Thrinax radiata

[ruskinPalms]

I went to home depot for mulch and this jumped into the cart! 7g Thrinax radiata! Seemed very nice for the money and somewhat rare for this part of Hillsborough county. I know this is a pretty whimpy palm as far as cold and frost so I will have to put it some place warm and sheltered. Not sure where yet though. I may pull out my ugly Jamaican dwarf heliconia that can't seem to take the sun where it is at and put this in its place.

Quick pic of the Thrinax radiata:

[ruskinPalms]

By the way it was $39.99 USD. Good? Bad? Average?

[ruskinPalms]

Very lovely fronds on these!

[glbower]

I picked up one the same size at the Port Charlotte, Fla. Lowe's for $36.99 about three weeks ago. Probably from the same nursery. That's a pretty good deal. Last year I bought a much smaller double, 3 gallon I think, for $39.99.

[Jeff Searle]

(ruskinPalms @ Feb. 28 2007,17:14)

QUOTE

By the way it was $39.99 USD. Good? Bad? Average?

Bill,

  That sounds somewhat high. But thats retail. Consider coming to our OPEN HOUSE sale this weekend, if you can make the drive. I certaintly could of got you a better deal on the thrinax.The palm should be a good choice for your area. You might want to consider putting it in another spot, and not up against the wall of your house.

Jeff

[ZoneTenNut]

Bill,

Nice looking acquisition. Funny how those things jump into the shopping cart like that.   This is one of my favorite little palms. They love full sun and warmth, but are more cold tolerant than I would have suspected. Mine have been through a number of frosts out in the open and never a hint of damage. It seems the bigger they get the more beautiful. Every year I come home with yet another one of these, from the palm sales. Enjoy it.

Roger

[osideterry]

I've never seen a Thrinax, a Coccothrinax, or a Trithrinax at any big box store out here in CA. Did I miss a ...thrinax?

[Tad]

hmmmmmmm how about a snorlax, it's not a palm but it rhymes

[paulgila]

terry they DO have them here in s.d. at home despot occasionally & they usually run about $20(american) for

a similiar size to the one in this thread.you gotta find the  RIGHT home despot(yes,i'm going to type it that way every time),tho.my theory is this:the home despots in more affluent areas will inevitably have a wider plant selection because snootier people all want "cooler" plants than their neighbors!in s.d.proper i find that the best selection is at the sports arena & genesee locations.

[ruskinPalms]

(Jeff Searle @ Feb. 28 2007,19:31)

QUOTE

(ruskinPalms @ Feb. 28 2007,17:14)

QUOTE

By the way it was $39.99 USD. Good? Bad? Average?

Bill,

  That sounds somewhat high. But thats retail. Consider coming to our OPEN HOUSE sale this weekend, if you can make the drive. I certaintly could of got you a better deal on the thrinax.The palm should be a good choice for your area. You might want to consider putting it in another spot, and not up against the wall of your house.

Jeff

HI Jeff, I would love to come to your sale but I work just about every weekend asI am the low man on the totem pole so to speak.  But don't worry, I am sure I will put your kids through college if and when we move to south Florida   . I would like to pass through your nursery the next time we go to Miami to visit the family  

[ruskinPalms]

The palm should be a good choice for your area. You might want to consider putting it in another spot, and not up against the wall of your house.

And you really don't think that would be a good spot? It has its own irrigation head and it is not all that small of an area. Do their roots eat up concrete? I liked that spot for it because these are smaller, slower palms and I need more fan palms in my front garden area - too pinnate

[www.dadluvsu.com]

(pohonkelapa @ Mar. 01 2007,03:02)

QUOTE

my theory is this:the home despots in more affluent areas will inevitably have a wider plant selection because snootier people all want "cooler" plants than their neighbors!

I was in my Home Depot at Boynton Beach last weekend...  I saw the usual bismarkias, foxtails, pygmies, bottles, thatch palms, etc. etc...  

I was digging around in the small palm section they have there and came across a 7g Kentiopsis oliviformis for 40 bucks! I smiled real big....  maybe there is a larger market than the niche market I thought existed...  

I turned around and walked though the shaded part of their "garden center" and ran across a bright new red leaf on a 7g Pinanga coronata for 70 bucks!  I about fell over in astomishment!   Who would have thought a big box store would have these rare palms!??!

[SubTropicRay]

Bill,

I've seen huge, 7 gallon plants at Fairchild sales for $30.00.  You have to drive a bit but they are there for the taking.  They are a bit pricier up here.

Ray

[spockvr6]

Bill-

I bought a few very large 7 gallon T. radiata at Lowes a few months ago for $36.97.  They were about 6 ft tall, but single trunked (unlike yours which have multiple palms in one pot).

I did also score a way oversized 3 gallon one at Home Depot last year for $12.97.  This was a steal as it wouldnt have been out of place in a 7 gallon pot.

I think that you got a decent deal on yours considering there is more than one palm in that pot.

[spockvr6]

(PiousPalms @ Mar. 01 2007,10:12)

QUOTE

I was digging around in the small palm section they have there and came across a 7g Kentiopsis oliviformis for 40 bucks!

Oh!  I am looking for one of those!

I will have to check around here and see if any have arrived.

[spockvr6]

(PiousPalms @ Mar. 01 2007,10:12)

QUOTE

and ran across a bright new red leaf on a 7g Pinanga coronata for 70 bucks!  I about fell over in astomishment!  

It seems there was a huge batch of those palms sent to just about every Home Depot.  Ive seen tons of them oin the stores around here....Home Depot must have gotten a good deal on them

Most stores also have Areca vestiaria as well it seems.

[spockvr6]

(ruskinPalms @ Feb. 28 2007,17:13)

QUOTE

I know this is a pretty whimpy palm as far as cold and frost so I will have to put it some place warm and sheltered.

Bill-

These are not too bad as far as cold....better than I thought they might be.

Mine all passed through this winter's cold without much trouble.  My smaller one definitely saw below freezing at its lower leaves (I measured 29F at ground level and 34F at 4-5 ft), and it didnt even have a scratch.

Out of the two larger ones I have (both of which were planted this winter and thus probably a little weaker than a more establsihed plant), one of them showed a little tiny bit of damage to the ends of the oldest leaf, but that was it.

Plus, I have spotted a good sized specimen of this palm around town, so thats more anecdotal evidence that they can make it here short of a disastrous freeze.

[spockvr6]

Heres a photo of the larger one I spotted around town.  Its nowhere near the size of that monster Jeff Searle posted from Key West, but for this latitude I think this is a respectably sized radiata.

[Jimbean]

(ruskinPalms @ Feb. 28 2007,17:14)

QUOTE

By the way it was $39.99 USD. Good? Bad? Average?

I hate to say this, but I bought mine for $6 a piece.

[ruskinPalms]

(ruskinPalms @ Mar. 01 2007,08:13)

QUOTE

The palm should be a good choice for your area. You might want to consider putting it in another spot, and not up against the wall of your house.

And you really don't think that would be a good spot? It has its own irrigation head and it is not all that small of an area. Do their roots eat up concrete? I liked that spot for it because these are smaller, slower palms and I need more fan palms in my front garden area - too pinnate

I took Jeff's advice and put the T. radiata out in one of my landscape beds to replace a Hibiscus that died for whatever reason this winter. I think it will do well here as it has some protection from taller palms but still gets a lot of sun.

A little out of focus:

[ruskinPalms]

The front with the heliconia became this: