New Year's Eve end of 2021 Palmy Walk through Leucadia

[Tracy 6,763]

I took the dogs on their last morning walk of 2021 through the neighborhood, and since I was out late (no work today), I took a camera to snap some of the sites I get to enjoy regularly.  My first stop was the beach parking lot just west of my house, one of two spots I often check the surf in person and often before sunrise.  Not typical plantings for a parking lot, our city decided on a Jubea and a few Butia palms for the Grandview parking lot.  I then walked south to Beacons for another surf check before walking through some of the neighborhood not perched on the bluffs.

[Tracy 6,763]

Above ground power and phone lines can be problematic as these Caryota's and a few other palms planted underneath the lines show. 

[Tracy 6,763]

One of the older palm gardens in Leucadia, showing off a tall fruiting Chambyronia macrocarpa and a smaller hookeri, a young Ravenea julietiae, and the last photo has what I think is a Dypsis decipiens with several feet of ringed trunk and a smaller offshoot to the side.  It is definitely a Dypsis though.

[Tracy 6,763]

This house also sports one of the largest Pandanus I have seen in Encinitas.

[Tracy 6,763]

Back across the Coast Highway and my side of the tracks, I walked by what should be a very familiar garden on this website.  I've been tempted to ask if I can have one of those Persimmons, but we are loaded up with the other softer variety right now.  I love the Dypsis basilonga, which is coming along fantastically.  The Ficus adjacent to it is hanging in there doing better than the one I killed a few years back.  Had to get one shot peaking through the gate, and show off the tall Roystonea and fruit laden Howa belmoreana.

[Tracy 6,763]

More tall Phoenix and Roystonea on the walk home as well as some Livistonia and Butia palms.

[Tracy 6,763]

More palmy homes up the hill from my house.

[Tracy 6,763]

.... and finally to a palmy house that the dogs know well and little puppy Klaus is happy to be home to take a nap in the sun.  Anyone else go for a nice walk on the last day of the year and see a few palms they want to share?

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Thanks for sharing your walk with us Tracy.  Such great photos!  I really enjoy the Leucadia / Encinitas area and when we lived in Fallbrook we would spend some weekends out there on mini vacations and we always enjoyed walking around those neighborhoods.  

I hope to get out for a final walk of the year today, just waiting for the rain to stop for a bit.  It's been a wet December here on the windward side of the Big Island.  We are currently staying at an Airbnb about 12 miles north of Hilo in Pepe'ekeo, just down the road from the property we bought about a year ago.  

If I am able to get out and take some pictures, I will post them here later.  

Happy New Year! 

[kylecawazafla 1,201]

Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing! 

[amh 1,090]

Great photos of the area, thank you for the tour.

[iDesign 609]

Thanks for sharing those photos. I've visited two of these houses in person and was most struck by...

1) Pandanus
I was already interested in adding a pandanus to my collection, and seeing this one in person sealed the deal. This house is on a very thin alleyway, and it's an incredible feeling to see that pandanus coming into view. It's even bigger in person than it looks in the photos. I'm actually positioning mine to help hide the house on the hill above me. Grow baby grow! Wonder how many years it took to reach that size.

2) Bloodleaf
It was this house that convinced me to use Bloodleaf plants as one of my "fillers" in areas that don't have palms. I've seen other palmtalk members do this as well, and it's a great way to add a splash of color. Bloodleaf also pairs nicely with Hawaiian Ti, so adding these relatively low maintenance plants is a super easy way to get some color in your garden.

3) Gate to Paradise
Like you, I was just observing the property from the outside. But looking into the gate literally took my breath away. I know tours have been given of this property over the years, and I hope to someday go through those gates and see this amazing garden for myself. The manicured (yet thick with plants) look of this garden is the exact look I'm personally striving for. 

[mnorell 469]

The "garden through the gate" is a perfect example of the beauty of a dense grove of Howea forsteriana, which brings most of the grace of the coconut palm to the cool marine climate of coastal California. I think sometimes people get so caught up in trying to grow heat-loving lowland exotic species, they turn their backs on a coveted resource...since these palms are only adapted to a very small percentage of the earth's surface, and the coastal strip of California is one of the lucky places that this species, along with Rhopalostylis, Hedyscepe and several other magnificent palms, can be grown to perfection. (And speaking of exotics, that's a beautiful sumawongii!)

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

The rain finally stopped so we were able to enjoy a New Years Eve walk and bike ride. 
 

heading out from our guest cottage:

 

down the long driveway:

looking back on the driveway to see the monkey pod tree:

out into the neighborhood where some less common palms start to show up:

plenty of coconuts:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Approaching a very palmy property with all sorts of treasures in there, this is a 5 acre lot that appears to be fully landscaped. 

 

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Over one of several rivers that cut through the neighborhood:

more palmy goodness:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Roystonea lined main road:

my amazing family:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Shortcut out of the neighborhood to go grab some smoothies at What’s Shakin’ smoothie spot. 

more palmy houses:

past the old Pepe’ekeo sugar mill:

 

onomea bay “scenic drive”:

 

smoothie stop:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

We invited ourselves over to a house that we knew had some palms in it, and what was waiting for us was unbelievable!!!

this is the driveway!!!

 

more driveway!

Still going!

into the garden:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Metroxylon Amicarum!

Pritchardia

archontophoenix purpuraea

 

lots of Clinostigmas:

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Marojejya

beccariophoenix

approaching the bluff:

not a bad view from your backyard!

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

Carpoxylon

Dypsis Pembana 

paradise!

[Hilo Jason 3,692]

The grand finale - Tahina!!!

 

this is probably the largest Tahina I have ever seen. Wow!!  

what a day!  And I can’t believe that our new property is in this neighborhood. I’ll be starting a thread soon to post our progress. 
 

happy new year everyone here on Palm Talk!! 

[realarch 6,281]

Jason…..that Tahina left me temporarily incapacitated. 

Tim

[Palm Tree Jim 1,162]

Thanks for sharing the great pictures Tracy and Jason.

I should cruise around my new neighborhood and snap some pictures as well.

Happy New Year!

[KDubU 334]

Ok well that did it. Those pics are too nice, time to move to CA or HI. Seriously stunning shots, wish there were more palmy yards around me but nope.

[Tracy 6,763]

1 hour ago, Palm Tree Jim said:

Thanks for sharing the great pictures Tracy and Jason.

I should cruise around my new neighborhood and snap some pictures as well.

Happy New Year!

Jim you are up to bat this New Year day.  Looking forward to seeing your new hood.

Jason that was a great tour to close out 2021.  Looking forward to watching yet another new garden of yours fill in and grow.

[Dusty CBAD 160]

Lots of typical palms in my neighborhood, but this house has a few things that stand out, especially the 20’+ oliviformis

[Frond-friend42 417]

On 12/31/2021 at 1:13 PM, Tracy said:

I took the dogs on their last morning walk of 2021 through the neighborhood, and since I was out late (no work today), I took a camera to snap some of the sites I get to enjoy regularly.  My first stop was the beach parking lot just west of my house, one of two spots I often check the surf in person and often before sunrise.  Not typical plantings for a parking lot, our city decided on a Jubea and a few Butia palms for the Grandview parking lot.  I then walked south to Beacons for another surf check before walking through some of the neighborhood not perched on the bluffs.

That looks like a huge butia. Can it really be a jubaea? It has to be at least a butia hybrid...?

[Frond-friend42 417]

15 hours ago, Hilo Jason said:

Shortcut out of the neighborhood to go grab some smoothies at What’s Shakin’ smoothie spot. 

more palmy houses:

past the old Pepe’ekeo sugar mill:

 

onomea bay “scenic drive”:

 

smoothie stop:

Awesome shots/specimens. Are the trio in the second pic. Hydriastele longispathas?

Enjoyed these posts + Happy New Palmy Year

[Tracy 6,763]

On 12/31/2021 at 9:37 PM, Hilo Jason said:

The grand finale - Tahina!!!

 

this is probably the largest Tahina I have ever seen. Wow!!  

what a day!  And I can’t believe that our new property is in this neighborhood. I’ll be starting a thread soon to post our progress. 
 

happy new year everyone here on Palm Talk!! 

Jason, that is spectacular, probably the most striking fan palm one could see.  A lot of people struggle with fan palms thinking they pretty much all look like Mexican fan palms, some bigger, some smaller but not noticing the things that palm enthusiasts hone in on.  This is an example of a species that would stand out to someone that has very little experience with palms. 

On the opposite end of the scale are the standard bearer for most people when they think of a fan palm, a Washingtonia robusta.  But even the common Washingtonia robusta is beautiful when planted in the right spot.  A follow up on my walk, this is the stairway at Grandview Beach here in Leucadia.  A common palm, but beautiful placement.  The image was captured with my phone camera and one of the dogs was pulling on the leash so not quite a level shot this time.

[BS Man about Palms 2,495]

Great shots all, but Jason... HOLY CANNOLI!! amazing... that Palm may warrant its own thread!!

 

 

[BigFrond 122]

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

Jason, that is spectacular, probably the most striking fan palm one could see.  A lot of people struggle with fan palms thinking they pretty much all look like Mexican fan palms, some bigger, some smaller but not noticing the things that palm enthusiasts hone in on.  This is an example of a species that would stand out to someone that has very little experience with palms. 

On the opposite end of the scale are the standard bearer for most people when they think of a fan palm, a Washingtonia robusta.  But even the common Washingtonia robusta is beautiful when planted in the right spot.  A follow up on my walk, this is the stairway at Grandview Beach here in Leucadia.  A common palm, but beautiful placement.  The image was captured with my phone camera and one of the dogs was pulling on the leash so not quite a level shot this time.

Hehe... stair walkway is nice and so is the ocean.  Washies...  haha... itching for a chainsaw.

[tim_brissy_13 666]

On 1/2/2022 at 7:50 AM, Frond-friend42 said:

That looks like a huge butia. Can it really be a jubaea? It has to be at least a butia hybrid...?

Looks like pure Butia. They can develop into very large palms, I’ve seen some with even more girth and spread than these ones. 

[BigFrond 122]

Dang, Tahina is super impressive! 

[Tracy 6,763]

2 hours ago, BigFrond said:

Hehe... stair walkway is nice and so is the ocean.  Washies...  haha... itching for a chainsaw.

I actually think they look nice in this application and they aren't dropping palms seeds into a yard resulting in new sprouts all the time.  It's an iconic Southern California look.  Ask me about them in my yard or my neighbor's, dropping seeds in my yard and fronds every time the Santa Anas blow, and I have more of the chainsaw attitude.