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I have visited Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami FL many times but always enjoy seeing new additions and checking on “old friends”. This Sabinaria caught my attention especially since it looks untouched planted outside despite the recent cold spell here. I eagerly await mine growing big enough to show off the gorgeous leaf shape and color! Below are two different Kerriodoxa elegans. Rhino beetles in Puerto Rico love these so not sure if I will get any to trunking size. I am really looking forward to seeing them in habitat in Phuket Island.Thailand on the soon to start IPS post tour. Calyptrocalyx albertisianus is a fairly new addition to my own farm after I saw a beauty at Dean Ouer’s place in HI a few years ago. Here is one at FTG reminding me that they are likely to be much taller than my other more shrub size Calyptrocalyx. I am including a striking cycad that I wish I grew. Microcycas calocoma.

I took a pass through the butterfly collection and this papilio lowii posed for me. Pigafetta elata (I only saw one) seemed fine outside. I am down to 2 of these from 5 I grew from seed and planted out in PR. Another rhino beetle delicacy. I now have some seedling Pigafetta filaris (the white one) gifted to me by PR00360 from RPS seeds. Hoping I can get some to trunking size when my beetles seem to ignore them. Mine are at the very dangerous to touch stage but eventually the smooth trunk becomes huggable. This Calyptrocalyx hollrungii is much bigger than mine. Such a nice palm. Sommieria is another species I “met” at FTG many years ago and am so happy to now have in PR. Next some classic FTG views. Entrance to the conservatory:

I gave this palm a fresh haircut and trim - i have to say that it looks amazing that way

White triangle

Getting into a few seeds this week, you gotta keep sowing them if you want to grow them! And a nice haul of some dypsis baronii from the garden that shall be distributed around to a few IPS members, sharing the palm seed love around!

Ok I shall settle the score and start a on the potting bench thread to appease the palm gods. So it is as follows, on the potting bench you shall see what’s been growing and what reds to be potted up, freshly germinated to anything else that needs to be potted, it shall be gor reference as seedling identification. If anyone wants to identify a seedling, and also as documentation of what and how the plants are growing for the palm talk audience and for my own documentation!

I was able to force this color with 23 degrees but i don't think I’ll be able to maintain this look.

My little SO Cal. V. arecina jungle... Mom just dropped the seeds and I didn't have the heart to remove them... That promiscuous little tree snuck around the front, got cozy with a foxtail and produced this... Butch

Nice double roebelenii! I almost bought one too - $70 at the orange store, right? I settled instead for a $35 foxtail and a $10 Dypsis lutescens. I managed to get both in my Nissan (somehow).

Amazing to get such great germination with a rare and exciting palm like this.

Pretty much most of what you see , botanically speaking , is going to be things that won’t grow in the desert . The islands I have visited do have some desert areas but most areas are high humidity and warm trade winds bringing tropical rains . The growth rate of tropical or some temperate plants is about 3x the growth rate even here in Southern California . I have never been to Oahu , other than a stop over , so I can’t recommend any specific gardens . I am sure you will see plenty of palms and tropicals . Some nurseries will sell orchids and small palms , with certs, that you can bring home . The palms I brought home from Maui were growing in shredded paper and came with import certificates . They are still living in my garden 25 years later. Enjoy your trip! Harry This Pritchardia was a seedling that I carried home in my back pack! Not pictured is the Chambeyronia I brought home that is now flowering . I think I paid less than $5 for each seedling in 2002. Harry

Wow, thanks for the ‘bump’ Richard. Well, an update. The sessifolia got tired of being frail and checked out. The simulans, which was acquired later, died of thirst. The rest of the Veitchia have done well. The metiti, IMO, is a rather unremarkable palm and better planted in a group. I find it interesting that a grouping planted close together can have such a large variation in stature. Anyway, here’s a photo of V. metiti. Tim

So I got a good deal on this approx 10ft Beccariophoenix Alfredii. Purchased a couple months ago and paid for installation. Well fast forward a couple frosts and the FL hard freeze and the nursary never called, and I was cool with that, heck I was cool with them holding it until March especially with the recent cold snap, didn’t want to disturb the root system well they called two days ago with no prior warning “we’ve got it loaded and would like to deliver today” so I really had no choice. Still alive obviously but I’m concerned about the burned fronds a the transplant, in fact I feel they under exaggerated how burnt it got. Am I crazy for thinking it a little unprofessional of the nursary to deliver it in this state given it was not burnt at all when purchased. Anyways it’s in the ground at my place and I guess I’m looking for reassurance and care going forward. I was very excited to find it and now I’m worried about it below is before and after

Here are a couple that I grew from seed.

Looks really good! Happy early birthday!

Where its planted will see full sun for most of the day luckily. Time will tell

In pots I would bring in at least under 25F or if mine small seedlings under freezing

The palm from the original poster ended up being mine. It is one tough palm. We had the a winter bomb cyclone in 2023 with hurricane force winds and I woke up in the morning and the shelter had blown off and temps were 19F. No damage at all. Mind you this in Pacific Northwest 19F so its much tougher on plants than it sounds. 19F here in Houston is a cakewalk compared to 19F there. January 2024 I ended up moving and a very bad arctic blast hit a couple days after we left. I know the new owners are not gardeners and didn't protect anything. They may have not even been moved in yet and the palm survived and appears to have suffered no damage. I looked up the weather for that time period and it was colder than anything I ever experienced living there. Looks like about 120 consecutive hours below freezing and I never saw 14F in all my years living there. This is the sort of cold spell that can damage or even kill Trachys up there. Jan 12 - 42F, 21F Jan 13 - 20F, 14F Jan 14, 22F, 16F' Jan 15 - 27F, 21F Jan 16, 25F, 19F Jan 17 - 35F, 23F

My potting bench is the top of our trash cans ! Perfect height and size for my small projects . Harry It works!

Foster BG should definitely be on your list. Paradise in the middle of a concrete jungle! Lots of Lodoicia (double coconut) trees to see. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

A few chamaedorea seeds on there way!chamaedorea plumosa chamaedorea adscendens chamaedorea metallica

@FlaPalmLover if it's easy to keep water out then it's a good idea. Conventional wisdom also says to avoid overhead sprinklers. Yet every single palm nursery on the planet uses big overhead sprinklers, at least until 10g or bigger sizes. They switch to drip lines with emitters or bubblers on 10 to 100g pots. If overhead sprinkling was a serious risk then they wouldn't do it...they'd be risking their livelihood on it. For sure I wouldn't intentionally spray water in the crown, but I doubt a bit of rain is a serious risk. Other people here suggested Daconil in the crown, partially because it stays tacky when it dries. So the mixture *might* stick around in the crown even with some rain. Honestly, as long as torrential rain doesn't wash into the crown, many (or most?) would stay in place. And a systemic (like Banrot or Aliette or others) is great when absorbed. Systemics may be slower though, I read a study somewhere that it could take 1 to 2 weeks to get from the soil to the crown. So I like the idea of the 2 step treatment. I did a soil drench of Banrot + Aliette on a few key palms like my mutant Elaeis, a couple big Arenga Pinnata, and several Attalea Brejinhoensis. Those were all seriously burnt and the frond stems were at least partially burnt towards the crown. So I figure both is a good choice. @junglejim welcome to PalmTalk! I had a couple of 1-2 year old Pandanus Utilis (I think), but both died after 27-30F frosts. They defoliated and started to regrow, but then caught a crown rot and died. So a good crown treatment (Daconil, hydrogen peroxide, Mancozeb, any copper-based, etc) and a systemic (Banrot, Aliette, others) is a good choice.

@pj_orlando_z9b + @Kiplin + @PalmBossTampa + @gyuseppe These are my Phoenix reclinata hybrids with a juvenile coconut that got 100% defoliated for comparison. My best guess is that they are crossed with Phoenix canariensis since that was the closest other species, but they don't have enough trunk to say for sure. Guest appearances from Livistona chinensis, Syagrus romanzoffiana, and Washingtonia robusta as well.

My Robusta isn't very leaf hardy. Low 20s , the fronds will turn brown, all of them. I see some they look exactly like mine but seem to handle the cold better. At least mine is pretty bud hardy and recovers fast. I leave the fronds on until they're crispy but the new frond that is currently seeking daylight doesn't look bad at all.

Cibolo TX Post Winter storm report: Temps in my neck of the woods hit 19F or 20F, with some freezing rain. As usual, I think the freezing precipitation was the bigger problem. C. radicalis with East Northeast exposure and partial overhead protection from the eave of the house. P. dactylifera was almost immediately dead. It was about 3 ft in overall height and very healthy going into this event. I covered it, but not until it was already wet. So it's spear pulled almost immediately after the freeze. It's leaves were brown within a few days. I cut the trunk down and there was no living tissue left, despite treating it with hydrogen peroxide within a couple of days of the ice. Butia took a little longer to show damage. It was covered with a large patio umbrella, but it blew off during the storm. It was a couple of weeks before the newest leaves started losing color. Spear pulled, and I have been treating it with H2O2 as well. No signs of a new spear yet. Even my S. mexicanas (No protection) have a leaf or two that have lost their color. This surprised me: My Washingtonia that grows like a weed looks pretty much perfect with no protection: Not all Washingtonians are created equal though. This is what another one just a couple of houses down from mine looks like: Small trachycarpus F x Ws took no damage with a bucket to cover them:

Chrysalidocarpus Basilongus

Patiently waiting for the seed to mature

Clay, where did you get your C. dodecandra seeds? If you ever get any from your specimen, I'd love to buy some from you. I've looked for that species but never have found any seed sources. My C. sebestena is doing fine and about ten feet tall but planted under broken canopy at the edge of my Hibiscus tiliaceus for extra protection, and a few feet from the (heated) pool for a little extra bump in winter. We rarely hit the freezing-point here but usually come perilously close at least once a year. I think this is one of those really tropical dicots that hates long stretches of cool/cold weather (as my winter-shaded, northern-exposure specimen perished in the cold 2022/'23 winter here) but in a south or west-facing suntrap they are very happy. I wish it weren't damaged by strong winds but this seems more damaging in fall, where the unsightly appearance doesn't last long if the tree loses most of its leaves in winter. In spring the new leaves aren't yet out when we get most of those crazy wind-blasts, so they always have excellent appearance in the warm season. This year my tree is looking good and has most of its leaves still. As far as frost/freeze goes I imagine they are more tender in actual frost than with a light dry freeze (i.e., Sonoran desert), and it seems Scott's experience would bear that out compared to wet freezes/frosts encountered east of the Divide. A pleasantly modifying factor in all this is that it's a fast-growing plant, blooms young, and can generally be sourced and replaced readily after a cold winter does it in, without spending much to get it back into your garden. Good for usually frostless Texas/Florida 10a/b areas where it can go for a number of years before it's endangered by a frost. Cordia boisseri (white geiger) is so much hardier and makes a very pretty tree (some really nice big specimens around Key West). It does beautifully here as well (and sets seed freely) but I'm a sucker for the orange flowers and the huge leaves on C. sebestena. Also there is a species occasionally in the trade in the southwest that is a smaller shrub with white flowers, C. parvifolia, native to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts and obviously also quite hardy; and a probably uncultivated but showy tall tree, C. sonorae, with white flowers, native to Sonora around Alamos. I also have C. lutea here, and it does nicely as well. I wonder if the orange-colored Polynesian C. subcordata is very tender...something tells me--yes...

Thank you!

I left a couple of dozen T. fortunei seedlings with several strap leaves outside year round on a couple of occasions. I had no intentions of doing that, but I suspect they survived only because of snow cover. I can't give exact temperatures from those cases but my best estimate would in the 20°F to 25°F (-6.7°C to -3.9°C) overnight. These seedlings endured this on a couple of instances, and in at least one time, this lasted close to a week. I don't recommend this as a routine method if you what assurances of survival, especially in colder or prolonged mentioned conditions.

Hello Everyone! I came across this site while trying to do research myself and figured I would sign up and post to see if I could get some opinions! I am a Canadian who recently moved to Arizona (Phoenix area) and bought a brand new home with my wife. We are currently in the process of landscaping our bare dirt backyard. I grew up in Canada so I know nothing about palm trees but I always loved them whenever vacationing so I am super excited to finally live somewhere where I can put palm trees in my own yard. I am looking to plant multiple medium/large palms in the back corners of my backyard, which is on the south side of the house, as statement pieces I can stare at through my back patio doors. I have looked at local nurseries and am having a hard time trying to decide what kind of trees I should get. I like the date palms a lot but they are super expensive and even though slow growing, eventually they get very large for a backyard. The Canary island date palms or pineapple palms are also nice but they’re too wide and I don’t think I have enough room for them. I also like the fan palms but from what I hear and what I see around town, they grow quick and they get a little bit taller than I’d like to have in my yard. Queen palms have been suggested to me the most at nursery’s, I like the looks of them when they look good but whenever I drive around all of the queen palms in the Phoenix area look terrible and are usually brown and dead. Does anybody have any suggestions for me that I might not be thinking of? Or would queens be my best option? If So, can queens survive here or will it be more effort than it’s worth to try and keep them alive. I am open to anything really. Thank you in advance, I apologize for my lack of knowledge and correct terminology and appreciate any input you guys might have 🙂

My fear is that if you get a few good years of growth then get hit with an event like this you will be dealing with a very large plant. I have seen the damage a large Aloidendron falling can do. They are extremely heavy and will crush anything below them when they come down. Heavy rain and wind with a top heavy Aloidendron can be a lethal mix.

My current temperature is 23 Probably about 200 feet from the house, 28.3 By our pool, 31,7 by the house, But this entire week it will be in the high 50s and some 60s

I noticed that 2 of them already sprouted! I can't believe this, this is the first Bactris I ever germinate, my favorite genus. I'm so proud and happy today. Any tips? The weather is super good right now for planting. I really want to move them because there's like some sort of fungus in this container and it scares me that it could affect the small sprouts. Should I transplant? @Alberto @WagnerMX

So about equal for the former two, but with Louisiana just being more resistant than Birmingham to spear pull if foliar damage does happen? Thanks!

I am not a desert bender but an Atlantic Coast bender lol. Jamaican cherries can take a little frost I bet if you put it on a south facing wall you might be able to grow it. I had one in my greenhouse when I forgot to change my gas tank and it went down to 30f and almost no damage. Barbados cherry too it’s a little more hardy than Jamaican. Flame thrower palm I saw could take down to lower 20s mine is indoors so I don’t have much experience with its hardiness. Although your in 9a maybe 9b I think your best choices are either Barbados cherry or flame thrower just keep in mind a bad winter can easily wipe them out so it would be nice to have some frost cloth and some incandescent Christmas lights around incandescent lights produce some heat so them and some frost cloth would raise the temperature a bit. I like being optimistic so I’d say give it a try maybe start with one of those and if it does well try others. Casa grande was not changed in the 2012 usda plant zone update so it could be warmer in some parts might be even closer to 10a. See if anyone else responds too as there are experts with way more knowledge then me on this.

Thank you for all the great pics! I’m glad to see others with the same attraction to this palm. I hope to see more grown in my area. A hospital in Ventura installed some mature specimens a few years ago . Harry

When considering my available options for a rain event, I decided the best thing I could do is use Banrot on any species that appeared to be struggling with post-cold fungal growth.

They are water hogs and love almost swampy conditions. The ones in metropolitan garden in Athens are huge, because they are benefited by the replaced water of the nearby duck pond.

I have seen so many Facebook posts of people who have seen them and know where possible native species, are but never any pictures! I don't know why so many people shut down the idea of them being native, Because plant borders don't just magically stop at A border they slowly stop and you'll start to see fewer of the species the more you go to the edge of its range

I live in an area that Sabal aren’t as popular as they should be . Nurseries certainly don’t carry them . I was gifted a Sabal Riverside (?) many years ago that my mentor grew from seed . It was just a small strap leaf plant and I immediately planted it on my south facing hill in full sun . It took over 20 years but now it is a beautiful , large tree . I wish I had a few more. Then , a year or so ago , I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Mauritiformis . I planted it on the same hill not far from its cousin . Evidently gophers really like that species and made a meal of it right after it was acclimated. Harry

Growing near the beach in Hampton, VA.

it is very surprising there are so many palm growers in the carolinas I thought there would be a chapter already

I'd hate to lose any of the intense orange color in the flowers by crossing with the white flowers of boisseri. This orange is so hot, it literally burns your eyes! 😄 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Will I have better luck with germination this time?

I am not in Cali but have a similar climate. My teddy bear has taken 2 heat waves and a few below 0c nights and nothing seems to bother it. Mine came in a 13cm wide pot and was only 30cm high when I planted it 2 years ago. The one in my old garden took 6 years to reach a metre in height. I think my furry baby is looking pretty good, apart from the lowest leaf which is about to fall off anyhow. Peachy

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/wiki/Chamaedorea_falcifera Here is the link to the PACSOA site for C falcifera. My plant looks identical but it looks unlike any of the pics from the US for C falcifera in this thread.

Just went out and took some pics. It appears I have two females and one male. I may have to help them along and see if I can get some fertile seeds. But I’m not really sure of the species even though I bought them as falcifera. They appear identical to a picture listed on the Pacsoa website as falcifera.

Not a great pic unfortunately, only one I got =/