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There’s a few good glauca in my garden.

Polyandrococus caudescens

Two more in the garden!

Not unless you have a Time Machine!

Growing up in Southern California , i always liked seeing palms everywhere. I wasn’t really into them like I am now but I liked them. In 1990 , after more than a dozen years of living on a sailboat , we bough a house with a swimming pool . My wife wanted a palm or three for around the yard to give us a “tropical paradise”. We went to a nursery in Ventura that had a decent selection and great reputation. The manager was a Palm Society member . I am a bit OCD about collecting things and after buying a few palms , became obsessed . I would buy rare seedlings in bands that were in the greenhouse and raise them in a spare bedroom with a south facing window . Then I built a greenhouse and a lath house so I could have several species of palms , orchids , and Tillandsia. That was my beginning. Harry

Hard to pinpoint, but from memory it was a few family holidays when I was 10-12 or so to Sydney, Cairns and Darwin that really started the obsession. I still remember the first time I saw Arenga pinnata and Attalea cohune and thinking they looked too huge to be real. I had some level of interest when younger than that, but the interest grew into a different beast around then 🤣

I know the feeling you have too well. We all feel for our palms just like any living creature we live with. It’s just like losing a pet, my princess sari the wonderful kitty cat. Our palms are no different from that feeling!

What got me into palms, I was 16 years old fixing my mates Yamaha YZ 125 motor cross bike, jumped on to test her out. Took of down the road in nothing but a pair of shorts and a t shirt. Tapping her out down the tar bitumen road hitting about 65ks. I fixed her I thought, turn around tapping back down the bitumen road, and yes you guessed it right the neighbours dogs thought let’s chase this young victim for the hospital down the bitumen road. Yes sir two dogs either side trying to eat rubber tyres, ok let’s accelerate we can out run these flea bags, so I gunned it with the two dogs,who at that moment decided to meet each other in the front wheel. Yep straight over the handlebars at about 70ks an hour. No helmet, T-shirt and shorts hurtling for that bitumen road. So now iam breaking my collar bone, skin off every part of my body, hit my head millimetres away from my temple and dam lucky only to get 10 stitches. I lived but my mother was not impressed with her so son’s behaviour, so I had to apologise to the lady up the road who’s dogs I run over. Through her saying she had to pay vet bills and her job was working in a palm nursery, I asked her to see if there was a job there to help pay the vet bills. And that was it I started working in a palm nursery at 16. Found the love of palms and they joy they bring me in my life to this very day, some 40 years ago! And yes the dogs lived and iam glad the hippie lady Diane came into my life, and showed me the world of palms!

First time seeing this post, very cool. First time I’ve seen human figures illustrated in a palm descriptions as well. Thanks Gunnar. Tim

Have you thought about getting it into the ground ASAP? Roots are far more sensitive to heat and cold than the top of a plant. I've lost a few palms in pots here in Palm Springs and I later re-ordered the same species and put them directly in the ground and they grew fine through the heat of summer. You my find the same treatment may keep your nice young Ceroxylon going. If you don't want to commit it to a final growing spot, you could just plunge the pot in a hole until the fall/winter, you should get the same effect.

I have been into palms since I was like 3 years old. I would always ask my grandma if she could take me to the neighbors house to collect queen palm fruit, I liked collecting it and inspecting it. Little did I know the Zetas were entering northeastern Mexico at that time and leaving your house at certain hours and places was dangerous. At 4 years old I saw coconut palms for the first time and that made me like palms even more, my favorite coconut palms have always been the varieties with orange petioles. I remember planting a green immature coconut that I brought from Guerrero hoping something would come out, obviously nothing came out. Now I have around 16 species and 40+ palms. Including the coconut palm which is a must have in my collection.

Last years fronds have now yellow tips.

I have always appreciated palm trees growing up in LA county. I remember driving around neighborhoods and seeing giant robustas and canary dates row the skyline. Most people never thought twice about them, but they signified something. These palms are now over 100 years old. Sherman Way ay Haskell 1928 Same street today Palm trees are part of the aesthetic and skyline. But curious how some of you guys got into them? Particularly people who grew up in colder climates where palm trees were/are rare.

Just came home from the beach with 2 6ft. Windmills, 6-8 inches at the base. Hauled home in a U-Haul. Have never planted one in my life. Used chat gp. to help. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I like things that look like they don’t belong. I’m determined to make them live, everyone thinks I’m crazy, but oh well. I know winter will come, any help you beef them up, and protect them , or any other advise will be greatly appreciated. I’ll have to get a picture of the second one tomorrow. Can I fertilize. Chat GTP says not for a month. I don’t buy it. What kind of fertilizer do palm trees need? In my growing zone here in East Lynn Wv. I’m going to need all the help I can get.

One of my favorite astrocaryums, heard it has some cold hardiness.

We come in peace!

Here’s another photo of a new shoot of number seven Dendrocalamus minor ‘Amoenus’ and number 13 is Schizostachyum brachycladum, a sacred Bali bamboo that is stunning until the entire clump starts to flower and then it looks like you have wheat hanging all over the place little unsightly.

Was out back this morning and snapped a photo, all the while keeping my distance. Tim

A slowly growing R. sambiranensis.. And a sp. “giant”— still no name as far as I know. Plugging away, about 13 years old, but otherwise reasonably happy.

Here’s my glauca post blooming.

So here’s a R. lakatra 10 years from a seedling; as mentioned earlier, it doesn’t appear to be one of the giants. And looking up into a fast growing sp “new”, possibly madagascariensis?

My total at the midpoint of June 2026 is ~4in. Crossing my fingers for a more typical June with close to 9 in. of rain.

Good grief Jim, that looks great! Attractive petiole’s and abaxial side of the pinnae. Tim

Here are the pictures of the green uresanas. Both planted as large strap leaf palms. All the palms grow much faster in the ground. The larger was planted maybe November 2025 and the smaller 2-3 months ago.

I’ll go as far as to say I’m 100% certain it’s not C costaricana. 99% sure on C radicalis. Please don’t use plant ID apps to check! They have some limited use for common plants but for 99% of palm species, they’ll have no hope.