Hello from the Azores

[Shoowow]

Hello all! I'm brand new to this forum and I'm writing from the São Miguel in the Azores, where I have moved from Boston a few months ago. I'm a native from the island and always loved palms and other tropicals. I have bought a property that my wife and I are turning into a lodging facility and there's plenty of room for plantings. Right now we have two huge Washingtonias on the property. Not a big fan, but I plan to include several Kentias and bamboo palms by the pool. Just planted a couple of dragon trees in front of the house as well. We have bananas, guavas, cherimoyas, avocados, loquats and coffee plants on the property, besides oranges and peaches. I've seen several discussions on the forums about the climate here and I can tell you it's very stable. It seldom drops below 50 or rises over 80. Plenty of rain and humidity. So, perfect for many palms. If you want to know anything about the island vegetation and the types of palms found here, just let me know. I can also post photos.

[Cluster]

Welcome João!, the plants/trees you already have make a nice collection! If you have a protected spot (maybe some walls/surface to gather heat) you could even try the Coconut Palm:). You know they grow on the sister's archipelago of Madeira, including Porto Santo (at least in the hot locations), without any protection whatsoever. In Azores with the right protection, it might be possible and you would have the northernmost cocos nucifera growing in a garden.

Would be nice if you could share some pictures!

[Yunder Wækraus]

Welcome! I only joined the forum a month ago, and it's already proved very useful. Be sure to join the IPS :-)

[Shoowow]

Thank you. Yes, I've followed the many threads on cocos and I'm familiar with those in Madeira. I think it may be entirely possible here, in the right location. Soils offer good drainage from winter rains and in spots average temperatures are similar to those in Madeira. We have many wonderful Kentias already. I'll post some photos soon.

[Cluster]

It is only around 2 Celsius difference between both Archipelagos, this gap is smaller during the summer months and slightly larger during the winter. Would you consider trying it? Looking forward to your photos.

[realarch]

Yes, welcome. In fact welcome to you both. Hopefully this forum will only fuel your passion for palms and tropicals.

Addicting.

Tim

[Rafael]

Hello João, and welcome to palmtalk

I am from the portuguese mainland (Ovar), but right now i am working and living on Terceira Island, Angra do Heroísmo.

I usually stop by Ponta Delgada from a couple or more hours to get the plane to Oporto.

I grow palmtrees since 2009 and i am sure you will be able to try several spectacular species, if you get the bug

Just let me know if i could help you choosing some!

[Josh-O]

welcome to palm talk Shoowow.. you have found the best place to communicate to palm nuts all around the world.

Be sure to become an IPS member soon.

[Shoowow]

Thanks Rafael. I've checked out your post from palms in Terceira and your garden in Ovar. It looks great. I want to try some nice palms in our garden since we will be running a small "turismo rural" facility. Maybe when you stop in PDL next we can meet for coffee. Cluster, I'm wiling to try a coconut, if I can get my hands on perhaps an "acclimated" specimen. Trouble here is the long stretch of "cool" weather (months in a row of lows around 54 and highs of 62) from Jan. thru April, but there are warm spots on the island. For instance, the official station at the airport in Ponta Delgada is on average 1 to 2 degrees C colder than the downtown station, etc. I'm at around 100 meters in a nice climate zone and the soil porous in nature, which could help prevent root rot. I'm sure there are better spots on the island as well.

[Cluster]

The airport Station is colder for sure but the studies done around São Miguel climate are based on the observatory Afonso Chaves not the airport one:). Azores like Madeira have a lot of micro climates, so it is normal to see big differences in temperature with just a few km/miles away:). If you do try the coconut, black sand could be nice (and easy to find there;) ), you could perhaps bring it home during the coldest months for the first years before you plant it. Try to get a tall variety.

[Pip]

Welcome to palm talk Shoowow. I'm going to be controversial and say don't bother with a coconut as there are loads of other palms that are more satisfying to grow.

[Shoowow]

Pip, I agree with you but I understand the desire to break a record. Could be an interesting challenge. Meanwhile, here are two images. The first is our property; the second is two Kentias downtown that could pass for cocos.

[yeye]

Hi Shoowow! welcome to the forum ! i know your place because a few month ago i spent my holydays on your island , more exactly in Furnas. There is a beautiful garden here with a beautiful collection of camelia and cycads !

Do you know it ?

[Stelios]

Hello Shoowow. Welcome to PT. You are in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. And you have one of the most comfortable climate to live there. It must be very similar with Lord Howe Island. So for sure you can grow the most beautiful Kentias and they can give you this coconut look.

Stelios

[Shoowow]

Hi Shoowow! welcome to the forum ! i know your place because a few month ago i spent my holydays on your island , more exactly in Furnas. There is a beautiful garden here with a beautiful collection of camelia and cycads !

Do you know it ?

It's called Parque Terra Nostra. Nice collection indeed.

[Shoowow]

Hello Shoowow. Welcome to PT. You are in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. And you have one of the most comfortable climate to live there. It must be very similar with Lord Howe Island. So for sure you can grow the most beautiful Kentias and they can give you this coconut look.

Stelios

Thank you. Yes, very similar to Lord Howe, down to the rain patterns.

[SouthSeaNate]

Beautiful place to live, but I agree a coconut will probably not survive. The winter lows are no problem, but the winter highs are not warm enough...

There are plenty of other palms you can grow there, much better than coconuts

[_Keith]

Welcome.

[nomolos]

Welcome to palmtalk

[Ken Johnson]

This could become an interesting project here on PalmTalk. Welcome. You will be in excellent hands if Rafael helps you. I would love to visit that area of the ocean. Eating seafood is what I live for!

[Jose Maria]

Good luck Shoowow with your "Turismo rural" project.Azores seem yo be an interesting destination.

Coconuts? I would rather recommend starting with a dwarf variety, they produce earlier .

And Chamaedoreas, they grow in Costa RIca in cooler environments than other palms.

[Shoowow]

This could become an interesting project here on PalmTalk. Welcome. You will be in excellent hands if Rafael helps you. I would love to visit that area of the ocean. Eating seafood is what I live for!

Thanks Ken, I'm already in touch with Rafael. You're welcome to visit anytime. We have excellent seafood.

[Shoowow]

Good luck Shoowow with your "Turismo rural" project.Azores seem yo be an interesting destination.

Coconuts? I would rather recommend starting with a dwarf variety, they produce earlier .

And Chamaedoreas, they grow in Costa RIca in cooler environments than other palms.

Thanks! I'm pretty sure we already have Chamaedoreas.

[Rafael]

This could become an interesting project here on PalmTalk. Welcome. You will be in excellent hands if Rafael helps you. I would love to visit that area of the ocean. Eating seafood is what I live for!

Thanks Ken, but i still have a lot to learn from you and many other dewds here

[DoomsDave]

Welcome João!

Try to grow a coconut anyway.

Plus lots and lots of other great palms. You have a climate much like Hawaii's, you can have a lot of fun!

[Shoowow]

My first acquisitions, I'm sure the first of many, not counting the Queen palms sprouting all over the property...

[DeletedAccount14e83d09a24f]

Pip, I agree with you but I understand the desire to break a record. Could be an interesting challenge. Meanwhile, here are two images. The first is our property; the second is two Kentias downtown that could pass for cocos.

Those palms can grow in Algarve too; I agree with @SouthSeaNate , high temperatures during winter are low, and a lot of months the high averages remain under 20ºC... that's not warm enough for a coconut.

Anyways you could try it without any problems, but you will need to protect it and preferably near a hot spot. I am waiting to see more photos, Azores is beautiful!

One question, there are Roystoneas? If yes, can you make it a photo? I am very interested to see how they enrol at 38ºN latitude. Regards!

[Shoowow]

I have not seen a roystonea yet, but I'm sure it can be found somewhere. I think they have high potential here.

[Zeeth]

Nice new acquisitions! I would definitely try a Roystonea if I were you, as well as a Beccariophoenix alfredii. You might also have some good luck with the Hawaiian Pritchardias. Pritchardia beccariana can pass for the very tropical P. pacifica. You also should look into Bentickia condapana, Kentiopsis oliviformis and Chambeyronia macrocarpa. Good luck!

[DeletedAccount14e83d09a24f]

I have not seen a roystonea yet, but I'm sure it can be found somewhere. I think they have high potential here.

I've took some decent viewings in houses and gardening in Azores, and I've seen a LOT of Howeas. Very similar climate to Lord Howe, they are the perfect palm for the island.

I was expecting that there are no Roystoneas in the island. I didn't seen any with Google Maps too; and that's the same as happens with the coconut. Sure someone tried it, but they didn't work. Roystoneas also need quite warmer high temperatures for grow good; the same happens in the southernmost coast of Cádiz, where the temperatures and precipitations are very very similar to Azores; but Roystoneas don't do it for the not enough warm temperatures.

Anyways you should try it man! It worth it to try and see how grows Roystonea and also Ptychosperma McArthurii!

[Dave-Vero]

I'd work on higher-elevation tropical palms. While Kentiopsis oliviformis somehow thrives in Florida (hot wet summers, dry winters with short periods of cold, sometimes well below freezing), it's a mountain palm, like many others from la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rhopalostylis sapida (nīkau palm) from New Zealand would seem perfect. A number of mountain palms from Central America and the Caribbean, too. Gaussia, maybe?

Anyway, Rafael will be the expert.

[Shoowow]

Thanks for the suggestions all. I'll keep an eye out. Rather than growing them I think the challenge is bringing them to the island. Fortunately I found a good nursery that can perhaps import these. I met with Rafael and we agreed that short of a coconut almost anything will grow here. The climate is extremely even and humid year-round, which I'm sure makes up for the lack of high heat. Temps seldom drop below 10c at sea level. Lately, they have been steady between 20 at night and 27 during the day for the last month or so. We grow bananas and other tropical fruits here with no issues.

[Brian Bruning]

I live in Oakland CA USA which is not often frosty (25 years ago it was 28F) but not very hot either as it is a very marine influenced mediterranean climate. Try various Lytocariums, hoheni and insignis are high elevation palms from southern Brazi. Jubea chilensis, Parajubeas, various Chamadoreas such as Chamaedorea tepejilote, C. costaricana, C. woodsiana, C. "Irving Cantor" (C. potchulensis x graminifolia) and its parents, C. microspadix, C. schippii, C. alternans and C. isartori, The "Andean Royal Palm" (Blue Crownshaft) Dictoycaryum lamarckianum, the unusual species of Trachycarpus (nana, takil, wagnerianus etc.), Lepidorrachis mooreana, Howea belmoreana, Hedyscepe cantaburyana, high elevation Euterpes from the Andes such as E. precatoria and a species of clumping Euterpes from near Pasto Colombia, Roystoneas (??? perhaps slow for you but worth it), Caryota "David Berry Mtn. Hardy" and C. gigas, Syagrus romanzofianus "Abre Ojos", S. sancona and a host of others Syagrus, Brahea edulis and other high elevation Brahea as B. armata and aculeata need heat but B. brandegeei does well for me and is a fast grower for the genus, various Rhopalostylus species and varieties, many Livistonas from Australia such as L. australis and other from S. E. Asia from high elevations should grow as well as Archontophoenix cunninghamii too. Good Luck. Send me your address and I'll share what seeds I can.

[Shoowow]

Found this beauty in my village, the only spindle palm I've seen so far on the island. Grows at 100m, on the cooler north coast.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Shoowow

[Neil C]

That's a beauty, looks super healthy.

 

Regards Neil

[Josh-O]

very nice looking spindle.

[Monòver]

Nice!!! 

Now, you have other good option for plant in your garden.

[Josh-O]

If that grows you'll be able to grow a bottle palm

[Rafael]

Found this beauty in my village, the only spindle palm I've seen so far on the island. Grows at 100m, on the cooler nor

Found this beauty in my village, the only spindle palm I've seen so far on the island. Grows at 100m, on the cooler north coast.

João, as i told you, there are so many amazing species that could be sucessfully grown in the Azores..

this is just another good example about how far you can go growing palms

i hope this somehow inspires you!

[Shoowow]

Thanks Rafael. I will try to get one of these for sure. I'm planning to include quite a collection if unusual palms for here in my garden when we start the renovation over the winter.