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Requiem for a Large Sabal & The End of An Era


PalmatierMeg

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When we moved to Cape Coral 28 years ago, the nearest house on our side of the street was 1/4 mile away. Slowly over the years houses sprouted in the neighborhood until by 2011 when we bought our Garden Lot, only two building lots remained on either side of us. I planted my World Famous Sabal Row in 2009 with various Sabals I germinated to block the view of the abandoned new house to the east of us (remember the Great Recession?) Also, in 2009 I decided to beautify one half of the berm nearest our house on the Isabelle Canal. I planted green and silver Serenoa repens and what would become a very large Sabal (maritima, I think) that I'd germinated myself. We've also added Fakahatchee grass, a Clusia (autograph tree), bottlebrush trees. We knew someday someone would actually build on the end lot even though it faced Osama bin Laden's FL Summer Vacation Compound, aka an LCEC electrical substation.

Well, that day came bright and early Friday. Dump trucks delivered piles of rubble-infested fill dirt. In the afternoon earth moving equipment arrived to scalp the lot and begin site development in preparation for building and seawall installation. My beautiful landscaping is doomed for destruction on Monday. I'm particularly saddened about the silver Serenoa and that beautiful flowering Sabal. Frankly, I'd rather have the palms than new neighbors but the decision isn't mine.

I took the following photos of the doomed palms on the berm. Even one of the construction workers lamented the fate of the beautiful Sabal. Join me in wishing these poor palms eternity in Palm Valhalla

Views of the berm from street side

730748784_EndLotBerm0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.ff4494a99e5fe9e59f89f4fc55f7c038.JPG1502047784_EndLotBerm0205-22-21.thumb.JPG.dc850a4aa5773c806bc5c0d6a8745750.JPG273311606_EndLotBerm0305-22-21.thumb.JPG.b24009d3a3e792a3f1fe16633f681e24.JPG

Doomed Large Sabal (maritima?)

1386044900_Sabalmaritimaonendberm0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.ee75a1f90864de4c532f5eb2b48cd278.JPG2010167138_Sabalmaritimaonendberm0405-22-21.thumb.JPG.a07f054705178c730dd580467c1330f1.JPG2003497721_Sabalmaritimaonendberm0305-22-21.thumb.JPG.2b066bb26863633e840d8b42cfb6a8bc.JPG1244665510_Sabalmaritimaonendberm0805-22-21.thumb.JPG.5e1c8984a1a244a702aa4721b69a5825.JPG1724144518_Sabalmaritimaonendberm0605-22-21.thumb.JPG.337de50303722e5b5d91f5f5512581ec.JPG

Palm Eating Earth Mover

944086776_Earthmoveronendlot0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.76c39948261bc855384d32f280a30e3e.JPG

1089665012_EarthMoverJawsonendlot0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.5d14d72a1843c3aac8ef398c73d5577f.JPG

The only upside to all this carnage is that the earth mover will also eat the detested, invasive 100' Australian pines that infest that lot and drop needles and seed capsules all over our property.

22524596_Australianpinesonendlot0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.5c9169165ae3a296a1e3caebf86057f8.JPG

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Not sure I understand.  You planted all that on the two empty lots?

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Steve

Born in the Bronx

Raised in Brooklyn

Matured In Wai`anae

I can't be held responsible for anything I say or do....LOL

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This is very sad, can they not be donated to a botanical garden or something? I thought sabals were protected in Florida :(

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13 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Australian pines that infest that lot and drop needles and seed capsules all over our property.

22524596_Australianpinesonendlot0105-22-21.thumb.JPG.5c9169165ae3a296a1e3caebf86057f8.JPG

I'm with you on the Australian pine.  I hate then.  They are all over the place here in the RGV.  I planted one on my property and grew to 30 feet in no time.  Then suckers started to pop all over the place so I took it down.  After the freeze they all looked dead but they since have started to sprout back.

I'm also confused like @WaianaeCrider.  Why are those palms doomed?  Did you plant those palms on the other lots?

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Sorry if I wasn't clear. That property is not ours. I have no say about what the developer does to clear it. I did a bit of "beautification" on top of the berm overlooking the end of the canal knowing it would all be torn out when the dock/seawall were installed. The Serenoa are native palms but the Sabal is not. They are not protected on private property and the owner can take them out at will (the exceptions are the three species of mangrove for which you need Federal and State permits to clip a twig - no mangroves on this freshwater canal). I can tell you it will cost the lot owner a bloody fortune to extract all those Australian pines and dig out the canal from the shell rock back 20-30 feet. In the golden olden days of wild West Cape Coral developers used dynamite to blast out the shell rock in preparation for seawalls. That is no longer legal and in the current violent, explosive times is a good thing.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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RIP Maritima and good riddance Australian Pine. You win some and you lose some !!! 

T J 

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T J 

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@PalmatierMeg well like you said, you knew it would happen eventually but it is very sad neverthless; you did an awesome job with that plot of land.

Fingers crossed that the new owner adds some of the look back that will be lost during construction

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41 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

@PalmatierMeg well like you said, you knew it would happen eventually but it is very sad neverthless; you did an awesome job with that plot of land.

Fingers crossed that the new owner adds some of the look back that will be lost during construction

That would be wonderful. I just hope the new owners aren't retirees who hate palms, love grass, play golf and mahjong and keep 8 shih tzus

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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3 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

That would be wonderful. I just hope the new owners aren't retirees who hate palms, love grass, play golf and mahjong and keep 8 shih tzus

:floor:

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5 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

That would be wonderful. I just hope the new owners aren't retirees who hate palms, love grass, play golf and mahjong and keep 8 shih tzus

This is oddly specific. I feel as though a tragedy has taken place lol. 

I hope so as well @PalmatierMeg. Educate your new neighbors on the joys of palms! :)

 

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Wow, this hurts Im sure Meg.  I remember you planting that sabal row out way back when.  Hopefully they see that its a nice privacy screen and windbreak that should be preserved.   

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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That sucks! Im really sorry. Maybe if they take some out you can save them? I mean that backhoe could probably help with that?

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What a shame. I suppose that you knew all along that this would likely happen one day but that doesn't make it any easier. It might even make it harder since all that time in between makes it seem like things will just go on as they are indefinitely.

Sorry for your loss.

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On 5/24/2021 at 7:54 AM, sonoranfans said:

Wow, this hurts Im sure Meg.  I remember you planting that sabal row out way back when.  Hopefully they see that its a nice privacy screen and windbreak that should be preserved.   

I dont believe there going after sabal row itself,  just the garden Meg had grown on the neighbors by the canal. I think I would help petition for Sabal row if that was actually gonna happen haha 

T J 

T J 

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18 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

I dont believe there going after sabal row itself,  just the garden Meg had grown on the neighbors by the canal. I think I would help petition for Sabal row if that was actually gonna happen haha 

T J 

If the lot housing Sabal Row starts development my husband is going to plead with the contractor to spare the Sabal causiarum. He really loves that palm. If that fails he wants me to start another one from seed to plant on our land. 

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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4 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

If the lot housing Sabal Row starts development my husband is going to plead with the contractor to spare the Sabal causiarum. He really loves that palm. If that fails he wants me to start another one from seed to plant on our land. 

Oh wow so Sabal row isn't on your property either ? Same lot as the one that just got bought? Let me know if your husband needs some back up haha Sabal row can technically be dug up tho right? I feel a go fund me page starting !!! 

T J 

T J 

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  • 1 month later...
On 5/23/2021 at 10:43 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

That would be wonderful. I just hope the new owners aren't retirees who hate palms, love grass, play golf and mahjong and keep 8 shih tzus

:floor:

Maybe they turn out vegans wanting to produce their own vegetables.

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If you have the space... I bet the guy operating the backhoe would relocate that palm into your yard if you asked nice.  50 bucks and a case of beer would probably seal the deal.

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