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Finally starting to get some of the seedlings into the ground. A few additional Livistona species start the perilous trek to adulthood. @Plantking165 pointed me in the correct direction for a true Dwarf coconut. That coconut is going to attempt life opposite of the Atlantic Tall for best survival chances. You can also see the new Adeniums from GreenThumb resting on the rocks. The next couple of photos are plants from the CFPACS Spring Sale at SJBGNP. This Bismarckia nobilis will start life in the ground this year. Hopefully, I was gentle enough with the roots while cutting the pot apart. Thank you, @CodyM The first Chrysalidocarpus decipiens seemed to do pretty well during the heat last summer. I had an opportunity to add two more to the garden. Thank you @STLOUISPALMGUY! Clay Porch had 3G Phoenix theophrasti for sale. I've had trouble with these getting a fatal leaf spot in the past, but as tough as they are, I'll roll the dice again. Let's all hope we actually have a rainy season this year.

I don’t know what this is, but it looks pretty today…

The Howea belmoreana presents well from the street outside my garden now too. It is above the wall with its foliage, visible in the center behind the two trunks of Chrysalidocarpus pembanus in this photo. The 5 gallon bucket from the big orange box provides perspective. I need to borrow Tim's shovel for future garden shoots.

My garden tends to be a little delayed on flushing compared to many in Southern California, especially gardens set back even a little from the marine layer that often huge the coastline. The Ceratozamia genus seems to ignore the seasons though and can initiate a flush almost anytime except the shortest days of winter. Right now a single new leaf is emerging on my otherwise barren appearing Ceratozamia hildae. A potted Ceratozamia latifolia female has finally focused on a flush after coning sequentially, which will finally provide a better foliage cover.

Cerotazamia subrosephylla

A few updates as we progress from near-record cold to record heat. The Atlantic Tall is moving toward a full crown at a decent rate The Maypan has less progress, but they typically do not grow as fast as talls since they're hybridized with semi-dwarfs. The Chrysalidocarpus Corner doesn't look good, but surprisingly, has only one casualty. One of the Chrysalidocarpus pembanus died and hasn't come back yet, the other is doing relatively well. Anything I thought might be dead, like the cabadae, has come back from the ground. Clustering palms for the win. The circular garden in front was planted with Sabal minor 'McCurtain' as the backup planting in case of a bad freeze. The Cordylines and Crotons were assumed dead, other than a few that somehow kept a few lower leaves. At this point, all have leafed back out. Please pardon the weeds - been a busy spring. The Mango tree finally started leafing back out. Native Ficus aurea is coming back very well. The Avocados are leafing out almost the entire way up.

I stayed at The Wave Hotel in Lake Nona which is several miles East of MCO and about 25 miles East of Bay Lake. The exotics faired better than to the West of MCO. Survival was very hit or miss, trunk diameter and proximity to buildings seemed to make the biggest difference.

Here is what’s left of the world famous Animal Kingdom Yak & Yeti Kapok tree(and a few others). This used to be a beautiful, majestic tree.

Sorry mate, kept all the good ones for myself 😉

The solitary one I have in Leucadia is getting more light now that I removed a Guava tree to its west and a little north. The top of the wall is 6 feet high for perspective.

You either love em or dislike em. Each to there own on this palm, but it’s a proven winner regardless with its yellow colour and it’s predictable landscaping growth. It’s hear to stay, no wonder it’s been around so long. I even grow a few for that question got any golden canes?

Hey palmtalkers. Just wanted to share the progress of my bailey palm. I planted this one from an overgrown, rooted in the ground, 1 gallon baby palm back in May 2016. A picture of that at first planting is shown as well with it being the tiny palm, center of the pictures. It has about an overall height of 9 to 10 feet now to the top of the leaf. Has been slower growing for me than I would like. It gets way to much shade from the surrounding palms now that they outgrew the bailey. It's hard to show in the photos, but this one has that blue-green color. One I prefer. Has been through 3 major hurricanes. Irma, Ian, and Milton. Some winds from Helene as well. It still holds damaged leaves from Milton, but I didn't want to over trim. Took some leaves off and left the others. Hopefully now that it's getting larger and a bit more sun, it will start to grow a bit faster.

Lots of true blue Arenarius are flushing right now! These are turning into my favorite Cycads right behind Latifrons.

This Cleopatra x True Blue Arenarius is also flushing before the last flush has hardened off. That hybrid vigor is a real thing!

Horwood x Arewood flushing again before the last flush has hardened off!

Arewood x Arewood throwing a couple new leaves.

Natwood x Arewood

All 4 of my Woodii hybrids are flushing right now. This one is Fat Are x Arewood. The new flush is much more recurved than the older leaves.

Horridus

Nice purple flush on this Dwarf Horridus.

Im really liking the color of the flush on this pure strain Arenarius. I would call it like a seafoam green. I wish it would stay that color!

Lati

Lots of flushes getting with it now! Here is Arenarius x Latifrons.

The first thing that caught my eye today is the fact that despite me having been unable to work in the yard for months, plants are growing but some sure need mowing. I see my volunteer palms that hitched a ride from Floribunda are keeping pace with my remaining stilt palms - I had one cycad pot that had two volunteer palm seeds in it and another with one.

Another group of Coconuts at the beach:

In the greenhouse that’s the only place I have that wine cool enough, by keeping it wet in summer. But iam not that confident from what iam hearing about them. It’s the complete opposite to winter killing many of my tropical palms, only it’s the heat this time killing my cool temperate palms.

Evolution at its best!

Yes gyuseppe just the other day I was in touch with the friend who gives me the rare rainforest seeds and he has one alive that has two metres of trunk. The climate he has is temperate that is south of Sydney, just to give you a location of the palm. In an area where Colin Wilson lives.

Couple of Chambeyronia hookeri looking quite happy!

I have a question for you Australian friends, but does Ceroxylon grow in your area? Are there adult plants? Here in southern Europe they die in the summer due to the heat, I have tried 3/4 species, germination is easy

Maybe not something commercial landscapes might do, but, I wonder if folks there / in similar, extremely marginal areas treated it like something you might cut back to near the ground right before a significant cold spell, then cover w/ heavy leaves ..couple layers of Palmetto fronds perhaps? thru those episodes if that would be enough to get the roots / any section of remaining trunk thru sub - 30F cold spells. Seems it grows fast enough, especially there, that it would be flowering not too long again after pushing new growth, esp. if sited in an ideal spot. Yea, it's St Armands and " cold " really isn't an issue there, but, specimen there has been planted since... ..at least.. 2013, perhaps a year or two earlier? ( 1st shot ) ..Bad quality street view shot, but still there in '19. iNat Obvs. from 2020 < Blue > and again last fall < Purple > ..That's over a decade of surviving a few chilly winter evenings. Not bad, imo..

Agree. 1 and 2 look like T fortunei to me. 3 is P canariensis. Easiest way to tell from Jubaea is the armed petioles and induplicate leaflets.

Double Coconut (Lodocea) at Ann Norton:

The good old Chambeyronia and the dypsis saintlucei poking its head up above the greenhouse.

Well done I got some quindiuense to sprout from the last RPS batch, I checked a couple of the parvifrons and found they had no embryo.

I grow this in Jacksonville FL ----collected the seeds in 1988 from habitat in Northern Domincan Republic --- in my front yard ---

May 2026.. 13 years in ground

This palm should be a top choice in SoCal. Fast and jaw-dropping.

Here is a better shot of the whole palm

Close to all day full sun 1.5 miles from the ocean.

Hi! Can anyone tell me if an Orange Geiger tree would grow in Sarasota? Thanks.

Yeah, what a legend. We were trying to think of other people who have had such universal adoration worldwide for such a long period...Nelson Mandela was the only name that sprung to mind. Both very remarkable gentlemen!

I have no photos but recall numerous large specimens that survived the 1989 freeze. For reasons unknown, they are not as prominent. This may have something to do with developers, who seem determined to utilize plain specimens.

@epicure3 Here are a couple maps via iNat w/ all observed specimens < on their site > for the Sarasota / Bradenton area.. 100% sure there are more. Circled are specimens located in Twin Lakes Park, just east of the 75, off Clark Rd. / 72, and specimens located at Ringling College, Bayfront Park < ..near Selby Botanical, > ...and others planted on St Armands / Lido key.. Can't remember if there were any planted on Bird Key at the park there. Couldn't find the exact specimens i mentioned i'd observed at the Aquatic Center nextdoor to Kopsick, but appears there are some others nearby. One might be inside Kopsick itself, based on zooning in on that observation, using Satellite data. On a side note, Noting the obvious differences in flowers on flowering specimens, compared to C. dodecandra, ...A common sp. in W. Mex., appears C. sebestena in much more common on this side of the U.S. than i'd have thought..

Although native to the Florida Keys, this specimen has proliferated throughout South Florida.

They grow just fine in Sarasota, though are less subject to being damaged closer to the coast. Have to fine them again < If they're still where i'd see them > but, there were a few growing near downtown Bradenton, and in a couple yards near where i used to work in Sarasota. If still there also, there were a couple growing next to the swim club, across the parking lot from Kopsick up in St. Pete.

Jonathon, your info makes perfect sense. Fulva is likely too heat sensitive for my climate. Mine died so definitively I decided not to apply my "3 strikes" rule and go straight to "out". BTW, last week I watched a Public Broadcast System documentary on some of the animals on Tasmania. Very cool. David Attenborough narrated and anything he does is great. Love that guy - 100 y.o. and still carrying on.

Maybe one of these boys crossed Bass Strait! Would have thought drudei would do well for you Meg? I've seen them in habitat north of Townsville growing in sand nearly right on the beach. Pretty similar climate to south Florida, hot with cyclones!?! On the other hand, the Blackdown Tablelands where fulva comes from can be pretty damn cold at night in winter.

This is a hybrid that is rosea cross with ???. It is really colorful and fast growing