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Here is an update on my Ceroxylon quindiuense. The seed collection was in Columbia, 1978, by my late palm mentor, Garrin Fullington. I ground planted it in the spring of 1983. It is a sibling from the same seed batch as the two plants in San Francisco Botanic Garden. I have not found aborted flowers on the ground yet, so the gender is unknown.

Boy, I would have to say it’s a Voanioala gerardii from Madagascar. Managed to get a 1 gallon back in 2010. Known as the forest coconut. Tim

The late Richard Douglas and Inge Hoffmann, two of my palm mentors, (Richard was more than six feet tall) then three images of my Ceroxylon quindiuense. I don't feel confident about estimating height, but I believe it to have about 35 feet of clean trunk below the leafbases. (10.6 m )

Geonoma undata, red leafbase form, from the late Dick Endt. (the strong color fades with maturity) I purchased three, but one died.

This will likely be the last time I'll get to post about this tremendous success story of growing Satakentia liukiuensis in California. Unfortunately, our home owners insurance has issued us a cancellation notice unless we're able to comply with basically removing all of the palms in close proximity to my home despite all of them being healthy, well watered, and none of them carry a skirt of dead leaves; basically zero risk of catching fire. We've searched around and no other insurance company will cover us as they're all trying desperately to exit the market. The insurance market in CA is a disaster, but that's a story for another day. I figured I'd post pics one last time of this palm that has yet to flower/fruit, but is thriving none the less. It currently stands at 15' tall overall w/ 5' of clear trunk.

San Diego, CA, USA is treating her right

Hi everyone Back in 2013 pogobob took me to a friend's garden in San Clemente California I was fortunate to be allowed to collect seeds from the palm and today I have this in my coastal Tasmania garden. Troy

It’s that time of year again to climb up on the roof and take pictures of palms. Spanky the Roystonea regia. Jayne the Roystonea oleracea Syagrus picrophylla on the right and Big A’d Buteagrus Mule on the left.

Planted from a 6" pot around 10 years ago it's certainly grown better than expected. Plenty of rain and not much competion from other palms helps.

The single rarest in the garden would have to be Jubaeopsis caffra. I purchased a seedling from a specialty nursery many years ago that no longer exists.

My Rhapis vidalii which I grew from seed (via RPS). Some of the dried frond tips trimmed.

A few more, From left, Chambeyronia var. hookeri, Cyathea intermedia, Iriartea deltoidea, Socratea exorrhiza, and Wettinia hirsuita behind. Glorious is the adjective that best describes this view for me. Thanks for the inspiration Dave, I’ve been meaning to post this photo. Tim

I visited La Carbonera (aka Tochecito) earlier today, and it more than lived up to its billing. These are quick and dirty edits from my laptop, so when I get home in a couple weeks and have my main computer, I'll make sure to update this post with more photos.

Admittedly I have been woefully absent on this forum for a while. But I was walking around downtown Oceanside today with an old friend that bought me ice cream for my Birthday today. We opted to walk some of it off after and opted to walk by some of the old city of Oceanside buildings where they had some Rhopalostylis palms... I was very surprised to see a TWO-HEADED one! It looks very much like a sapida I think? Forgive if posted before... but I was thinking it may be the first "rareish" palm I've seen with 2 heads!!

I planted this C. decipiens fifteen years ago as a five gallon seedling fully knowing I’d be a “old” guy before I’d see much trunk. Do we palm fanatics need patience in our genes? You bet!

Lemurophoenix halleuxii is probably the rarest palm I have and it’s also the most expensive I’ve ever bought. Purchased from Mark Daish in Babinda, North Queensland. He only had 3 left, 1 was already promised to another, and he wanted the remaining 2 for himself. I kept asking and increasing my price until he caved, or he played me from the start 🤣. Didn’t care either way, just had to have it. I think there’s only around 300 left in Madagascar and one doesn’t come across them often in cultivation (outside of Hawaii that is), although Queensland is blessed with a few. Tahina spectabilis appears slightly less rare with circa 700 individuals in habitat, but far more than that it seems in cultivation. Mine was a gift from Michael Green, which I’ll forever be grateful for.

Ceroxylon quindiuense, this is an old image, the crown is more relaxed and hemispherical now.

Well, I'm moving and leaving my garden behind. The amount of work I put into this yard is amazing to look back on, but life happens and you know how that goes. There is a silver lining though, my new home is only a short distance away, but due to cold air drainage, I'm getting a nice boost in my climate zone. I'll be upgrading from a solid 9b to a high 10a / low 10b. I had to consider if it would be better to just leave my palms in place, to hopefully drive by and see them thriving one day, or to attempt the dreaded transplant... Well, I had the pleasure of hosting @Darold Petty last weekend and we talked about the true reality that the next owner is unlikely to know or care to take care of a rare palm tree in the landscape... And that the chance is always worth taking; dig it up. So today I was busy! Attached are pictures of my yard in it's prime and the palms I dug up today (Chrysalidocarpus Decipiens, Brahea Decumbens & Brahea Super Silver)

Germinated from seed in 2010 my largest Hedyscepe has finally flowered and now setting seed They obviously love my cool humid frost free climate at 42 degrees South.

I usually walk the entire garden in the morning and the evening with the dogs and wanted to share some photos First stop was to check out this massive flowering Chrysalidocarpus. Barely trunking but flowering like crazy and a very large palm already. Check out the size 10 shoe for scale on the second photo. around the corner and lining the fence is a row of Chrysalidocarpus Sp Mayotte and here’s one of them. Most likely a hybrid as I have 2 very different looking palms as Mayotte grown from the same seed batch. This looks like a “white triangle” type hybrid: Chrysalidocarpus Robustus getting to the size that it will really get going now:

And now back to the house, looking over some of the garden from the side lanai. This is where the orchard meets the ornamental: and looking west as the sun sets: Thanks for looking!

My second Chrysalidocarpus (Dypsis) decipiens is going to flower. This one has the crownshaft and inflorescence more colorful than the others that are more greenish.

Seeing all the amazing palms here, I realize I should have posted just my VERY rarest, with photo. So I’ll call it my “mealy bug” - because it’s rare to find one this size in CA, and it was also my most expensive palm…

Into the “jungle planter” which is the first area planted about 3.5 years ago. This was all just bare grass hillside originally. Filling in nicely and creating pathways through it all now for the dogs and myself: Rocky 2.0 stopped to check out this crazy mutant Chrysalidocarpus Malcomberi Hybrid that has decided to split like crazy: Coming out of the jungle path you see Metroxylon Amicarum: looking down the driveway. Chrysalidocarpus Prestonianus hybrids on each side: further down the driveway are Chrysalidocarpus Hovomantsina on each side:

I wanted to start this thread to document myself and others’ plants so post if you got em. There wasn’t that many produced but they are out there. The “Lady Luck” Palm is a cross between Wodyetia Bifurcata x Veitchia Winin so the cousin to the well known Foxy Lady hybrid. I got the plant from Seabreeze / @Josh-O as a 1G a few years back and it’s the first time it was produced. Admittedly I did not plant it out for well over a year but this summer it has grown great and seems to be catching up for lost time. Ideal location in morning sun, watered and fed regularly. Here’s a few old pics along its journey as well as a recent. First pic planted out March 2024. Lets see em. -dale

I have been waiting most of the year for the seeds at Sullivans garden , yes …those huge Decipiens . A trip over there last week told me it was finally time! There were about 20 seeds that had already fallen but were green. My good friend Terry doesn’t live there any more but keeps a house next door . In the rare chance of running into him I decided to knock. I had already been given permission by he and Sevan both but , didn’t feel right just taking them. Terry was there! I showed what I had picked up and he said that they were ripe! They don’t change color like other palm seeds. After looking at all the fruit on the palm he said they are ready for harvest “ take all you want”. Music to a palm collectors ears. I went today and climbed up the ladder to get a few more . I had already picked up the ones on the ground as I was being pelted on the head with more. I was also given permission to take the seedling volunteers that were sprouting up from last year. They came up easily , seed still attached and not root damage . The soil was very easy to work with and these don’t have much root to them when they are small. Harry The parent palm ( one of two), full of fruit! Seedlings from my first visit. Harry

I’ve just been lucky enough to have a free day in Thailand so made the most of it and headed to Nong Nooch. For anyone who hasn’t been, it’s difficult to describe. Everything is in excess, literally thousands of some rare species not often seen elsewhere. Lodoicea line some of the walkways, multiple Tahina spread throughout the gardens, Copernicia, Borassus, Hyphaene and Bismarckia everywhere etc etc. many hybrids and variegated palms too. The only thing I’d say is that it is somewhat overwhelming not just due to the sheer scale of the place, but also that most palms aren’t labelled. I’m pretty cluey with IDs but I’d say about half or more of what I saw I couldn’t ID to species level. The section where over 1000 species of palms are grown is closed to the public so I couldn’t get in. It was a last minute trip but next time maybe I’ll try to organise a visit in there. Here’s some highlights of what I saw: Medemia argun Corypha lecomtei Locoidea maldivica. Every female is caged (there are now many) One of the main avenues lined with many blue palmate palms. Copernicia hospita, Bismarckia, Hyphaene coriacea, Serenoa and friends. Borassus flabellifer and Corypha lecomtei Serenoa repens silver form Sabal uresana Copernicia fallaensis, Tahina spectabilis and Lodoicea maldivica. What a combination! The same Tahina and Lodoicea from another angle with massive Corypha umbraculifera and C utan in the background. The same Tahina. This one could be up there with the largest in cultivation anywhere. Now that it has reached full girth and crown spread, I’d estimate it’s about the same spread as Lodoicea and maybe 10% less in diameter compared with a really well grown Corypha umbraculifera. It’s got at least 20% on fully grown Bismarckia, Copernicia fallaensis and similarly large palms. It might not seem huge in these photos, but only because it’s surrounded by giants in their own right. Borassodendron machadonis Blue Garden Variegated Copernicia A couple of variegated Borassus flabellifer Variegated Collection Chuniophoenix hainanensis Zombia Hyphaene coriacea Dwarf Areca catechu

Got this view last week of some of my Lord Howe Island 🏝 Palms from the upper deck.

I visited Karen Piercy's place this afternoon under the pretext of picking lychee. Of course, the real reason to visit was to commune with the jaw-dropping collection of massive palms. I posted a photo of this Corypha umbraculifera a few years ago, but it was even more overwhelming on this visit. The trunk has to be over 4 ft in diameter, maybe closer to 5 ft. Growing in deep Hamakua soil at roughly 1200 ft elevation overlooking the Hilo airport. Now you know why you don't often see these growing in suburban landscapes. Certainly gives Tahina competition as the most massive palm out there. It's probably still decades away from blooming. You may remember Karen and her husband, Dean, as the organizers of the 2004 IPS Biennial to Hawaii and helping again with the tour of the former Carlsmith palm collection during the 2022 Biennial. BTW, I filled my 5 gallon bucket with delicious lychee. That didn't make a dent in the fruit still left on the trees. Oh, the hardships of living in Hawaii...

Well after all those dazzling displays please remember my garden is not quite 4 years old yet. Here is my Archontophoenix maxima purchased as a 40cm overall height specimen at the palm show in march 2024 and now is just above the 2 metre mark. An A for effort ? Peachy

Geeze Jim, now I need a chiropractor! A shot of a trio of Euterpe precatoria. Tim

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Tim "Realarch " from Hilo area Hawaii visit my garden. On one of my rare 80f plus days I showed Tim and Bob around my cloud forest at sea level garden. Always great to meet palm people from overseas. Thanks Realarch for coming around and enjoy the Tasmanian seafood tonight Troy

1st of 2 habitat locations visited that day. This particular spot felt like I’d jumped in a time machine and headed back to the Jurassic Period. Such a stunningly beautiful palm. Gunn Point.

Off to the side is this planter with Ptychococus reaching for the sky. Very fast growing palms here. Turning off the driveway to head back into the garden where I did my first rock work to divide what was a hillside into terraces: New Caledonia planter with a couple of Chambeyronia (Kentiopsis) pyriformis on each side or a narrow path through the planter: the Madagascar planter is next to the New Cal planter and a favorite there is this Chrysalidocarpus Robustus Hybrid. Orania Trispatha is on the left of it:

Been awhile since a thread for this genus of rather elegant palms from western Pacific islands. Feel free to post any images and observations you’ve experienced. I’ve got three species and five individuals growing in the garden. C. samoense is by far the more robust and for this reason, planted in the open space behind the property. Digging a hole wasn’t possible because of the shallow soil over almost solid rock, so the potted specimens were just placed on the on the surface after removing the bottom of the plastic pot. Super aggressive roots enabled them to anchor and penetrate fractures in the rock. Here are a few C. samoense photos. Tim

Excited to finally see a flower on one of my P. torallyi. This one is 18 years old from germination.

Chrysalidocarpus Prestonianus dropped a leaf to reveal some color

There will be more “palm portraits” with Latin names, but too busy today. Many head home this morning but I am lucky enough to head to Cajamarca with a small group. Yesterday orchids in bloom and dormant were numerous along the road so we happily took a break from the long bus rides. There were many plants which we were happy to even get to the family level of identification. I was told this strikingly yellow plant was some form of mistlestoe. And all ages of Dictyocaryum surrounded us. This baby was low enough that I could reverse the leaf to show off the silver underside. Look at that crownshaft color. Note stilt roots on the left. So many Dictyocaryum palms!!

Thought I should share a couple pics. First is a 10 yo P. viscosa; next was purchased as P. aylmer-robinsonii, later rolled into “remota” by Don Hodel.

One of those days so gorgeous you pinch yourself to be sure you’re not hallucinating. So how about the rest of you?

I planted this palm tree in about 2005 from a 15 gallon container. This is its third year to flower. the other two years were far from spectacular. This year's flowering is a little better! I thought I would share. The shots were taken this morning an hour after sunrise. When I went out for my morning walk, while drinking my cup of coffee the palm was screaming at me to go back inside the house and grab your camera before the suns lighting changes!!! Enjoy, Randy PS one shot facing the back of my house, just because!

In January 2020 I received my Mule Palm from MPOM. Over the last 5 years its grown substantially and now I am faced with a decision to up-pot yet again, sale it, or plant it. Of course I chose to plant it. A new pot the next size up would be about $300, and then what? In 2 years I'll be faced with the same predicament. This mule has endured the last 3 seasons outside since it's been too large to come in the house since 2022. The lowest we've been since then is 10F and its suffered minimal to no damage (granted - I laid it on the ground and threw a bed sheet over it when it got that cold). Otherwise it's stayed outside year-round. Now, before anyone comes for me about planting it (Yes, I'm in zone 8) my logic is that considering its survival and knowing its marginal palm here - I am willing to see what happens. Who knows, maybe we won't have anymore century level events for the next 100 years. *fingers crossed* Anyway, the predicament has been WHERE to plant it; the backyard is quite full these days. So, the decision to remove my Namwah banana mat was made yesterday, and plant the mule in its place. While I love my bananas, and they do extremely well here - the Namwah was the right plant in the WRONG place and was a constant pain to keep off of the fence, and off of the patio. Not to mention I have plenty of other varieties of bananas. I made the right move. After 9 hours with only a quick dinner break today I managed to somehow remove the established mat of namwahs, and excavate a planting hole for the mule. (word to the wise - do not plant bananas without intent. Be sure that's where you want them for all eternity and have ample room around them. Oh, and use heavy lifting equipment if you need to move them.... ugh😫) Post trunk chop from winter and now the heavy lifting begins... About 2.5hours into it and I'm questioning my life choices ..... QUEUE 200 LB POTATO..... After about 6 hours I finally managed to get the giant potato from hell out of the ground and dig out a 2 foot deep 2 foot wide meteor impact crater .... *notice the red clay - if you know you know* Once removed from its prison... er, I mean pot.... I had to do some root pruning/releasing. It was extremely root bound and swirling. Once the mess of roots had been freed from themselves - the rest is the easy part. To settle in I made sure to add plenty of plant tone and water in incrementally as I back filled the hole using a mix of seaweed extract, superthrive, and root stimulator water. Hopefully that will minimize transplant shock. Fingers crossed. I do expect to lose some of the lower fronds just from how aggressive I had to be with the root mass. Finally after about 9 grueling hours, sunburnt and bleeding .... Hopefully the Mule likes this spot as much as the bananas did, and I get to see some explosive growth. As per usual it will receive nothing but regular waterings with seaweed and unsulfured molasses water to establish the root/soil microbiome this season with no fertilizers for the next 90 days. IMG_0208.HEIC

Had to run down to the Keys for a couple of days. Here’s some pics from the hotel. It is hot, bone dry, and sunny this time of year. Desert conditions. Didn’t have any time to run around looking for out of the way stuff, but the hotel did a really great job with the landscaping, so I thought I’d share….. It was a quick trip. Whoever put all this together really knew what they were doing. Great selections for the climate and conditions. Tourist Palmscaping to start…. In place of bottles and spindles for accents, they plugged in a lot of coccothrinax… Random Zombia antillarum… Some Latania for silver accents… Lots of Thrinax Radiata all over for some lower cover and shade… Leucothrinax morisii everywhere down here as accents… way better ones along the roads. These and Thrinax are in every yard, median and parking lot. Chrysalidocarpus Pembana clumps recurring as under tree accents… Typical Areca / Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens all over as screening palms…. Mostly looking ok for down here. Lots of these as screens… blanking on the name right now… that clumping one with the fragment fruit, I think, or maybe Arykury Palms/Syagrus schizophylla. Not sure, favor the first…. Some Vetechia sprinkled in… A Copernicia alba… A few Satakentia…. A random Atela… Lots of Serenoa repans, some stands 8-10 feet tall…. Lots of Allagoptera arenaria… Lots of Chamaerops humilis as accents… a common yard palm down here. Some Acoelrrhaphe wrightii screens…. Looking happy even in dry spots. This random huge palm was not too happy…. (Not sure, but it was a big young boy) Lots of cool understory and ground cover plants around too… all appropriate choices Missing was Pseudophoenix Sargentii and more Copernicia…. Many great Pseudophoenix along the roads and the way down. 300lb Goliath Grouper…. Always watching… always judging… Tarpon of course (off site)

Fifteen old leaf bases finally falling away on this eighteen year old P. torallyi’s fattening trunk. This one was planted as a small two leaf seedling. This one has never set seed but a number of dried up immature inflorescences were hiding behind the fallen away leaf boots and they fell off as well. The palm is pushing a very visible fresh inflorescence now. Maybe this one will actually produce something.

Got my annual order of palms from Floibunda today and the plants exceeded my expectations as usual. Experimenting with some new (to me) species besides some that have already done well and I’m repeating them in the landscape.

I want to show you guys this Hungarian living in Slovakia how insane he is in a good way! He's growing Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, Bismarckia nobilis, Phoenix roebelenii, Dypsis decaryi, Latania lontaroides, Archontophoenix alexandrae, and other tropical palms and plants planted outside in his garden. In winter, you can see in the video how he protects them with heating cables in the ground and wrapped around the trunk and leaves. He even uses growing lights to keep them alive! This is just insane considering that Slovakia is in Zone 6 You can find him on Facebook as Jardín Tropical 2004! ScreenRecording_02-18-2025 22-55-57_1.mov

Pritchardia martii, abaxial side of the leaves. Almost looks like a frosty morning shot. Super dense lepida, (white hair like covering), one of the traits of this beautiful endemic species. Tim