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After trimming some tall fan palms day before yesterday I was greeted with a boom late last night as the rain came down. Its more like w whumpff! One of my mature royals decided to release a leaf with a wet crownshaft. The leaf stem and leaflets were completely dry, but the massive crownshaft was quite wet and heavy. Seeing it there on the ground I was grateful I didn't have to trim that sucker from below! So I went out to see it in the morning and took a pic with Adirondack chair for scale The palm is a fattie for a royal and is approaching full recovery from hurricane Milton in oct 2024. The older these royals get the more I appreciate the self shedding, saves me being on a ladder underneath. These royals cost me $160 each with delivery and 90 for planting (each) with a bobcat. They had 3-4' trunk in late 2011 as delivered. We are aware when a leaf dries out or even looks half dried out and avoid being under them at that time. Credit florida weather and a popup automatic irrigation system for its appearance, I don't really put too much care into them! Its nice to have something bullet proof and low maintenance. Most of the time they dont drop with a heavy wet crownshaft but when they do its like what I imagine a big dinosaur sound like with the heavy footfall. I have two large royals, this is the smaller of the two and they are enough for me. Warning! You should be able to see why you should not have these in a place where you walk (or sit) regularly like a front yard path to the front door. And if you park a car under one like this, expect a big body shop repair bill as it is about 50-60 lbs falling frm 25+ feet.

Wodyetia bifurcata, a new genus for my collection. I was able to germinate one seed. My friend and I germinated the rest. It's a subtribe of Ptychospermatinae. These palms have caryota-like leaves. I like them a lot, as their leaves are more feathery than those of Syagrus romanzoffiana, which is also a beautiful palm. And luckily, it's in my collection. 🌴🌴🌴🦜🦜

My mature male (I think) Ravenea glauca tried to aid in reproduction and is now kinda spent, till next time around. Those inflorescences are kinda cool looking.

I finally have this species again, one of my favorites, so far 8 have been born

I photographed this beautiful Jubaea chilensis palm tonight. I hope that when it grows up it will be the only beauty in the place.

Hanging leaf base leftover from a hurricane snapped frond. Also growing out of a little frost/freeze damage from this winter. Probably one of my favorite palms for sure. Photo taken this evening.

Think I planted 3 in 2005 not realizing they were clumping. One clump died some years ago. Growing NICELY here and even some seedlings popping up. Pictures are from 2009 and 2022

I have some pictures that I took a few days ago. I'm growing 3 Filiferas. The two in the backyard seem to finally grow faster after being in the ground for three years. The one in front, I grew from seed, grows way faster and has been in the ground only for two years.

So get things moving heres a tray of Adonidia dransfeildia! in pots

Tip of the iceberg…

Yeah. Never go back to your old property I reckon. It’s torture. On a brighter note by Beccariophoenix alfredii are doing well. They’re a great species for down here. I’ve got plans to plant more. I’ve got some bursting out of 45L pots waiting for me to get the soil levels right in new areas. I hope I can get my Roystonea regia to take. Maybe I’ll put rocks around the base to soak up the summer heat and radiate back at night to try and keep soil temps high.

Interesting reading about everyone's experiences in different locales, and also the differences between the species. Here in San Diego, I have a couple of borinquenas that are glorious. Although they're big palms, the base's don't seem to get those massive proportions that I've seen on regia. On the other hand my neighbor & I got a couple of princeps from Floribunda years ago because we'd heard that they have more slender proportions. Ah, no; at least assuming that they are the real deal. They're much thicker palms from top to bottom.

Verschaffeltia splendida has always been my "white whale" palm — the one I find most beautiful, but also the one I'm least likely to pull off in my location. Here's an AI interpretation for fun (the trunk is a little squished, but otherwise nailed it!)... That's actually my palm on the whale's back, picked up from Rancho Soledad last week while grabbing another "Evansii." It was on the loading dock straight from Hawaii and had to sit there a couple of days for inspection. I came back for it, and now that it's settled into my living room, I'm very much having that "what have I done?!" moment. I already know outdoor survival isn't happening in my zone, so the plan is to try keeping it alive indoors. Right now I have a small humidifier aimed at it and I'm about to order a more powerful dedicated one for that corner of the room — open to suggestions! I did think about the bathroom for maximum humidity, but came across a post where someone tried that and still lost theirs, possibly from the humidity swings. So I'm leaning towards creating a less humid but more stable environment instead. From what I've read, supplementary lighting might not be necessary since it's an understory palm — but I'd love to hear whether a grow light would actually make a difference. Light is decent but does vary throughout the year (as the sun shifts). Totally willing to buy a grow light if you think it might help. So far all talk has been about humidity, so that's mainly where my brain is at. But lighting is of course another factor. The only Verschaffeltia splendida I've seen near me are at the San Diego Zoo and Sherman Library Gardens, both indoors in borderline "sauna" environments (with anthuriums, orchids, etc). I would love to be a third success story... but I also fully accept that I may have doomed this poor palm. Current status: Humidity in that corner is reading 70% (with the temporary humidifier running) Still in its original volcanic substrate and original pot, with one root poking out the pot I'm planning to move it to a larger pot once it's more settled — unless sooner is better? Watering with distilled water, but not sure how often is best, and whether to also water the stilt roots? Not currently getting any supplemental lighting, but bright indirect lighting from the windows. Any suggestions (even if you don't own this particular palm) are hugely appreciated!

To create the tropical look just use large bold leaf plants, exotic plants both rare and common, get as many colourful plants as possible, vibrant green plants and most of palms palms and you guessed it more palms!

It’s an indoor palm for me (winters get too cold here). It would live in that corner - or a high ceiling atrium if it outgrows that space. I’m going to add grow lights, a water dish below, and a dedicated humidifier. Then pray. 🙏 Here’s my inspirational photo, from another collector. He’s in South Florida so much more favorable growing conditions. But this is the dream…

My Roystonia Oleracae drops its fronds on occasion . I try to cut the fronds from the base prior to it happening to reduce the risk of any damage to my other palms. The Oleracae isn’t nearly as heavy as Regia ( also a bit more tender to grow) . I chose it because it is not as massive as the Regia . The tree is getting to the point of being too tall to reach though. Harry This was a couple of winters ago after a trimming of the Syagrus on the left . I was told that it would not survive in my area so I planted it under the Queen Palm for a bit of protection.

I was given around two dozen howeas about 30 years ago from a friend. They were all in 250mm containers and quite strong looking palms. At the time I received them nothing special stood out in the gift as being unique. How wrong I was in that gift was two variegated fosteriana. Over the years I watched them get more variegation and stay true to form. It’s a beautiful palm. The only thing wrong is it’s planted out of the way where it hardly gets noticed. And iam not going to clear the garden in any time soon just get a daily look at it!

But most of all love of plants and time!

Being so dry in Arizona,falling fronds are not a concern. I've purposely weighed several of them and they are always only 5-6 pounds total. Don't think I've ever seen one fall off 'wet' around here. Location, location, location. 🤷‍♂️ aztropic Mesa, Arizona.

The plant I acquired as Encephalartos horridus Steytlerville form has a couple of flushes working. The main caudex is behind the next largest caudex.

That’s a nice one. I was actually working under my one today planting a Joey, as you can see the trunk and the spent flower.

My Cycas thouarsii has several caudices flushing. Actually that isn't quite accurate, it is more like a couple of dozen. I started with five plants and each has a plethora of pups. The aall is visible again but not for long. These flushes need head room to grow without being tangled.

A return to this topic. I planted mine out as a double 3 gallon about 14 years ago. Had much more shade back then. Hurricane Ian took out a king palm in 2022 so now it gets full sun for most of the day. The one took over and the second smaller one died, so is a single now. This is a very slow grower, even here in SWFL. With the more sun, it definitely has grown faster. Now it's about 7 foot tall OA, 9 inch tall trunk to the bottom of the bases and 7 inch diameter at the widest trunk point. Petioles are 42 plus inches long too. This is now the 3rd year it is flowering. I've read they usually hold 4 to 6 inflorescence. Well mine has 11 right now. Some flowering and others not quite yet. Nice palm but I would suggest if you're looking for one, buy it sooner rather than later. It is slow but worth it. Pics attached.

Pure Enc. Longifolius working. -dale

Equatorialis. Sorry for the bad pic but it was buried amongst many 15 gals. Last leaf was a 5 footer so hopefully these 2 are even longer.

True Blue Arenarius

That is a very nice looking palm . Just a bit of experience with my Chambeyronia, the first few years of flowering usually don’t produce seed. Mine has been flowering for a few years and has beautiful flowers but that’s it. The first two years the spathe never even opened , it just fell off. Mine has over 6’ of smooth trunk below the crown shaft. My friend a couple blocks away whose palm is much older just got his first batch of seeds. Harry This Chambey infrutescens is about 10’ up in the palm.

Chamaedorea arenbergiana, chamaedorea liebmanii, chamaedorea tenella and chamaedorea nubium. It’s chamaedorea paradise in my climate one genus that does so well. And with so many to collect it never ends the hunt for them, a true collectors gem!

This one is a native Floridian orchid growing on one of my Christmas palms. It always sends out a huge display mid May through June. Mixed in is a bromeliad compacta which self attached to the tree from the ground. It's all at eye level so maybe 5 feet from the soil. I always look forward to the display. Gets bigger every year.

Pembanas get big. These were planted about 15 years ago from 1 or 2 gallon pots.

I’d say that’s a pembana, @Cape Garrett ! They kinda sit awhile then EXPLODE in height. Here’s some of mine after about 10-15 years in the ground.

I got one too. This one is 2 years from germination. I planted it last fall. I collected the seed in Phoenix, AZ in Jan 2024.

Here’s a little update on the smallest of the two I have. After flowering it split growth points and continued without slowing down. May be a bad way to treat these but as mentioned countless times, my yard does not support my ignorant quest for more plants so I must adapt. These leaves easily get 3ft+ so I like to trim them up so the crown is more vertical. I cut the leaves off and leave a few inches at the trunk. Within a week or so the piece falls off by itself. I do like the look and it produces cool leaf scars as well. About 9ft to the tips now. -dale

Good point about the Santa Ana conditions. Stacey doesn’t get them as frequent or severe as up here in Ventura County but they are becoming more frequent and more intense in recent years. The humidity drops and the wind is destructive to the more vulnerable species. Even mature palms can be damaged by the stronger gusts of 60mph . I’ve seen 90mph gusts up on our hill. Harry

Wallichia densifolia new leaf, and the Chambeyronia off in the distance. And a nice bit of colour with the Chambeyronia, dypsis cabadae and archontophoenix purperea!

Here are a couple of Zamia flushes in the garden. Zamia vazquezii Zamia lindenii Zamia tuerckheimii In full sun

Currently planting the last batch of Pseudophoenix sargentii seeds for my lifetime, and have more sprouts than I really need. Now offering some pre sprouted seeds through eBay, in quantities of 20, 40, or 100 as people prefer electronic payments, which I don't have any longer due to hacking issues. Prices start at $13/20 seeds. This is a slow growing species, so consider it a long term project to eventually produce some rare and valuable palms. https://ebay.us/m/9xNcPd aztropic Mesa, Arizona

From the photos, I honestly can’t see anything wrong with the palms. They look healthy. They might be field grown specimens however and may show some setback in the coming weeks. Make sure they are kept well watered before and after planting. No fertilizer necessary for about three months.

Iam learning towards my attempts at more of a catfish than a white whale. Heres my next attempt at killing another batch, only these ones are a variety that I got from Thailand with the name of black seed. May I suggest placing the palm in a shallow try of water in summer when in the greenhouse. And if indoors place it on a shallow tray sitting on top of some decorative stones for humidity.

A pacsoa purchase a couple of years ago. There doing well taking the cold weather and the heat . Not rocket ships in the growing department but they are happy. Now all I have to do is get the breeding program in order for a few extra seeds.

No news channels are talking about the next winter because its May. We just got out of the last one. Given El Nino conditions, it will likely be a much wetter winter. Hard to give any kind of info on temperatures as there's no way to tell how cold it may be more than a week out, let alone half a year. On average, usually cooler, but this could be a byproduct of increased cloud cover and rainfall, not necessarily bad freezes. Just enjoy the growing season ahead and make the most of it that you can before starting to worry about next winter.

At my old house I had a heated greenhouse . It was the only thing I found that would easily care for true tropical plants . I would let the temp drop to no less than 58f . Before I left for work , I would soak the pea gravel floor ( about 4” deep ) and by the time I got home in the afternoon , it would be near raining inside . I had a fan (oscillating) in the corner with a vent up high near the gambrel roof. I built it from an old Sunset book diagram . Unfortunately, we had to leave it behind when we bought our new house as there was no area that would accommodate it. The tropical plants all died , even with the best care I could give the plants . Indoors and outdoors in a protected courtyard , one by one ….gone. I do wish you better luck than I had . Tropical plants are very tough to grow in a temperate climate whether trying indoors at home or outdoors with protection . I did not have a Vershafeltia in there but I had a large Licuala Grandis and Spinalosa , Veitchia , Ptychosperma , as well as a few others . All of them looked awesome in the greenhouse and were pretty easy to grow , some in crushed lava. Good luck , that is a beauty ! The very first one I saw was in the Palmatum at Rancho Soledad. They had a couple of them in large boxes , fully stilted and quite lovely. If you have room , I recommend a greenhouse for growing tropical plants. It is like cheating. 🤭Harry

Hi all, I have a few extra cycads. All species for sale are growing well in my garden in Central Texas since 2017. Cycas debaoensis: grew this individual from seed starting in 2012. One-10 gallon at $145. Dioon edule: grew this individual from seed starting in 1999. One-15 gallon $175. Cycas panzhihuaensis x debaoensis. Grown from seed started in 2017. One-15 gallon with 6 inch caudex $375. 4 photos attached. One of an individual planted in ground, one of caudex, one of flush of new leaves just emerging and one of leaves after a few days since emerging. Cash or Venmo would work as payment. Pick up at mutually agreed open location in or around Austin Best, Jason Best, Jason

That actually looks like an ideal setup right where it's at.Keep the humidifier going,or the leaf edges will probably brown out but not enough to kill it. I suspect it may not like San Diego night time temps, even in summer, so keeping it inside is probably a great idea.👍🌴 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

I started grooming Mr. Ravenea by pulling off the spent inflorescences, but changed my mind halfway through to take the picture in the OP. Here’s the “groomed” side view.

A very easy one for division cuttings the rhizomatosa. Just select the cane you want cut and repot it. Sit it in a quiet corner of the greenhouse and wait. I trimmed a couple of lower leaves, that was all the preparation needed for this one. Definitely not rocket science this one!

A new V splendida leaf did…

Rhapis multifida. I once got told that there are so many rhapis species lost in habitat that they only survive in cultivation. You could well have a lost species, but it looks like multifida.

Couple of Chambeyronias in flower, and a nice little Wallichia marianneae.

Looking into Christmas movies of Christmases past, I can see as a tv-deprived person, I have missed SO many touching films... The Nutcracker in 3D....................................2010.........................Live-action 3D adaptation of the ballet. Homeless for the Holidays............................2009..........................A man's family is in danger of losing everything right before Christmas. Make the Yuletide Gay..................................2009..........................An openly gay college student struggles with concealing his sexual orientation from his parents when he goes home for Christmas. Lovely, Still...................................................2008.........................Elderly bachelor romances a widowed neighbor during the Christmas season, with unexpected results. Frozen River.................................................2008..........................A single mother turns to people-smuggling to provide for her family at Christmas. Fred Claus....................................................2007.........................Santa's bitter older brother is forced to move to the North Pole. What Would Jesus Buy?.................................2007..........................Documentary about the commercialization of Christmas. Deck the Halls..............................................2006..........................Rival neighbors duke it out when one of them decides to light his house up so it can be seen from outer space I'm not imaginative enough to make this stuff up... Merry Christmas!