Ratpack Inspection plus palms around the hood

[Walter John]

As is customary, fellow ratpackers Michael (left) and Daryl (right) inspected my palm jungle today and gave it a clean bill of health with certain recommendations for palms to take with me when I move house which is something we are considering once again.

I aim to do the same type of inspection at Col Wilson's place sometime in the future. Might not be till next year Col.

[Walter John]

Some palms from around the hood, a winter check.

[ariscott]

What's the occassion?? Looks like fun... better than housing 5 years old birthday party for 14 kids!!!

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

What's the occassion?? Looks like fun... better than housing 5 years old birthday party for 14 kids!!!

Regards, Ari

Ah come on Ari, that sounds like a blast !!

We don't need an occasion as you know, but it so happened that the hinterlanders were in the area so they thought they'd come and have a look see. They did give a death sentence to my only Archo tuckerii, diseased and getting worse. Have to get anothery, that's all there is to it.

Here's some more from around the hood from my early Sunday morning stroll.

How red is this Latania ?

[Walter John]

Okay here's a six pack for you. This walk only took me about 20 minutes and that includes stopping and taking photos so I don't have to go far and there's hundreds of more palms not captured.

[Walter John]

And the inspectors meet for their final "ratpack report" discussion.

Daryl: "Well it looks like Wal has done it again, outstanding palm exhibition if ever there was one".

Mike: "I'm not so sure Daz, what about that tuckerii, pretty poor display there richie"

Daryl: "It depends on how you look at it Mike"

Mike: "Well I looked at it with my eyes Daz, what did you use?"

Daryl: "Now Mike, no need for that sort of talk, I think Wal was simply trying to present to us what can happen and besides his new New Guinea Impatients and palm triangluar bed more than made up for any shortfall that you may have seen"

Mike: "1 out of 5?"

Daryl: " I'll give him another half point, 1.5"

[Walter John]

To get ready for this inspection I did a lot of mulching and here's some of the results using red cypress mulch. I ran out of mulch as you can see in the Clinostigma/Beccariophoenix photo.

[newcal]

Garden looks great Wal! That livistona humilis looks the goods too. Hopefully Daryl will post those pics he took. By the way,how are the plants that you picked up at Bamboo down under doing?...hmm (hint,hint ) . See you at the outing next week....Cheers Mike (Newcal)

[newcal]

Garden looks great Wal! That livistona humilis looks the goods too. Hopefully Daryl will post those pics he took. By the way,how are the plants that you picked up at Bamboo down under doing?...hmm (hint,hint ) . See you at the outing next week....Cheers Mike (Newcal)

[Palm Guy]

How red is this Latania ?

Very very RED. Never seen one like it! Good stuff Wal. Looks like there alot of Palm Nuts in Brisbane. Very impressive Archontophoenix' too!

PS - New guinea impatiens are a real pain to grow! They always seem to get a virus and DIE. I gave up on them.

[Daryl]

Here are a couple more photos...

Thanks for the hospitality Wal, and thanks Donna for the cuppa and biscuits..they were really nice BTW!

Here is Wal's place from the street...I reckon he still has a way to go before it looks like a true palm collector's garden...there's still room for so many more!

Who is this character at the gate, threatening to throw his weeds at us?

Here is Wal, cordially inviting Mike and myself in to his palm jungle after realising we weren't handing out pamphlets...

Wait a minute, what's all of this grass, and what are these other plants that are taking up valuable space that could host more palms?

What's this? A nice little surprise growing next to the driveway...Livistona humilis, looking very healthy!

Here's another fan palm, a bit larger than the last...anybody care to guess what type of Latania this is?

That foxy lady is getting fatter, and is not so foxy any more...

Lastly, one of his new additions, Dypsis ovobontsira, making itslef at home in the triangle bed...

Wal, what are you going to take with you if you move north? Did you say Cairns???

See ya next weekend!

Daryl

[paulgila]

i am seeing red! the latan is outstanding!

[DoomsDave]

Wal . . . .

Your entire garden rocks.

Hmm.

Cheap fares to Oz . ?

[BS Man about Palms]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Nice!

[joe_OC]

Very nice as always...You are planning to move though? Wow...that would be tough to leave such a wonderful yard.

[Walter John]

Garden looks great Wal! That livistona humilis looks the goods too. Hopefully Daryl will post those pics he took. By the way,how are the plants that you picked up at Bamboo down under doing?...hmm (hint,hint ) . See you at the outing next week....Cheers Mike (Newcal)

Holy smoke I forgot, next week matey, sorry about that and you did drop a hint too now I recall, sorry again, I won't leave town.

("saddle up the palomino mary we're out of here")

[Walter John]

Thanks everyone for your nice comments and you can come visit when you're in town.

ps: the above post with me apologising to Michael relates to the fact he paid for my recent palm haul at Bamboo down under, I owe him in other words.

"come on mary, hurry up, i think i see a black ute down the road"

[nomolos]

Latania Ver. yellow one

[ariscott]

What's happening next week?? Gee... how many times a month do you meet up???? I wish I was there... it is good to get away from the garden every now and then. I enjoy the garden work, but lately it has been TOO much!!! I think I am taking a weekend off... Scott actually asked me to have a weekend off, poor guy. Care to send me a plane ticket or two???

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

What's happening next week?? Gee... how many times a month do you meet up???? I wish I was there... it is good to get away from the garden every now and then. I enjoy the garden work, but lately it has been TOO much!!! I think I am taking a weekend off... Scott actually asked me to have a weekend off, poor guy. Care to send me a plane ticket or two???

Regards, Ari

Hi Ari, next week is our BPACS outing for the month. We're visiting a private extensive cycad garden on the north side of Brisbane. I think there's another destination on the itinerary, I can't remember where exactly, waiting for the newsletter.

You sound like you need a break, perhaps a break from plants all together ? Nah, of course not, I bet you would love to come along with us on our garden and plant adventures and having a laugh, that's the important ingredient, to enjoy the company and to take the piss out of each other at every opportunity, no not really, but if you say something dumb or not quite correct, the ratpack will pounce let me tell you. It's a tough school but a very very fun school, heaps of knowledge and heaps of fun.

What are you doing in August ? Some BPACS members including the entire Darwin ratpack are off to Rocky for a visit. It's going to be like "The Return of the Magnificent Seven", starring etc etc. Contact Michael for details.

[ariscott]

Unfortunately not this year, Wal. Daryl has asked me already and Scott has no holiday left. We are saving every bit that he has left for Indonesian trip as I have to visit my parents probably in September. Maybe next time... I do need a break though....

Regards, Ari

[Walter John]

Unfortunately not this year, Wal. Daryl has asked me already and Scott has no holiday left. We are saving every bit that he has left for Indonesian trip as I have to visit my parents probably in September. Maybe next time... I do need a break though....

Regards, Ari

Go to town this weekend, go see a movie, drop in at George Brown's garden and take some pics, go to the Mindil beach markets, eat some buffalo on a stick and watch the sun go down and think of us poor buggers freezing to death here in South East Queensland this week, that alone will pick you up. Don't talk about a break Ari, just do it my friend, as they say, "Don't Cheat Yourself, Treat Yourself".

Ari before =

Ari after =

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Poor SE Queenslander members of the ratpack, freezing to death indeed, toughen up. don' tell me you got 15c for an hour or 2, the other day we had 8c night and 16c day (for a hour), good so far for the season, the cold is yet to come

The southern most member of the rat pack

colin

[The Palm Nut]

Wal, that Livistona humilis did you grow that from seed?

Mike

[Daryl]

Here's a couple more I took but forgot to add yesterday...

Wal's Pembanas, that were starting to sucker.

Some of Wal's Chamadoreas

[Walter John]

When I first enquired about Dypsis pembana about 4 years ago I was told there were two types, the clumping pembana and the single pembana. So far I have planted 7 pembanas and 3 have sprouted a sucked so far.

In this picture, taken of the same group as Daryl's photo above there are 3 plants in a group with two so far with a sucker, as they are from the same seed batch I would imagine the third will sucker as well.

Anyone else have experiences with pembana they'd like to share regarding their clumping or single nature?

Palms come up a treat with the old red cypress mulch in my humble opinion.

[Walter John]

Wal, that Livistona humilis did you grow that from seed?

Mike

Hi Mike, this the humilis I brought back in the plane from my first visit to Darwin a few years ago. She was a three leafer then. Might not look much to the untrained eye, but she's bloody rare for Brisbane let me tell you. I doubt there's too many others growing at all in Brissy. I wonder what it would be worth ?

[Walter John]

Latania Ver. yellow one

Hi Sol, you should have contacted us you know, free sausage sizzle at Wal's place for all FMs.

Anyway, I'll forgive you this time, as for the Latania, well I bought it as Latania lontaroides but some people, who shall remain nameless, seem to think it may be a hybrid red x yellow. It's one palm that will be staying whenever I leave, probably in a year or two. I love this palm and the yellow one around the corner, wherever I end up , I will most definitely be planting Latania palms again.

[nomolos]

Next time Wal - I was only in Brisbane on a day trip from Surfers. When I was there it was like the Booker T and the MGs tune title "time is tight"

[Walter John]

Next time Wal - I was only in Brisbane on a day trip from Surfers. When I was there it was like the Booker T and the MGs tune title "time is tight"

Roger that Sol.

One more pic from the Hood showing Cocos nucifera, Archontophoenix alexandrae, Dypsis lutescens, Ptcyhosperma macathurii and the crown top of a Dypsis leptocheilos. And that's a Queenslander style home facing east, gets the bay breezes on that deck area plus shaded from hot noon/arvo summer sun.