Dick Douglas garden

[iwan]

Arenga engleri.  A bit pale in the shade.  Dick says it greens up as the weather gets warmer.

Wallichia densiflora

New frond

[iwan]

More Jubaea (for all you fans out there).  Shining in the sun.

Trithrinax (campestris?) inflorescence.

Butia yatay inflorescence.

[Gaston in Argentina]

(STEVE IN SO CAL @ Feb. 27 2007,14:23)

QUOTE

I got this plant as a 3 leaf seedling about 5 years ago, planted from a two gallon less than three years ago. I bought it from Patrick Schafer...is this one of your grandkids, Dick?

What amazing garden!, it has all my favorite palms but in good size.- If troubles with Parajubaeas and the freezes, you can try with P. sunkhas that are hardiest.-

Those ButiaXParajubaea is amazing also.-

Steve. Saw the picture of your very nice looking palm, i have some very simmilar, mine come from Jubaeas growing near Butias. For sure your is a Jubaea X Butia F1.-

[Kris]

Dear Robert  

thanks once again for the stills of Jubea,Butia & the chausan

palm.

and some members have told that the jubeas live for 1,500

years,i can't imagine how tall they will if they survive for so

long and how stout will they become !

Robert great work.

Love,

Kris  

[PalmGuyWC]

Gaston,

I think the hybrid of Steve's is a (Butia X Jubaea) X with Butia and not an F1. I'll ask Robert to post some pictures that he took last week of the spath from the mother B X J hybrid that the seeds came from. It's quite colorfull.

Also, the flower pics of the Trithrinax are T. acanthocoma. My T. campestris blooms in the fall, not in the spring.

Robert, I love the "up the trunk" photo you took of the Jubaea.  It's a different prespective and gives a feel for just how massive these palms are. Note the ladder proped on the left side.  Patrick has already been inspecting the newly emerging spaths.  There are 3 so far and we are hoping for more.

Dick

[chris.oz]

Dick,

You and your garden are a legend !

I am very very impressed .

[swolf]

Dick, First of all I'd like to thank you for the generous sharing of your experience/knowledge on these boards, and for making your garden accessible.  

A question or two:  I've read that Jubaea can take 50 or more years to first fruiting.  One of your Jubaea has been blooming for a number of years from what I've read.  How long have your Jubaea been planted?  I understand your garden is about 33 years old.  Do Jubaea in the California climate bloom earlier than in other parts of the world, or is this one just (fortunately) early?

Steve

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Steve,

My Jubaeas were nice sized 5 Gal. when I planted them and I estimate they were about 7 years old when planted. They are very slow growing at the early stage.  That would make mine about 40 years old.  I have four with 12 to 25 feet of hard wood trunk and only one has been flowering for about 8 years. The blooming one is not the tallest I have, and none of the others have shown any sign of blooming so I think my blooming one is a fluke and maybe not the normal pattern.

The first years it would only have 2 bloom spaths, then 3, and now for the past two years it has 4 bloom spaths.  It produced viable seeds from the first flowering.  Once they have several feet of woody trunk they seem to speed up in growth, maybe 10" or 12" a year.

When I first obtained them, I gave one to the Oakland garden and it has grown only about half as high as the ones I have and it's more compact.  I think it's because of the cooler daytime temperatures in Oakland.  It gets very hot in Walnut Creek in the summer, but my night time temps are cooler year round. Mine seem very happy in my climate.

Dick

[swolf]

Dick, thanks for the background information.  I suppose your 40 year old jubaeas are still growing youths in the long-lived jubaea world.  I've read most eventually top out at 50-80 feet tall.  Given the growth rates you've observed, it looks like your jubaeas will be growing for many more decades.

It's interesting that one is nearly twice as tall (at 25 feet of trunk), if I understand that they're all about the same age.  I didn't realize they could have that much variation in growth rate (especially when planted nearby).  Can you point to a factor that might account for the more robust growth of that Jubaea (positioning in your garden or something)?

Steve

[PalmGuyWC]

Steve,

After 30+ years, labels get lost, written records misplaced, and the memory becomes somewhat foggy.  As best I can remember now, my tallest Jubaea was a 10 gal size, but it didn't seem that much larger than the 5 gal. sized ones, but maybe it had 2 or 3 years growth ahead of the smaller ones. It's those first few years that Jubaeas seem to grow very slowly and it's not until the full girth of the trunk is reached that they begin to speed up. This is just a rough guess, but I would say it takes about 10 years for the trunk to reach it's full girth.

I just checked and it seems none of my Jubaeas have grown at the same rate, and most except for the tallest, are growing under approximately the same conditions. The tallest was planted where it recieved some dappled shade from tall Oaks and growing near it is a Butiagrus on steroids. The Butiagrus is a monster and twice the size of any others I've seen. Had I known it would have grown so large, I would have given it more room.  The two palms seem to be competing for space and light, and perhaps this has made the Jubaea reach for light.  It's crown is now in the sun and the trunk seems just as large as the others, nor does it seem stunted from the competition. From ground level to the tip of the tallest frond, it must be at least 40' high.  The difference in growth must be genetic since all have recieved about the same attenton with water, fertilizer, etc., and they all came from the same source.

One of them is the strict form with the fronds more in a vertical position and it has the thickest trunk of all.  It's not really my favorite as I prefer the fronds to be more relaxed and drooping, but its trunk is impressive.  All of mine are the green form, and I'm sorry I never got the blue form, but it's to late now.  There was mention in one of the threads about a blue form which grows in the northern most population in Chile and I've seen a few in California.

It's a pitty that more Jubaeas are not found in N. Calif. as they seem to do just as well up here as in S. Calif., if not better.  I suppose it's because they are hard to find and most palm nuserymen don't grow them because they are so slow to get started. I guess space is a problem too, as they do get quite large and eventually would dominate a landscape.

Dick

[swolf]

(PalmGuyWC @ Jun. 06 2007,16:53)

QUOTE

I just checked and it seems none of my Jubaeas have grown at the same rate, and most except for the tallest, are growing under approximately the same conditions. The tallest was planted where it recieved some dappled shade from tall Oaks and growing near it is a Butiagrus on steroids. The Butiagrus is a monster and twice the size of any others I've seen. Had I known it would have grown so large, I would have given it more room.

One of them is the strict form with the fronds more in a vertical position and it has the thickest trunk of all.  It's not really my favorite as I prefer the fronds to be more relaxed and drooping, but its trunk is impressive.  All of mine are the green form, and I'm sorry I never got the blue form, but it's to late now.  There was mention in one of the threads about a blue form which grows in the northern most population in Chile and I've seen a few in California.

Dick

Thanks again Dick.  Off topic, but can you point me to a thread or other source that talks about the use of palm "steroids"?  That's sure a new one to me, but many palm topics are when you're raised in New York.    

Yeah, that blue/silver form Jubaea is nice.  Too bad they take so long to grow up (can "steroids" shave off a few decades? ???) .  Your Butia X Jubaea F1 is another treasure in blue, and I like the silver of your Butia Yatay.  Is your silver Butia Yatay the one that Patrick usually uses for hybridizing when "Butia" is called for, or does it vary alot?

Steve

[PalmGuyWC]

Steve,

I'm sorry if I mislead you.  I didn't use steroids on my Butiagrus.  I should have said, "It appears to be on steroids" becuase of its size.  It's trunk is close to 2 feet in diamater, and the fronds are close to 20 feet long. Its huge in every way and the bloom spathes are over 6 feet long.  Unfortunately, it's a mule.  Most who see it think it's a Jubaea X Syagrus cross, but it, like the rest of my Butiagrus, are "natural" hybrids that came from central Florida and there are no blooming sized, pure Jubaeas in central Fla. so far as I know.

Patrick uses not only the B. yata, for hybridizing, but also some other Butias that are receptive to hybridizing.  I have a couple of Butias that don't accept pollen from another species so he doesn't waste his time on those anymore.

Patrick's favorite for hybridizing and a mother tree, is the Butia X Jubaea, which grows as many as 7 bloom spathes each growing season, and which seems to be receptive to several species.

Dick

[Alberto]

(iwan @ Apr. 26 2007,15:53)

QUOTE

Phylostachys bamboo in front yard.

shoots

Attractive little suckers

That is it, until the next trip.

Is this Phyllostachis pubescens?

I have 5 seedlings of this bamboo. The young sprouts are edible and used in chinese food............

[PalmGuyWC]

Alberto,

Yes, that is Phylostachys pubescens.  Its taken over my front lawn, but is eaisly controalable by kicking off unwanted new  shoots when they are about 6" high.  Once the new shoots are about a meter high, and with a few warm nights, it grows incredably fast, as much as a foot a night.  Mine is visiable from my street and it's a traffic stopper. People stop all the time to ask about it, or else they want some.

Dick

[Palmy]

I didnt know the Arenga engleri had so much white on the bottom of the leafs, looks more like a micrantha.

[PalmGuyWC]

Here is a little update nearing the end of summer.  I can't believe how fast the summer has zipped by. The days are already shorter by about an hour on each end. I was wrong about my prediction for this summer. I thought it would be a hot one, but it's turned out to be one of the mildest I can remember. We have only had a couple of brief heat waves and generally it's been about 10 degrees below normal daytime highs. It's been almost perfect weather for humans and palms.

At this time of the year I feel sort of "gardened out."  About the only color I'm getting now is from my cannas as all of my annuals have about bloomed out.  I'm debaiting about whether to rip them out now or just leave them. I have several different kinds of ornimental grasses and they put on a good show this time of the year when their blooming. They have gone from green to golden.

Next weekend Patrick (Iwan) is visiting and I hope we can get some pictures  with his great camera and talent. I've been very liberal with water and fertilizer this summer as I've been trying to push things after our cold winter. The most lasting damage from last winter is a Bismarkia on the trash heap, and a slowly recovering Parajubaea cocoides. The rest of the palms look pretty good.

I've fallen heir to several rare palms this summer, but most of them are small, except for a nice sized Brahea moori which was recently transplanted, and it doesn't look to well. The fronds are slowly dying back on it.

My potted Rhapis collection is getting out of hand, so I think I will put several of them in the ground soon. I've always wanted a Rhapis hedge, but they are awfully slow here once planted in the ground. I think it's my cool clay soil that slows them down, as they need good drainage and a loose soil.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we will be able to publish some new pictures.  

Dick

[eastern.nurseries]

Dick, Rhapis grow fine in clay soil for me just keep them well mulched. The idea of a hedge of them is excellent. This is probably the best way to use this palm.

[TikiRick]

I want to be there right now!

[PalmGuyWC]

Hey Rickey!!

Come on out. If I lived in Fla. this time of the year, I'd want to be in Calif. too.  However, last night was our warmest of the year....never got below 70F (22C). Normally, our nights fall to upper 50's, lower 60's this time of the year. We are in the middle of a heat wave now and today will be over 100F, prob around 105F. The pool is a refreshing 82F. Feels cold when the air temp is close to 100F.

The dog days of July, Aug. are not my favorite time of the year, but I'll take it over winter. Sept. and Oct. are usually our best time of the year, warmish nights, plesant evenings, Bar B Q time.

I usually let the garden slide in maintainance this time of the year, but I've kept up with it this year, since for the most part, it's been a mild summer. The lawn needs mowing, but that can wait. Some of the palms need the lower fronds removed, but that can wait too. All I have to do for sure is make sure everything is well watered and fight the weeds and unwanted grass. Thank God for Roundup!!

Dick

[TikiRick]

Ha! Our low last night was a balmy 83F. I love the heat and humidity over the winter...that's a no brainer for me. Summer rocks.

[iwan]

(PalmGuyWC @ May 19 2007,05:44)

QUOTE

I'll ask Robert to post some pictures that he took last week of the spath from the mother B X J hybrid that the seeds came from. It's quite colorfull.

[iwan]

Jubaeaopsis caffra

[iwan]

Variegated Rhapis (apologies for any misspelling).

Rhapis nanzannishiki

[iwan]

Rhapis shiroganenishiki

[iwan]

Rhapis eizannnishiki

[iwan]

As we were sitting around chatting in the evening, someone commented on the interesting tilt to the leaf scars on the Washingtonia on the left.  Note freeze damage to the Syagrus rom trunk from the big freeze of 89.

[iwan]

Still need to do some processing and upload the pictures from Labor Day weekend.  Previous pictures were from May.

[eastern.nurseries]

Good to see some quality variegated Rhapis. How old is that Eizannishiki? It seems vigorous from what I know of this variety. Usually Eizannishiki is diminutive and lacks vigor. Are you sure of its identity?

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Jon,

The Eizannishiki pictured was purchased from a S. California nurserman about 3 years ago. He has an excellent reputation, and it was labeled Eizannishiki. I have some others that I've been growing for years and they all look about the same. I've found them easy to grow, but it took me years to finally get some choice plants from the original clone.

I've found the Nanzannishiki even eaiser to grow, but I only have one choice plant. The pup came from an inferior mother plant with to much vearigation...to much white. I was really surprised that such a nice plant came from such a dud of a mother plant.

Shirogannishiki is a little more difficult for me as some of the stripes are wide and burn eaisly with excessive heat. Some of my Rhapis are still suffering from the long and very hot heat wave we had in the summer of 2006. Some of them have shrivle top and can't seem to grow out of it. This summer I brought my best vearigateds inside during the heat and they look much better.

Dick

[iwan]

A few more pictures from Labor Day weekend.

Queen inflorescence

Butia yatay

[iwan]

Group of Trachycarpus

Trachycarpus wagnerianus infructescence

Dick's mystery Sabal.  Has dull, leathery fronds.

Brahea brandegii w/freeze damage

[iwan]

Trachycarpus martianus

Trachycarpus latisectus

Parajubaea torallyi var torallyi

Trithrinax biflabellata, forgot which species the small Trithrinax is.

[iwan]

Broad shot.  This is late summer, so the garden is looking a bit tired.  You can see some hybridizing work in process.

Nice corrugated spathes on this mother Queen.

Nice airoid in Dick's shaded patio area.

That is it for this trip and probably the year.  I hope you have enjoyed the various seasons of Dick's garden.  Thanks again Dick for making your garden available.  It is always a pleasure to visit.

[PalmGuyWC]

Thanks Robert,

...for posting those nice photos. Yes, the garden is looking a little tired now, and so am I. About this time of the year I get gardened out. My Butias are dropping fruit now, and Patrick's hybrid seeds are falling into the screens, and there is the sweet scent of fermenting Butia fruit all over my garden.

The only nice show in my garden now are the flowers of Trithrinax campestris. They are spectacular and smell like an expensive perfume.

Dick

[Gaston in Argentina]

Dick

You have a beautifull garden, the best example of the palms for cold places.-

im impressed with your Trithrinax, your Butiagrus on steroids, your Jubaea!!, your Butia yatay that`s a TRUE yatay, and your Parajubs. and hybrids.

I think we must get simmilar climate, your campestris look very happy up there, while biflabellata

need more super hot for speed its growth.-

Your big P. cocoides letme get some hope regarding to grow cocoides here that were completely defoliated this past winter with -6º C in an exposed corner of my garden.-

Fantastic pics, thanks for share us.-

Gaston, Ar

[PalmGuyWC]

Hi Gaston,

With a -6C, how did your other Parajubaeas fair....besides P. cocoides? Did you get one of Patrick's Butia X Para cocoides? Mine is still growing with cold night temps. and it seems to be very cold hardy.

Dick

[Don Little]

Dick,

Amazing garden.  It maybe a coldhardy garden but definately has the tropical look to me.  The overal size and health of your palms is superb.  Thanks for allowing the pics to be posted for our enjoyment

[Gaston in Argentina]

(PalmGuyWC @ Nov. 25 2007,10:19)

QUOTE

Hi Gaston,

With a -6C, how did your other Parajubaeas fair....besides P. cocoides? Did you get one of Patrick's Butia X Para cocoides? Mine is still growing with cold night temps. and it seems to be very cold hardy.

Dick

Hi Dick

With minus 6 C. cocoides was defoliated and is now slowly recovering, but nothing to the rest of Parajubaeas that were untouched.-

[PalmGuyWC]

I thought I would bump this thread up since some questions were asked about some of the Trithrinax. There are some pictured on this thread.

Dick

[ghar41]

"A compact Trithrinax campestris.....it has "stubby" trunks and about a dozen heads. It's been fruiting for several years. Very dangerous to get near."

This is the plant that so impressed me the first time I saw it.  Ive seen many since, but this one continues to amaze me in that its leaves keep their color so well even after moving to the lower parts of the crown.  It looks almost like a plant made from steel or some alloy.