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SFPS Spring Garden Tour - Miami, Florida


Palmarum

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South Florida Palm Society

Spring Garden Tour

Miami, Florida

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

The South Florida Palm Society will organize and present a garden tour about twice a year. These tours will often include visits to private collections, residences and properties not often seen by outside eyes. The tours offer unique opportunities to see what palms and exotic plants certain veteran collectors have stashed away in behind their gates and walls. The four collections we were visiting today are located in the greater Miami area and included two that I had not seen before. In these instances, the yards you will see represent many years, if not, decades of hard work; growing plants, fertilizing, designing, and simply getting them to thrive to this day, where we had the opportunity to see and enjoy them...

This was a four Garden Tour, and the different stops were arranged so it made for an easy drive between the locations; with the longest drive about 20 minutes. A full lunch was provided with the cost of the tour, and the entire day was free for members of the society. The different gardens featured the collections of:

- Dr. Jeff Block

- John Greenleaf

- Tim Blake

- Dr. Jeff Chait

Garden #1: The Hidden Residence of Dr. Jeff Block

For years of being involved in the South Florida palm world, I had been privy to stories about Dr. Jeff Block's amazing yard and rumors of what exactly he could be growing inside. But, for many others including myself, I was never able to visit the garden, let alone know its location. I had heard of a scant few individuals fortunate enough to know where his place was located, only to be rejected entry inside, being resolved to the fact they had 'at least' had seen the outside.

- 8:50AM: For the tour today, I was carpooling with Jeff and Andrea Searle, and with Jeff at the helm we made it down to Miami quickly and navigated the labyrinth of roads to find Dr. Blocks estate. The tour was scheduled to start at "9:00AM sharp" so we didn't want to be late, or be the last one scrambling to find a parking spot on this narrow street. As we came down the road, it quickly became obvious that a plant collector lived here. As we got out to walk around, it was a great feeling to be finally here and to put an end to the mystery surrounding this place. The first palms to stand out were a strand of Sabal mauritiiformis planted in rows along the edge of the street. A very old Christmas Palm, Adonidia merrillii, trio was immediately apparent to the right of the red brick mailbox.

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- The Sabal mauritiiformis varied in size, including some as young as this specimen, and others with many feet of trunk. The persistent green leaf bases are the tell-tale feature of the species and a desired one as well.

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- The early birds began to gather near the gate and around the car belonging to SFPS Board Member Lou Squros [center, behind car in blue]. He set up the trunk as a desk, while checking people in and handing out name badges.

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- 8:51AM: The gate was opened just a bit, and it felt like the movie 'Charley and the Chocolate Factory' at the point where the kids and parents were waiting outside the factory entrance. I half expected to see Jeff Block walk outside dressed as Willy Wonka.

RDG2010-03-27_08-51-27.jpg

Ryan

  • Upvote 2

South Florida

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- 8:55AM: My tour cohorts for the day, Andrea & Jeff Searle. Jeff was stretching just a bit, trying to appear more even in height...

RDG2010-03-27_08-55-55.jpg

- 8:56AM: People began to arrive constantly as we got closer to nine o'clock. We couldn't help ourselves from looking inside the gate and peering as far as we could. We began to identify what palms we could see, out loud.

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- 8:58AM: Just inside the gate and to the right of the driveway, sat this large Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. hookeri keeping watch over everything. It had at least 12 feet (4m) of trunk and a full, perfect set of leaves. That ivory crownshaft was hard to ignore and I must have said the name of this palm 10 times for people while waiting.

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- Talk palms, chat palms, everything palms... Like with any other palm related event, you know the conversations will focus on palms, weather and tropical plants. On the left, Jeff talks with FM. Randy Wiesner (palmisland) and on the right with grower William Olson and Garden Tour Host, Tim Blake.

RDG2010-03-27_08-58-25.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 8:59AM: The organizers of the tour heard that a few potential 'midnight gardeners' could be coming on the tour, so a few special precautions were taken... You know who you are...

RDG2010-03-27_08-59-10.jpg

- I poked my head and camera inside the gate opening and photographed this shot looking way down the driveway. From what I had heard this morning, the end of the driveway was about the halfway point in the length of the property.

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- 9:00AM: One of the tallest palms we could see was this robust Cuban Royal Palm, Roystonea regia. I could not guess as to the height, but it was way up there.

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- 9:05AM: The crowd grows... As we gathered and moved around we had to dodge the passing car and occasional jogger. We watched as nine o'clock came and went.

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Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:05AM: This tour was taking place in one of the more swankier neighborhoods in Miami. When we were driving from one location to the next, we would often see exquisite landscapes and rare specimens dotted around the manicured lawns.

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- Fairchild Tropical B. Garden was not that far away, and when you factor in many years of plant sales, Members Days, the Ramble, etc. you can't help but wonder what else could be found growing in these neighborhoods.

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- 9:06AM: One Jeff, two Jeffs... On the left, Tour Host and Tour Organizer Dr. Jeff Chait greets Tour Host Dr. Jeff Block as he emerges from behind the gate. As we continued to wait, we could hear leaf blowers being used in the distance beyond the gate. I guess there is always final touches to be done.

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- 9:10AM: To express his passion for palms and precision for anatomy, Dr. Jeff Block used his medical skills and prowess with a saw to cleanly cut a viable Double Coconut Palm, Lodoicea maldivica, seed in half...

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...just kidding, the seed was long since dead, being one of many Jeff had tried to grow in his yard.

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:14AM: I was not sure why, but we continued to wait even longer past nine. I guess they were waiting for more people to arrive as over 50 people had RSVP'd for the tour. This was already a good sized turnout for a SFPS tour.

RDG2010-03-27_09-14-13.jpg

- 9:19AM: People began to move towards the gate, and I took position to be one of the first in to capture the crowd entering the property. As I took my spot, curious members of the group went closer to swoon over the Double Coconut seed.

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- 9:20AM: Jeff began his introduction with opening the seed and showing us all the vegetable ivory inside. He used it as a conversation starter to begin to describe his idea and "vision" of how he wanted his yard to be. The intro went into the double digits of time and we wondered about the tour schedule. We were supposed to move on to the next garden at 10:30AM.

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- 9:28AM: At close to nine thirty, Jeff waved his hand and said "Welcome to my home, go on in". He said the tour would start here and go in a large oval, down to the back of his yard, back up to his patio, through his conservatory, by his shade houses, and end up back here at the gate. As soon as we got through the narrow opening (kept small for security reasons) everyone's jaws pretty much stayed open, while looking up, down and side-to-side.

RDG2010-03-27_09-28-52.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:29AM: As the tour began, the mass of people moved very slowly, as you really had to look in every direction more than once to see everything. Plants were mounted, tucked, and planted in various places. Jeff Block's original favorite group of plants were epiphytes, including orchids, ferns and bromeliads. They were found just about everywhere, including the trunk of this stately Satakentia liukiuensis.

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- His favorite epiphytes also found their use as decorative ground covers in various colors and textures. Randy is trying to figure out what to look at first.

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- Jeff Block also had an affinity for cycads, and its showed. He had different species of Dioon and Encephalartos mixed in where ever he had room. The different ground cover types were matched perfectly, as they kept their lines and didn't blend together. They resembled the look and feel of carpeting and rugs. In the midst of that mini fern forest, is a Lytocaryum weddellianum.

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- 9:30AM: The main entryway leading to the front doors of the house was bordered by a pair of ancient Bottle Palms, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. We continued moving down the driveway, one step at a time.

RDG2010-03-27_09-30-19.jpg

Ryan

  • Upvote 2

South Florida

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- 9:30AM: I had to almost break my neck to take this shot. This was clearly one of the tallest Kentiopsis oliviformis that I had ever seen. I had to zoom in to see the crown. That rounded Staghorn Fern, Platycerium sp. seemed quite happy mounted high up there.

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- In the left of the photo, there were select rare fruit trees planted in different beds, including everything from citrus to mango trees. As the tour continued, Jeff would talk about his yard and pointed out features he was most fond of. He would provide identification for those who asked.

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- Not far from the front of the house was this large clump of Zombie Palm, Zombia antillarum. It had some very tall stems and some sharp, interwoven spines.

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- 9:31AM: One would only need to move an inch to see the next plant of interest in Jeff's yard. Mounds of Bromeliads found residence in various shaded pockets. There was no shortage of color.

RDG2010-03-27_09-31-05.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:31AM: As the tour was moving, I kept skipping ahead to see what was up around the next corner. I saw part of a leaf and wondered what plant it was attached to. This Ravenea hildebrandtii was in full flower and caught a few "Ooohs" from the crowd.

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- 9:32AM: Jeff Searle had signaled me over to an area we had passed to a palm I had almost over looked. Does it look familiar, but different? This is Satranala decussilvae, the elusive 'Forest Bismarckia' from Madagascar and most likely the largest specimen in Florida.

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- 9:33AM: Jeff Block and the tour had reached the R. hildebrandtii and he went on to describe it and other plants in the bed around it.

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- This Giant Staghorn Fern was one of the larger of the Platycerium genus. This specimen was a fraction of how much larger it will become.

RDG2010-03-27_09-33-32.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Thank you very much for posting these pictures of a wonderful looking garden Ryan its great to see shots from Miami and brings back fond memories of when we visited for my 50 th birthday a way back.

Any ideas as to the blue palm in the "Randy is trying to figure out what to look at first " shot as it looks a beauty.

Zone 8b

Central UK

Average min over last 5 years -5.1 C

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Kev Spence

...Any ideas as to the blue palm in the "Randy is trying to figure out what to look at first " shot as it looks a beauty.

Kev, The first palm directly in front of Randy is a small Nannorrhops ritchieana and the other palm in the back of the bed is Livistona carinensis, I believe, as I could not get very close to it for a proper look.

- 9:33AM: The tour reached the end of the driveway and before we walked past Jeff's cars, he tried to stump us palm people with the identity of this clustering palm. It didn't work. A few of us called out "Chuniophoenix humilis!" before Jeff had the chance to smile and then say the name.

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- 9:34AM: This giant fern always makes me look around for dinosaurs roaming nearby. This is the world's largest tree fern, Angeropterix sp. and it had big everything. It will get a crown over 40 feet (12m) in width during its lifetime. I could not find a reference to verify the spelling on the genus, but that is how it sounds.

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- The tour goer on the left became an accidental scale object as I zoomed out to capture the entire fern. He was thinking "Hmm, I feel real small for some reason..."

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- 9:35AM: The south side of the driveway/parking area was bordered by a huge bed of a Pinanga sp., probably P. coronata or P. dicksonii. Jeff himself was unsure of the species, but he mentioned it had has been a problem free palm to grow.

RDG2010-03-27_09-35-17.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:35AM: I turned to the left and got another shot of the mystery Pinanga. I realized at this point that in order to capture everything I would have to photograph like crazy. Shoot first, sort them out later.

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- As we reached the edge of the house, the group took long looks into the backyard, behind me. The brick pavers rounded the corner and went over to the pool patio, forming a full sun bed full of desert plants, cycads and a robust, multi-headed Ponytail Plant, Beaucarnea recurvata.

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- 9:37AM: A few of us went back over to the mystery Pinanga to decipher its identity. As we were checking out details, I got a scale shot with Forum member Ron Kiefert (moose knuckle) and veteran grower and Croton expert Marie Nock.

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- With this closeup view of one crownshaft, it had all the signs of being Pinanga coronata, but I was only 90% sure.

RDG2010-03-27_09-37-14.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:37AM: The majority of the mounted orchids were in at least one stage of bloom. This is one of many Vanda specimens mounted on trees and structures.

RDG2010-03-27_09-37-43.jpg

- A side view of the Ponytail Plant, with the patio in behind. That cycad at the bottom of the image is an Encephalartos lehmannii that was enjoying its location.

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- 9:38AM: The backyard. The rest of the mystery surrounding Jeff Block's collection was slowly taking shape. The crowd was a quarter of the way through the 'loop' as pavers gave way to manicured turf.

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- Just when you think you can identify a fair amount of tropical plants, Jeff's yard goes and throws this thing at you. This Cycad was quite different and I could not ID it, even with my cycad books. It looks a little Macrozamia, but also a little Cycas at the same time. Go figure. :unsure:

RDG2010-03-27_09-38-25.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:38AM: It was amazing to find what was 'tucked' in the small spaces here and there. A quaint Coccothrinax borhidiana was growing out of a boxy space edged by patio pavers; next to a small aquatics pond.

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- I zoomed out to include a nearby Triangle Palm, Dypsis decaryi, that was covered with mounted orchids. Jeff Searle made sure he pointed them out.

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- 9:39AM: I began to wonder what was being used to make the orchids bloom so much. I found out later what it was...

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- The rectangular pool was surrounded by patio pavers with plants in most directions. The house continued back towards the front of the property. The Conservatory, the 17-foot (5m) tall shadehouse structure on the right connected to the house, is where Jeff grew his more unusual plants. The very tall Cuban Royal Palm we saw near the gate at the front of the property can be seen in the upper-left corner of the photo.

RDG2010-03-27_09-39-22.jpg

Ryan

  • Upvote 1

South Florida

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- 9:40AM: This yard showed numerous examples of what you can do with tight, small spaces. The narrow strip of land between the patio and the fence was packed full of large palms the average plant junkie would not expect to find in such a thin space. The brightly colored fan palm on the left is a Red Latan Palm, Latania lontaroides and the large beefy palm in the center is an old Majesty Palm, Ravenea rivularis.

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- This one old Bottle Palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, had long ago decided he was going for the full sun by all means possible. I kept looking over at the shaded Conservatory, wondering what was in there, but I was already falling behind on the tour.

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- I turned around for a moment and noticed this mural painted on the wall across from me. I wonder what came first, the yard or the painting of it.

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- A slightly shaded Old Man Palm, Coccothrinax crinita, was losing his hair... I guess that could be the least of his worries.

RDG2010-03-27_09-40-54.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan, thanks for posting the tour pics. :D Wow what a morning, great gardens, palms & folks. Heres a pic of our esteemed official South Florida PRA photographer, always on the huint for something to shoot. :)

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"If you need me, I'll be outside" -Randy Wiesner Palm Beach County, Florida Zone 10Bish

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palmisland

Ryan, thanks for posting the tour pics. ... Wow what a morning, great gardens, palms & folks. Heres a pic of our esteemed official South Florida PRA photographer, always on the hunt for something to shoot...

Hey Randy, It was a great morning and perfect weather for a tour. The air was cool and the skies were clear, allowing in tons of light for photography. I remember that expression well in that photo of me, as I was racing around shooting everything I could, plants and people, not knowing how much time I would have.

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:41AM: "Wow... Simply wow..." In the stories that had filtered their way around the palm world, I had heard a few of them referring to Jeff Block and his "amazing specimen of that red palm". I always figured it was a Red Sealing Wax Palm, Cyrtostachys renda they were talking about, but was not sure, until now.

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- It was originally planted in this formed box planter in the shade, but has since grown (a lot) out into full sun with zero problems. There were signs of suckers and stolons being removed, evidence to the fact it would have grown even larger if it had the room to do so. It was a pleasure to just stand here and look at it. Many Red Sealing Wax Palms develop that 'blunt' look and gain a silvery hue to the bottom of the leaflets when grown in full sun over time.

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- I estimated the total height of the clump at around 15 feet (4.5m) tall with a 4 foot (1.2m) restricted spread. I forgot to ask Jeff Block if it had ever flowered, as I didn't find any evidence of maturity; although any old inflorescences would have long been cleaned off by now. This palm is more than old enough and large enough to flower at any time.

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- That brilliant red waxy coloring covered every crownshaft, extended through each petiole and up to the terminal end of every rachis. Doesn't this palm look great considering the fact it was exposed to the wind and a freezing low of 31ºF (-0.5ºC) without a scratch on it? Did it deserve to have four photos of it posted? Yes.

RDG2010-03-27_09-41-50.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:42AM: There was plenty of orchid goodness spread about the yard. There were examples of some orchids growing over and covering other ones.

RDG2010-03-27_09-42-09.jpg

- Tour Goer: "Hmm.. that is one big palm." I walked back to the edge of the backyard and zoomed to the far corner of the yard, where I saw people examining a massive Talipot Palm, Corypha umbraculifera. It marked the back, NE corner of the property.

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- Standing in the same position and zooming out to normal view distance, you can see how far the palm was from the edge of the patio I was standing on. There were too many plants to see with the time allotted.

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- I headed back to rejoin the tour and came to the first planting bed filled with numerous bromeliads, palms and one coning Dioon spinulosum.

RDG2010-03-27_09-42-55.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan,

These pictures are fabulous :drool::drool::drool: . That cryostachys renda picture has me wanting to rip up my yard and find a place to plant one :drool: .

Laura

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- 9:43AM: I quickly found out that when you see one specimen of a certain species, chances are there is a larger one somewhere else in the collection. FMs. Ron Kiefert (moose knuckle) and Jeff Searle pose with a Coccothrinax borhidiana. This palm was much larger than the last one and had already started forming the characteristic 'skirt' of dead leaves.

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- The collection was thin in the Dypsis department, but did have a few individuals of note, including this Dypsis lastelliana the Red Neck Palm.

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- I took a few closeups of the crownshaft, leafbases and the tomentum or 'fur' for use in not only showcasing the species, but to make it easier to differentiate this palm from the Teddy Bear Palm, Dypsis leptocheilos.

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- 9:44AM: There was motivation behind this photo, but did not know what it was.

RDG2010-03-27_09-44-17.jpg

Ryan

  • Upvote 2

South Florida

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Unflippingbelievable! Largest Coccothrinax borhidiana North of Havana. Red Sealing Wax Palms do not grow in Floida. Thank you for the great pics, Ryan.

What you look for is what is looking

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- 9:44AM: A Syagrus botryophora was screaming its way through the canopy once shading it from below. The growth rate of this species is amazing.

RDG2010-03-27_09-44-33.jpg

- Zooming out a bit from the shot above, you can get a sense of how tall it is.

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- The planting bed in the center of the backyard was ringed by turf grass and divided into sections by walkways. Every major plant group was represented. With the burden of time hanging over your mind, you find yourself moving faster than you would have liked. The tour group began to spread out as people rounded the corner up ahead while some of us lagged behind.

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- 9:45AM: I began to wonder where Jeff Block would add more plants once sections of the yard reached saturation.

RDG2010-03-27_09-45-25.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:44AM: There was motivation behind this photo, but did not know what it was.

RDG2010-03-27_09-44-17.jpg

Ryan

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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- 9:45AM: I took a moment to look back towards the house. I could spend a week in here and not see everything.

RDG2010-03-27_09-45-31.jpg

- The bulk of the tour goers had made the turn and were heading around the bend as it were, when the die-hards (myself included) were still looking at every plant we could find. The rare fruit collection continued along the southern edge of the property, and we were joyfully surprised to find a fruiting Jaboticaba, Myrciaria cauliflora. Those of us familiar with the tasty, grape-colored fruit helped ourselves as there was no shortage.

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- 9:46AM: The tree was in full stage production, bearing open flowers, immature green and ripe purple fruit right off the trunk. Yum!

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- You can pluck the ripe fruit straight off the tree and plop it in your mouth. The thin skin can be a bit tough, but the white/clear pulp is what your after.

RDG2010-03-27_09-46-25.jpg

Ryan

  • Upvote 1

South Florida

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- 9:46AM: I wondered what sort of creatures could be hanging out under all those layers of compressed, dead fronds. Those fronds formed a dense skirt for this large Cuban Petticoat Palm, Copernicia macroglossa. Somewhere under all that was a thin trunk.

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- 9:47AM: I stepped over a short border edging and walked into the last bed to take a closer look at everything inside and noticed this White Elephant Palm, Kerriodoxa elegans was in bloom.

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- The reactions from everyone on the tour varied greatly, from utter shock and awe to dismay over the fact their yards may never look like this one. A few people definitely had that 'deer in headlights' look.

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- A Wallichia disticha was surrounded by all sorts of bromeliads, not far from the flowering Kerriodoxa elegans.

RDG2010-03-27_09-47-35.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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- 9:48AM: I need to use a tripod to photograph an inflorescence properly, but I often do not want to drag mine with me. The flowers had already opened and small, tri-lobed immature fruit clusters had begun to form on the Kerriodoxa elegans.

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- Other tour goers had noticed us eating fruit off the Jaboticaba, so they came over to try some, while FM. Randy Wiesner (palmisland) shot the hanging fruit; while standing to the right of Ron.

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- Turning back to the planting bed, I noticed a vast mix of palms all located in one area. A very old European Fan Palm, Chamaerops humilis was growing out into more light in the center of the shot, in behind an Encephalartos ferox and to the left of a thin Beccariophoenix sp. 'Windows'.

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- 9:49AM: Going in further, the large clustering Arenga hookeriana needed a proper scale component, and Ron volunteered for the service. The clump had numerous stems, too many to count.

RDG2010-03-27_09-49-12.jpg

Ryan

South Florida

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- 9:49AM: "Ahhh!" The twin, hair-covered trunks of two Old Man Palms, Coccothrinax crinita, make for a great ambush spot for the Moose to catch its prey.

RDG2010-03-27_09-49-33.jpg

- The tour had reached the back of the property and was halfway through the 'loop'. I could hear Jeff Block describe plants and identify palms as people pointed them out.

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- 9:50AM: The yard had benches and unique seating areas set up for relaxing and for viewing of the collection. This is a common element in many of the yards I see today.

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- "Hey, isn't that one of those California palms that aren't supposed to grow here?" An echoed comment from the Forum I believe, after we found this Kentia Palm, Howea forsteriana growing next to the fence.

RDG2010-03-27_09-50-32.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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OMG!!! This is the best coverage and best post on Palmtalk!! Plant porn at its finest!! GREAT shots and excellent commentary, you have good eye for pictures... Thank you for the coverage!!

Edited by OverGrown

LA | NY | OC

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WOW!

Stephen

Broome Western Australia

Where the desert meets the sea

Tropical Monsoon

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- 9:50AM: I kept darting back and forth as photo worthy situations kept popping up in front of me. [shutter click] I stood at the SE corner of the yard and looked all the way back to the house and noticed a few of the taller palms we walked past earlier, a tall Bismarck Palm, Bismarckia nobilis on the left, and a Coconut Palm, Cocos nucifera, on the right. As you can see, there was not a cloud in the sky.

RDG2010-03-27_09-50-45.jpg

- I heard Ron call out he found something, so I spun around 180º to see him crouching next to a very rare Ae-Ae Banana, Musa paradisiaca cv. "Ae-Ae". There was a larger specimen planted up near the gate, but it was still coming out of cold damage.

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- 9:51AM: A robust Bismarckia Palm anchored the end of the planting bed and it was hard to ignore as we rounded the corner and headed back towards the house.

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- 9:52AM: The Talipot Palm, Corypha umbraculifera, begged to get climbed on. There is just something about large leaf bases that are the same size as you.

RDG2010-03-27_09-52-09.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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WOW!

Weird avatar!!! :hmm:

Amorphophallus titanum, one of the worlds largest flowers

Regards

Stephen

Stephen

Broome Western Australia

Where the desert meets the sea

Tropical Monsoon

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- 9:52AM: I wasn't sure when I would be back here again, so I took multiple photos. Here is a tighter view of the Talipot Palm's massive crown.

RDG2010-03-27_09-52-29.jpg

- The tour, continuing to be led by the hard working Jeff Block, headed back to the patio via short excursions into the bush by the plant hungry. The north side was fairly sunny at this time of the year, due to the deciduous nature of that humongous Silk Floss Tree, Ceiba speciosa, on the right.

RDG2010-03-27_09-52-40.jpg

- 9:53AM: A minute later, I was called over by Jeff Searle as he noticed another palm that deserved a bit more attention. In the center planting bed, almost obscured by a light fixture, grew a mature-sized Reinhardtia gracilis, also known as the Window Pane Palm.

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- 9:54AM: Back along the turf path, the effects of stretching could be seen on this Cuban Belly Palm, Acrocomia crispa (Gastrococos crispa). It seemed to almost be sacrificing its 'belly' to gain height to reach full sun.

RDG2010-03-27_09-54-11.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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:interesting::bemused::interesting:

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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- Just when you think you can identify a fair amount of tropical plants, Jeff's yard goes and throws this thing at you. This Cycad was quite different and I could not ID it, even with my cycad books. It looks a little Macrozamia, but also a little Cycas at the same time. Go figure. :unsure:

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Ryan

Hmmm. Kind of has that Aussie Cycas feel. Like maybe a Cycas angulata.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

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Wow, :drool: beautiful ganden

Bruce

Innisfail - NQ AUS - 3600mm of rain a year average or around 144inches if you prefer - Temp Range 9c to 43c

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LJG

...Hmmm. Kind of has that Aussie Cycas feel. Like maybe a Cycas angulata.

Thanks, Len I think you solved the mystery. I checked Whitelock's cycad book again and the photo and description are very close to the specimen in the photo. I will put the name with this image for now. I never expect to see a Cycas sp. in many collections any more due to the Asian Snow Scale Aulacaspis yasumatsui. There have been a few success stories involving tolerant species, but not that many to make Cycas popular again.

Ryan

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South Florida

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