Garden of Dr. Mardi Darian

[Phil]

Group,

I've know Mardi Darian for about 25 years. He and I have become friends during this time and we always talk about palms. He often drops by our Nursery and we chat about topics, especially Madagascar palms. This has been a perfect opportunity for my son, Jesse, to also learn more about palms from one of the real pioneers in the field. Mardi invited me, my son, Rusty (Roosty) and one other friend to tour his garden last Spring. You must understand that Mardi doesn't allow photographs to be taken of his garden. But, on this occasion and with his consent, he allowed Jesse to be the cameraman. He also knows and approves that I am sharing these photos with you now. The following photographs were taken of plants. They are not an attempt to show design or layout of the garden. A few on this List have seen Mardi's garden and know how he's spent the last 40 years collecting rare species and growing them at his home in Vista, California. Most haven't had the opportunity to see his garden. So, this is an attempt to show those of you who haven't visited him some photos of very special plants grown by Mardi Darian. I hope that you enjoy them. I shall add more pictures as time goes on. I apologize if I get any of the names wrong.

Phil

Dypsis manajarensis

Crown of Dypsis manajarnsis

Dypsis manajarensis crown shaft

Close up base of petiole, Dypsis manajarensis

[Phil]

Dypsis onilahensis

Trunks, Dypsis onilahensis

Dypsis species similar to florencei

Crown shaft of above

[Phil]

A Dypsis sp. which Mardi calls "Dypsis sp. Baby Red Stem"

Closeup of above showing the red on the petiole

A Dypsis decaryi with a very thick trunk. It was the trunk on this very old specimen that intrigued me.

Johannesteijsmannia Altifrons

[Phil]

Marojejya Darianii

A somewhat closer view

A closeup of a more juvenile plant that Mardi is growing

By the way. Some day I'll be posting a photo of another Marojejya darianii growing outdoors in El Cajon, CA with twelve foot leaves. It's from another garden

[Jeff Searle]

Phil,

Thanks for sharing some good photos of Mardi's garden. And many thanks to Mardi for allowing this. I was there in the early nineties and I specifically remember the Mealy Bug palm as being very small, with only a few leaves coming out of the ground, and no trunk. He does have a great collection of palms that took many,many years to get to where it is today.

Phil,

I hope you have some more pictures to share.

Jeff

[Phil]

Licuala elegans outdoors at Mardi's garden. We visited while it was still cool and you can see a little bit of cold damage on the leaves. But, it's been there for many many years. I am sure that Mardi would have preferred I return now, in the Fall, and take another photo because it would look better.

Pritchardia martiodes. This is a species that is similar to martii. I think taxonomists nowadays have grouped it with martii, one and the same. Note the nice color on the back of the leaves. the oldest trees of this species I know of are at Lyon Arboretum. I've been watching these plants for 25 years and they are still quite short. It's just a slow growing species that never gets tall. BTW, the late Gunther Schwartz from Santa Barbara had a beautiful Pritchardia martii outdoors for over a decade with a height of at least 10 feet. He gave seed to many people in So Cal.

[Phil]

Now for one of my favorite palms: Ravenea monticola. Some may call this Ravenea madagascarensis var. monticola. Most plants in Southern California came from early collecting trips by Mardi. Louis Hooper has a fine one in his garden. As you will see, the photos below are breathtaking. You will note many red "seeds" on closeups in this group or the next, but to all of our disappointments, they are not fertile. The males and females just haven't hooked up as of yet. I would estimate the palms below are over 25 years old just by remembering when Mardi had the seed.

Phil

[SubTropicRay]

Gorgeous palms in what appears to be a great looking garden.

[Phil]

More shots of Ravenea monticola

[Phil]

I have a lot more to come, but this will have to be the last batch for today.

So, a story: About 25 years ago and while at Mardi's yard, he showed me a palm in a 15g pot called "Barbosa pseudococcos". He said it was a thin trunked palm that grew in Brasil. At the time, I knew nothing about it. No one was growing it commercially at that time. He showed me the very large seed, as big as a small egg. I had to have it. Mardi had no extra seeds. So then began my search for seeds of this unique species. I mailed person and person in Brasil, trying to find a seed source. Back then, there was no email. Correspondence often took months. I finally located a fellow outside of Rio de Janero and he promised to go to the habitat (as I knew it) and collect seeds. He did so and within a few months I had my first seeds for my nursery to grow. João Barbosa Rodrigues was a famous Brasilian botanist and illustrator. He has many publications on palms. This palm was named after him. Unfortunately for his place in history, the palm was renamed Syagrus pseudococcos long after I got my first plants going. Now many of you might have this species. Mardi put the specimen in the ground shortly after I saw his plant. Here's the photos.

Syagrus pseudococcos

[Tyrone]

Awesome pics Phil. Thanks for posting and thanks should given to Mardy too.

Best regards

Tyrone

[BS Man about Palms]

This should prove to be a great thread. Thanks to Mardy and Phil are due.

I would note, for those not completely up to date on their "Dypsteries terms", the palm shown in the first post is the "original" mealy bug, and it took a LONG time to get to that size!

[Gtlevine]

Great photos Phil. I was there again just last week and the garden looks spectacular. The Mananjarensis is much bigger in person than shown in your photos. I hope you have a photo of the Dypsis "White Stem" in the poolhouse and that enormous Ravenea with the 30 foot leaves and still no trunk.

Gary

[Kim]

Thanks to Phil and Doc for the photos. While these photos are impressive, they only hint at how spectacular this garden really is. As Gary said, the Mananjarensis makes a very bold statement in person, much more imposing than the photo can show.

I would like nothing more than to spend a full day photographing Doc's garden, getting the early morning and late afternoon light on this fabulous collection!

[JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA]

Thanks Phil for taking the time to post these great pictures. Looking forward to the next batch.

[Shon]

Thanks for posting Phil,what an incredible garden. Thanks to Dr Darian for allowing these to be posted. Great shots Jesse.

[LJG]

Phil, you are probably one of the only guys he would allow to take photos. I am glad he allowed the opportunity to show of his masterpiece. I am sure for all that have been there, it is impossible to have a 'favorite' palm.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Phil, many thanks for posting the photos. Those Ravenea monticola are fabulous. I can't wait to see more!

And thank you Dr Darian for sharing them with us!

[Dypsisdean]

Phil,

Thanks for the pics.

It is hard to get a grip on the scale of Mardy's R. 'Monticola' They appear to be less robust than the R. 'Monticola" I got from you almost 20 years ago, and from the same seed batch --- I thought.

Here's a 2 year old pic of mine in SoCal with my son for scale. Are Mardy's trunks the same size as this?

[deezpalms]

Very nice Phil, thanks!!

[redant]

Hard to believe this is CA, really very tropical looking. Stunning palms, thanks for showing them off.

[Phil]

I want to thank everyone for their positive and kind comments. Mardi is not really a computer person or he'd be jumping in here with us right now. And, trust me, he'd have a lot to say. But, in his absence, I'll try to make a few comments.

In answer to Len, I just think I'm lucky that Mardi agreed to our taking the photos and for me to share them. I think it came down to a matter of trust. In answer to the "favorite palm" question, perhaps for me it's the one I started the thread with: Dypsis manajarensis. But, at the end, I might reconsider and pick a different one. This morning Mardi called me and he wants me to go up and shoot some more shots of things I missed. With my Sale going on right now, it might be tough. But, I'll see what I can do.

And, for Dean, I think your Ravenea monticola is a bit beefier. But, probably it's getting more sun.

Now more photos.

Areca vestiaria, inside Mardi's "pool room". This is the "orange form".

A close up of the trunk.

Beccariophoenix madagascarensis "no windows"; outside of course.

Arenga undulatifolia

[fisherman1]

Phil, Thanks for the photos. I really enjoy the stories too. I would love to read more stories of the " old school."

Thanks again

Bill

I have a lot more to come, but this will have to be the last batch for today.

So, a story: About 25 years ago and while at Mardi's yard, he showed me a palm in a 15g pot called "Barbosa pseudococcos". He said it was a thin trunked palm that grew in Brasil. At the time, I knew nothing about it. No one was growing it commercially at that time. He showed me the very large seed, as big as a small egg. I had to have it. Mardi had no extra seeds. So then began my search for seeds of this unique species. I mailed person and person in Brasil, trying to find a seed source. Back then, there was no email. Correspondence often took months. I finally located a fellow outside of Rio de Janero and he promised to go to the habitat (as I knew it) and collect seeds. He did so and within a few months I had my first seeds for my nursery to grow. João Barbosa Rodrigues was a famous Brasilian botanist and illustrator. He has many publications on palms. This palm was named after him. Unfortunately for his place in history, the palm was renamed Syagrus pseudococcos long after I got my first plants going. Now many of you might have this species. Mardi put the specimen in the ground shortly after I saw his plant. Here's the photos.

Syagrus pseudococcos

[bgl]

Phil,

Thanks a lot for posting all the photos and the commentary. Always nice to see photos from Mardy's little paradise. It's been a while since I was there...!

Bo-Göran

[Palm Guy]

Nice stuff Phil. Really enjoyed the photos, especially the R. Monticola and Dypsis shots.

[pogobob]

Thanks Phill and Jesse! It's great to finally see the garden in its maturity, I have'nt been there in about 10yrs...Bob

[DoomsDave]

Phil, more pictures, please . . . .

[Jeff Searle]

Phil,

I'm sorry to be the spoiler, but the picture of Arenga undulatifolia is clearly that of a different specie with it's narrow straight leaflets. Arenga undulatifolia has very wide, wavy leaflets. Regardless, it's still a very happy looking palm.

Jeff

[Tyrone]

Jeff, maybe it's Arenga westerhoutii. It's very happy what ever it is.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Gonzer]

Phil, is that the same manajarensis just left of his driveway (near the top) that has been there for ages? It used to be so small! It is absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing.

[Phil]

Jeff,

I noticed that as well. But, that's how it's labeled. Perhaps with time the leaves will take on a more typical form. Here's a picture from my gallery of an A. undulatifolia leaf.

Now, back to Mardi's garden.

Bismarckia nobilis: probably one of the larger in Southern California

Burretiokentia hapala

Crown of Burretiokentia hapala

A closeup of the blossom will be on the next post. I think there's a picture limit here. BTW, for those who love New Caledonian species, the garden of Bob DeJong in San Clemente is a must to see.

Phil

[Phil]

Blossom of Burretiokentia hapala.

Clinostigma savoryanum

A now for another Chambeyronia leaf. With Mardi's canopy being so extensive, he sought palms he could successfully grow below the canopy. Man, does he have a lot of Chambeyronia. Here's a shot of a new red leaf. You know this tree is under the canopy. Look at the leaf matter on the adjacent leaves.

Phil

[Phil]

Group,

And now for a Dypsis. I know you all want to see Dypsis, Dypsis, Dypsis... But, any garden and Mardi's for sure, have a lot more than Dypsis to see. But to keep all of you happy, here's an interesting species.

Several years ago Mardi started telling me that all Dypsis decipiens are not the same. There are some with a blue green foliage. And, then there's the one Mardi really likes. He calls it Dypsis decipiens "super red". We growers have had all sorts of batches of decipiens and noted that some have red petioles and others are green. And, some are more blue. But, since we don't have them mature in front of us, we just make a casual comment on the differnces.

Mardi went on for 20 minutes about the attributes of the "super red", saying it had an unbelievable white crown shaft and that he loved this plant. So here it is:

Dypsis decipiens "super red"

Closeup of the white crown shaft

A closer shot of the new spear and petioles

And a tight closeup showing the red in the veins

Also, note the wide pathways going through the garden. These pathways are wide enough for a pickup to drive. It must have taken thousands of yards of concrete to pour all the concrete paths.

Phil

[Tyrone]

Is that super decipiens in shade??????

Best regards

Tyrone

[BS Man about Palms]

Phil, that would have to be a TINY pickup. Mardys golf cart takes up most of that width. But it is a treat to be able to "ride around".

[Phil]

One of the cool things about palms is that there are so many genera and species around the world. And, they all look different. Another palm that Mardi is quite proud of is his Deckenia nobilis. Now, to understand why he is proud, consider the fact that this palm is native to the Seychelles Islands. That's where the Double Coconut (Lodoicea maldivica ) and other exotic species live, most of which are only found on this string of islands. And, we've always had an attration for the Seychelle palms. So, he should be proud of the next palm you'll see.

Deckenia nobilis is a thin trunked spiney palm.

A closer look at the crown

And, back to Madagascar, here' Dypsis crinita

Phil

[JakeK]

That garden is incredible. Thanks for posting these Phil and thanks to Mardi for letting you. I will probably never get the opportunity to see it in person, so this is the next best thing. Those Ravenea monticola are something else.

[Carlo Morici]

Great report, Phil. Is the Deckenia outdoors?

[Tyrone]

Great report, Phil. Is the Deckenia outdoors?

Deckenia outdoors. You're kidding right??????

Tyrone

[Phil]

Carolo and Tyronne,

Yes, the Deckenia is outdoors. It's been there multiple years. I think Mardi told me 10 years outside, but I'd have to verify that. And, remember that I took these photos in early Spring, i.e. just after Winter.

And, now more photos:

Dypsis ceracea. There is controversy about the true name of this species. I won't get into that. Rather I will just show it as Mardi grew it and what he called it.

Another view

Closeup of the petiole

Phil