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Tropical Garden in Imperial Valley


chinandega81

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I recently purchased a home with a double lot in Brawley, CA...and the yard was a blank canvas. I have seen some tropicals here and there around Imperial County, so I thought I would give it a try.

 

I have planted two 6 foot Roystonea Borinquenas, several Royal Poincianas, an African Tulip tree, a Keitt Mango, two Biscmarckia palms, quite a few Sea Mahoe trees, a Black Olive (Bucidas bucera), Plumeria and some Ponytail palms. Oh, and a Tipu tipuana tree as well.

 

Does anyone have experience growing these types of trees in the lower desert heat/cold? I am in a solid 9B zone. There are regular light frosts here in the winter, however I have seen large fruiting Mangos and Royal Palm trees in the area....so I figure if I baby the trees through their first few winters they should do well.

 

I would love to hear others' stories and experience since most people that try tropicals are on the coast in cool zones.

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The only one I can say definitively that won't go is the Delonix regia (royal poincianas).

The only one I have seen this side of the coast was in Yuma, I forget just where.

Even in  the warmest parts of the Phx area, they will die back in the winter and

never reach flowering size.  The mango might be ify, it depends on species.

The others should do ok.  Try Brahea clara, Sabal uresana, Nanarrhops and

Chamaerops humilis v. cerifera.  Nothing matches the grandeur of a full size

date palm (Phx. dactylifera).  They should be plentiful there, as the date growers

sell them off when tall (and there aren't many developers buying now).  Have fun!

I have spent the past 17 yrs and still have not filled my 2.5 acres. 

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I forgot to mention how well Tabebuia (both species) have done here.

For a Brazilian tropical tree, it sure thrives and does not get near the

60' habitat size-more like 20'.

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Chinandega81,

Personally, i think you should do fine with all of these in your location.. True, Royal poinciana are tender when younger but tend to toughen up as they age.. Taking in the potential for occasional damage until they gain size, id think you stand the best chance of getting one large enough, fast enough that any damage would be minor and pretty much irrelevant With as much heat as Brawley gets almost year round, i wouldn't be surprised if you could get a specimen to flowering size in under 10 years, unlike cooler spots along the coast that lack sustained heat. In Florida, it was hard to see any residual damage on larger D. regia specimens after the 2009-10 freeze. Recall seeing many in-flower the summer following the freeze around St. Pete.

African Tulips are FAST growers that will often flower the same year if cut down after a frost. Looking to try one here just to further test this theory.. Have seen decent specimens in the Encinitas/Carlsbad area in the past.

Mahoe can take occasional cold with relatively little issues, or, so i noticed with neighborhood trees while living in Bradenton. These also grow fast and often will flower the summer after recovering from moderate frost damage as long as the trunk/ lower part of the tree wasn't killed.

Curious where you found Black Olive out there.. Thinking these too should do well enough. "Shady Lady".. a cross between the common and spiny Black Olive, seemed to hold up well into the low 30's.. id bet  $5 bucks older specimens could take occasional, brief exposure to 29-28F without extreme damage.

Plumeria and Mangoes.. should be fine there 99% of the time.

If you can fine one or two to try, id bet Gumbo Limbo ( Bursera simarubra) would perform well there also. While these can get HUGE, there were several specimens id pass daily to/from work while i lived in Bradenton Florida that were pruned yearly and kept no taller than about 12' tall.. and looked great. Tender yes, but responds to heat like Royal Poinciana. 

As stated, both "common" Tabebuia/trumpet trees should be flawless candidates worth adding to your garden. Both can easily be sourced anywhere over the hill in the San Diego area.

Just some observations for thought.:)

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Your Kiett mango will do fine.  There is an orchard of Kiett in the Imperial Valley.  They sell to Costco.

I'm in Escondido and I'm starting to think i can grow any mangoes here.  Our Kiett, Mallika (Indian), and Cat Hoa Loc (Vietnamese)  are all fruiting, for the second year in a row.

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I purchased the Black Olive from Top Tropicals online and they mailed it to me (from Florida).

 

I also have seen some Golden Shower trees around and was thinking of trying one. I also have read that Silk Floss tres do well in the desert, but the local nursery told me they can't take out heat. It gets up to 118 here a handful of times in the summer....

 

The African Tulip I planted was bc of one that is in Scottsdale, AZ. I figured if it can survive there, it should be able to do the same here. I planted it in the ground 2 weeks ago but it still hasn't started to put out no growth. No visible transplant shock at all....but it just froze in time. I hope it starts to grow soon to better shade itself over the coming months.

 

I also have Bismarckias that I planted that had horrible transplant shock but they are doing well.


The Royal Poincianas are putting out a new frond....the first since I planted last month. I hope they also grow fast.


Does anyone have experience or knowledge of the African Tulip in the desert and how it handles our heat?

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, chinandega81 said:

I purchased the Black Olive from Top Tropicals online and they mailed it to me (from Florida).

 

I also have seen some Golden Shower trees around and was thinking of trying one. I also have read that Silk Floss tres do well in the desert, but the local nursery told me they can't take out heat. It gets up to 118 here a handful of times in the summer....

 

The African Tulip I planted was bc of one that is in Scottsdale, AZ. I figured if it can survive there, it should be able to do the same here. I planted it in the ground 2 weeks ago but it still hasn't started to put out no growth. No visible transplant shock at all....but it just froze in time. I hope it starts to grow soon to better shade itself over the coming months.

 

I also have Bismarckias that I planted that had horrible transplant shock but they are doing well.


The Royal Poincianas are putting out a new frond....the first since I planted last month. I hope they also grow fast.


Does anyone have experience or knowledge of the African Tulip in the desert and how it handles our heat?

 

 

 

Silk floss tree should also be okay with that heat. They grow well here in the Coachella Valley. I have a small one i picked up in the Nov PSSC meeting. Seems that they are thirsty critters with the heat. 

I've seen royal poincianas growing from Palm Springs to south of  Mexicali, even in open fields. And I see them around here all the time. They get big! If you let them. I planted 4 last fall, one froze pretty bad and the other 3 did okay and began growing as soon as the the heat came, but im sure they'll  toughen up with age.

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1 hour ago, chinandega81 said:

I purchased the Black Olive from Top Tropicals online and they mailed it to me (from Florida).

 

I also have seen some Golden Shower trees around and was thinking of trying one. I also have read that Silk Floss tres do well in the desert, but the local nursery told me they can't take out heat. It gets up to 118 here a handful of times in the summer....

 

The African Tulip I planted was bc of one that is in Scottsdale, AZ. I figured if it can survive there, it should be able to do the same here. I planted it in the ground 2 weeks ago but it still hasn't started to put out no growth. No visible transplant shock at all....but it just froze in time. I hope it starts to grow soon to better shade itself over the coming months.

 

I also have Bismarckias that I planted that had horrible transplant shock but they are doing well.


The Royal Poincianas are putting out a new frond....the first since I planted last month. I hope they also grow fast.


Does anyone have experience or knowledge of the African Tulip in the desert and how it handles our heat?

 

 

 

:greenthumb: Figured the Black Olive came from FL. As hot as you get, id give it some shade to start off, then allow it to grow into more sun. After it leafed out, my little Spiny Olive started burning a bit in the spot id put it were it got full sun.

Funny you mentioned Golden Shower, ( Cassia fistula ).. When we moved here to Chandler, i took a ride around the neighborhood checking out various trees and came across  3 decent looking, albeit smaller specimens. The trees recently dropped most of their leaves and i am waiting to see if any of them produce flowers.  Of all the things id thought id see growing here, this was a total unexpected surprise, especially so close to the house. On that note, id say try some seed there.

As for your royal Poinciana, perhaps some extra water might help speed up the growth a bit. Got seed id collected off a few specimens around Sarasota and Bradenton going into pots later this week.

Interesting to hear about the African Tulip tree growing in Scottsdale. Might be worth investigating.

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I know nothing about gardening in dry heat, but unintentionally grow at least hundreds of African Tulip trees.

I believe every 3 inch piece of any bit of trunk will root even on top of leaves, plus sprouts back from the base cut very close to the ground. And those lovely flowers that spread many seeds don't help.

I don't use roundup here, but it would take gallons of anything and more than my lifetime to coat the cut surfaces or try to dig out the roots.

Clearly they like my warm wet climate! However they are not spiny or toxic to touch and I have never seen wasps build nests in their flimsy leaves.

I still cut them down while they are small and when I can get help with a chain saw I will remove the few larger ones.

Much better than the poison ivy and English ivy I had in VA! 

If you need anymore you know know where to get them for free...

Maybe they will grow politely for you and they are beautiful, on someone else's property preferably.

Let us see your plants when you can!

Cindy Adair

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Jaime!

Welcome to Palmtalk!

How about a picture of your blank canvas, from as many angles as possible. (Even with a mountain view in the background.)

Don't think your place is "unworthy"! It's new and we all love "after" pictures from the before.

You're in the hottest inhabited desert in the U.S., from what I've seen. Danny and Silas are great desert denizens, but there are many others, from all over the world. Some of the best gardens are in the desert.

So, again, show us your place, in all of its brand-new, untrodden, virginal glory.

We'll help you break it in! I promise . . . . :)

 

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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6 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Jaime!

Welcome to Palmtalk!

How about a picture of your blank canvas, from as many angles as possible. (Even with a mountain view in the background.)

Don't think your place is "unworthy"! It's new and we all love "after" pictures from the before.

You're in the hottest inhabited desert in the U.S., from what I've seen. Danny and Silas are great desert denizens, but there are many others, from all over the world. Some of the best gardens are in the desert.

So, again, show us your place, in all of its brand-new, untrodden, virginal glory.

We'll help you break it in! I promise . . . . :)

 

I will try to post some pics this weekend. I even thought of taking some pics of large Royal Poincianas and Royal Palms and Mangos around town to give people a better idea of how they grow here in the fertile yet hot desert.

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Fruiting Mango tree, variety unknown. Alleyway in Brawley, CA. Elevation is -50. Summer high temps usually max out between 115-120. Winter highs in the 60s to 70s...los around 40 on average with a handful of light freezes.

FB_IMG_1464148351039.jpg

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Nice pictures Jaime.

Honestly a bit skeptical of the zone 9b rating for your area since that Mango, and the pictures of the Royal Poinciana/ Umbrella Tree you posted look like they could have been taken back in my neighborhood in Bradenton FL which falls somewhere in between 10a and b. minus any Adonidias or Coconut specimens. Browsed around Street view of the area a little myself last night and was impressed at the size of some of the Ficus (look like F. nitida, perhaps?) i noted.  Regardless, id say you should be able to create quite a garden.

Curious about the Hong-Kong looking tree myself. Leaves look Ficus-like, but the Fruit/seeds on them look different, imo. Tree to the right of it (in the picture) also has me a little stumped.. Leaves, from a distance, look like a Cassia but flowers don't. interesting..

Agree with Dave, there are numerous zone pushing P.T. members here in AZ, or the Imperial/Cochella Valley and beyond out there who could add plenty of great info and observations.

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Yes, there are massive Ficus nítida (rustica?) everywhere here. They are probably the most popular tree. They are hardier than Ficus banjamina from what I have observed. They burned back in a bad freeze about 10 years ago, but most years they are fine. In a bad Winter where we dip into the 20s, even bougainvillea can burn back.

 

I planted a plumeria, since I assume it is about as hardy as bougainvillea (maybe i'm wrong). I hope it can take the 30s at night which happen quite a bit in the Winter.

Ironically, people here plant Royal Poincianas for the shade! It is normal to wáter year round here since it never really rains...less than 5 inches on average. So people don't want to turn off the wáter and let their lawns dry up or trees to go deciduous in the Winter. If they did, the RPs would bloom nicely here. As of now, they just stay green most of the year with new flushes of leaves in the hot months, A few flowers or patches of flowers here and there in the summer though. And of course, if there is a freeze, they defoliate and don't flower much regardless.

 

I would like to think we are a zone 10a but that is more wishful thinking. I have seen frost on lawns many times each Winter. I don't know if that's because cool air pools on the recently wáter lawns....but I have also seen what appears to be frost on roofs in the AMs as well. Whatever it is, it is brief so maybe that is our saving grace.

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Plumeria, Royal Poincianas, Royal Palm and Black Olive I planted last month.

IMG_20160525_062353.jpg

IMG_20160525_062417.jpg

IMG_20160525_062451.jpg

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Very nice!

I went to Brawley in 1985, when I first came to California. Unfortunately, I was stuck there for a while when the universal joint in my car's drive shaft went bad, so I was stuck in town till I got a new one. I camped in the car at a gas station in downtown Brawley.

Didn't see any Royals then, though my mobility was limited. Ficus nitida were all over the place, some very large. (VERY large. :bemused:)

( Went to a bone-yard owned by one of the crankiest old men who ever lived (who had the only bone-yard around the area), got a new drive shaft and roared on over the San Diego.)

So how about some nice pics of downtown Brawley as it looks today? Royals, Delonix, the whole nine yards.

 

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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  • 2 years later...

Hello how’s everything going. I’m new to PalmTalk and have come across this post. I live inEl Centro and I am working on a tropical yard also I have 1/3 acres lot in town do you have any updated pictures of your yard. I will try and get some pictures here soon I have over a hundred trees,palms and bamboo and there is around fifty different species 

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1 hour ago, Desert Luke said:

Hello how’s everything going. I’m new to PalmTalk and have come across this post. I live inEl Centro and I am working on a tropical yard also I have 1/3 acres lot in town do you have any updated pictures of your yard. I will try and get some pictures here soon I have over a hundred trees,palms and bamboo and there is around fifty different species 

First off, welcome to the forum, look forward to seeing pictures of what you're growing. 

As for the original poster, i'd also like to see an update of how their garden has progressed. From the looks of it, they haven't checked in / posted since back in Dec. of 2016.  I hope all is well   ..and their garden is doing well also..

 

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Here is a list of all of what I have in my yard I will slowly start posting pictures of them hopefully no one gets mad for me hijacking this thread since I’m only 15 miles from the original poster 

7 Indian laural
14 ficus Benjamin 
1 rubber tree burgundy 
2 rubber tree green 
2 rubignosa
6 sisso
5 lemon scent
2 ghost gum
2 snow Queen 
2 mimosa 
1 salasina
3 royal poinsianna
1 cotton tree hibiscus 
1 jacaranda 
1 bottle trees
1 fig tree
1 magnolia 
2 powderpuff 
1 weeping mulberry
1 lime tree
1 pomegranate 
1 reclinata
5 reclinata robilini
14 robilini
1 canarisis
16 queen 
3 mule palm
1 triangle palm
1 livstonia decora
1 livstonia australias
2 livstonia chenisis
3 coconut queen
1 sabal maurtiformus
6 Mediterranean 
4 Mexican fan
1 brahea armata
2 pindo palm
1 bottle palm
1 bamboo?
3 painted bamboo 
2 bambussa oldhamii
3 sago
1 cycas thoursii
1 Zamia coontii
1 Cycas panziensis (sp?)
1 dione spinulosum 
1 ocotillo
1 agave
1 sunbird aloe
3 Mother’s tongue 
Hardiness 10

136
49

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Coconut queen, brahea armata, bumbussa oldhammi, Phoenix robellinni 

image.jpg

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@Desert Luke, welcome! And you appear to be born nutty.

 

More pictures, for heaven's sake!

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Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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12 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

@Desert Luke, welcome! And you appear to be born nutty.

 

More pictures, for heaven's sake!

Sorry for some reason the pictures I was trying to post were bigger than 8mb I’ll figure out how to do this soon. My wife thinks I’m nutty so does the local nursery we live in El Centro and there’s no relief from the sun so why not give my kids a place to let their imagination run free. 

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From left to right Two Mexican fans a mimosa tree and a Phoenix reclinata robillinni hybrid

F37BF8BB-5F5C-4D0F-B4AD-3D8206E51D30.jpeg

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Here’s a mule palm it’s been full sun for two years now was planted as a five gallon 

on the left is a pomegranate bush 

604B3221-FE29-41DC-B20A-F768DC2FD2AE.jpeg

Edited by Desert Luke
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@Desert Luke see my PM private message

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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From right to left is a robelinni reclinata hybrid a queen in the back another brahea armata the same mule and pomegranate bush you can kinda see a part of a faux rock tunnel I have made for the kids

8475C178-9020-43E4-8E0D-BD018260A2EA.jpeg

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Crap! Those photos wipe away all notions of what I pictured El Centro as being.

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Here is a Phoenix reclinata planted in the back corner of my yard. You can see one of the coconut queens a few feet to the left.  you will notice I have focused my time into the plantings not the hardscape it will soon come 

DC22161E-E43C-43FF-85D4-684D72B8B7EF.jpeg

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Hers a Phoenix canarisis on the left planted as a 5 gal last year and a snow queen eucalyptus on the right

5D5A097A-818B-43F6-8832-A384F11C7CC7.jpeg

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Here’s a clump of a med fan a Mexican fan and a Phoenix rupicola in the foreground (don’t mind the concrete mixer)

41E30E20-2230-4B69-B5A0-84C927B145C7.jpeg

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Here is a lemon scent eucalyptus, two coconut queens and a med fan up front 

3213A446-CBC4-4493-A85A-C2C4D0FF79DD.jpeg

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On 5/4/2019 at 2:29 PM, Gonzer said:

Crap! Those photos wipe away all notions of what I pictured El Centro as being.

You can’t actually base El Centro off of my yard lol it’s taken a lot of research and trial and error my biggest thing I’m trying to do is make it look natural it’s very random planting height,spacing and species. Most people only have a few trees if any 

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Desert Luke,  First of all, Welcome to Palmtalk! 

 I don't know your lot size but you might re-think the Phoenix canariensis ?  This palm will get a full sized crown before it achieves any vertical rise.  The needle sharp spines are a serious risk to pets and children.  Look up other Phoenix, smaller and more graceful,  such as P. rupicola.  :) 

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San Francisco, California

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4 minutes ago, Darold Petty said:

Desert Luke,  First of all, Welcome to Palmtalk! 

 I don't know your lot size but you might re-think the Phoenix canariensis ?  This palm will get a full sized crown before it achieves any vertical rise.  The needle sharp spines are a serious risk to pets and children.  Look up other Phoenix, smaller and more graceful,  such as P. rupicola.  :) 

Mine is a serious risk to me when I am trimming it! Lethal, lethal palm, though the purchase of some welders gloves this year has made a big difference. I won’t say I regret planting it as it was my first palm back in 2006 or so, but I’m happy mine is getting some rise to it. I somewhat over-trim it to reduce the danger to others.

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Ben Rogers

On the border of Concord & Clayton in the East Bay hills - Elev 387 ft 37.95 °N, 121.94 °W

My back yard weather station: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=37.954%2C-121.945&sp=KCACONCO37

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1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

Desert Luke,  First of all, Welcome to Palmtalk! 

 I don't know your lot size but you might re-think the Phoenix canariensis ?  This palm will get a full sized crown before it achieves any vertical rise.  The needle sharp spines are a serious risk to pets and children.  Look up other Phoenix, smaller and more graceful,  such as P. rupicola.  :) 

Thank you 

 

I have a third acre lot I have purposely planted it with 8-10 around it they grow pretty quick here in our heat with a lot of water upwards of a foot a year I planted it last year this time and it had no trunk it’s now roughly 1 ft of trunk 

and yes I have gotten stabbed by the spines my reclinata is very spiny also not fun to trim but very fast growers with 115 degree heat and copious amounts of water all Phoenix species are bean stocks. 

 

If if you look up through the pictures I have a rupicola it’s the one next to the cement mixer 

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Left some dialogue out
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