Subtropical microzone on the balcony.

While she shows some winter wear, the statics are undeniable: She is pushing a fresh, green spear right now! (See my close-up photo). 🌿🔥

Maintaining this indoor-palm outside for a whole year is a true testament to the unique microclimate of our fortress. The 4th-floor thermal statics are pulverizing the botanical limits! 🌬️💎

I can’t help but wonder which Rhopalostylis variety it might be. My first thought was Chatham Islands, but I’m starting to doubt that. It could possibly be a Great Barrier Island form instead. Or even a naturally occurring hybrid with archontophoenix cunninghamiana? It’s surrounded by them..

Anyway what caught my attention is the very open crown and the extremely dark crownshaft color.

I was also looking through some older Rhopalostylis photos and I think Geoff Stein used to have a few similar plants in cultivation.

Curious to hear what others think on the variety — what are your bets?

It's fake spring. Yeah it was 83 degrees today but, at least here in the South, there's always that one last cold front in late March or early April and I just don't have the energy to drag everything out and back in, totes or not. 

If you've paid any attention to my thread or my socials, I've gotten more into tropicals - bananas, colocasia, alocasia - I've got so much stuff to split up and pot up but I have just about filled this room. 

These aren't going into solo cups or liners, I can chop some into multiple 1g bags for farmers market sales or whatever, but I've got lots of 5g to fill and I don't know where the hell to put them for the next few weeks. I really wanna have everything ready when Real Spring gets here, or as ready as possible. 

I think I'm in over my head and I need someone to talk me off the ledge. Even the shelving wouldn't help me much, I have multiples with pups and I can leave them as is and sell them for more or I can cut them up. And there's another deal that's just too good to pass up. I've got room in the bedroom for small stuff but I don't want to risk bringing the spider mites in here. And I've still got philodendrons to prop. 

Whoever said that if you love what you're doing, you'll never work a day in your life was full of.... Well this is a family site so I'll say feces. I'll be fine in a few weeks but right now, yikes. 

We're gonna add this to the long list of rookie mistakes John has made. 

I'd just like to throw that out there. 

Please clap. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVAn6WoDTPQ/?igsh=aWgwNHQ4aTJ3a2Y4

I have noticed over the last 6 months that it starts to develop black/brown stains on the stems of the leaves. My intention was to plant it now since it is spring and we are re-doing our landscaping, but I am afraid that it may not be the right time since it has developed this disease.

Any advise would be helpful : should we go ahead and plant it ? will it die anyway ? best course of action.

So what palm in your garden caught your eye today? It doesn’t have to be your favorite, just something that stuck out to you today.
 

We used multiple layers of heavy fleece combined with Sagex (Styrofoam) for thermal statics. The result: She is pushing a new spear right now! 🌿🔥

Today we are basking in a phenomenal 

 (20.2 C / 68.4 F) in the shade, with a stable pressure of 1021 hPa. 🌬️💎

well they called two days ago with no prior warning  “we’ve got it loaded and would like to deliver today” so I really had no choice. Still alive obviously but I’m concerned about the burned fronds a the transplant, in fact I feel they under exaggerated how burnt it got. Am I crazy for thinking it a little unprofessional of the nursary to deliver it in this state given it was not burnt at all when purchased. 

Anyways it’s in the ground at my place and I guess I’m looking for reassurance and care going forward.  I was very excited to find it and now I’m worried about it 

below is before and after 

I wish I could do something like this, but I cant so what would be the next best thing? 

Here non trunking form.

I'll start with some Calyptrocalyx in the garden, all going off at the same time. Understory gems for any garden

if they will grow for you. 

C. leptostacyhs, C. pachystachys, and C. pachystachys 'mottled.'

Tim

Getting anything bigger than a shriveled up coconut sprout in California is almost impossible for a variety of reasons so I ordered 3 coconut sprouts. I currently have 3 coconuts of unknown varieties.  The first was “front yard coconut”This is the earliest photo I have of it but it came in August 2023 half dead with one greenish leaf. This is it now dec 18 2023. It has grown but the growth has been quite slow and undramatic. When I transferred it into the ground in august it really had no roots at all. I’ve read that they eat their coconut for a while but that was strange to see I’ve been fertilizing nothing. Hopefully it has roots not 4 months later. Even now in December it is pushing out a new leaf.it is north facing up against a fence but will look very nice in a few years. I reflect 4 mirrors a the soil to keep it warm. That hasn’t been an issue there have been very few days below 70 so far.

These 2 coconuts I got later in October. They came looking horrible one, one without any roots or green leaves. This is them now 2 months later (dec 18 2023) after getting a lot of love.one is still very ugly and the other is looking great. I haven’t decided where they will be planted but I have an in ground greenhouse in the back so I really expect to get a fruiting coconut tree eventually.

1. Brahea armata, cross-sections of a mature seed
 

I may have found one on Google maps, the second one is after I zoomed in:

It appears to be on private property, as there is no street view for the roads nearest to this. This is just barely North of Cape Charles, VA.

I am not sure how many PT members live in the Colorado River Valley (Bullhead City/Laughlin to the north and Lake Havasu City & Parker to the south) but I figured I would start a thread about my attempts to grow palms and other exotics in my corner of Arizona (Mohave Valley).

It is difficult to get any accurate data for my neighborhood as it is unincorporated Mohave County and sparsely populated (most lots in my neighborhood are 1 acre+, so no heat island effect). The weather stations are in Needles or Bullhead City, both of which are higher in elevation and see more extremes than we see in the valley.  Also people often post data about the area, but few of those people actually live here.

USDA lists us currently as a 9B but has in the past listed us as a 10A. The picture I uploaded was from 1990 data, the 2010 data was reversed and showed the higher elevations as 10A, which I know is false.

While I do not know how accurate my outdoor thermometers are I have seen light frost on the rooftops and I did get some ice in the garden hose once, but the freezes are short and usually just before/after dawn. I have yet to see any frost on the grass or leaves of the trees, probably due to lack of moisture. I would guess our lowest lows would be around 29/30 degrees.

As for high temps, we had 124 here two years ago and 116 was our high last year. We have many days over 100. In the summer our nights don't cool off as much, often the temperature is 90 plus before dawn.

For rain, I have been here two years and the county flood department tells me this has been the wettest two years for decades, going back at least 20 years. 

My elevation is about 475 feet, depending on who you ask.

Water table is 12-17 feet down, water has a lot of iron, calcium and salt (about 1200ppm of salt), so salt tolerance is important for me.

Soil is loamy silt with large chunks of clay (makes it easy to remove). I prepare my planting holes with a mixture of topsoil (bark, manure and sand) with chicken manure, compost, mesquite duff and native soil. The Washingtonias don't mind the local soil, they grow like weeds here.

Wind, we get wind, not as much as Bullhead, but we often see windstorms with gusts to 60mph. Winds almost always come out of the north or south depending on the season.

My house has a north/south exposure and I have trees (Eucalyptus & Mesquite) on the north, east and south side, but not the west unfortunately.

Some of the palms will be placed in my pool enclosure which is about 40 x 100 feet and has a 7 foot block wall on three sides and my garage on the south side.

Here is what I know will grow here, based on trees in my immediate vicinity (5-mile radius)

All Washingtonias, I personally have Robustas and Fillibustas in my yard and one possible Fillifera, not sure yet. I get volunteers everywhere, probably 40 or so currently growing.

The usual Phoenix palms, Dactylifera, Canariensis, Senegal and Roebeleniis

Butia/Pindo palms (I have three very healthy ones growing)

Chamaerops Humilis (I have two of them, neighbor across the street has a 1/2 dozen or so)

Queen Palms (I had two die, but a neighbor down the way has two healthy large ones).

Here is what I want to grow:

Phoenix Dactylifera

Mule Palms

CococQueens

Pseudophoenix Sargentii

Beccariophoenix Alfredii

Roystonia Regia

Bismarckia Nobilis

Copernicias?

Cocothrinax?

Sabal Mauritius?

I also plan on growing some bamboo and other tropical plants, I already have Asian Lime, Seabreeze and Green Temple bamboos in the ground and they are doing well, my black bamboo looks like its done for. The bamboo has been placed in order to provide shade for some of the plants I have plans for.

I would like to grow some plumerias, hibiscus and other tropicals.

The big problem is getting my hands on these palms, my local nurseries only carry the typical phoenix & washingtonias

I am planning a trip to Phoenix this fall to pick up some of these and I have an order pending with Floribunda for some B. Alfredii, Bismarkia, Cocothrinax Brohindiana & Copernicia Macrolossas which I will pot up for this summer and plant in the ground next spring.

Feel free to chime in with any advice and if you live in the area, let me know what has worked for you.