Affiliate News - December 2014

[mike in kurtistown]

Palm Society of Southern California

The PSSC is a non-profit corporation formed and existing under the laws of the State of California. Our mission is to promote the cultivation, enjoyment and conservation of the plant family known as Palmae to the botanists, and palms to everyone else.

Though most of its members are in Southern California, the PSSC has members worldwide. We have members in Northern California, Texas, Virginia, Florida, and Hawaii in the United States, plus Canada, Mexico, England and Australia.

Our members appreciate the shared joy of growing palms (as well as other plants) in gardens ranging from city lots to multi-acre estates. Our members include students, truck drivers, doctors, business people, and many more.

Current Officers

David Paul Bleistein, President, and Webmaster

P.O. Box 6

La Habra, CA 90633-0006

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

dbleistein@rosen-law.com

Don Martin, Membership Chair

P.O. Box 1307

Valley Center, CA 92082-1307

donpalms101@yahoo.com

Bill Dickenson, Information

(714) 529-3150

palmcrazed@aol.com

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 MEETING

Two great gardens in Huntington Beach, Orange County

Saturday September 20, 2014

The PSSC's September 2014 meeting was in Huntington Beach at the homes of Alex Kutas and Carl Hartman. These gentlemen have both been palm enthusiasts for close to 3 decades and these are mature gardens. We last visited their homes and gardens about 15 years ago.

There was a great turnout, about 100 people.

This was an exceptionally interesting meeting as both gardens are grown with very different philosophies. Alex is very meticulous and his garden is designed to display the palms in a very organized fashion. Carl, on the other hand, has embraced the dense jungle approach. The contrast was fun to observe back to back!

The meeting started at the home of Carl and Elise Hartman. Carl started his garden in 1994, and as mentioned above, has a very densely planted garden. His soil is quite dense with heavy clay, so this has been an ongoing challenge. Success has been through trial and error. Amongst the well over100 species, his garden is remarkable for many mature trees including Clinostigma harlandii (“supposedly harlandii”), a flowering Wallichia disticha, Caryota kiriwongensis, Pritchardia kaalae, and Bismarkia nobilis (blue), Veitchia arecina, and Laccospadix australasica. Carl also loves the oddities like the aurea and variegated deviants. Many mature cycads also coexist along with unusual and odd understory plantings and caudiciforms.

Just a short walk away was our second stop, the home of Alex and Maria Kutas. Alex has been into palms for 30 years. When Alex moved into his home he had a blank slate. According to Carl, “my good friend Alex is much smarter than me. While I’ve replaced my soil in an ongoing futile shovel by shovel fashion, Alex removed a large volume of his poor soil and replaced it with appropriate medium from the get go. I’ve always been jealous of his foresight!!” Alex changes the look periodically as palms get too big and messy, with either replacement or relocation. This has included mature species that have become so large that they had to go. Some of Alex's favorites are Caliptronoma dulcis, Acanthophoenix crinita and a variety of Hyophorbe. Alex notes, "I’m definitely of the mind set that my garden can always be better and I see it as a constant work in progress”.

Thanks to everyone who donated plants and bid on them in the auction, which was a great success. Special thanks to Jo Zager for maintaining order in the potluck lunch. Thanks to all of you for your continuing support. See you in San Diego on November 15!

Dave Bleistein

[mike in kurtistown]

BRISBANE PALM AND CYCAD SOCIETY

November-December 2014

Dypsis sp. florencei at the Kraa garden

Brisbane Palm & Cycad Society

P O Box 376

Ashgrove, Qld Australia 4060

Ph: (07) 5524 8630 Mob: 0407 020 003

Aims of the Society

To promote an understanding and love for all types of palms and cycads which can be grown in the South East Queensland locality.

MEETINGS are held at Milton State School, Bayswater Street, Milton, on the 4th Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November at 7:30pm.

OUTINGS are held on the 4th Sunday of February, April, June, August and October , plus an end of year function in December.

OFFICE BEARERS 2012-2014

PRESIDENT……………………….Michael Green

SECRETARY………………………Carmen Forster

TREASURER………………………Carmen Forster

EDITOR……………………………. Daryl O'Connor

PATRON………………………… Mr. Ross McKinnon AM

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the Succulent Society newsletter. These are the only plants still alive in my garden, so I have a new interest now…But all jokes aside, this has been one of the worst years for palms and cycads due to the extreme dry conditions over such an extended period. I hope all of your gardens are surviving and hope that it rains sometime soon!

Many thanks to Margaret and Will Kraa, as well as Ben Smith for opening their gardens to the society recently, and the refreshments on a warm, thirsty day. Both gardens were in excellent condition considering the recent weather…that bore/dam makes all the difference! It was good to see Ben’s young garden and it will be a great garden in a few year’s time.

It was a great day enjoyed by all who attended, about 20 members taking in all the great palms and cycads in their collections.



Cheers,

Mike Green

Ben displays his unknown Dypsis sp.

Margaret and Will’s rapidly maturing garden

[mike in kurtistown]

Hawaii Island Palm Society News

Hawaii Island Palm Society

P.O. Box 1585

Kea'au, Hi 96749

President: Tim Brian VP East Hawaii: Charlie Maas VP West Hawaii: Vacant

Phone: (619) 980-9749 Phone: (808) 345-1395

Email: palmguysd@gmail.com Email: cmaas@champhospitality.com

Secretary: Bob Gibbens Treasurer: Ken McGilvray Librarian: Bob Ferazzi

Phone: (808) 333-5626 Phone: (808) 982-4302 Phone: (808) 964-1046

Email: begteb@hawaii.rr.com Email: knmeg@hotmail.com Email: rferazzi@gmail.com

Membership: Grace Kissell At Large: Rick Kelly At Large: Steve Gollis

Phone: (808) 963-6707 Phone: (808) 756-8145 Phone: (808) 315-8955

Email: gr@hawaii.rr.com Email: ricklkelly@att.net Email: sgollis@aol.com

November Meeting/Lecture

The Hawaii Island Palm Society had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Scott Zona as part of the HIPS lecture series on November 7, 2014. Scott’s presentation, ‘Palms: Natural History and New Discoveries,’ was a lively and informative presentation that offered valuable information to the beginner as well as the seasoned palm veteran. Along with basic palm taxonomy and morphology, Scott discussed how palm fruit is dispersed, pollination, and some of the recent discoveries of new palm species in Panama and New Guinea.

In addition to the lecture, Scott was able to enjoy some of sights the island of Hawaii has to offer like hiking through a dormant crater at Volcano’s National Park, visiting Akaka Falls, and touring the legendary gardens of Jeff Marcus and Bill Austin.

Scott is co-author of, The Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms, and is co-editor of, Palms, the quarterly journal of the International Palm Society.

Scott at the edge of a steam vent. Volcano’s National Park, Hawaii.