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Thailand is a place where people have a choice of many different types of motorised transport. So if you are into sleek, fast and expensive cars, this is for you - If you're an easy going group traveller, this is yours - Yet those with sea-legs may prefer these - And this is for .. well (it's self explanatory)

I thought i was sure what it was but somebody gave me second thoughts ..... i hope those pictures help... if not tell me what part of the palm I have to take pictures of !

I have read some old posts here claiming it is OK to plant palms close to pools. I am installing a gunite (cement) pool and want to put some Washingtonian Filifera directly behind the spa area. The closest would be about 8 feet from the pool. Would there be any chance of roots damaging the pool? Here is a pic of the pool. The closest palm would go where the crepe myrtle is behind the spa deck: http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee493/loweran/486f15cb.jpg Here it is with the deck formed behind the spa: http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee493/loweran/baee3c3d.jpg Here are the palms: http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee493/loweran/3ff7f4c6.jpg ... and these will go in around the pool too, but farther away than the Washingtonians: http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee493/loweran/e81a2198.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee493/loweran/c949b5e1.jpg Thanks!

My guess is that they experenced a long duration of cold weather not a freeze. The palms shut down to long.

I just did a little Tahina spectabilis group planting. Planted five of them day before yesterday. All five in one of the photos below. Then I added a sixth one yesterday. Also, a closeup shot of one them below. These are fairly robust growers, pushing out a new frond on a regular basis. Maybe once every 3 months or so. They respond quickly to going in the ground OR being moved up into a larger pot. (And, incidentally, the mound of rocks and soil will be cleaned up over time! The important thing right now is to get the palms in the ground!)

I will be putting up a few videos in the travel log section. They are all on the road, about two minutes of drive through downtown pattaya

I dont know how you can control the thickness of a filabusta, but I have seen them with 2' thick trunks sans leaf bases. Pure filiferas can have trunks up to 4' thick. Robustas are typically around 1' thick. The leafbases of a pure filifera will be grey and the fronds a light grey green. Your palm is too green to be pure filifera, but no way that thickness trunk is pure robusta. The filibusta will do notably better than a pure filifera in a wet winter climate.

Looks like a filibusta hybrid. A pure filifera doesnt have the orange/brown leafbases, and a pure robusta wont have a trunk as thick as that one.

I've got a small one planted in the ground. It experienced 29 degrees twice this December. It has only been in the ground since last summer (2010). I was out of town so couldn't protect it. But, it looks okay.

4 leaves now!! This one crept up on me, I usually spot the spear first but I had a pleasant surprise today finding a fully opened new leaf. The petiole was even out of the ground already.

I've received news from Xavier in the tahina area. The villagers are having discussions on what to do with the money. Xavier says that what they want most is not share for the community but rather dispose of it on an individual basis. Xavier is not giving the money till they find a solution and stop fighting. The villagers have also secured a fire break nearly all around the palms. Here are the pics. In summer (december to april) this area is covered with 30 to 50cm of water and the temperature gets up to 38°C.