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Thank you very much Harry 🤗

Screw Pine damage is no surprise. The Triangle palm? I guess there is no UHI effect at the park.

Actually, Konstantinos, it is not the only one! 🌿🛡️ This is already the second survivor from my elite squad that has successfully mastered the system-error. Seeing this vibrant green vitality spear erupting here in Arbon/Stachen is the ultimate proof of their 100% healing They are all thriving in the tropical warmth of my sanctuary at 20.6 °C - 21.5 °C. It’s a collective manifestation of power!"

I see the same up here. Mar 16/17 with nights below freezing. I'd expected a little more cold that would put strawberries in the SE at risk. No surprise.

I haven't noticed any holes at the base, though I haven't inspected the base closely. With all of the old leaf bases around the bottom, I have not gotten a good look. I know what I will be doing after work today though.

Here's an interesting planting of Livistona decora at the same nursery. The drought is severe here as well - no rain in 2026 yet...

Here's some massive Sabal uresana at Dyer's nursery in Weslaco. Photo doesn't do it justice - note the thickness of the trunk. @5am for scale in both photos.

Very good job on that palm. The challenges that you face are well beyond what us , more temperate gardeners face , kudos for sure! Harry

This freeze definitely had teeth but nowhere near the 1989 low temps or durations below 32F. The 2-6F differences you mentioned are huge. 20F in 1989 for Vero vs 26F this go round is a huge difference and amounts to an extra 10+ hours below freezing per night. Compare the 6 degree difference between 32F and 26F and tell me they're in the same ball park. Melbourne 19F in 1989 vs 24 this go round. Lots of stuff will survive the 24F. 19F is a widespread death sentence. WPB had a low of 30F this time vs mid 20's in 1989. Again, this freeze is very comparable to 2010 but the affected areas were reversed from that event. At least the warmth leading up to this event allowed some microclimates to provide residual heat. In 2010 after 10 days of temps 10-20F below normal, the hard freezes at the end finished off already weakened plants. The 2010 freeze was also earlier in the season (just after New Year) so plants had less time to acclimate to the 11 days chill.

Great news . Harry

Let me sum it up, is this the lone survivor from a whole squad of Kentia plants?

I know it’s Florida but my mango is coming back after 23 degrees, you can also search tropicalgardenguy on YouTube his name is Jeff and he grows mangoes in modest county zone 9b

Thank you, Tracy Your Cycad collection (and garden overall) is quite impressive.

Very impressive! Youve got a seriously green thumb to do that in AZ!

We are thrilled to share a glimpse of the atreathtaking energy currently erupting in our collection here in Arbon/Stachen Switzerland. While many palms are still struggling with the winter-error, our other Howea forsteriana (Kentia) has just unleashed a magnificent, deep green vitality spear! 🌿✨ Despite the dry stalks around it, this new growth is a true light-bringer, thriving in the tropical warmth of my 4th-floor balcony sanctuary at 20.6 °C (69 °F) in the shade. It’s a testament to the limitless power of nature when the conditions are just right. This spear is more than just growth; it’s a symbol of 100% healing and the vibrant synergy of our sanctuary. We couldn't be happier to see this glissful weightlessness manifesting in such a strong, green signal! Best regards from the sunny shores of Lake Constance, Tom and Sabine

That's a good point, I'm not sure why I hadn't though of that. Last winter my hybrid Livistona went through winter and seemed fine, but started to go downhill fast and spear pulled like this. The previous summer it had a quarter sized tunnel opening at the base and to me it looked like a hole from an underground mammal. I covered it a few times but it would come back, and the I covered it with a rock and a new hole appeared elsewhere. The palm ended up dying and when I removed it, it had a large hole bored into it, so it was being eaten from the bottom. After I learned on here it was likely an ox beetle I have been vigilant ever since. I did find enormous beetle larvae in that garden too, so it all made sense. They first started showing up around April last year and I would have to check on the palms every morning, and would find new holes every few days and flood the beetles out and destroy them. This lasted for around 6 weeks and then no more holes after that. So @Ben G. do you remember any holes at all last summer?

That’s why you build more greenhouses , right? With all the room you have , I think you would run out of time to maintain them . I had one greenhouse that was small compared to yours , 12’ x 12’ with very high ceiling . I spent several hours in there every week. I even had a plastic chair and I would sit in there and look at my mini jungle and enjoy the sauna -like atmosphere. Stuff grew very fast and was needing constant attention. Harry

I have a few things I picked up from MB, mostly hardier species. MB will be here with his amazing selection of hardy and tropical. Here is what I will have; Allagoptera arenaria- Seashore Palm Arenga engleri- Clustering Sugar Palm Beccariophoenix alfredii- Plateau Palm Butia odorata (capitata)- Pindo or Jelly Palm X Butyagrus nabonnandii- Mule Palm Caryota obtusa- Mountain Giant Fishtail Palm Copernicia alba- Caranday Palm Livistona decora- Ribbon Palm Livistona nitida- Carnarvon Palm Phoenix canariensis- Canary Island Date Palm Serenoa repens- Saw Palmetto Zamia integrifolia- Coontie Cycad

Thanks. the hurricanes of 2004 and winter of 2009-10 helped start me to become unattached to the permanent status of plants in the garden, it is always in flux. I had a lot of risky palms for my area now it just opens up new plantings. But a lot more things have survived than I thought possible after a hard 23F with below freezing for over 10 hours. I will be replanting some tender palms but adding for hardy ones than before. I'm just glad by Cyrtostachys hybrid, Chelyocarpus chuco and Sabinaria survived with little or no burn with minimal coverings. And I am just floored my unintended coconut specimen is strongly pushing out new growth, hard to believe it would survive 23F.

I have a feeling that the late nature of the freeze will mean fewer deaths than otherwise expected. The west coast of Florida had a freeze in 1996 with very low temps, but few deaths because it warmed up so soon afterwards. Glad to see the smashburger coconut in Orlando is recovering! That green leaf opened up is highly promising.

So far, it looks like a few nights in the 40s. After what we got at the beginning of February, piece of cake.

They've been dragging too. I got the 2 sprouts and now I'm wondering if customs zapped them during their 9 day stay in Miami. But I know they were super fresh cuz I could still smell the fruit. I put the Kentia in some Tupperware and just left them alone and haven't touched them since.

I have species versions of almost everything you have in these hybrids. All will be attractive plants and probably will grow a little faster because they are hybrids. My advice is to give them sufficient setbacks from walkways since many will grow large. The nubimontanus × cupidus may be a vigorous pupper since both I have as species are heavy puppers. Which to select to plant now? You already are inclined to plant the arenarius so go for it. Other than that, just go with the ones that your eye likes best and enjoy.

Since a single plant will have pups over time the colony just keeps growing unless you occasionally cut it back by removing some new growth. Ultimately you decide how much space they can take over. How quickly this occurs depends on how large an individual plant is. My Puya miribilis has crowns on individual plants which are about 1' wide and high...it is a smaller species in the genus. The larger ssp of Puya alpestris has crowns growing nearly 3' high and about 2 1/2' wide. Consequently, it took up more space quicker.