Jeff Searle's 10 palms for South Florida

[Dave-Vero]

Jeff Searle and the family are featured in the latest "The Tropical Garden" from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in "Landscape we Love" and there's a two-page spread on Jeff's "top 10 palms for south Florida."  Here goes:

1.  Carpoxylon macrospermum

2. Licuala grandis

3. Satakentia liukiuensis (I'm prejudiced in favor)

4. Copernicia baileyana (I've managed to kill two youngsters)

5. Areca catechu

6. Licuala peltata var. sumawongii

7. Pelagodoxa henryana

8. Cyrtostachys renda (portable, to be moved inside on chilly nights)

9.  Neoveitchia storckii

10.  Hydiastele dransfieldii

 

[quaman58]

Jeff's clearly got good taste. Was there an addendum on how to keep all these species alive in California? He's a smart guy, so anyone can figure it out, he can.

[PalmatierMeg]

I've tried/got them all. My only outright failure was Neoveitchia storckii - rats! I think they must really hate my alkaline soil. Areca catechu is a zone 11 palm but I am giving one a try overlooking my canal. Areca catechu dwarf is a better choice - if you can find one. My Cyrtostachys outgrew our birdcage and we sold them after they grew large & unwieldy - no more of those. Hydriastele dransfieldii is a stellar palm for shade. A Coccothrinax would make a nice addition if there were room

Good choices all.

[redant]

Carpoxylon macrospermum is so hard to keep happy. Most everything on Jeff's list while stunning beautiful palms are NOT for the novice or faint of heart. Areca catechu is easy until the next cold snap.  The Licuala peltata var. sumawongii is about the only easy one of the bunch.

[hbernstein]

16 hours ago, redant said:

Carpoxylon macrospermum is so hard to keep happy. Most everything on Jeff's list while stunning beautiful palms are NOT for the novice or faint of heart. Areca catechu is easy until the next cold snap.  The Licuala peltata var. sumawongii is about the only easy one of the bunch.

Agreed. There are plenty of beautiful species that could be included in a top ten list for South Florida that would be easier for most gardeners to grow. Doubtlessly, these are some of Jeff's favorites.

[PalmatierMeg]

I just realized Chambeyronia macrocarpa isn't included. Gotta love that one. On the 3rd try I managed to get a Carpoxylon to grow large for me after I kept it in a pot an extra 3-4 years to achieve significant size. I haven't tried one since - that one's not a beginner's palm for sure. Satakentias also not for novices. I have a couple juveniles but none have trunked yet. This species should never be planted small either.

[redant]

I killed many a Carpoxylon and Satakentias . Have 2 Satakentias  survivors and 1 of the other.

[Dave-Vero]

Death can be erratic.  Hurricane Matthew didn't bother the little Kentiopsis oliviformis that I'd persuaded my neighbors across the street to adopt.  i think it'll trunk in 2019.  Mine, which was bigger and thriving, fell over as if something had fallen on it (which I don't think happened) and faded away in a matter of weeks.   Roughly the same happened to a booming young Copernicia baileyana about 4 feet tall.

 

[Palmaceae]

On 12/28/2018, 6:50:16, redant said:

I killed many a Carpoxylon and Satakentias . Have 2 Satakentias  survivors and 1 of the other.

My Carpoxylon was doing great for a few years until we had to move, I transplanted it very carefully, lingered for about 5 months then died. With Satakentia I lost my first one but the second did great. That one I sold before we moved as it was too big for me to move. So I now have another small one in my new garden which so far is doing well.