Our website

[bgl]

Our daughter, Annika, who joined me for the IPS Biennial on the French Riviera in 2002, and who was here in Hawaii for the Biennial in May 2004 (and many of you met her then) has designed our website, and has added photos and information over the last month or so. Considering the fact that she had no prior experience I think she's done an outstanding job. The site is far from finished (will it ever be...?) but we have enough information and photos on the site now that I feel comfortable making it official. Check out

www.lundkvistpalmgarden.com

And if you were here in May 2004, there's a page with photos from the day we hosted the IPS Biennial. Go to Links, and you'll find a link there.

There are still a few pages (and palm genera) with no photos, and those will gradually be filled in over the next month or so. If you have any comments, questions or criticism, feel free to let me know. Either in this space, or a PM through Palmtalk or an e-mail response thru the site.

Aloha!

Bo-Göran

[Zac in NC]

Wow! Just Wow. I didn't expect anything but wow from you, especially after seeing the pics you posted. What a great site.

Zac

[happ]

Fantastic Bo-Göran

I'm looking forward to long visit to your website.

Thanks for sharing.

[Walter John]

Great, simply marvellous.

Bo and Annika, this site has the potential to be one of the great palm sites on the web. I would encourage you to contact the web page author of PACSOA to get a link to your site included as it would make a great compliment site to the major sites like PACSOA.

[Mike in Houston]

The new site's a winner Bo.

Love the garden, the photos and the presentation.

Good reason to be a proud papa!

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Major garden envy...you rock, Bo.

Or, as Napoleon Dynamite would say.."Flippen sweet"

[oppalm]

WOW is right.   The pictures are outstanding.    I will be spending some quality time at work looking through the pages.  Hope nobody finds out.

[palmazon]

I was there last December with Kevin Weaver - regrettably, I wasn't able to visit your garden (work obligations); your images give a good 'sense of place'

- well done.

[DoomsDave]

Bo:

One quick look, and I screamed and ran around the block!

VERY nice.

Excellent presentation.  It takes a lot of work for a site to come out that good.

Bravi! to both of you!

dave

[bgl]

Wow, just got back from dinner in Hilo, and read all your comments! Thank you very much! I know Annika will be thrilled at all the positive feedback!

And Wal, great idea! And we can put a link on our site as well to the PACSOA site.

Bo-Göran

[cryptobionic]

Nice changes to an already great website. Someone has been working hard on it since I first checked it out (and felt that ol' Palm Envy) about a year ago, good job!

[chris78]

Bo....Don't know what to say.....GREAT site!!!!!

[Kris]

Dear Bo Goran  

very nice site,great work and by best wish to you.

all eager to see more palms in your site.

Love,

Kris.

[tim_brissy_13]

Add to favourites!

[amazondk]

That is a nice site Bo, I hope I can get over to see the place in person some day.

dk

[redant]

Wait till I tell my wife I want to go to HI to purchase some palms.

Your place would make a stunning location for a B&B, I'd be so there. You would have to force me to leave.

Congrats on a stunning job, both web site and your garden.

[BigFrond]

Wow!  This will be one of the best if not the best site for palm pictures.  Hehehe... only if Bo will add on the size the palm will grow to, the climate that the pam will survive in, and a few other details and there would be no need for us to look elsewhere for pictures in info.

[Neofolis]

Amazing pictures, as expected really.  I will definitely be spending more time there soon.

[Randy]

Bo,

You're island paradise is probably what most of us have in our minds-eye when we think "tropical." It's certainly the case for me - great work on the web site.

I'd love a tour when I get back to the Kohala coast soemday!

[bgl]

Everybody,

Again, thanks a lot for the comments and feedback! And just in general, anyone visiting the Big Island is obviously welcome to contact me for a garden tour!

And BigFrond, some of what you mention is actually part of the "master plan". The work on the website, and as I mentioned our daughter Annika is responsible for 100% of this work, is actually in FOUR phases. We are only in Phase 1 now:

PHASE 1: adding all the (suitable) photos that I have on file. This is done chronologically. I began seriously to take photos in the garden in March 2006 after I had joined the Forum (even though I also do have some photos from 2004 and 2005). Since March I have probably taken photos at least 4 or 5 days every week. Right now, I'm in the process of sending these photos to Annika, working my way towards today's date. Right now, today Aug. 17th, I'm going to send her photos taken on June 23, which means it'll probably take me at least a couple of weeks to send her the remaining photos I have on file and for her to add them to the site. And of course, in the meantime, I'll probably take a few more. All in all, this will easily add at least 400-500 photos to the site.

PHASE 2: Filling in the BIG gaps. This will involve adding photos for those Palm and Cyad genera that are still without photos after Phase 1 is complete. Also adding photos for those areas of the Garden that are without photos after Phase 1.

PHASE 3: Filling in the SMALL gaps. I.e. going thru each and every Palm and Cycad genus and add photos for species that have not been covered at that point. Also, add photos for those areas of the garden that have not been well covered after Phase 2.

PHASE 4: General up-dating and adding new photos on a continuous basis. Also, adding my own comments for various palm genera and what's involved in growing them here. I will only add my own experiences so information such as cold hardiness will NOT be part of it, as much as I realize this is of major interest to many Forum members. Those are issues to be discussed here on the Forum!

More photos will of course also be added to the other pages (Big Island, Rainforest, Nursery), and in all likelihood we will also add more Links to that page. Anyone who is interested in an exchange, just let me know.

Bo-Göran

[Gtlevine]

Bo, the website is outstanding and it is getting me excited about my December trip. My only critique is the photos of your garden appear to be a very low resolution and do not provide a nice crisp photo to view the details of each specimen. Maybe you can replace photos over time with higher resolution images.

Gary

[bgl]

Gary,

Thanks, and yes, you're right, they are fairly low resolution. Will have to mention that to Annika, and it's definitely something to consider. Appreciate you bringing it to my attention!

Bo-Göran

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

(Gtlevine @ Aug. 17 2006,16:34)

QUOTE

Bo, the website is outstanding and it is getting me excited about my December trip. My only critique is the photos of your garden appear to be a very low resolution and do not provide a nice crisp photo to view the details of each specimen. Maybe you can replace photos over time with higher resolution images.

Gary

Bo...Gary has dial-up. I also think he has to use a hand cranked generator for power before he even turns on his computer. Believe me, if you'd have had the high rez he wanted, he'd still be waiting for it to download...

[MattyB]

Thanks Bo!  One more for the Favorites menu!

[Dypsisdean]

Bo,

I have seen some websites that offer a low and high resolution option depending on a person's preference and/or the speed of one's ISP. I don't know how those work, or if you would even want to try and accomadate everyone. But, it may be as simple as having a carbon copy of the site and just having the software point to a different file (hi or lo res) depending on which version they originally select.

BTW---I have some nice shots of The City of Refuge you are welcome to look at if you want to add any to your Kona section.

And also BTW, the site is very well done. It's simple, straight forward, and easy to negotiate, unlike many sites these days with so many whistles and bells it's annoying and difficult to "get around." Now, for sure, I don't need to come visit anymore.  

[Palmgrover]

WOW AGAIN AND AGAIN BO,

You have a really great wed site.   I'll certainly be drooling over all the great photos of your place, and wishing I could grow such wonderful palms and cycads in southern California.  Great Job Bo.

[Gtlevine]

Bo, I looked at your nursery link and I hope there are some nice fat Dypsis I can score from under your shade tent when I'm there in December. I will have Jerry send them over with his nursery stock.

Gary

[bgl]

Again, thanks a lot for all your comments. Just before logging on I was talking to Annika. She's in the process of moving from Ithaca, NY, to Philadelphia, and had just arrived there. She'll look into the high vs. low resolution issue as soon as she gets a chance. The photos I'm sending her are actually in the exact same low resolution as the ones I've posted on the Forum.

Dean, thanks for your offer re photos. Will check my own files for 2004 and 2005. I may have some there. Right now we're working on the back-log for 2006, and once that's done I'll look at some of the older ones. And even though photos are great, there's no substitute for the real thing, so I still hope to see you over here soon!!

Gary, sorry to disappoint you, but the nursery is in its infancy and most of the palms have just been potted up (primarily into 1G pots). It'll be another 18-24 months before many of them will be what I consider 'ready'. There are only a small number of palms as of right now that I consider to be 'ready-to-plant', and there are no Dypsis in that group! And my long-term plan is actually to grow most of the palms up to a 5G or even 15G size, even though I'm not ruling out selling some 1G from time to time. I've already sold a number of 1G Clinostigma samoense. These are 5-6 ft tall and ready to be planted NOW!! But not in SoCal....

Bo-Göran

[ania]

I have said it before but I will say it again. Simply breathtaking.

Ania

[Gileno Machado]

I knew I had to spend more than an hour touring this website, an inspirational favorite from now on.

Bo, the most amazing palms that you have, in my opinion are: the Salacca magnifica, the superb Iriateas, and the Hydriastele (former Siphokentia) beguinii, all of these are dropdead palms...

You garden is a treasure...how many gardeners do you have? The citrus area (orange crush) looks amazing too, not to mention the cycads...

I felt comfortable with the size of the pictures you posted but if desired, maybe an alternative could be also displaying thumbnails which could be enlarged to fit the screen for more details, as a slide show. Congrats to you, and to your daughter...

PS, as a comment: I have just planted a couple Pigafettas here at the entrance from the beach. Apart from the nice green trunks shown by yours, I was a bit disappointed with the effect of the crown, a little smaller and less impressive than I'd expected for an adult plant, and I was thinking that those palms may not actually feel happy with my constant breezes here in the future. I guess mine are probably planted in a wrong spot in my garden, too wind exposed and more suitable for Clinostigmas and Veitchias, what do you think?...by the way, where did you hide your coconut?  

[bgl]

Thank you Ania and Gileno!

We do have help, two guys who come in several mornings every week. Between the two of them about 25 hours every week. They mostly take care of the lawn, remove old palm fronds (a major job!), and manage our PWTP (Permanent Weed Termination Program ). General maintenance in other words.

Gileno, thanks for your comment re thumbnails. Annika actually suggested this, and I wasn't quite sold on the idea, but we'll check into it again.

A Pigafetta crown is actually very impressive, but of course the taller they get, the higher up it is, and the less impressive it may appear from ground level. But a Clinostigma definitely has a much cleaner look and from a visual point of view I think most would agree that the Clinostigma is much more attractive. Pigafetta fronds will get a little messy if constantly battered by strong winds. A Clinostigma has sturdier fronds that hold up much better in windy conditions. And a Clinostigma will never get to the height of a Pigafetta, so the massive crown will always be just that - impressive!

The coconuts are planted on Tongan Drive, and checking that page I see that there's no photo showing them. I'll make sure I get one soon!

Again, thanks a lot for your comments!

Bo-Göran

[SunnyFl]

Bo, this is stunning.  I don't know what else to say.... just.... beautiful.  Your gardens never cease to amaze - the work must have been herculean, the results are sheer splendor.

I have just spent over an hour on this site and haven't even scratched the surface.  Into Favorites it went, into the folder "Botanical Gardens."  

Steve said,

Gary has dial-up. I also think he has to use a hand cranked generator for power

 No, it's Sunny who has to crank the thing hehe - took quite awhile on dial-up, along with red x's that had to be re-clicked... but wow, it's well worth it!

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Hello Bo,

Thanks for going to the effort of creating your website.

Your Daughter and yourself are doing a great job.

When my collecting took hold, all my information came from the web as we do not live in a palm area and there was no one to visit or ask advice from, so the web was the source of all the information. You are going to make it much easier and enjoyable for the current and next generation of palm enthusiasts.

Now that there has been an announcement of cheap flights from Australia to Hawaii, some of the Aussie might turn up for a visit one day

regards

colin

[bgl]

Sunny and Colin,

Thanks a lot, and as I explained above, we're only in Phase 1, so still a lot of work to be done and photos and information to be added!

And, yes, I know, Jetstar will start flying 3 times a week from Sydney to Honolulu soon, so that'll probably bring down prices. Hopefuilly, we'll see more Aussies here!

Aloha,

Bo-Göran