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Growing so many palms and having a nursery I do sell a few palms by mail order. It’s a simple online business you basically wake up and have made a sale for a few palms to various locations around Australia and to some countries overseas. I post on Mondays so I get the palms ready over the weekend, the key to getting your palms to arrive in a healthy condition is packaging, first I place a bit of cardboard and paper towel over the soil and tape that in there. This way you tip the plant upside down and shake it all about that’s Australia post job to do that without losing the soil and disturbing the palm. Then a paper towel is placed inside a plastic bag then taped around the bottom of the container so no moisture damages the packaging and it helps keep the palm hydrated for its journey around the country or world. Then I use zip ties to secure the palm in the packaging so no damage is done during transport to said various locations. A business card is placed inside and then they are sealed up the address is placed on the packaging and away my little palms go to start a new life in another garden. They arrive as seeds in the mail and then they are sent out to gardeners by mail. I love it knowing my palms are going to various locations and gardeners to be loved it gives me joy and happiness @happypalms

Thought I'd share pics of the new single fronds emerging right now on two of my Cycas debaoensis. I always hope the local critters visiting my yard don't chew on them at this stage! That's a Trachycarpus princeps in the background of the 1st picture.

The first one I tried croaked. This one has been in increasing shade beneath an oak for at least 15 years, growing slowly, now seeming to pick up steam. Background has Archontophoenix and a Carpentaria trunk. Flowering bromeliad is a variegated Vriesea and the yellow flowers are an Oncidium orchid. All typical yard plants.

Two things that rarely happen these days. Starting a life long hobby when young & being able to see the results nearly 50 years later. Congratulations @Darold Petty

Here is an update on my Ceroxylon quindiuense. The seed collection was in Columbia, 1978, by my late palm mentor, Garrin Fullington. I ground planted it in the spring of 1983. It is a sibling from the same seed batch as the two plants in San Francisco Botanic Garden. I have not found aborted flowers on the ground yet, so the gender is unknown.

Japanese variegated rhapis var nanzanishiki!

Ohhh live plants to the US trouble all round would love too, you would end up with a bill without the correct paperwork.

The Howea fosteriana it needs no introduction, it speaks for itself. Theres even a couple of variegated ones in the garden!

Spotted this beauty opposite the mother in laws house! Iam always palm nutting about it to her! You know Sue this palm is……

took this pic from a boat in Newport California.....when they are in their element, they can become exquisite palms!

Phoenix theophrasti, roebelenii, sylvestris, dactylifera, canariensis - none protected, none survived Arenga engleri unprotected - died Brahea clara, calcarea, armata, brandegeei x armata calcarea not protected - died others survived Butia odorata - survived unprotected Butyagrus - one survived unprotected, one died Washingtonia filibusta unprotected - died Sabal guatemalensis, uresana, Riverside - all survived unprotected Livistona saribus, chinensis, nitida, decora - all unprotected, chinensis survived Chamaedorea microspadix, radicalis - survived unprotected Trachycarpus fortunei - survived unprotected Parajubaea sunkha - survived protected Jubaea chilensis - survived unprotected Bismarckia nobilis - survived protected Chamaerops humilis - survived unprotected Copernicia prunifera, alba - survived protected Hyphaene coriacea - survived protected Syagrus romanzoffiana - survived protected Serenoa repens - survived unprotected Ravenea rivularis unprotected - died Edit: Livistona saribus, Trithrinax acanthocoma and Brahea brandegeei x armata seedlings actually died from sun+drought prior to 2021 Livistona decora and Acrocomia aculeata died from ox beetle.

You bet there is a lot that won’t grow, MAPU, crytostachys renda, lots of licuala varieties a lot of calytrocalyx varieties , certain pinanga varieties heaps of stuff that grows in Borneo, Papua New Guinea. The amount of palms I have killed trying to find what will grow and what won’t grow is endless. Then there are varieties that will live but never look good suffering and lingering wasting my time and energy trying to grow them half decently, spending five years of time on them only have them die in the end. Then there are palms from cool cold environments that won’t take my summer, the list is endless but you gotta try. But when you do try you find absolute gems of palms unthought of growing in my climate and get some real beautiful palms.

What! like who has a couple kilos of anthrax to post. And if it had anthrax in the box with a declaration of anthrax iam sure it wouldn’t be getting into the country in a hurry.

Are there any palms that don't do well in your climat 🤔?I always love to see your pictures. Eckhard

Metroxylon, Obi Island, and my purported Pinanga sp. ‘Thai Mottled Dwarf form’ but could be misID’d

Basically don’t overwater Australian native plants, my wife grows quite a few tricky ones and good old palm watering me kills them. So keep them dry.

I believe they are king palms (most likely Archontophoenix cuninghamiana).

Mother nature takes things in its own hands. There are plenty of Robustas in the lightning capital Orlando . Not sure how they deal with it. I guess plant more Robustas to cover the area ?

Okay... it may not be me you want to see so much... so more of the palm.

The International Palm Society is pleased to announce registration is now open for our 33rd biennial. Vietnam: Hanoi to Da Nang, February 23 -March 3, 2026. Tour led by Dr. Andrew Henderson, author of the Palms of Vietnam. This will be followed by an optional post tour in Peninsular Thailand March 3 - March 9, 2026 led by Dr. Anders Barfod and Poonsak. (Note availability limited). https://ips13.wildapricot.org/2026-biennial

First up a little Areca tonku then Areca loaensis and lastly vidaliana. All new to the collection and there first winter in the ground and they are all doing quite well. They spent one winter in the greenhouse and then planted in the garden. So it’s good to see some new arecas in the cool winter of a subtropical climate you just never know until you try and try I did!

Another beautiful palm I get to enjoy everyday looks like it got hit by lightning. We had a pretty severe storm come through. That’s about 5 palms gone now in the 1.5 years that I have lived here. Only the CIDPs and Sabals remain in my neighbors yards for me to enjoy.

When I first started planting Howea in the early 2000’s I wasn’t sure they’d even be long term plantings in the garden but, lo and behold, they are and continue to be. I can’t imagine the garden without them.

I agree with you. It’s a very adaptable palm. I’ve read and seen some really nice specimens in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here’s a specimen in Union City, East Bay of the SF Bay Area.

Here's an update on my 'Syagrus kellyana' (orig. from Phil/JM) couple of years later, after I planted it out. Leaves not yet pinnate, but very, very long! It's in deep shade. The only palms I have that grow more slowly are Pseudophoenix sargentii seedlings in pots!

I bought a couple of sabal mexicana from Palm Buddha last year. Nothing was marked with a price. I had to talk to the owner/manager to get quotes, but that allowed haggle just a bit. I bought the two sabals below for $225 and $275 respectively: The first one is taller, but it had one or two broken fronds, so I got it cheaper than the smaller one, which was more full. They were as big as I could move and handle on my own. The taller one is just an inch or two taller than my privacy fence, while the smaller one is only about 4.5 feet in overall height. They do have brahea, but I can recall how big, and I didn't ask about prices. I know they had some large brahea, I just don't recall seeing any small enough that I could have moved or planted them on my own.

The only word thing is that literally only one trunk is suffering. All of the suckers and the other main trunk have lush green fronds. That's the head scratcher. If it were the whole plant I'd be more comfortable almost...

There is a saying, if you see a palm you have always wanted or just wanted, and don’t buy it for whatever reason you may never see that palm for sale again! Iam a collector and will not hesitate to spend big bucks on a seedling of a rare palm I want. It’s endless the limit. Like the man said if you got the money we can anything you want!

That’s a fair deal 5 for 1! Iam in 5 cats coming your way asap that should be 25 in return a real bargain that is if you have that many cats I don’t want to leave you short! Happyalms memorabilia now that’s a great idea why didn’t I think of that hats T-shirts stickers watering cans cat litter trays now you talking my kind of marketing! In for a penny in for a pound!

Oh what a dream to buy the stuff Jeff has!

You also have to write DEFINITELY NOT ANTHRAX OR WEAPONS on the boxes now. New policy.

Yes I do ship cats to the us for free, but only to a good home, I throw in free palm seeds as well to the US, no cats have been shipped before, and any palm seeds that have been shipped have been free to a good home in the US.

There free to a good home!

I'd like to thank the two of you who still look at my long posts here 😂 Anyway Philodendron shelf. I need to I guess figure out a better lighting setup, a couple of them are reaching for the light, I've got some cuttings finally growing roots, some cuttings refusing to grow roots, a cutting that lost all of its leaves but is trying to grow roots, one that's been pushing a new leaf since what feels like 4 years ago, and the Congo Rojo has competition in the Moonlight. They just don't care, they're gonna grow. I took some cuttings off the Ti plant, too. I got 2 good ones, I don't want to hack them too much. I need to find a spot for them, because I think even my grow light is a bit much for them, and they'll def cook in the Bastard Bed. I can always plop them in the shade of the crape myrtles. Palm stuff - it's 12:32am and I'm so tempted to go outside right now just because it's finally cool enough but that means the humidity is insane, so I'm just going to take pictures and keep whining. Maybe I'm tripping, but it seems like these Sabal Etonia have grown a lot since I got them from @kinzyjr and at least 2 more have sprouted. FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY THE RED LATAN NEW LEAF HAS OPENED Yes all caps on purpose. And C. Renda too. I just watched an old Fairchild tour on YouTube and they had some hybrids that got me wondering and thinking and wanting and lusting. And... In sadder news, I think the outlook for a couple of these trachies is bleak. The one Princeps ain't pretty, but it's green. The other one and the runt of the hybrids... Well, just think happy thoughts.

Just a dozen or so lanonia dasyantha to get outside. Some good rain at the moment so a bit of potting up, dasyantha are one palm iam not worried about potting up in the cold wet there pretty tough.

I’ve killed to many native plants by overwatering them. A good composted pine bark river sand with blinker ash or perlite almost a lite sort of succulent mix I find is best and free draining. I now stay away from the wife’s native plants as I complain she never waters them enough Mr palm hose waterier here has to water! I know why she doesn’t water them like palms let native plants dry out not super light containers but dry.

That’s what I was going to say about Hakea laurina. They will take heaps of heat but need excellent drainage. That being said I’ve got a couple here planted by the previous owner in pure gluggy clay (he never amended the soil, just parted a clod of dirt and then in it went) and they are doing surprising well, even in our wet as winters. But then they do come from winter wet environments but just not in clay.

Plant a robusta to spare the Royals

It all begins with a juvenile palm. Hakea Laurina comes from the sand plains so a hot dry environment, they need super good free draining mixture.

Haha yes, typo! It was back in 2009 and I can’t find any record sorry. Our record high minimum in Melbourne is 30.6C/87F. Minimum temperatures above 25C/77F are very rare. One source says minimums either side of the day were around 18-20C/64-68F with temperatures on that day remaining above 40C/104F for about 6-7 hours which seems about right based on my memory. Humidity dropped to around 5% at the peak of the heat.

Okay... since I wasbout talking to an SDGE rep earlier today checking to make sure not trimming or removal needed... (yet). From today.. many weeds as usual.. so I won't show those.. I'm 6 foot tall, so there's your size reference.

For me, it doesn't get much better than Howea forsteriana. A more natural fit for my immediate coastal conditions than belmoreana, though I'm growing both here. Quite at home in calcareous soils, takes wind, salt, persistently overcast weather, a bit of chill and accepts dryness when it must better than many. It's tidy too. All those qualities with a beautiful stem and leaves and an elegant way of leaning this way or that. Not colorful like a Dypsis, but perfectly green. Just needs some water and a bit of nutrients provided here and it's good to go. A common palm, and a worthy grow for palm enthusiasts and landscapers alike. I wouldn't quite call them common here in San Francisco, but there are many of them throughout the city, some begrudgingly enduring neglectful situations and occasionally a duo or trio getting the care they deserve.

a homage to your dedication Darold. like everyone else you should be very proud. i hope it will stand the test of time long after we are all gone.

They will look like nothing happened to them at some point. Yours will take longer because they're in pots but the Trachycarpus grows faster and should recover quicker. If they're not damaged this coming winter I would think by this time next year.

You Sir , live in the South . Different weather patterns compared to the places you lived before. I can completely understand your worries but what can we do ? Dig out all Robustas ? I live here in Texas since late 2021 , besides the damaging artic freezes we get ,our neighborhood hasn't seen the worse what's actually happening every year around us. Heavy thunderstorms are the norm in spring to early summer and come back once the strong cold fronts move in fall. Man, the entire Gulf coast gets it all from deadly floods , tornadoes , severe thunderstorms with golf size hail and hurricanes. If it's not the cold that ruins your garden plans it's something else that I just mentioned. How many skydusters like you see in Los Angeles have you seen in Florida ? I have seen "some" tall ones but no 80' to 100' ones. Might be a very small number of tall ones growing , if at all. Welcome to the South. It's not all perfect down here . You're going to be fine my friend.

In Australia there are some palms not available in my area. But if you visit there region of habitat they seem more common in local parks and gardens. Noel a lot of older palm varieties are being left behind by the newer more exotic varieties.

I also want to mention that the BB stores here in SA offer a good selection of tropical palms that you can grow in containers for a relatively cheap price. Milbergs nursery offers some more exotic tropical palms that are hardy in South Florida. Palm Buddha, Moon Valley and Milberg offer a great selection of palms , hardy and non hardy .

i would like to see the IPS commit to a education program...as its mission solely is education and conservation. The IPS should assemble a sample course study which can be provided to schools with AG programs to be incorporated in their teachings. lets return to our stated mission of education as it appears we are moving toward a elite travel club

Thanks guys for the further info etc. Mohsen those Jubaea in the RBG Sydney I seem to remember were planted in the 1800's, so my little plants will be a "crown on the ground" sort of deal for a few decades. Bret and Jubaea, thanks for your experiences. I'm going to try your method. Put them in a pot of moist soil and almost forget about them in the nursery area. Pal Meir, that's pretty good growth for 4 years. You're looking after that plant well. I germinated a couple before using the "crack the shell" method then totally neglected them in a pot until last summer and they would still be at your stage after 7 years. Now however they are planted out and irrigated in full sun, so I expect to see them start to grow a bit quicker. They've handled 44C and frost and seem happy and green. Phoenikakias is correct. I'm 400km south of Perth, but even in winter I average around 20C max in a freaky little hollow that warms up quicker than the surrounding area. Temperatures can reach 40C plus in summer, but always cool down at night into the teens. In winter the nights can be frosty to the low single digits. Of course for Jubaea you don't need mega high temps. If you never got higher than 25C all summer your Jubaea would be happy.

Pal, Tyrone lives just south of Perth, winter there is probably warmer than early summer in southern Germany...