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I just got back from a brief road trip to Bahia de Los Angeles to see the northernmost red mangroves on an island in the Gulf of California! It is a tiny coastal village in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and only satellite internet. Nevertheless, I stumbled upon some incredibly rare palms in a random garden! Anyone know any information about this garden? I tried knocking on the doors nearby but nobody was home, but there was a house pipe with wet ground beneath it so it looks like someone is tending to these palms. Click here if you want to see ALL the photos from the road trip First is the trip's purpose: the colony of red mangroves with the second pic being the particular northernmost mangrove in the colony. I'm guessing palms are Medemia argun, Bismarckia nobilis, Copernicia baileyana, Hyphaene coriacea, Cocos nucifera (only one in the village), Sabal riverside, Brahea armata (native), and Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera.

These three varieties of palms are a must have for any palm collection. All easy to grow and all have that exotic look so desired by gardeners and collectors. So if your climate is good enough these ones are a must have. I should know they are my best selling palms I have, proof enough they are popular! lanonia dasyantha kerriodoxa elegans Johannesteijsmannia altifrons

We can only report here on two Trachycarpus fortunei that are thriving in partial shade in a marshy area next to a pond belonging to friends of ours in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley. They look good

@Foggy Paul I have one that is just starting to get rings . Pretty fast grower here , thirsty palm. Harry

Had a quick visit to the gardens yesterday and snapped a few photos. We’ve had a few extreme heat days this summer up around 44C/111F but for the most part there’s not too much damage. Good to see more new plantings and there’s more to come. Geonoma undata. Pretty exciting new addition to a new cleared area where some South American species are being planted. Chamaedorea tepejilote Licuala ramsayi new planting off to a new start. Let’s see how it looks after winter but they are proven to be hardy here just very very slow. Hedyscepe canterburyana Arxhontophoenix maxima with a bit of heat damage to a new frond. Brahea armata in flower. Puts on a great show. The colour on Butia odorata in the background is eye catching too. Both such great palms for here. Parajubaea cocoides loaded with fruit Jubaeopsis afra is really becoming a standout feature specimen now. Beccariophoenix alfredii. Such a beast. Livistona mariae. This is a very old plant. Been about this size since I can remember. The smaller Hedyscepe canterburyana. Appears possible a bit heat damaged with its lower fronds dropping hopefully should recover with our long cool season coming up Chamaedorea woodsoniana still going pretty strong Syagrus schizophylla One of the big old Jubaea chilensis caught my eye with half of its crown shining silver reflecting the light off the fronds’ abaxial surfaces.

Selling 2 Archontophoenix Myolensis I have that are outgrowing some 5gal pots and would love to be planted in the ground. These are the last of a group that I started from seed of the mature specimens that I have in my yard. Asking $30 ea. Local pick up in Huntington Beach, Ca. only. Direct message me if you are interested in purchasing either one of them.

Hydriastele gibbsiana is very high up on my wishlist. Never seen seed available or even really spoken about anywhere in cultivation. Still never grown Ptychococcus lepidotus but would like to try. Other than that, there’s a few highland Calamus species that would likely grow well in our climates, but still not too many others from >2000m. Palms of New Guinea is a good resource which has a nice summary I’ve attached. The Heterospathe sp are interesting.

The palm didn’t miss a beat with the move… Seems equally happy in its new location. Both the old and new locations see a lot of sun (the new location slightly more sun than the old). I haven’t tried it in either of my two “worst of the worst” spots for sun, but it seems fairly sun tolerant to me (within reason). Likely similar to lutescens in that regard, but more cold tolerant (as in fewer “fried” looking fronds coming out of winter). Here’s a snap I just took at 9:30am this morning…

wonderful, Garrett 🤗

That really surprises me too; I have to agree with doomsdave. Unfortunately, ours died in the observation room—she had plenty of water and warmth... It's sad.

Not a palm tree, but our loquat. While the surrounding Cfb zones by the sea are still in their early spring dormancy, my loquat tree began a massive growth spurt around March 15. As you can see in the photo, the velvety, bronze-colored new leaves are already several centimeters long and are sprouting with incredible vigor. This early start (about four weeks ahead of the regional average) fits perfectly with my nectarine blossoms, which also burst into bloom around March 11 or 12.

Wow, this thread was a blast from the past and quite interesting...looks like I learned a bunch of stuff that I've subsequently forgotten! I imagine that we probably know a bit more about the highland palms of NG now?

It hurts so much to watch a palm suffer in the dry, I have palms all planted on same day from the same seed batch, some are 5 meters tall or more the ones that are in that sweet spot on my land are doing great while some are still the same size they where when planted if not even smaller than there original size, and yes they are the ones that didn’t make it due to water. They where planted 27 years ago, so time is a great way to judge the affects of water, with have and have nots!

I will be when this growing one of these calyptrocalyx pauciflorus, as soon as this one arrives in the post @Jonathan, a new addition to collection!

They get rather tall at least 5 meters on this one and still growing!

Chamaedorea microspadix and a slow growing cocothrinax eckmanii standing the test of time.

Thanks Harry. The more you can do yourself the cheaper it is, to buy a structure this size you would be looking at around $6000 plus labour to put together and the machinery costs for excavation of the site, plus benches, irrigation potting bench’s and sundries, you would be looking at around $12000 give or take. Growing palms is not cheap nowadays. So I have learnt a thing or two after working in the horticultural industry for 41 years.

Looking good! C plumosa is a crownshafted palm, right?

I hear Rhopalistylus sapida will also grow in a swamp; true?

Chamaedorea plumosa doing its best impression of a crownshafted palm, with very little encouragement from me. I’m sure this has something to do with our recent heat wave and continued warm weather.

Iam finally getting back to the greenhouse, with a change in the season it’s time to get on with the property projects. So time to get the welder out put it to good use. So far total cost 2 rolls of welding wire and labour the rest of the materials from leftovers at work, the boss even gave me the two roll of shade cloth. About time as well after 24 years of working for them! My sister works for a trucking company so the plastic pallets were freighted up from Sydney. Not what you know but who you know in the palm growing game!

One element you need to grow a garden is water, and in a palm garden you can never have enough water especially in my climate. If iam to grow the exotic palms I wish to have I must irrigate them. There are pipes in all sorts of directions, with shifts on top of shifts overlapping each other, I have a bore for pretty well much unlimited water. And every chance I get I water, usually 20 minute shifts. So if you want to get your garden growing get onto irrigation it works. I have over 30 taps throughout my garden most with 19mm fittings for the sprinklers. It’s a game changer!

I fell in love with this palm with my first visit to the gardens and through the years I always look forward to seeing it there. This is a highlight reel of pics since 2018. It doesn’t seem to change much. I’m grateful it has never been given an unnecessary pruning. Second to last pic is a month after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. To the right you can see the heavily wind damaged Corypha (which HAS recovered). The last picture is from earlier this month I do have one of my own growing in a container for now. It’s good to have some things to look forward to down the road

@BayAndroid's thread inspired this, but I thought it was worth expanding a bit. One of my pet terms is the Palm Water Need Spectrum, ranging from Desert Denizens, through Drought resistant, Drink and be Merry, Thirsty devils, [ethnic] Fish and Swamp Things. Swamp Things are those palms or other plants that will literally grow in standing water. In CA, those include Archontophoenix tuckeri, cunninghamiana (but not purpurea), and Ravenea rivularis. Anyone know others? Where you are. I don't have the blessing/curse of an actual swamp but I'm sure others of us do. Introduce us to your Swamp Things.

I'm guessing that the soil in that spot is pretty alkaline and the hybrid has lots of Butia genes. I had a similar problem with a pure Butia in San Antonio. Three other Butia in the backyard grew normally but one in the front grew slowly and with yellowish fronds similar to yours.

At Mounts:

I would think some soil amendments and mulch to help it retain moisture. That looks awful dry there . I’m sure the desert heat in summer and fall don’t help. Most palms want a regular deep watering . Even here in a more temperate region , my palms are in a fast draining , almost constantly moist soil. Harry I have posted this pic of my Roystonia before . This is the newly amended soil prior to fertilizing and wood chips . This is done at least once a year. The Syagrus to the left still has the wood chips . I go through copious amounts of bark and top soil mulch. I use a claw to work it in to the drip circle allowing water to penetrate the surface and the bark or wood shavings to help keep the soil loose on the surface.

@Mazat Beautiful , so lush and green. Harry

a beauty, Keith 🤗

Beatiful Richard 🤗

Who’s getting old now hey @Jonathan dragging that one out from the vault🤣

Oh my they are some of the toughest looking palms around, look at that environment! Most likely Sabal one looks like a coconut! But that’s about the rest I have no idea but tough they are.

This part of the garden definitely caught my attention after I planted this anthurium, just the pop that spot needed!

I could only image your climate, it is possible to create that microclimate with water, but you need a lot of it and constantly relying on it. I noticed I wasn’t watering any near enough after a full year of good rainfall with record breaking rainfall. The garden just grew all 4 seasons. I have black sandy loam and drainage is my moisture downfall, absolutely fantastic for growing palms in. But when it’s dry it’s dry in the garden and the surrounding gum trees drink and store all the water they can get. But on the other hand when it’s wet it’s like tropical rainforest the transition is amazing. As you say water at the right time of season, especially in summer, it is critical to a palm gardens success. Also I learnt something new today that palms cannot feed when it’s dry, no matter how much you feed them, thanks for that info.

Water is one element we need for our survival!

Thanks Richard. Maybe makes more sense how it’s been able to handle Melbourne’s heat for a long period. I think I might’ve only seen one other G schottiana up close before and having a look back at my photo it does look close-ish, certainly fronds, leaflets, growth structure and leaf bases. I suspect this one is more self cleaning because of a subtropical climate. Hope the owner of this G schottiana doesn’t mind me posting - it’s a beauty.

The old Jubaeas and some others date back to the late 1800s. It’s definitely a nice place to visit and now the diversity of the palm collection is increasing quickly.

A few more goodies going into the garden. This lot should get the garden looking like a tropical paradise! anthurium tilarance x vietchiidypsis pinnatafrons pink crown trachycarpus princeps socratea rostrata

My understanding is originally it came from a former Palmtalk poster who moved up north years ago and left some of his collection with the gardens. As Kyle’s notes below, this could be G schottiana and that was actually my first instinct before checking the label. Either way I’m pretty pumped that there’s a Geonoma that has been kept happy in Melbourne for a long time. I’ll continue to give the hardier species a go, such a cool genus.

They are a god send the plastic pallets as much as we dislike plastic. It is a horticultural weed mat, potting benches next one either end, plus a storage shed, and then irrigation to be set up, going all out on this one. I would be half tempted to put gravel floor in, but iam not as young as I was, plus the good old hernia iam not going back there in a hurry, 4 operations later not anymore I say.

It’s great to able to be part of a longer term project with botanical gardens, it’s one for the future of palms to get them into botanical gardens, and if it’s boosted along by a few palm nuts all the better. Giving those palm nuts a bit of recognition for at least knowing about the palms that stand a good chance of long term survival in there area.

Rhapidophyllum and Serenoa prefer to be dry when cold. Serenoa is a challenge in red clay. Acoellorapphe I think is ok with wet feet.

I think you could put a bag over the whole spathe . It is beautiful in all its glory.

I bought my 15G Brahea Clara exactly one year ago from Josh @ Fairview Nursery in Vista - https://fairviewnursery.com/plants/palms/ He grows them from his own parent tree, and had a TON of them when I was there, and pricing was very reasonable. By appointment (not always open). Sadly far from you, unless you know someone doing a road trip. Here's mine as of today. I assume any remaining stock would be similar in size.

People will find their palms dying for many months after the freezes. I had a Pseudophoenix sargentii keel over dead 18 months after the 2010/11 freeze. Also, my Hydriastele beguinii 'Obi Isle' gave up on life 9 months from the same freeze. Lost all my young coconuts, Euterpe, Wodyetia and many more I can't recall. I'm still losing palms 3-1/2 years after Hurricane Ian. I hate to say this but for many of you the carnage has scarcely begun. You will have to make some hard choices on how much money, treatments, time and work you are willing to invest trying to rehab some of your palms. To be honest and not being snide, pygmy dates are common, cheap and easily replaceable. I'd go that route before I bankrupted and exhausted myself trying to save them.

Sarcoglottis sceptroides, 3.5 ft bloom spike

Also in my transitional from BSh to BSk climate (Köppen classification), artificial irrigation is absolutely necessary. Look what happened to a potted Livistona of mine during mid March , while irrigation still remained shut off.

Richard the water is very good for the plants,d summer I have to water every day,d summer it never rains here,they call it the long Mediterranean summer

I like how they added the red lights at the top of the trunks.