Leaderboard

I am very, very thankful that my Tahina #1 is still alive. This photo is how it looked 12/29/2022. All those leaves browned seemingly overnight. They were cut off and the palm was treated with an anti-fungal. For a long time it sat with a single leaf slowly decaying, and I was sure it was dead. That left a small hole in my heart. But experience has taught me to be patient. I refused to cut down the palm. Perhaps 18 months later, the tip of a spear appeared emerging from the center of the palm! By June of 2024 there was a strong, fat spear undeniably gaining height, but reluctant to open. I marked the spear and occasionally measured the progress. Slow at first, then gaining speed during rainy periods. Even as recently as March 2025, the new spear was only partially open, but now at last, the new leaf has spread, gathering sunlight, feeding the palm. It is still a sad sight, but it's alive! Well worth celebrating, and I am very thankful.

That’s kind of a tough question being that I appreciate all the palms in the garden. My Chrysalidocarpus decipiens would at the top of the list being that it’s taken nearly twenty years to get to where it is today. The other species that is special to me is not because it’s rare. It’s because the groves of them I gave created massive canopy in just a few years and remain an integral part of the garden. That would be Archontophoenix cunninghamiana and ‘Illawara.’

My Chrysalidocarpus Decipiens. It survived me digging it up and transplanting it when I moved back in April. It did really well! I attribute it to me digging as much of the root ball as I could. I actually broke my shovel in the heavy clay soil, trying to get it out.

A nice kerriodoxa new leaf gleaming away.

A nice little order from RPS. After somewhat of customs debacle arriving a bit later than normal. The details of the holdup are to long to put in words but let’s say phone calls and emails many of which later where the order of the 6 week delay. Not good customs Australia! With the Australian government boosting funding for our bio security control they need to get there money back from the importers and the new paperwork (emails) logistics and changes in protocol are taking there toll on importers. Many are not bothering anymore to import with importers taking big hits in there bank accounts thanks to the government.

A beautiful almost white silver colour on the elegans flower at the moment, the ground is covered in tiny star dust looking particles. It’s just a shame it’s 7 metres up in in the sub canopy. The iPhone pic just quit can’t capture what the naked eye can see.

Beccariophoenix Alfredii. Backdrop to a lot of horseplay. This was yesterday, it witnesses a lot

I planted it about 25 years ago. It has its first spathe now. Harry

I though it was reasonable to get started on my protection as well. I have the basics in place now. I can add C7 lights at ground level if I think they'll be required. I have a roll of hot water tank insulation to wrap around the wire cage. I have to devise some anchor straps.

Mine is definitely getting bigger and happier as the canopy closes in even after a rough winter. Not exactly a show stopper but sometimes you have to wait a long time!

Difficult question but with a full moon at night, I'd say my 25' Copernicia Fallaensis wins. Its currently recovering from hurricane milton so he is a before picture.

I was growing these as a great substitute for Sago palm in Florida landscapes as a design/build contractor. Now that they are finally a beautiful size I am no longer in the design/build job and i would like to find homes for these. A couple have recently coned so they are very mature and about 12 years from seed. My folk have one in Panama City that was subjected to 17 degrees and didn’t defoliate. They do not get Asian cycad scale either. They are perfect if you like the form and ZERO troubles. Great for containers too. I can bring some with me to Winter CFPACS meeting if i get some commitments, otherwise DM for pickup only in SE Hillsborough county. $60 each this month only for members here. Happy Holidays . Sorry I don’t want to ship these but I’m open to delivery at a charge if that is best for you

My $6 hibiscus seems to be recovering from being a home for spider mites and then a home for fire ants.

Three in total now for lytocarum, one variegated lanonia dasyantha and one licuala ramsayi var tuckeri I have found in germinating seeds l, I guess germinating so many seeds helps. The dasyantha is planted in the garden already and it’s a wow already! Richard

Too true well written words, when they introduced phytosanitry certificate I was astounded that they still needed to be inspected, I asked them even with a phytosanitry certificate and yes that was the answer. They tried to not let me have sabinara magnifica sent me a email saying no not on the bicon and before I could get back to them they sent another email saying oh yes they are we looked and they sent me a bill for even doing that, on top the inspection fee as well! There is no common senses with a government agency, now even to dispose of seeds thay dont meet bio security requirements you have to send them a form and heaven forbid if it’s not in the correct format they reject it, even down to in bold writing. Ita all about keeping themselves in a job! Richard

Yes , it has the burgundy new leaf . Mine is now above the canopy it had so the red leaf doesn’t last long before turning dark green. Our Winter lows are in the low 40’s only occasionally . In 28 years here the lowest I have seen is 38f only once or twice . I am above the city on a south facing hill so it is a bit of a micro climate. Due to the dry conditions , I water a lot most of the year. Harry

Mice are plentiful this year after so much heavy rain so old Radames, my Oriental cat, catches one or two every day. Not bad for a 16 year old. If only he wouldn't bring them inside to show me. Peachy

I can't believe I got this thing for $5.

Here we go! These have been under regular overhead irrigation and get full sun from 9:30-10ish until sunset . Trying to maximize for heat lovers Largest has 6 leaves and most are 3-4. Largest has a little frond damage, maybe from 35deg couple weeks ago?

My robustas are similar in size. Planted in June. Both with a strand of lights, and frost cloth on top. Although, I’m not sure how much heat this is really adding. It basically takes morning sun for the thermocubes to turn off. Last night and tonight are our first real freezes.

Photos of Dypsis scottiana, sourced from Floribunda. Very slender palm, trunk no larger in diameter than a fat crayon. Intrafoliar inflorescence held out to the horizontal or more erect, a very delicate look. I'm not familiar with the affinis v. scottiana (nor the reverse). Whatever you have, it's a nice palm.

Wishing a happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate it. If you don’t, well have a blessed day anyway. I thought it would be interesting to ask everyone what palm they are most thankful for, not sure it’s that cliche to ask but why not.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters of the IPS Save the Species campaign, a team from Kew and Comoros was able to complete important work on the endemic palms of the Comoro Islands. We have now completed our final report, which I’m delighted to share with you today - you can download it (in English and French!) at this link: https://zenodo.org/records/15924392 We were able to carefully survey all three islands in the independent Union of the Comores. We found Ravenea hildebrandtii and Chrysalidocarpus lanceolatus on all islands, but Ravenea moorei and Chrysalidocarpus cabadae only on Grande Comore (although the last is also reported from Mayotte). Palms are highly threatened on all islands, but the last two especially so. Chrysalidocarpus cabadae in particular is found only in coastal forests, which are highly degraded. Thankfully, our missions have inspired a new wave of palm enthusiasts and action to protect these species is already underway – please read the report to find out! This work could only happen because of the passion and motivation of IPS members – we cannot thank you enough! Please continue to support the society – in its fundraising, by subscribing to its publications and by participating in its travel opportunities (look out for the Vietnam Biennial – it will be phenomenal!!!). With your support, we can do so much more! Example plate from the report:

Scored another two variegated weddlianum seedlings. Germinated from seeds from my garden it’s one palm in amongst 4 that set seeds that has the gene or mutation more likely. Not sure which one but I have an idea to who the mum is. I will be keeping an eye on the 3 I have found and see if it holds true in the variegated department. But for now a few freaks of nature in the collection!

Bentinkia seedlings thriving under a plastic baggy.

I recently got a bill for $390 from customs unexpectedly. No explanation of what it was for. After some questioning, I found out it was for an import last year for about $300 worth of seeds of which a significant chunk ended up getting destroyed. Only after I requested did they give me a breakdown of costs. $78 for standard inspection, $312 for costs relating to testing and disposal. I gave the pre authority to destroy any seeds found to be contaminated mainly to try to get good seeds as quickly as possible. Still trying to find out what testing was required and why.

It's official, I hate you. Right now I am training Binky to attack to kill. Prepare to meet your maker at the jaws of 2 kilos of living fury. If you don't believe it, here is her big sister Suki terrorising a great dane who hid behind a fence for safety

Wow you are on Santa’s good list! Just as well you put rubbish bin out all year and did the dishes or you would have been on the naughty list and we all know what happens then!

Even before the bio security rules went totally insane, many times I had to spend an hour on the phone to Sydney (back in the day of timed STD calls, costing about $40 each time) trying to explain to some idiot that the seeds they were holding were in fact on the permitted list published on their own website ! Usually these were the seeds that never germinated either due to the long delay or non viability to begin with. Surely in these times of automation and computerisation, parcel with the correct stickers, labels and papers should just go through the system without any glitches. Are these people deliberately stopping deliveries to justify their employment ? Peachy ( and one of her pet hates)

I’m far from 100% on these but I would guess 1. andonidia or ptychosperma 2. pritchardia pacifica or thurstonii 3.Copernicia prunifera 4. Could be howea 5.Carpentaria acuminata

This might not look like much, but this is A LOT of progress. These shelves are gonna get repurposed, along with as much in the closet as I can possibly reuse. My dragonfruit cuttings showed up. I'm just gonna fill some pots and let them sit in the bedroom for a week along with these drama queens. Tuesday I'm going to Lowes and buying a sprayer and some Neem Max and just hosing down the whole grow room. Literally bought a $3 pineapple to sprout it. $5 philodendrons look great. They'll look even better once they fill out 1g pots. I still can't decide if I want to propogate or sell them big. Or both? And the white one was a surprise hidden in the pot with the bigger one. Hibiscus seems to be recovering from the climate change/repot/spider mite attack/fire ant deal. Cuban Red banana getting some AWESOME color already. Big box of bulbs and seeds from the ever benevolent @N8ALLRIGHT This one here needs to chill out. It's like 40 degrees outside. I guess the low humidity means it's time to water the bananas. THAT MEANS BANANA FUEL! I'm really excited to use this stuff.

This situation eats into your retirement fund. The nursery takes a hit ….the collector also takes a hit and fewer palms to go around,eh? Harry

There slow for me as well, as usual they love the heat and water. At first I had them in the hothouse big mistake I made lost a few and had big problems with burnt leaf edges, thinking they needed mega warm temperatures in winter. Surprising how tough they are to cold the only thing that slows them down in the cold is metabolic rate due to the cold making for slow growth. But they love my summer temperatures if given enough water!

Yes indeed a few already, sort of a good sign in way, but in another way not good as some seeds wont germinate losing their viability. Having a short shelf life from harvest date, and eventually getting to the seller then to me. Customs are costing the grower a lot in the non viable seeds! A double edged sword!

Pics from black Friday. Definitely P. dactylifera. It has a couple of suckers coming up.

It looks like a few were already germinating by the time you got them . Harry

That is about the size I brought home from a trip to Maui. I dug a small hole and stuck it in the ground. It grew steadily but slow in a solid 10a climate, no frost. Mine was supposed to be a Watermelon , the botanical garden where the seedling came from had rows of very large specimens . They were all Watermelon but the offspring palm did not carry that gene. It is still a beautiful palm and worth the time it takes to grow. Harry

Never cross in front of a black cat they say, obviously that rat made the wrong move!

What I see with this use of lights is for survival only. If you had wrapped up the fronds instead of the trunk you probably would have seen less (probably zero) damage at those temperatures. As others mentioned if you aren't providing extra protection when temperatures drop into the teens it'll be important to wrap the trunks as you did here. Even if you lose all the fronds and the palms survive you won't notice by summer's end because Washingtonias grow so fast. As far as newly planted small Trachycarpus (less than 15-gal size) I agree with @Allen, you can expect spear-pull unprotected below 20°F in the first winter but will survive.

Added some festive lights to the indoor, and outdoor, palms. L. Chineisis and Sarracinea pot up top (left). Then a CIDP, W. filbusta "Fayetteville", and potted agave on the middle row. And some small agave and seedlings I'm growing on the bottom. The Colocasia "gigantea" is the family favorite right now. New leaves are about 24inches wide, and get a new one every 3 weeks. I ordered a small heater with a built-in thermostat for about $100. It's been able to keep the indoors about 30 degrees above outdoor lows, and not cost a ton to operate. Daytime temps indoors hover around 70.

After a miserable drought for most of 2025, rain finally returned to East Hawaii in mid October. All my wilted tropical plants are gradually recovering. No matter how much it rains, I'm always thankful for more. Months of cloudless blue skies is a disaster when you live on a small island, or even a Big Island. Always thankful for my monster Metroxylon amicarum planted 12 years ago from a waist high 5 gallon. Fingers crossed the coconut rhinoceros beetle never attacks.

I have 2. Hemithrinax and Pseudophoenix. Both species seem to thrive under Arizona desert conditions, and both are small and slow growing palms that are easily managed in smaller yards and gardens. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Dark petioles are consistent with the Chambeyronia hookeri that I have too. Jim, perhaps yours is a little darker on its petioles but only s degree of difference. Nice specimen that you have!

I’ll be 75 next June and immigrated from the Netherlands in 1956 at 5yrs old. Been into surfing all over the world, road racing bicycles on and off until 65 years old. Been a Palm society member since 1977, and now I’m on my second go round with my 13 years old garden in the hills of Vista/ Bonsall area of San Diego. I just finished spreading 36 cubic yards of mulch this week myself. I’m growing cycads, aloes, agaves, plumerias, protea, boojums, and of course palms. The world keeps on changing but I’m still the same cantankerous beast that I’ve always been 😎

Definitely not lutesence. I’ve grown this palm for 30 years and it came from Rancho Soledad tagged as Affinis var scotiana.

I grow dragon fruit, from a cutting a friend from Malaysia sent me many many years ago. It grows like weed for me and it is difficult to gift somebody with the cuttings, nobody wants them anymore. Expect 4-5 years of growth before they start fruiting It is well worth to spend some money for a named cultivar cutting than to grow a plant of dubious quality for many years from seed.

Mine growing on the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

It gets a bit more confusing with some throwing a red leaf and otheres not so red, I might have to go back now 25?years and have a good look at the original parent plant I collected seeds from and see if I can get any cross referencing material in regards to suckering traits. Unfortunately it’s a bit like getting the wrongly labeled palm and having to wait 25 years for it to flower to correctly identify it. I guess Mother Nature plays tricks at times.

Insolation refers to the incoming solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface, measured in watts per square meter (W/m²). It varies based on factors like the angle of the sun's rays, the duration of daylight, and atmospheric conditions. It is a major factor of why large palms exist in Midland and not Wichita Falls. Or in layman's terms, a telephone pole in WF may feel cold on a 32f day, that same pole on Midland could be warm to the touch. The sun just feels different.....

I haven’t had first hand experience just yet, but yes. All reports are that they stay true to type.