Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

The Palmetum in Tenerife will Finally be Opened !


Carlo Morici

Recommended Posts

Hello all, time passes and life goes on.

The Palmetum now has been opened to the public for one full year. I have not been much in Palmtalk and I have given no reports, but it has been a year of success and growth! Now I am the botanical director and I am quite happy about how all is going. We have new palms, new labels, a new shop at the entrance. We also survived to our first educational program with +2000 kids coming with school visits. It has been a hearthbreaking sight to see our project coming to life after 19 years of wait!

The palmetum is specially loved by tourists coming from cruiseships. Germans are literally crazy about the garden and come back over and over, then we also see a lot of British, Russians, French, Italians...

Here you can spy the new website, just translated to English: www.palmetumtenerife.com

A video in English, recorded in July 2014: http://palmetumtenerife.es/video-palmetum-2/?lang=en

Now we are working to become an official "botanical garden" and then we will start working with other gardens. In a few weeks we will start planting a lot. We will landscape some new areas in the Caribbean sections and will scatter some nice new species in the many empty spaces that still exist around. The collection is slowly becoming the one of my dreams. At this point I suspect we are around the line of 500 palm species, I have to sit down and update the data base! The bias on islands is becoming now clear: the palmetum is a collection of island palms, chiefly focused on the Caribbean, Madagascar, and the Pacific Islands... almost 1/3 of the palms are now adults, and the fun is just about to start.

Carlo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic Carlo! Congratulations of the Palmetum - it must be great to see the plants coming into maturity. Your efforts in Tenerife are a real inspiration!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Carlo!

19 years waitting is a very long time.

I was following you in this forum and in spanish forums.

Ten years ago the palmetum was a dream and now is real!

Good luck and i hope, in future, will go to Tenerife and see your treasure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations Carlo, and you're the director! I hope you will have a large collection of coconut palm varieties from around the world. They are my favorite palm. I hope to get over there some day to see your beautiful islands and palmetum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tremendous job Carlo. Has to be like a dream come true for you. Not many people in today's world are capable or willing to take the time to do such daring things.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aloha Carlo,

I am thrilled for you and all of the participants and contributors to the project as well as everyone who will be able to visit the Palmetum.

The videos were wonderful and so inviting. The wind blowing in the fronds really brought life to the palms. I can tell from the other posts that it already has a large group of palm lovers who cannot wait to see it. Those of us who saw your presentation at the Thailand biennial know how many hurdles you had to jump through and how hard you have worked to bring this dream to fruition. We've all been routing for you and are thrilled that your work has resulted in such a magnificent garden. It is one of the to places to see on my Palm 'Bucket List'.

Lee

  • Upvote 1

Lee

Located at 1500' elevation in Kona on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Average annual rainfall is about 60"; temperature around 80 degrees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Carlo,

Your role as Botanic director is well earned and deserved. you hung in there against huge odds and did a great Job getting it opened

warm regards

Colin

coastal north facing location

100klm south of Sydney

NSW

Australia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carlo,

Congratulations to you on this very significant development, and congratulations on becoming the Botanical Director. :) I know how hard you've worked for all these years to make this happen, and I can fully understand how exciting this must be for you. I'm thrilled that we (=the IPS Directors) had the opportunity to visit the Palmetum already back in October 2011 when we had our BOD meeting on your beautiful island! :) Definitely an unforgettable experience in many ways.

The very best wishes for continued success and growth! :)

Bo-Göran

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Congratulations! And you are now Director. Great move. It is heartwarming to hear of the opening to the public. To Germans and other Europeans it is a door to a world they know little of but find really neat.

Brian Bruning

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all friends! A few pictures from last week:

Five Carpoxylon macrocarpa, about 10 years old from seed

post-143-0-90983400-1429051112_thumb.jpg

post-143-0-00955300-1429051313_thumb.jpg

Pseudophoenix vinifera, about 15 years old from seed

post-143-0-02240300-1429052375_thumb.jpg

And the Araucarias in the New Caledonian section, a memory of the IPS biennial, just 15 years ago

post-143-0-00672700-1429051277_thumb.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carlos , all I can say is

Awesome

Bravo

Cool

Determined

Excellent

Fabulous

Glorious

Harmonious

Influence

Jubilant

Knowledge

Leadership

Motivated

Nature

Onwards

Paradise

Quality

Respect

Sustained

Teamwork

Unique

Valuable

Well done

Xfactor

Yes

Zeal

Pete :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carlo, I find your palmetum very interesting to say the least. I just saw the video and I am blown away! Looks amazing! I also just found the plant list and that is so impressive. Thank you for reaching out to us on Palmtalk and sharing this amazing place with us--I would really like to hear about the progress/status of Hemithrinax compacta and any and all of the Cuban species you are cultivating. Thank you so much for your time! One day, I hope to visit Tenerife!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pedro, thank you for the poem :lol2:

Mandrew, The two Hemithrinax compacta are going better, still trunkless about 1,5 m tall. They had rooting problems for years because older leaf bases decay exceedingly slowly, so they did not detach after more than 10 years and clasped the base of the thunk form below soil level. New roots could not reach the ground and plants were shaking, so one year ago we removed lower bases and staked them. Now they spread new roots and are definitely greener and lushier. They will still need a few more years before fruiting. We will probably cut a tall Roystonea regia, which is too close to them and is stealing nutrients.

The Cuban collection is now doing much better than in those years of neglect, despite the many losses. Regarding new plantations, next week we will plant 9 Coccothrinax gundlachi. And I have 1 potted C. torrida and 1 C. fagildei to plant - Hard to decide their right spot! Also, the first few Copernicia fallaensis are ready to go to the ground. And small batches of C. alexandri var. nitida and C. litoralis. The four C. litoralis are the lucky ones that will be planted on the "beach", in front of the largest waterfall, where everybody wants to take a picture.

The Caribbean section of the palmetum is being expanded. The area is already huge and there is still a lot to landscape. We are now planting an empty extension of about 2500 m2, which is one of the two entrances of the Palmetum (still not landscaped!) and there are also 5000 m2 for the future, of unplanted, sea-facing space. I am reactivating official contacts with Cuban botanical centers and one purpose is to refurbish the collection. Also, I should go to Cuba in November for a conference. Other "Cuban news"... the Copernicia rigida from Eastern Cuba is blooming for the first time. Acrocomia crispa are setting the first fruits. Belly palms are a highlight at the palmetum as they are grouped together and they are featured as a stop in guided tours for kids or tourists.

Carlo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are top notch species and amazing collection material in any garden or botanical park. I am sure you know how special those Cuban palms are; I am glad they are in a great place and in good hands! If you ever get a chance, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say a couple pictures would be much appreciated! Thanks again for your time, Carlo!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Mandrew, I will make a full report in another thread. Please be patient, spring is a bad moment for taking pictures - it is time to plant! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Hello palm people !

I wonder if this old topic (3940 visits!) is still the right place to post updates about the palmetum, but here I am again.

Give a look to this nice article published a few days ago:

The Palmetum in Tenerife-travel-secrets.com

Also don't miss the 3D tour made with drones a few months ago to me is quite spectacular!

Palmetum 3D Virtual Tour

All the best,


Carlo

Edited by Carlo Morici
  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Carlo - The virtual tour is fantastic, and it looks like you got a perfect weather day to film it - The Palmentum has been and continues to be an absolutely wonderful project! - gmp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhh how much I envy the Canarian climate... All the palmetum looks A M A Z I N G and I M P R E S S I V E !!!

I hope that I will be able to travel to Tenerife the next year, and obviously to see the palmetum!!

I live in Altea, Spain 38°34'N 0º03'O. USDA zone 11a. Coastal microclimate sheltered by mountains. 
The coconuts shown in my avatar are from the Canary Islands, Spain ! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...