Dick Douglas garden

[iwan]

Last, but not least, Dick has a great rhapis collection and some beautiful variegated ones.

I hope you all enjoyed the tour as much as I did.  I need to get back over there in early summer to capture the garden in full glory.  If you still haven't had enough of Dick's garden, you can view the entire album at: http://www.vhfdx.com/plants/DickDouglasFeb2007

[paulgila]

great pics,as always robert!thanks for taking the time to bring them to us!

[PalmGuyWC]

Hello All,

First, I'd like to thank Robert again for taking all the nice photos of my garden.  The middle of winter, and after the worst freezes in many years is not the best time to photograph my garden. All of my understory plants were cut to the ground by the freeze, cannas, gingers, geraniums, etc. I hope Robert will come back later in the year when things have greened up and filled in some.

One correcton, the Cham. labeled C. metallica is C. Ernesti-Augustii.  The large Chamaedorea is C. Hookeri...I think.  The green Rhapis is one I found in Florida some years ago.  It was labeled R. excelsa, but it's obviously something else.  It's slow growing in Calif., but has rather large fronds and the blades grow to a point. It's not R. humilus either.  I think it's a new species to cultivation. I understand the seeds came from Hannan Island, China.  Does anyone have any ideas what it might be?

Carlo, thanks for the photo of my "grand children."  After this brutal winter in Calif., I wish I had been in sunny Sicily to join them.

To answer about planting a Butiagrus:  Give it plenty of room as they get big and they grow rather fast. I wish I had given mine more room as they are all crowded and hard to photograph.  Butiagrus look best as a "stand alone" palm, but maybe with some low growing things planted in a bed underneeth it.

Steve, I'm surprised your seedlings were wiped out, unless maybe they were in containers and the roots froze. They should be plenty cold hardy.

In regards to the pic. of your hybrid, and judging from the time frame, (5 yrs ago) I would guess that your hybrid is (Jubaea X Butia) X Butia.

Before Patrick began his hybridising experiments, my Jubaea X Butia used to have a good seed set, and we assumed they were F2 hybrids, however we learned later that the Jubaea X Butia is self sterile, but it will cross with Butia and Syagrus.  We think now the seeds were set by a couple of Butias growing nearby the Jubaea X Butia.

I notice in your close up photo, that one of the fronds to the left side seems to have hooks at the tips of the frond. Juvenile Jubaes typically have hooks at the tips of the fronds, but that characteristic goes away or deminishes as the plant gets older.  Your plant looks very robust and healthy....keep us posted on it's progress.

Dick

[jam99]

(jam99 @ Feb. 27 2007,09:38)

QUOTE

Stunning stuff. Thanks for sharing. How cold hardy is the C. Oreophila X radicalis hybrid compared to a regular radicalis?

Perhaps my question got lost among those incredible photos so I dare to ask again  ::

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Jam,

I'm sorry I missed your question before. I'm not sure exactly how hardy the C. oreophila X radicalis is, but the one I have planted in the ground took 23F/-5C  this year and many freezing nights. I would imagine it would take the upper teens, maybe a -7C. My plant in the ground has some overhead protection, as it's growing under a large Butia. I had 7 plants during the freeze of 89/90 here and it got down to -10 C.  Four of the plants were killed, but 3 survived.

Good luck if you get the hybrid plants.  They are not easy to do.

Dick

[jam99]

Thank you Dick. I reckon it is a quite impressive hybrid with some potential (if protected) here behind the arctic circle. This winter min was -6C but -15C winters are not uncommon. I'll keep my eyes open for seeds although I am aware it might be a difficult task. Cheers, Jan

[Palmy]

Dick, how are the palms holding up. Can ya get a pic with the snowy mount diablo in the background .  Hope they all bounce back in the summer. Rather cold here lately. We didnt even crack 50 today.

[iwan]

(Palmy @ Mar. 01 2007,00:00)

QUOTE

Dick, how are the palms holding up. Can ya get a pic with the snowy mount diablo in the background .  Hope they all bounce back in the summer. Rather cold here lately. We didnt even crack 50 today.

Zach,

I didn't notice any view of Mt. Diablo when I was there and there definitely wasn't snow then.

[ricky]

i have to say dick what a fantastic garden it looks fantastic now so in summer it must be paradise

[PalmGuyWC]

I can't wait for some warm weather as this has been a misserable winter in Northern Calif. Robert, you were probably to busy photographing palms to notice that Mt. Diablo can be seen through my neighbors trees.  It's been covered with snow for 3 days now and is white as I've ever seen it. The roads are closed to the top of the mountain.

We are promised warmer weather this weekend.  Whoope!!!

Dick

[Palmy]

(iwan @ Mar. 01 2007,15:33)

QUOTE

(Palmy @ Mar. 01 2007,00:00)

QUOTE

Dick, how are the palms holding up. Can ya get a pic with the snowy mount diablo in the background .  Hope they all bounce back in the summer. Rather cold here lately. We didnt even crack 50 today.

Zach,

I didn't notice any view of Mt. Diablo when I was there and there definitely wasn't snow then.

I was just up at around 3000 feet on Mt Diablo enjoying the Snow yesterday. There was about 4 inches at 3000 feet. I hiked up to about 3800 feet, the summit, and there was about 6 inches. I forgot my camera but right down the road my view is this. Just taken today.

They are not good photo's because every time I take a look there are always clouds covering it.

[Palmy]

^ The snow was much lower earlier but we had a little rain last night, and the snow line is a little higher up.

[Kathy]

For those not familiar with the area, that looks to be a nice shot of the city of Walnut Creek sitting at the base of Mt Diablo, about a half hour's drive east of San Francisco.   Love it in the late winter and early spring when all the hills and mountains around here are green.

[Palmy]

Yes a pretty nice shot of Walnut Creek. At some point, I will try to get one without all the power lines and showing all of the city including a shot more to the left. Its a great place, love the shopping.

[iwan]

Yet another example of the extreme microclimate diversity of the San Francisco bay area.

[Scott]

Dick - Your gardens are truly incredible. What a treat it is to see mature examples of these palms. The clustering Phoenix Hybrid is beautiful ! Dave will need to start selling swooning couches!

Robert Great photos!. Thanks for taking the time to put this together and share it. Great job!

[PalmGuyWC]

As you probably know, palms are hard to photograph, but Robert did an excellent job in photographing mine. On his next visit, I hope he can photograph in early morning or late afternoon when the light is better.

Mine is definately a summer garden when the cannas and other things are blooming to add some color. In the winter time I hibernate like most of the palms, and wish for warmer weather.

The clustering phoenix and the one that looks like a smaller P. canariensis came from the same seed lot. There was a beautiful hybrid Phoenix growing at Parrot Jungle in Miami and it appeared to be a cross between CIDP and P. robelelenii.  I was fortunate enough to know the grounds superintendent, and he gathered me a hand full of seeds.  When they germinated, no two looked alike. The two pictured in my garden came from that seed lot. The clustering one had so many trunks and was so sprawling, that I almost had it removed, as it was taking up way to much room.

I have a very determined garden helper who worked on the tree for three days and finally reduced it down to a managable size. It has soft foliage and really is quite beautiful, but a little tender to cold. It still produces suckers that have to be removed yearly.  Unfortunately, they grow right out of the woody base and they are impossible to remove intact with roots. With its clustering habit, I'm sure it must be part P. reclinata, but it looks nothing like the mother plant.

Zac, thanks for the Mt. Diablo snow pictures, but I hope you don't get the opportunity to see snow again this winter!  Considering what a rough winter this has been, my only fatality was a Bismarkia, and foliage damage to the Parajubaeas which will recover.  All of the larger palms look untouched by the cold, including the Syagrus.  My one big surprise was how hardy Wallichia densifloria is.  It was exposed to below 25F with absolutely no damage, however it does have some overhead protection.

Mr. Schafer, the hybridiser, dropped by yesterday to collect some seeds that he had pollinated 15 months ago.  This was a cross useing a Queen as the mother and Jubaea pollen. This was a cross that he had tried before with no success. This time there was such a good seed set that he was suspicious they were not the real thing. We cracked open a few seeds and it seemed only one of the three sections contained endosperm while the others were almost solid endocarp. There was a nice plump embryo in one, so it looks like a portion of the seeds are good. This should make an interesting cross.

Dick

[Nigel]

(PalmGuyWC @ Mar. 02 2007,10:11)

QUOTE

We cracked open a few seeds and it seemed only one of the three sections contained endosperm while the others were almost solid endocarp.

Dick, I am confused. Why do you expect 3 chambers ?

Both Queen and Jubaea have single chambers as a rule,.

[PalmGuyWC]

Nigel,

I could be wrong, but 3 pores on the surface of the seeds...and 3 cells. Normally there is only one active embryo but I've seen Butias and Syagrus with two active cells and on rare occassions 3 seedlings from one seed. I only mentioned the 3 cells because normally the dormant ones are not filled with endocarp. The fact that they were filled with endocarp led us to believe they were hybrid seeds as this is not normal. Hybrid seeds do strange things.

I've also seen coconuts with two seedlings and Fairchild Gardens once had three coconuts that grew from one seed. I also read somewhere on this web site where someone had two Parajubaea seedlings spout from one seed and I believe there was a picture.

Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

Dick

[Nigel]

Dick occasionally you find a jubaea or a queen seed with more than 1 compartment but they are the exception and not the rule.

I would expect just one endocarp in a queen x jub seed and thats what you have .

Both Butia and Parajubaea ( especially toralyyi var toralyii ) often have 3 compartments.

[PalmGuyWC]

Nigel,

Since I fired off my first shot, I talked to Patrick and you are correct. It appeared to me that the seeds had 3 compartments, but I guess not. It seemed that the hybrid seeds had excessive endocarp and the mesocarp was smaller than usual. The embryo looked normal.

Dick

[Exotic Life]

Very nice pics, i love the hybrids in this treath ... thans for sharing!

Robbin

[Nigel]

(PalmGuyWC @ Mar. 02 2007,14:55)

QUOTE

Nigel,

Since I fired off my first shot, I talked to Patrick and you are correct. It appeared to me that the seeds had 3 compartments, but I guess not. It seemed that the hybrid seeds had excessive endocarp and the mesocarp was smaller than usual. The embryo looked normal.

Dick

Dick, no problem, did you manage to get one of Patricks JubaeaxSyagrus plants ?

[PalmGuyWC]

Nigel,

No I don't have a Syagrus X Jubaea, but I'll be very curious to see what they look like. It might be fun to grow one to a nice sized container plant, then find a nice home for it. They will probably be a large palm, and I've run out of space without ruining my garden design. I have two Parajubaeas and a (Jubaea X Butia) X Syagrus.....and that's it.....and I don't even know where I will place them. Any other additions will have to be small growing palms.

Dick

[bgl]

Robert,

thanks for posting all the photos!

And Dick,

Wow, what a garden - love all those large specimens!

Bo-Göran

[Kelern]

I just discovered that thread now and it is with great pleasure to see your garden again, Dick. Thank you very much for the pictures, it's wonderful! and inspiring. It's amazing how fast are your Jubaeas growth! I love the radicalis grove, and your steroîd Butiagrus trunk is incredible, like a refined sculpture. Thanks again

Yves

[eastern.nurseries]

Hi Dick,

It is great to finally see some pictures of your palms. You have some fine mature specimens and a discerning eye, obviously. The variegated rhapis palms are top quality. Those white striped ones are certainly hard to grow! Job well done

[Alberto]

Very,very beautifull palms you have there!

I also have some offspring of your palms growing here!

 BTW Do you have any Allagoptera species growing there?

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Alberto,

It's nice to hear some of my offspring are growing in S. Brazil. I've tried Allogoptera here several times, but with no success. They don't seem to be all that cold hardy to me, and I have a heavy clay soil, and Allogoptera seem to like a well drained sandy soil.

Patrick managed to cross Allogoptera with Jubaea, using Jubaea as the mother plant. Most of the seedlings died after the 4th or 5th frond, but he still has two plants. Have you heard of any natural crosses with Allogoptera in your neck of the woods?

Dick

[Alberto]

(PalmGuyWC @ Mar. 11 2007,07:16)

QUOTE

Patrick managed to cross Allogoptera with Jubaea, using Jubaea as the mother plant. Most of the seedlings died after the 4th or 5th frond, but he still has two plants. Have you heard of any natural crosses with Allogoptera in your neck of the woods?

Dick

Allagoptera with Jubaea!!A cross between a dwarf and a giant! It will be interesting to see how this will look in future!!                                                                         I also crossed our Butia eriospatha with the dwarf B.microspadix....

[PalmGuyWC]

Thank all of you for your kinds words about my garden.  I must admit it is my pride and joy, and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction, even if it does require a lot of work. The down side of having a mature palm garden is.....that I'm older than all, or most of the palms!  

A little update since this thread was posted:  3 weeks ago we had 6 inches of snow on Mt. Diablo, about 15 miles from my place.  This was the coldest winter I've experienced in 8 or 9 years.  We went directly from cold to summer like temps and it's been warm here for the past two weeks, but I know it won't last.  I call it a false spring which we often have about every 2 or 3 years.  I know we will have more cool weather, but in the meanwhile, everything has sprung into growth.

The bad new is.....all of California is entering a drought....and I expect a very hot summer. I hope this is not a trend...colder winters and hotter summers.  I'll keep you posted.

Dick

[iwan]

Here are some followup pictures from a quick trip to Dick's on 3/25.

Washingtonia robusta grouping.  Couldn't get far enough away to capture the entire trunks.

Two headed Daslirion (spelling?)

Freeze damage to Parajubaea cocoides

close-up

[iwan]

Rhapidophyllum hystrix (I hope this is correct Dick, lost my notes).

Dick's native oak.  Can't capture it in one picture.

Another angle

Trunk of one of Dick's Jubaea.  I think this was the most robust specimen he had.  My wife is 5' 4" for reference.  Also one of Dick's world famous hoses.  They just seem to jump into pictures.  Attention starved I think.

[iwan]

Phylostachys bamboo in front yard.

shoots

Attractive little suckers

That is it, until the next trip.

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Robert,

I was just scanning through the garden thread and didn't realize you had posted some more pictures. Thanks again! As a follow up, those bamboo shoots that you photographed about one month ago are now over 30' high and still growing.  When the bamboo shoots pop through the ground the mature clums drop most of their foliage and it looks rather sad for a month or so until it grows new foliage.  By the end of June it should look nice again. The leaves are light weight and blow all over my garden and it makes quite a mess for awhile.

Yes, those peskey garden hoses are strung all over my garden, but I have a well and try to use that water for irrigation, otherwise I'd be in the poor house paying for City water. I have a system where I can switch over to well water for the house if need be, but the well water is hard as nails and full of minerals.  With an impending drought, I expect we will be put on water rationing soon. We are in the midst of a mini-heat wave right now and the last few days have been in the upper 80's, and nights around 60F. I love it and so do the palms.

Dick

[Kris]

Dear Robert  

that tour was a fentastic feast to all nature lovers...

and the jubeas and the butias are fentastic,though iam a

fan of the former & its hybrids..so i was feasting seeing your lovely stills.

and the verigated collection of palms were mind blowing too..

thanks for all those wonderful stills,

love,

Kris  

[TikiRick]

I was amazed at this garden. Dick has the premier outdoor palm garden in all of CA, if not the USA. I could'nt believe the variety of cool weather palms that appear to do quite well in his local. In addition, he is THE MAN when it comes to hybridization especially of the smaller palms including Chamadoreas.

I really enjoyed myself at his garden and hope to visit it again soon. The love and enthusiasm about the palm garden at Dick's is contagious.

[iwan]

Last Saturday Dick hosted the IPS board of directors and some guests at his garden.  Pictures of the visitors will be in a separate thread, but here are some updated pictures of Dick's garden after the group departed.

Identified as Butia yatay at the gathering.

Cham. var "tampansii" (Dick's discovery)

Looking toward the back yard.  The filler plants are starting to do their job now.

A different Jubaea view.

[iwan]

Arenga micrantha

New frond

Rhapis humilis

Closer shot

[iwan]

Caryota urens

Looking up through some Trachycarpus