Dave's thread on SoCal Unsung Heroes now has me thinking about Royals. Just common enough for palmophiles to take for granted. Most of us are growing R. regia, and for the most part they seem to be fairly trouble free, cold hardy in Zone 10, and have decent speed. I'm real curious to see who here is growing which species. I'm especially looking for photos of Roystonea borinquena, after seeing Ralph Velez' tall one.

To prime the pump here some pics of mine. I've posted this guy before, and included a photo of it burned to a crisp in 2007. No winter damage to speak of, and it experienced about 33F in February.

I pulled a couple leaf bases off last Summer, and voila! We have a trunk. I think these might start to go fat on me this year.

I was thinking of planting another regia to the right of this one, but I'm changing my mind to borinquena. (now the pm's will start coming in... and are welcome)

Your turn... show us what you're growing!

Edited March 29, 200917 yr by osideterry

Double post... moderator please delete...

Edited March 29, 200917 yr by osideterry

Here are a few shots from Winter 2007. These are in Laguna Hills.

Edited March 29, 200917 yr by el-blanco

Here are a few shots from Winter 2007. These are in Laguna Hills.

Here are a few shots from Winter 2007. These are in Laguna Hills.

Nice royals, keep the pics coming please, I know there are tons of nice ones in socal.

Here's regia. It has been a very fast grower for me. These palms need space to look their best.

I have 3 R. Regias which do very well. All 3 were planted in 11/02 from what size I don't remember but none showing any trunk at all. Here are 2 shots of 2 of them from Nov/08. The crown is tough to get in the picture since there are a bunch of palms all crammed into my postage size property.

Here's one at Jerry Andersen's nursery in Fallbrook. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago. It's looking good for the end of Winter!

Isn't Jerry's a borinquena? I'm pretty sure it is.

Isn't Jerry's a borinquena? I'm pretty sure it is.

It seems to lack the swelling at the base of the trunk that most regias have. Perhaps it is a borinquena. It sure is a beauty, hope mine look like that while I am still here.

I recall Jerry and Danny telling me (at different times) that is is a R. borinquena. This is up by the house, opposite from the big Quito coco. I love the Schizolobium parahybum to the left. I have a young six footer that lost its normal sized branches this winter, leaving just the new buds at the tip waiting to sprout. Back to the topic, I planted a 10G R. borinquena (five feet of growth) right by my front sidewalk and driveway last summer, and it made it through the winter unprotected and looks like it will do fine (I had two, but the twin was killed by termites last fall). Yours is gorgeous. I get the impression that R. borinquena is a bit slower to grow than R. regia when they are young. My same age R. regia are now about 10' tall and the bases are getting a little bulby, while the R. borinquena is taking its sweet time to get a move on.

I have about 30 r.r seedlings and know where I can get pics of a few nice ones up the street from me I will try to get some pics tommorow and I'll put them up for you...

Roystoneas, when they're perfect, rock the house, the spouse etc.

Trouble is, I've found it hard to get R. regia to look as perfect as they do in Florida. Here, they tend to get that bowling pin look with a fat trunk base that tapers to the crownshaft.

That said, Ralph's Velezity Estate has some splendid examples that offer hope.

In particular, I loved his borenquenia.

Another problem is that the prettiest one of all, oleracea, is so doggone tender.

Alas!

I've got three large R. regia, pics soon. . . .

Roystoneas, when they're perfect, rock the house, the spouse etc.

Trouble is, I've found it hard to get R. regia to look as perfect as they do in Florida. Here, they tend to get that bowling pin look with a fat trunk base that tapers to the crownshaft.

That said, Ralph's Velezity Estate has some splendid examples that offer hope.

In particular, I loved his borenquenia.

Another problem is that the prettiest one of all, oleracea, is so doggone tender.

Alas!

I've got three large R. regia, pics soon. . . .

Hey Dave,

I thought the "bowling pin look" was the normal shape for royal palms

there are some amazing r.borinquena in a garden about 1/2 way between my place & mattyb's.i dont think i have any pix,maybe matt does...

Old pics. These are in flower now.

R. borinquena in Lemon Grove, CA

hey i was right--for once!

Matt:

Well, no, that bowling pin look is the result, I think, of plants growing where it's too cool for them. Don Tollefson had a truly spectacular bowling pin near his old place in Venice, which, from what I hear, is no longer with us . . . .

Matty's pictures show how they should look.

Matt:

Well, no, that bowling pin look is the result, I think, of plants growing where it's too cool for them. Don Tollefson had a truly spectacular bowling pin near his old place in Venice, which, from what I hear, is no longer with us . . . .

Matty's pictures show how they should look.

Dave, it was I who asked about the bowling pin look of royal palms [not Matt]. Isn't it characteristic of a juvenile roystonea to swell in the lower trunk but eventually grow more symmetrically? I waited a few years wondering if the trunk would swell & was glad when it did because I like the look. It's interesting. however, to consider your point that cooler weather causes the swelling.

I think R. borinquena is the best choice for California. They seem to tolerate long cool spells very well. I've had miserable luck with R. regia, oleracea, and elata but my little borinquena has been just marvelous. I planted it in the ground as a 5" two leaf seedling four years ago and here it is as of February 2009. I have high hopes for this species up here in Northern CA.

regia ? planted about 15 years ago as a small gallon .

madagascarbob - That one has the most conical trunk I've ever seen. I've seen enough regia to wonder if that isn't one of the others also.

You have another nice one the backyard if I remember right. Uh, can we see it?

I think R. borinquena is the best choice for California. They seem to tolerate long cool spells very well. I've had miserable luck with R. regia, oleracea, and elata but my little borinquena has been just marvelous. I planted it in the ground as a 5" two leaf seedling four years ago and here it is as of February 2009. I have high hopes for this species up here in Northern CA.

Jim, that's a real beaut

Huntington Beach Garden

Matt:

Well, no, that bowling pin look is the result, I think, of plants growing where it's too cool for them. Don Tollefson had a truly spectacular bowling pin near his old place in Venice, which, from what I hear, is no longer with us . . . .

Matty's pictures show how they should look.

Dave, it was I who asked about the bowling pin look of royal palms [not Matt]. Isn't it characteristic of a juvenile roystonea to swell in the lower trunk but eventually grow more symmetrically? I waited a few years wondering if the trunk would swell & was glad when it did because I like the look. It's interesting. however, to consider your point that cooler weather causes the swelling.

Sorry!

A little afternoon senior moment . . . .

A real serious bowling pin won't ever get that nice straight trunk, but instead looks like a bowling pin, or, more accurately, one of those rubber punching bags you hit that pop up again to hit again.

I'll have to dig up a pic or two . . . .

A real serious bowling pin won't ever get that nice straight trunk, but instead looks like a bowling pin, or, more accurately, one of those rubber punching bags you hit that pop up again to hit again.

I'll have to dig up a pic or two . . . .

Huntington Beach Garden

Wow, I am just over that one and Jims bourinquena. Jim, what are the low temps that your bourinquena has seen? It looks so lush like it has not seen cold damage at all.

madagascarbob - That one has the most conical trunk I've ever seen. I've seen enough regia to wonder if that isn't one of the others also.

You have another nice one the backyard if I remember right. Uh, can we see it?

It could be it was from a Ventura college sale , It gets frost burn every year , the one in the back doesnt burn , I grew it from seed , planted about 10 years ago , 1 gallon .

Here is the back one .

The backyard one looks more like a regia to me. I haven't been by in a couple of years, that has really taken off. Easily twice as much trunk as the last time I saw it.

Here's a super fatty in the making. It's an old picture but it's growing next to the botanical building in Balboa Park, SD. Look how much fatter it is than the one behind it.

Huntington Beach Garden

Wow, I am just over that one and Jims bourinquena. Jim, what are the low temps that your bourinquena has seen? It looks so lush like it has not seen cold damage at all.

Tom,

It saw 29F last December with no protection but, more impressively, it experienced 26F in Jan. '07. I had an open umbrella over it to prevent frost forming on it and it showed absolutely no damage while Archontophoenix cunninghamiana nearby had as much as 50% burn. It's its tolerance to long very cool spells that impresses me most though.

Theat one in post #9 is a beauty. Although I wonder if they can handle it here in Granada Hiils.

We've got hundreds of customers who have Royals growing throughout Southern California. Many are over 30 feet tall. Some of you will remember the posted picture of Louis Hooper's Royal that got dug in La Habra. I think it was about 30 feet, more or less. It ended up at another palm enthusiast's garden. The oldest Royal I know of is on Mansfield St. just north of Adams Ave. in the North Park area of San Diego. I haven't gone there lately, but it was planted in about 1960.

Phil

It's actually the cold that worries me here.... Although we didn't really go below 29 or so this winter.

Scott,

I had a regia that made it thru 07 with no damage at all-completely untouched! Give it a shot in the warmest part of your yard.

I guess I am not very observant. What are the characteristics that distinguish R. regia from R. borinquena?

Kim - I think the interest in R. borinquena is that it might handle our SoCal climate better than regia. The only Roystonea I can tell from a regia is oleracea, and even that's not easy or certain.

Scott - My royal lived and thrived while my Foxtail died when it hit 25-26F 2 years ago. Plant them both, they will love your heat. 2007 was unusual.

Edited April 1, 200917 yr by osideterry

Here are a few pictures from March of 2006; we moved a large Roystonea regia and a Ravenea rivilaris in San Clemente CA.

Yeah.... I guess this is going to have to be a new one here at the ranch!