X-mas PRA #1: David Doubravsky Garden in Riverside

[Brahea Axel 269]

Nothing like a little time off around x-mas to explore some of Southern California's palm gardens. Dave's Garden is a convenient 10 minutes from our diggs in Riverside, up at around 1,700 feet elevation in the highlands. It's amazing what a little elevation does for air circulation, frost is a rare occurrence up there based on the stuff growing in people's yards in the neighborhood. However, the 2007 freeze didn't treat Dave kindly, providing a nice dose of snow followed by some brutally cold temperatures. But his garden has recovered beautifully, and the place looks like a lovely ultra-tropical garden.

Best of all, Dave employs a little bit of Velez style, and it looks perfect, probably thanks to his wife putting up a good line of defense to keep palms from invading the lawns. Dave's definitely got the green desert thumb, his palms look spectacular for growing in the Riverside Summer inferno. I'm down here a few times during the Summer and it's unbearable heat. Yet he's got rhopies and kentias that look pretty darn healthy with little sunburn thanks to ample shade and judicial use of queen palms to generate canopy.

So here goes the pictures. I won't remember all the names.

The most perfect majesty palm I've seen:

The house wasn't hard to spot thanks to the nice Foxtails in front, and this in Socal, seems to be no problem for Dave.

More foxtails, a young one growing well.

[Brahea Axel 269]

Lots of queens help to create a canopy for the gems growing beneath, some are on the neighbor's property giving Dave goodf protection from the hot afternoon sun during the Summer.

Onilahensis and baronii below:

Real healthy Pritchardia remota, with Winter shade which keeps them looking real nice

[Brahea Axel 269]

Another remota, dang Dave, this is looking good in Riverside:

Kentias grown to perfection, this in the Riverside inferno is no small feat, proof he's got the green palm thumb.

[Brahea Axel 269]

Now to my all time favorite dypsis, the "new fake" ambositrae, so not plumosa but also not the super slow ambositrae, let's call it ambositrae #2. He tells me he had plumosa and ambositrae in a bunch planted out in 2007. The 2007 freeze killed the plumosa but the ambositrae were untouched. This is a great tough palm.

[Brahea Axel 269]

I think this is a Chamadorea tepeojote:

One of the rhopies.

Chamberyonia looking mighty fine:

[Brahea Axel 269]

I think this is onilahensis next to a ravena glauca:

Sabal mauritiformis

Sabal yapa

[Brahea Axel 269]

The now famous shade grown bismarckia which IMHO looks really cool.

Ravena glauca

[Brahea Axel 269]

So that's all folks. As you can see, with the right techniques, even an inland empire garden can be turned into a tropical palm paradise. Riverside Summers are no picnic for many palms but Dave's really leveraged all the techniques in the book to make it work. That, along with a house that's just got the perfect orientation to provide some much needed Winter shade in the backyard.

[doubravsky 692]

Axel thanks for the props and the visit.... it was nice to meet you in person!

[Tassie_Troy1971 1,064]

Very nice garden Dave with some real gems !

Ravenea rivularis look perfect .

Thanks Axel for posting

[LJG 1,167]

I always like looking at pictures of Dave's garden. Thanks for posting.

[Gtlevine 311]

Nice collection of plants.

[Stevetoad 1,718]

Very nice. I agree that R.R is flawless. Great garden

[Rafael 423]

Outstanding Ravenea Rivularis and nice collection!

[yachtingone 107]

Dave your garden is filling in nicely since I was there! I am looking forward to a visit soon!

Randy

[Jeff Searle 1,060]

Dave,

Your doing a great job with the garden and your collection of palms. How old is your garden, approx.?

Thanks Axel for sharing.

Jeff

[doubravsky 692]

Thanks all for the kind words!

Jeff- started planting in 2005... gradually added from there. Added a bunch of queens for canopy in 2007 after the freeze.... the canopy has made a big difference.

dave

[DoomsDave 8,659]

Rhopies in Riverside!

Well slap everyone in the vicinity!

Dave, props from one Dave to another!

Coming to the banquet??

[paulgila 194]

axel are you sure about the 2nd pic in post #7? that looks like a teddy bear to me, not r.glauca.

[doubravsky 692]

Paul you are correct...... That's a Leptocheilos

[paulgila 194]

Thought so. Looking good,dewd!

[Sutter Bob 27]

Your place looks great.

Brings back a few memories for me.

I went to UCR way back when and met my wife there.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since I graduated.

I can still remember the Palm Allee of Victoria Avenue and the palms at and near Mission Inn. The UCR campus had a few interesting specimens too.

Our climate is even harsher than that of Riverside, but I'm amazed at what can grow in both places with a little effort and some water .

As Axel pointed out, cover is key.

Your landscape might finally convince me to plant some queens to get more canopy, especially if my Parajubaea don't bounce back from our brutal December.

[Brahea Axel 269]

Your place looks great.

Brings back a few memories for me.

I went to UCR way back when and met my wife there.

Hard to believe it's been 30 years since I graduated.

I can still remember the Palm Allee of Victoria Avenue and the palms at and near Mission Inn. The UCR campus had a few interesting specimens too.

Our climate is even harsher than that of Riverside, but I'm amazed at what can grow in both places with a little effort and some water .

As Axel pointed out, cover is key.

Your landscape might finally convince me to plant some queens to get more canopy, especially if my Parajubaea don't bounce back from our brutal December.

What? You don't have canopy? Oh man, what are you doing? Get to work! Livistona nitida, decora, queens, sabal, these are indispensable canopy palms, how can you even think of growing a palm garden that far inland without it?

[doubravsky 692]

I was out in garden and it was such a nice day... thought I'd add a few pics.... here's a Caesalpinia Ferrea in the foreground. In the background Rauvolfia and to the right Ficus Rubignosa... examples of the canopy that has made a big difference.

[doubravsky 692]

Ficus Rubignosa - background livistona decora-

[doubravsky 692]

Dypsis Decipiens with Pseudophoenix Sargentii and Dypsis Leptocheilos to the left....

[doubravsky 692]

Livistona Lanuginosa base....

[doubravsky 692]

Parajubea Torallyi... dypsis baronii.... archonto cunninghamia big box style

[doubravsky 692]

You can never have too many Chambeyronias...

[doubravsky 692]

[doubravsky 692]

Butia Yatay

[Danilopez89 651]

Sweet garden Dave! Those majesty palms are majestic. I really like your planting style. It's not even overcrowded. Lol. My wife doesn't know this, but that's what im going for myself. One palm tree at a time

Do you get colored fronds from your chambeyronias? How do they do with the heat? I want to try some here in Indio! Ahh! That was exciting...lol

[doubravsky 692]

Thanks! I do get colored fronds from the Chambeyronias. They certainly like a great deal of shade though... I've got a couple that are getting afternoon sun and they look pretty washed out most of the time. I'm waiting for some Roystonea Regias to grow up and shade them