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First flowering of my Prestoea acuminata came as a welcome surprise.

Yesterday afternoon, we wanted to visit various garden centers in Austria again. As always, we were very excited. However, after customs, we were abruptly stopped by the police. We stopped and I was asked to show my papers and vehicle registration immediately. At first there were two of them, then four more police officers joined them, making a total of six. They weren't interested in Sabine at all. They passed my ID card around, discussed it, and then asked me to get out of the car. I wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted with questions about whether I had been drinking alcohol, whether I used or sold drugs. Of course, I answered no, which is the truth. They looked at me again and I asked if I looked like someone they were looking for. The answer was a relieved “no” from the police chief and I could continue driving, as this was just a routine check. I got back in the car. Sabine was surprised, but calm, and when we drove on, she just smiled and said that it was never boring with me. We drove to the garden center, and while I was talking to a salesperson, Sabine came up and said, “Look, that's a Chamaedorea metallica, and we can get it for 30 USDA, okay?” I was speechless again, once more... She just said, “See, it's good I was with you...” So, what a happy end 🤗

I had one in a 15 gallon container pretty exposed and it did fine last winter in Santa Barbara. Winter was mild; temps hit the high 30's a couple times. Planted it out at the end of June.

After 22 years, or so, of spectacular leaf spreads I had to say goodbye to my beloved Gigas. Two seed spathes dropped and no growth in over a year. It was time. I used a company called Arkadia ( https://yourarkadia.com/) . They did a great job! Very proffessional, on time, clean and left without a trace.

Maybe not so exciting for the North American members, but I’m pretty happy to see my one and only Sabal minor maturing. This one is the sole survivor from a batch of 10 seeds germinated 10 years ago. I left it in a baggie forgotten for about 3 years, then when I checked it nearly busted its way out. A rewarding palm to grow from seed. Not fast, but reliable and robust.

What's the replacement palm going in its place? 🤔

We have almost finished salvaging what's left of my Container Garden, cleaned up the lanai, then positioned and filled the mini greenhouses with palms and philodendrons in preparation for winter, which may be a bad one. I've lost 100s of plants in the past year because of illness and diabolically hot summer days that made it impossible for me to venture outdoors. The summer rains at our house have been infrequent and sparse - we have had rain deficits of 12-15" all year. Much of my Container Garden died off because of heat, drought and lack of care when I couldn't function much of the time. Seven months of pneumonia does that to you. So now daily highs have dropped to the low 90s vs. upper 90s I have felt well enough to tackle the lanai and the plants that live on it. My camera skills have languished for much of the past 18 months but I managed to produce some anemic photos of the results. Container Garden, Cape Coral, FL, September 2025 Chamaedorea metallica pinnate form Is the palm on the right below Howea forsteriana? Archonotophoenix purpurea: It has lived the longest for me even thought this species hates my sweltering climate Variegated Rhapis

With recent humid weather we are having comes some happy palms. Clinostigma savoryanum Chrysalidocarpus ambositrae and this sort of unknown which was previously discussed on here sold as a D. decipiens, determined to be perhaps crossed with Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis. ??? All I know is it grows with hybrid vigor. I wish I would have planted it in a more prominent spot in my garden. It has two stems both in process of bifurcating.

TL:DR I bought a coconut and a papaya at Wal Mart, and this post clearly expresses my anxiety on running out of soil and large pots. Ok, it's my Birthmas and when everyone else in the house is sicker than I am, I went to get my own cake. Kinda annoyed that they didn't have Tres Leches because I have a jonesing, but I got a churro cake and I hope it's not terrible. Anyway, since I'm already in Wally World, and their garden center is full of Santa Claus stuff already, and the Blue Cart of Death at Lowes was literally that. They had some variegated ginger but meh and of course they have a bunch of really tall dried out and sunburned Majesties, some Cat Palms with all their soil spilled out, and oddly enough the worst looking stuff was still full price - the Repens they had last time that looked like something fell on it was still there and still $99, except now it's sunburned. Anyway, on to the point. Any ideas on what variety of coconut this might be? I mean, not that it matters, we all know it's a crapshoot and it's gonna spend at least 5 months a year indoors. These weren't refrigerated like the local ones. And while I'm there I've already done digging and these are also going to spend lots of time indoors and probably break my grow table and make me buy more lights. So there go the big pots I have that I'm gonna need for the bananas 😂 Have y'all looked at the prices for 5+ gallon nursery pots now? It's insane. I can get like 100 1 gallon pots for cheap but big pots, it's cheaper to buy a trash can. I've got a mountain of fabric bags but I don't think most palms would like them, and bananas def won't. Not sure about papaya. Oh god I'm gonna need a mountain of soil in a few months too, just in time for it all to be expensive.

A few glauca in the garden. They are super tough cool tolerant and love growing in my garden, so far out 5 palms 3 are boys and 1 female with the last one not sure what he or she wants to be. Hopefully one day the bees will do there job and a few seeds.

Palm seed smuggler 😂, what , no apples? Harry

Try mixing in to surrounding soil a water retentive!

Jim, they’re certainly not any more cold sensitive than lutescens in our area. they seem to be a bit more robust grower here for some reason. Rarely brown tipping, and I just never seem to see a bad one. Probably as much sun as you can give them, while also giving them a bit of canopy for the colder months of the year. Based on the others that you’re growing up there, I think you’ll do fine with this one.

Sometimes we forget why we planted a species that is relatively common. This was a reminder. It is a weed in most of the tropics because it is so common yet has some redeeming value. I planted it for it's speedy and dense foliage as a screen above the wall height.

-salutes a great palm- He did his duty well. Ryan

Yes, John, that would certainly be possible. She said she just had to get through customs first 😂 It's unbelievable what can happen there. Yesterday, I also had the feeling that when push comes to shove, their statement carries more weight...

That's a good true story, Harry, from you. It's especially tedious when it's unexpected. Otherwise, it's like at a soccer game, where the security guards check us at the entrance, okay. Of course, we could see from a distance that there might be a checkpoint because there were police cars there. However, we were still completely surprised. They were definitely looking for people, and I think you could tell. I've never been checked so thoroughly before.

Yes, they stick to it well 🤣 Unfortunately, I already felt like a criminal 🤔. We both have Swiss passports, but it doesn't always seem to be of any use.... In an emergency, I would probably have needed a lawyer, preferably one from Palm Talk, who, in addition to his hobby of collecting exotic items, is a lawyer.whom I would trust the most, and I mean that honestly.

Lol so much with the Schengen Agreement! Were something suspicious on either the people or the vehicle? I remember once when I had to change flights in Switzerland, that the airport inspector asked me (in German) whether I had a laptop in my handbag and I replied in perfect south German accent Nö. So I passed through without further formalities. My spouse right behind me in the queue instead was treated like a suspect (and the rabi behind her likewise)😂

Just a couple more exotics going in the ground. All I know is one day the garden will be full of exotic plants if I Keep on planting them at this rate. Didnt really want to plant the hybrid in the garden but hey what the heck why not. Joeys are becoming a dime a dozen in my garden now. And the iguanura has lived in the greenhouse long enough so it can go in the ground, it took a few years for the tropical grown leaves and the subtropical growth a while to acclimatise but it got there. And it took me a while to work out how to grow iguanuras, tricky little palms but I hope I have worked them out.

That is a deal on the Metallica! Easy peasy to grow and very nice looking , unique. They are quite happy in pots , no direct sun. I have a large one that gets morning sun and the fronds are a bit smaller and the tips burn a bit , but they just keep on growing happily . It’s not fun being pulled over and questioned , I can’t imagine in a foreign country. I got pulled over once going to work on the midnight shift . I was cruising along on a summer night in my convertible with the top down . I had cruise control set at speed limit , music playing , and looking forward to getting work done . I asked why they pulled me over , they said I was swerving. I said no , I was not swerving . “How much have you had to drink?” I lifted my coffee cup and said that I was on my way to work , I don’t drink alcohol at all….never. They let me go. Harry

Nice score definitely worth the police interrogations. I travelled from Hungary once to Croatia took me two hours at the Croatian border, they gad my passport and I was going nowhere fast. It was due to the fact I was with my German friends, apparently they thought they had a drug mule yer right I thought, but i wasn’t going to muck with the Croatian police that’s for sure. Then in Croatia we got pulled over twice and the vehicle searched both times. They must have thought we got ourselves a winner here.

I get blooms on my Podophyllum too. I have tried to pollinate them but it never takes. I'm getting for size in my nigrolaminum Gigi

Lol in Athens they may bloom until end of December

Variegated Japanese rhapis var ayanishiki anyone.

I was hoping you’d post this Richard. One of my favourite palms on Palmtalk!

I'm very happy about that. I hope you got a lot of seeds 🤗

here reclinata flowers in June, July, August here canariensis flowers in July, August and until November

Such a dainty little palm, the pencil thin stems and the small windows in the leaves give this small palm a miniature look that is perfect for that special spot in the garden.

Here are some of seedlings

I have 2 planted in ground on different locations. Probably one of slowest varieties I have. Dry locations as you say

Beautiful! Only in my dreams in my super dry garden with less than 200 mm annual precipitation. Italy has a similar climate with Greece, in particular the region around Naples. So it is impossible a natural cross of reclinata with canary according to personal experience. Reclinata blooms in the mid summer while canary blooms in autumn. Roebelenii may have overlapping florition with reclinata and perhaps also rupicola... @gyuseppe your opinion on the matter please!

Example from Pompeii. I have few seedlings from this tree but I'm afraid they are hybrids with CIDP around

If you can't grow it in the Bay Area, then nobody can! You probably live in the best microclimate for palms that Northern California has to offer!

Kimo seedling #2 blooming now, different than the 1st one. 3 or 4 more are spiking now.

John , the only thing I could think of is maybe needing a cooling period at night. I don’t have any Latania palms but I saw bunches when I was in Hawaii. They seem to do well in warm weather . I would use diluted dish soap and a wet rag to remove any mealy bugs ( if that’s what is there) . Maybe check the bottom of the root ball if it is easy enough to slide out of the pot . Something is going on and it would be a shame to lose that palm. Harry

I don’t know about this species but I have added a few Dypsis/ Chrysalidiocarpus to my collection here ( similar climate) . They were planted small in fractured sun , no problem last winter at all. Harry

Agree , they will seek water but the roots are not invasive like a tree . Palm roots , although numerous , are not aggressive. They will seek other directions when met with obstructions . Plastic sprinkler lines can be run along where roots are most times . I had to have the French drain plumbing removed because the builder did not glue the connections and used thin wall plastic . The palm roots found a way in and clogged the drain. New 4” schedule 40 pipe was put down and glued together , no roots entering the drain. Harry ‘The French drain runs under this pathway about 18” below the pavers. This was done about 8 years ago . The roots don’t even move the pavers. The dark trunks are Queen palms that send out many “ feeder” roots, no problem. Any unevenness is poor masonary work and that’s on me 🙄!

As with any palm, only if there is a leak present. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

This Attalea species, not sure what kind.

They have beautiful reclinata. Mine are very small and have just sprouted. I'm sprouting the pure variety and also the hybrid. A friend wanted to give me some reclinata offspring, but I didn't want it.

That palm tree looks beautiful. Congratulations!

Friend, this is a beautiful group of reclining trees. I don't know whether to call it pure or that they look more refined. Those trunks are fine, and their canopy is less dense. I liked them.

Palms palms palms I really love you a lot I could dig a hole and plant you in a spot! It’s going to be a lot of years before I run out of palms to plant. Richard

CIDP until November, wow, what a great climate you have there.

Wonderful, Ante. I really like them. Every time, it's a miracle how such beautiful phoenixes grow from such small seeds ...

I was impressed with these Butia by the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. The development near the grand canal was completed within the last 10 to 15 years.. I suspect that they were planted at nearly this size, but they are still some of the finest specimens that I have seen outside of their native habitat in South America.

That is an attractive hybrid. It reminds me of this plant which is not a hybrid.

Beautiful your areca vestiaria Richard