rn Mexico Specialties we should see a lot more of in drier location landscapes throughout the southwest... Ehretia anacua Standard, white Flowered Bauhinia lunaroides.. Twist -y Vachellia schaffneri lurking above and behind it. Slim leaf / Nuevo Leon Rosewood, Vauquelinia corymbosa, Nuevo Leon, MEX. / Big Bend region of TX. Really nice form. Texas Pistache, Pistacia mexicana ..Really should be utilizing these in local /nearby drier locale landscapes, rather than the non native species from Chyy - naaahh, ...or other parts of the Old World. Full frontals of the elusive Mimosa martin - delcampoi in all it's bloomin' glory.. Cat Calls welcome, lol. Our favorite TX / N.E. Mex region Legume tree w/ golden balls, Leucanea retusa... >>>>>>>>>> >>>

Yeah, it’s growing at a really fast rate. The Maypan Claude is amazing. I took old photos from when it was planted in November 2 today and using the size of the landscape lighting fixture It was able to estimate bole size and current crown diameter and it’s actually projecting that this is gonna have a 16 inch diameter trunk, which is pretty close to its bole size all the way up we even double checked it with a tape measure and gave Claude those measurements and it gave me a two-year estimate and it’s telling us when it’s gonna flower in the fall

Oh Unfortunately it was on purpose but hes thriving thakfully. I got more plants and they are all doing well

Two more smaller but well tended. These trees are ubiquitous and when the fruit starts falling in early summer, it gets very messy!

What you said about the color of the Purpurea is interesting, as is your comment about its growth. Of course, I can't just compare its size based on how long it's been planted; there are many other factors. Although I read that it tends to be one of the more delicate varieties and grows somewhat more slowly than other Archontophoenix species... but I don't know if that's true, and many factors are involved. They arrived today, and yes, it's definitely a Purpurea. In person, you can see the difference in the crown cap, although it's young, and I imagine that when that old leaf falls off, it will be more noticeable, especially when it's a bit more mature. I love learning from such passionate people on this forum. I'm grateful for the patience you show in explaining things. I've had hardly any luck on another forum in my country, and nobody shares information there.

Wow, so much technical information here! I'll need a pen and paper to learn. Thank you so much. Although the soil and climate here are different, and I need to study them or get advice from other Mediterranean people regarding Archontophoenix to ensure their health, I'm quite lost with all this information. Mine are still planted in pots, and the fertilizer a friend recommended works quite well for his Archontophoenix. But I'll look into slow-release fertilizers and the ideal ratio here. The palm trees have finally arrived, and they were in good condition. Tomorrow I'm going to buy slightly larger pots, and I'm not sure what kind of soil to add that would be ideal. I'll look for pots with plenty of drainage holes, although some people tell me it's good to leave them with a saucer underneath and a little water in them at all times... In the end, I'll have to keep researching and, above all, experimenting on my own.

Never seen one in person. The image in Loran's book sure is beautiful?

....Before we get there, summore' randos.. Various Agave and Cacti... A. chrysantha ..Most likely.. NOID Agave.. A. schottii.. Another NOID.. Ferrocactus pilosus ..and friends.. Cylindropuntia sp.. Possibly one of the C. thornberi forms.. Lophocereus gatesii.. Not sure about this kid.. " Yucca Love " highlights n' scenes.. Y. filifera... Y. grandiflora.. Y. brevifolia.. thompsonii?? Crazy for upside down Carrots.. AKA Boojums... Lookin great this year, despite the winter dryness. Jatropha dioeca form. Appears the garden is getting ready to move ?? / has recently moved to here?? some large Organ Pipe -type Cacti specimens.. Ceiba sp. up on the hill nearby.. Pachycormus discolor.. Note the " branchy " tiny Bursera microphylla to it's right.. Not sure why it is as small as it is currently. Hopefully a hot wet summer gets it moving.. Phorodendron californicum danglin' from Vachellia rigidula.. >>> >>>> >>>>>>>>>>>