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Thank you, that is quite the home garden. I'll know if I am able to attend once my kids' school and sports calendar gets set this next month.

Was forecast frost this morning but when I woke at 530am it was still a bit windy outside, and we completely avoided it. Tonight is forecast to have another risk of frost, hoping the endless coastal breezes bail us out again.

When I check my usual sources, they don’t seem to register the rain I got at the house the last few days. Hammered overnight the other day. Some heavy rain again yesterday. Probably 3-4 inches the last week using the empty bucket eyeball measuring method. The usual brief road flooding a few times, that lasts a few hours. A welcome change. Blobs have been right on target lately.

Almost impossible. There would need to be multiple generations bred to introduce each species into the mix. The chances of it accidentally happening over a minimum of 3 generations is slim to none, also keeping in mind that only a few Archontophoenix hybrids have been documented. I’m guessing these ‘Teracarpas’ are now multi generational (F2, F3 etc) hybrids of only 2 Archontophoenix sp. I certainly see no evidence of influence by A purpurea for example.

Beautiful, love how it's draped over the water. If it grows that well in Christchurch, it should be a no brainer anywhere in coastal NZ, wonder if @Phil Petersen has one down in Dunedin?

The tropicals and subtropicals are generally pretty good about coming back after a hard freeze, especially with a generous layer of mulch which you're doing anyway. They form the backbone of my garden and I just accept they will freeze back and things will look rough in early spring. I get that others may not want their garden looking that way for a couple months each year. That is a great split leaf Philodendron.

i know this is an old post but finding posts about palms in Sacramento is fun. I have two Maxima king palms in Fair Oaks. I've seen other king palms in Gold River too.

Its a favorite in places like california, but too heat sensitive to easily grow in the hotter tropics (needs cool night temps but hot days are ok), and hardy to 22 degrees f, -5.6 degrees c, or possibly a little colder. If the area only sees light freezes it should be a good addition, and i would be thrilled to see someone try it there!

I have had decent amounts the last few days and consistent enough rain the last three weeks to help start to make up the deficiet. July was still a bit below average, but i hope that the rain keeps up after a june with less than an inch. Weeds are growing like crazy, and most of the plants are very happy outside stuff still suffering from the freeze. Time to plant out some natives while the forecast into winter is possibly good for rainfall🤞

It's a little bit of a haul, but our Fall Meeting is in Orlando near Leu Gardens. A bunch of us are going to head to Leu after the meeting. That will give you more ideas and a few of the St. Augustine folks will be there. There will be people the entire length of the state there, so you'll get a pretty wide variety of climates and experiences. CFPACS 2026 Fall Meeting - Orlando, FL

Is the Northern CA chapter still a thing?

I am interested for 50 seeds too.

If you have no joy with the seed, sing out and I can send you some seedlings or seed. cheers Richard

I planted this 30 gallon plant maybe 4 months ago. It's in full DFW sun all day (from 8AM to 5PM). Is it fried or diseased? I noticed it got a little brown after a squirrel dug a deep hole into the roots (like a 5 inch deep hole) and I discovered some of the roots dried out so I filled in the soil and watered deeply. Been watering avery 5 days (deep/slow watering for maybe 20 minutes so it saturates the roots). Thus it's either it was damaged by the squirrel or it's getting too much sun.

Outstanding, Kinzyjr. I have not been to the Botanical Garden here, thank you for the idea and links. Lou was kind enough to give me a tour of his garden a couple years ago. It was wonderful and I was happy to see pictures of the tour of homes here last summer as I was on vacation during that time. I will reach out to the other members. It seems I have good deal more to find which is why I asked the forum. I may need a larger yard!

I don't know much about how hybridizing works, but in theory, can these trees have genes from every Archontophoenix species?

That flush is over a decade old and long gone now, so not much I can do to green that one. Neither this one nor the female in my Leucadia garden were the real Cycas debaoensis. Multifrondis seems to be the best match. Both are still very attractive plants.

I just ordered some 😁

on watering queens in florida Like Dislike Watering Needs for Queen Palms in FloridaIn Florida, queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) are fast-growing and thrive in warm, sunny conditions, but they require careful watering to avoid root rot and maintain healthy growth. Mature palms (established) Water volume: About 30–40 gallons per week during the active summer growing season greensoul.blog. Frequency: Deep watering twice a week (15–20 gallons per session) to saturate the root zone 24–36 inches deep greensoul.blog+1. Soil type adjustment: Sandy soils drain quickly, so split the same total volume into more frequent, smaller sessions (e.g., 3x/week) to prevent the roots from drying out too fast greensoul.blog+1. Goal: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged; avoid letting the top 2 inches dry out between sessions Farmer Grows. Newly planted palms Water volume: 100–150 liters (≈26–39 gallons) per week biologyinsights.com. Frequency: 3 times per week for the first few months to keep the root ball moist as it establishes greensoul.blog. Tip: Water slowly and deeply to encourage deep root growth; avoid shallow, frequent sprinkling. Seasonal adjustments Summer (hot, dry): Increase frequency to 3–4x/week if temperatures exceed 90°F Farmer Grows. Winter dormancy: Reduce to once every 10–14 days, as growth slows and transpiration drops greensoul.blog. Rainy season: Reduce supplemental watering if natural rainfall is adequate, but still check soil moisture to prevent compaction and nutrient lockout cultivatingflora.com. Key tips for Florida conditions Use slow, deep watering (soaker hoses or drip lines) to reach the full root zone biologyinsights.com+1. Mulch around the base to help retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. Avoid overwatering — the #1 cause of palm decline is root rot from soggy, poorly drained soil Farmer Grows. In sandy, leached soils common in Florida, adjust for rapid drainage by increasing frequency rather than total volume greensoul.blog+1. Summary table: Stage Weekly Water Frequency Notes Mature 30–40 gal 2x/week Deep soak, 24–36" depth Sandy soil Same total 3x/week Smaller sessions New plant 26–39 gal 3x/week Keep root ball moist Summer heat 3–4x/week Increase Above 90°F Winter 1x/10–14d Reduce Dormancy Following these guidelines will help your queen palm in Florida stay lush, healthy, and resilient year-round. Read all

Great looking Cycad Tracy! Try hitting with chelated iron. Should green it up fast! My experience with it is that it not only greens/blues up new flushes but older leaves as well. This is the product I have been using. Best $20 I ever spent👍

@SeaLaVie If you haven't been there, a trip to St. Johns Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve in Hastings, FL will help you picture how the plants will look in your landscape. A few of the CFPACS Members from the area ( @Lou-StAugFL , @Kekoanui , @ChristianStAug , @CodyM, @PalmJuan ) can also share some of their experiences. A few other links of interest: St. Johns Anniversary Celebration St. Johns 2nd Anniversary Celebration CFPACS Summer 2025 Meeting/Tour in St. Augustine, FL The Garden of Dr. John Rossi - Before it Became St. Johns Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve

I agree with bill and dave. Here in florida we have had a 10 month drought. Drought means greatly reduced fertilizer consumption since uptake requires moisture. No regular water, roots will pay the price. My arizona queens, grew in clay with pH modification and sand mix into the hole, they looked like beasts, here they look emaciated, though they can look pretty good(half the crown size of AZ) with enough effort. They are #1 water hogs but are very susceptible to nutrient deficiency because sand has NO cation exchange to retain nutrients so as soon as the much degrades to nutrients, it is washed away. We have to hope for rain, I dont have much confidence in irrigating a big palm with a few drippers in sand. 90% of all palms knocked down here in milton were queens NOT on irrigation timers. I am a believer in strong roots, strong palm. Its like they are a different species from arizona to florida, may more leaves in arizona. The roots are what we do not see and I'm expecting those roots have contracted in the drought, and drought does cause deficiencies but you do have to fertilize them here, alot. Google AI Queen palm nutrient deficiencies commonly involve manganese, potassium, and magnesium, leading to distinct visual symptoms like "frizzle top", discolored fronds, and stunted growth. These issues frequently stem from alkaline soils or poor nutrient retention in sandy ground. [1, 2, 3, 4] Early on my arizona queens had Mn deficiency in arizona due to high soil pH deficiency. I altered the soil and fed them and this is the result They florida are heavy feeders meaning fertilize several times a year especially mid summer and after the wet season. Queen palms are heavy potassium, magnesium, and manganese feeders in Florida, frequently developing deficiencies in sandy or alkaline soils. To keep them healthy, use a specialized palm fertilizer. [1, 2, 3, 4] And dave gave you the specialized palm fertilizer, palm gain florikan also work well.

Thank you, excellent choices. I do have a couple sabals and they are rock solid. I may put a cluster in the back near our marsh. Pindo is excellent, still working out where it would fit. Needle, windmill and arenga are great choices I can work into some natural looking areas.

Yes, I would love to have any palm with a crownshaft. Unfortunately, several neighbors have lost king palms and one royal over the past year. The royal was 20 foot when planted and my neighbor acknowledged he was pushing. He did a great job protecting it over a few years time but after he sold his home last year it was done in by the cold. Dypsis decipiens (manmade palm) could be high on my list. I will look further, thank you!

Mine are also planted in rows but very closely to each other, namely fronds from all three plants are mingled together. However the height difference is really a point to be taken in to account. I have a clump of Chamaedorea metallica with 4 plants, 2 female individuals are taller than the male one and rarely if not at all set fruit. The last and smaller one has just this year bloomed for the first time and turned out also female, and behold, single inflorescence is loaded with seemingly well pollinated fruits.