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San Diego, CA, USA is treating her right

Yesterday was a great day in the garden after encountering this C. ovobontsira reveal. Up until now this young palm was rather unremarkable, no longer. It was gifted to me by Hilo Jason a few years back, you picked out a good one Jason, and no, you can’t have it back. Glad I’m able to share these photos. Tim

I’m back after a long posting hiatus, here’s a picture of the Tahina about 12 years since planting, it’s really been cranking for the past 6 months.

One palm that always confuses me always forgetting that name that’s so hard to say and spell. These two are around at least 30 years of age both gifted to me as a 24th birthday present. Super tough heat cold wet feet all round palm. They look there best when given a good clean up and a bit of care, but can be left in there own do just as good. These ones are setting seeds I don’t worry about growing them but I should do a couple of dozen just to have to in the collection for other collectors who are brave enough to grow them.

One of my favorite grows!

They seem to be quite uncommon in Australia. Probably due to being quite slow growing and eventually developing into a large clump. Great palms for large gardens though. And I never knew how showy young plants can be, but mine is showing some nice colour on the abaxial surfaces.

My late friend that lived at 136 Cypress Dr., East Palatka, Florida, planted an A. cunninghamiana palm I gave him, and that I grew from seed. I can't recall how many years ago it was now, but I think it was around 15. He lived right on the east bank of the St. Johns River, which afforded him a nice microclimate. I also gave him a silver queen palm the same day. I transported both palms in the trunk of my car, so they were both very small. I told my friend, with regard to the A. cunninghamiana, that he would be the only game in town -- at least in his neighborhood. The Google street view photos were taken in January of 2025, so the A. cunninghamiana has stood the test of time. I just checked an old posting of mine, and I gave him a 3 gallon size A. cunninghamiana in 2005. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sneads+Ferry,+NC+28460/@29.6834332,-81.6276569,3a,15y,212.71h,96t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_6tj0NOYheMV3o_285LB4g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-6.003486318951758%26panoid%3D_6tj0NOYheMV3o_285LB4g%26yaw%3D212.7089442270907!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x89a90f7503a3de95:0x4fe83ab3ee8ff62c!8m2!3d34.5526655!4d-77.3971839!16zL20vMHlqazc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sneads+Ferry,+NC+28460/@29.6833438,-81.6276403,3a,34.3y,228.32h,94.56t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s975qlhnuTODDyfDSOLTriA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-4.558243003619168%26panoid%3D975qlhnuTODDyfDSOLTriA%26yaw%3D228.3224461985444!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x89a90f7503a3de95:0x4fe83ab3ee8ff62c!8m2!3d34.5526655!4d-77.3971839!16zL20vMHlqazc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Here’s an update on the ones planted less than 7 months ago as shown. These live up to their reputation and (in full sun) set the standard for growing fast!

Motivation to not give up on your palms over inclement weather, spend a few hours protecting. 17°F in January. Pictures from today in Pearland, Texas Copernicia alba Phoenix theophrastii ‘Golkoy’ Butia Copernicia alba Liviston nitida King Ravenea rivularis Phoenix sylvestris and Livistona decora Livistona decora Queen Beaucarnea recurves Bismarckia Bismarckia Livistona Australis

The time has finally come, after years of waiting. Today I planted the first palms (and other plants) in my new garden. Since the local soil was very alkaline, I added two truckloads of highly acidic sand soil (pH 3,8) I bought and then i mixed it with the local soil. Hopefully it will work. There is very little organic matter in it but I put worm castings on top of the soil every time I plant something and I will keep adding compost from my compost maker. So here are my pioneers. I know that some of them will not make it but some may do and I am very excited!

The heading stated palms in pots does this qualify as enough palms in pots. Iam a hobby grower and collector of anything unusual, rare or just must have exotic plants and I do it simply because I love plants especially palms. Most of this stock will be planted on my property over time. That’s my grand plan for future generations.

I’ve had this young C. amazonicum in the ground about three and a half years and came out of a 4” container. My question for anyone else growing this species is yours growing painfully slowly like this one. It seems to grow at the same speed in the winter as it does in the summer. Pictures too please!

The colour of the new leaf on the atrovirens is amazing. An absolute stunning palm, seemingly easy to grow water and humidity, it’s not to fussed on soil as long as it is free draining. But one palm definitely worth growing in any collection. It seems to be a lot brighter red longispina the underside of the leaf yet a darker almost black on the leaf surface.

@Mazat thank you ! Here are pics that actually show the Pygmy Palms. Harry A trio A pair, these were dug up from a house a couple blocks away . He didn’t want them . “Too prickly!” These were volunteers from the big multi on the other side of the Dioon Another pair The multi that was a producer of many seedlings that were either moved or just weeded out.

Here's mine I grew from seed in Arizona. It is 25 years old. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

The Satakentias always look a little tired after winter, and are currently getting a little beat up by our drought. I’ve slowed down on the fertilizer and water, so they’ve slowed down a bit too, but still pretty fat for 4 years here. There was another episode of spear sadness over winter, but it was way up there and out of reach and again, the palm pushed through it on its own. Roots are now huge and travel up pretty far from the base into the lawn. May 2025…

It is not an overstatement that trunk's girth reminds of a medium sized bamboo. Even other plants from same seed batch stay behind in robustness. It had been grown from seed produced by crossing a dwarf with a trunking form. Seeds given to me by Federico Minghetti. Like I said, other plants from same cross are not equally robust. Enjoy the pictures. Maybe in another more humid climate such trunk's girth for a Chamaedorea is common sight, but certainly not in my arid and windy climate! Infront the robust specimen and in background other specimens from same seed batch A palm next to this palm serving as scale Same palm next to another palm Picture of the entire robust specimen

Lots of nice ones to admire here. Thanks to all who have posted. This one in full sun has struggled with being transplanted and multiple rhino beetle attacks. I recently acquired two more and hope to give them an easier life.

Parajubaea for sure.

A beautiful understory palm that is tolerant of a lot conditions, cool weather dry conditions. Looks its best in medium shade or deep shade conditions. Small growing clumping palm. The seeds are starting to ripen these ones I used an artist brush daily while they where flowering to aid in pollination and it worked with a good seed set. Two seeds per seed is the usual with this palm easy to germinate and grow a top little palm that I like to grow.

C. Nucel and b. Grandiflora

Bill's??? I bought mine after a Southern California Palm Society meeting at Jason's old Fallbrook garden in roughly 2013 or 14. I planted it later after running out of space in prominent positions in garden, so it hides behind my garage out of site. Tim, do I recall correctly that there was talk of moving this to Syagrus briefly before the Allagoptera caudescens assignment from Polyandrococcus?

C metallica had it's most fruitful flowering. Another infructescence with similar seed set. Usually just a few...

About 15 years on the clock. Photo is flattering but haven't lost the faith just yet. Sometimes you need 20+ years before palms turn a corner and start to look good here.

I just had a similar thing happen to me last week. I was getting ready to pull a majesty that I though for sure was dead, and it had green popping out. I was utterly shocked, especially after 12F and 7 inches of snow. It had a real nasty spear pull a few days after the snow melted, so again, utterly shocked. It experienced a few night of low 20s before the snow cover with no protection. Some palms are tougher than we think they are.

This is my one, pic taken right on a year ago. It’s been ‘growing’ for about 20 years in Melbourne including a couple of transplants. One of those palms that I’m attached to because of its journey, but it’s far from a feature in the garden.

Sooooo, turns out that the nitida survived, I'm shocked and surprised. I thought it was gone, and from the looks of it at first glance, you'd think it was dead. But when I went to pull it to pop it out of the ground to replace it, it was so strong, and I'm like, what the hell? If it was dead, it would have just popped right out. So I dug around the base of it a little with my finger, since the green part was covered by soil, and to my shock, there was green. I was confused, so I checked the middle spear area, and to my surprise, some green was popping out. So I guess I'm not replacing anything. I'm not sure what exact temperatures it saw, but it was tough enough to survive being left out uncovered for a night in December, getting completely burnt, I continued to cover after, then spear pulling and the rest of its leaves died off. After that, I stopped caring about it and left it covered way after the cold was over. I'm excited to see it's still fighting, so I'll be caring for it again, knowing it has a chance at recovery.

My deck overlooks a dry creek and waterfall to the left but not in this photo.

Some massive Sabal Mexicana at the Botanical Garden in SA.

Mine survived the cold weather down in Corona, California, he’s from Floribunda palms in Hawaii and he is a bit big too, hes been growing well! ❤️ -Christian

It seems like the long cool winter followed by all this dry was causing a little bit of de-lushing on this guy too. I stepped up watering a few weeks ago and it seems to have helped although it doesn’t look its absolute best. One of my favorites.

Clinostigma sayvoryanum showing its first one or two!

What I used to do when I had clay soil was to take a 5-gal bucket and drill a small hole at the bottom and set it near the base of the palm. Then I'd fill it up and let it drip. It's useful with sandy soil too if it's really fine sand.

A cute little tree frog hanging out in a Lepidorrachis, and a nice late autumn flush on a Howea f.

Such a lovely palm and would have to be one of the easiest to grow just add water. There absolutely near bullet proof for ease of culture in the greenhouse and in the ground one of my favourites in the palm department and having around 700 of them I have good reason to love them. I can’t grow mapu but the poor man’s mapu I can grow and as a substitute for the real mapu I will take it any day.

A little palm that needs no introduction from me on palm talk. They speak for themselves as far as ease of growing, germinating and pollinating. A beautiful little understory palm that I have cracked the growing code, producing hundreds of hand pollinated seeds every year. I have noticed the ones that produce good amounts of seeds seem to rest bi annually not producing large flowers, then the next year they flower with large flowers. Just an observation when I see my chamaedorea daily in the garden, it’s easy to learn the palm and what it does.

Chrysalidocarpus paucifolius, such a great palm. Tim

Another rare palm tolerant of my climate that’s growing great in the greenhouse and in the ground. There is also an old one in my regional botanical garden. So a nice palm for my area. My first interest in this palm was not so much its rarity or beauty but the pollination characteristics and the challenges that are involved in hand pollination. With bats being the sole pollinator in there habitat in South America and obviously none know pollinators in Australia, I have set my gardening skills a challenge for a project over the years to come always learning about new plants not sure how it will go but I can only try.

Trust you to have one of these tough cold climate winners. Not from my seeds is it. Ps scrub that salt build off the container bottom it burns the roots.

Norton Sculpture Garden - Had no chance to get away from my group. Will have to return.

This is a palm you don’t see or hear about much., even here in Hawaii. The few Allagoptera caudescens I have encountered have been impressive specimens and I can sorta see similarities with the smaller A. arenaria. These photos were taken ten years back, I would think it is still there. Good on everyone for keeping the faith cultivating this species. Tim

Two palms in the garden that have been slow growing in a dry hot part of the garden on the edge of the forest line. I do think it’s time to give the sancona a good feed and as for the armarta it’s on its own to tuff it out. Both are 23 years old in the ground basically on the edge of the garden with no irrigation or attention over the years. The sancona is starting to get a trunk after a lot of years so I think it might be time for the irrigation to installed and a good handful of mulch with some ferts. Time to put those grow skills to use I think.

I was lucky enough to get one back when i first started my garden and the seller told me it was rare that was enough for me to take the chance on it, its painfully slow but I've had it in the ground around 6 years now and it is a beautiful palm.

Trachycarpus I think...should move easily enough, perfect time to do it for you northern hemisphericals.

Here’s another Pritchardia whose ID I’m not sure of. I thought it was P. beccariana, which I guess it could be, but not sure. A nice layer of lepidia on the abaxial side and stiff deeply divided leaves. Tim

Pretty well much my little socratea rostrata caught my eye today, after all the great rainfall I think she’s had a good drink

some of the other colour variations he gets, hes never the same colour

try becarriophoenix alfredii......slow growing. fronds span 25 feet (or more).....creates a shaded area below. resembles coconut palm but without the seed drops. if you plant two, they will create a large shading canopy as well as backdrop.

Encephalartos Princeps finally decided to play ball again. Pushed in the fall of 2023 and nothing in 2024. Guess it likes Spring of 2025. -dale

Mine has recovered well from a bit of damage last winter from down to -1.5C/29F and long period of wet and cool through to Spring. Still remains to be seen how it will go long term here but early signs are promising.