Cuban Royals in Chandler, AZ

[Randy]

OK, this is sort of a re-post or really an update from a post that Lee in AZ had on the old board. I live in Chandler, Arizona where today it's 105d F, and this time of year we're about 40-50% humidity, waiting for (hopefully) an afternoon or evening thunderstorm to cool the earth. In this climate, it's been very common to see queen palms, all kinds of date palms, and washingtonias up the wazoo.

There's an Elephant Bar resteraunt a little less than a mile from my house that has two roystonea regia's gracing their main entrance, and they appear to be doing really well. The photo's taken are at about 3:00pm today. The palms are planted on a north facing wall and appear to have full sun protection on the trunks, and look like they're starting to grow outward from the building and into the sun - which will be the real test!

These royals are a good reference for me as I have containers with smaller royals grown here from seed waiting to join my planted palm garden. I don't have the ability plant them in full afternoon shade, they would have about 6' of shade from the western fence several feet away - that's it. The more protected areas in my lasdscape are too confined and too close the the pool for those aggressive roots!

[Randy]

:cool:

[Randy]

:cool:

[Randy]

:cool:

[Lee in AZ]

Randy,

Great pictures. Those are looking better all the time. I saw them at the end of June and clearly they're enjoying this monsoon season we've been having.

Do you think they've grown much since December of 2003?

I can't wait to see yours after they've been in the ground for a couple of years.

Lee

[Palmy]

I love elephant bar . Intresting. Thanks for posting the pics.

[happ]

Thanks for the great photos of a regal/roystonea regia palm.  I'm growing one that is just beginning to form a trunk.  Can not wait to see that beautiful trunk  

[Randy]

Lee,

Your pics were 2003?

They are doing real well based on the before/after growth! They look pretty beat up in your photo's but seem to have pulled through just fine.

[Kris]

Dear Randy  

Beautiful location and terrefic palms. i noticed in one of you pictures a trunk of phoenix Majdool (date palm ).this happens to

be one of my favouriates.

but peity the royals were planted so close that it will not have

much space to spread its wings.as fronds will be dashing against

the rear walls of the bar.

these are the palms that get felled when they become huge in size,incourse of time.as they begin to break the window panes,etc..

thanks for posting.  

Love,

Kris.

[paulgila]

nice dypsis decaryi lurking in the background,too.

[Randy]

The dypsis decaryi must have been in a container, and is long gone! It shows on the last "before" shot from 2003.

[paulgila]

it didn't mysteriously show up at your place,did it?

[DoomsDave]

Randy:

Royals get steroidal when it gets hot.

But the REAL test will be when Kleenex gets one of its periodic cold spells.

BRRRRR

dave

[Randy]

(pohonkelapa @ Aug. 14 2006,14:05)

QUOTE

it didn't mysteriously show up at your place,did it?

Well............................no my triangle  was on sale at Home Depot for 19.99, why do you ask?  ::

[Lee in AZ]

(Dave from So-Cal @ Aug. 14 2006,16:55)

QUOTE

Randy:

Royals get steroidal when it gets hot.

But the REAL test will be when Kleenex gets one of its periodic cold spells.

BRRRRR

dave

They've been there and they've done that.

Less than a week after I took those pictures in December of 2003 Chandler bottomed out at: Min Temperature 24 °F. Micro climate taken into or out of consideration I think they'll be a safe bet there for a while, at least as far as mother nature is concerned.

I've studied the Valley's climate and over the past 40 years it's risen from a 9a/9b zone to a solid 10a. Sky Harbor deeper in town hasn't seen a 9b winter since 1990.

There's a guy in PHX that I used to correspond with that has had his Royals in the ground since 1979. Heck if the "great quake" hits coastal CA in the next 30 years that might mean that the Royals in PHX stand about as good a chance to be standing 30 years from now as any in LA? Certainly, I very much so hope to see them standing in both locations 30 plus years from now.

By comparison there's now some Ficus nitida in and around the metro area of the Valley as large as some of the largest I've seen in 10a and 10b CA. Yet here in 9b Tucson they're still none above 20' +/-.

Lee

[Randy]

I am in relatively cold spot (figures) in the metro Phoenix area in the winter as compared to down town PHX, but I'm just down the road from the two royals planted and thriving in the above pictures.

The three I have germinated in Arizona in containers are hopefully going to be more adaptive to my climate than something trucked in from Florida.

I'll be giving it a try with my three royal seedlings and hopefully we see fewer and fewer freezes here in the future. I guess that may be one advantage to the massive growth here in Phoenix - higher minimum temps. It's certainly been that way this summer!

:cool:

[aztropic]

Here's an update to the 2 royals at The Elephant Bar Restaurant.It's not pretty.

This past winter was extremely cold and the royals were once again exposed to the low 20's F and were defoliated. They both attempted to regenerate new fronds,but after experiencing a few days around 117F,

the one on the right,which sits in full western Arizona sun all summer long, finally gave up.

First pic shows them both 3 years ago.Second pic taken today.They have survived over 10 years without any special treatment,until now.

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

Up close... It's in about the worst spot you could put one of these with reflected heat, in addition to ultra high temps already.If planted on the east side of a building,this species actually does quite well here;despite an occasional defoliation.

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[SueH_AZ]

That's such a bummer to see... It has handled the heat so well over the years, it makes me think the extended cold spell last winter did much more damage than was obvious and it hadn't fully recovered before getting blasted with the dry heat.

The bush beside it looks pretty beat up, too. I wonder if they had a watering problem and didn't catch it in time?

[aztropic]

I think you are right about the water.This tree had made a recovery,growing 3 new fronds already this year but went downhill quickly when we got blasted with the 117 degree heatwave.Being a business,the tree was at the mercy of the landscapers, who may only stop by once a month if that.If a water line plugged,nobody probably noticed until it was too late.

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Randy]

So now that the survivor has cleared the roof line, it's a goner for sure. Zero crown shaft / bud protection. This to me has been a good benchmark being that it is about a mile from my house. The only way to grow this and other upper zonies in this area is with microclimate protection, which is a little tough for the majestic royals considering how large they get. Last winter, we had 5 consecutive nights in the 20's for long periods of time. I had a space heater placed inside an elaborate tent I had made. To of my three foxtails were lost pretty quickly, and the third which shoed spear growth has now halted and is now living out it's remaining photosynthesis with a dead bud.

I have had a lot of pride enjoying the beauty of these palms, and even with the microclimate protection and extraordinary measures nothing short of building a biosphere will maintain what I like in my zip code.

That was a devastating freeze, pygmy dates went kaboom in my area if they weren't protected, and of coarse millions of ficus trees defoliated after burning to a crisp. Thinking and contemplating what to do in those spaces next, remembering the definition of insanity.

[aztropic]

I wouldn't count that other royal out just yet.It's in a pretty good spot even though it is starting to get above the roofline.Here's a pic of one in Glendale,AZ in full sun,that has been through many freezes over the years.(Just south of Olive,on 43rd ave) I have 4 with wood above the roof line myself,and although they all completely defoliated this past winter,they all have generated 3 new fronds and a spear so far this year.Established royals are a lot tougher than people give them credit for... Definitely hardier than a foxtail!

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

So now that the survivor has cleared the roof line, it's a goner for sure. Zero crown shaft / bud protection. This to me has been a good benchmark being that it is about a mile from my house. The only way to grow this and other upper zonies in this area is with microclimate protection, which is a little tough for the majestic royals considering how large they get. Last winter, we had 5 consecutive nights in the 20's for long periods of time. I had a space heater placed inside an elaborate tent I had made. To of my three foxtails were lost pretty quickly, and the third which shoed spear growth has now halted and is now living out it's remaining photosynthesis with a dead bud.

I have had a lot of pride enjoying the beauty of these palms, and even with the microclimate protection and extraordinary measures nothing short of building a biosphere will maintain what I like in my zip code.

That was a devastating freeze, pygmy dates went kaboom in my area if they weren't protected, and of coarse millions of ficus trees defoliated after burning to a crisp. Thinking and contemplating what to do in those spaces next, remembering the definition of insanity.

If you still want to keep feather type palms in that area,Mule palms are the next up and coming thing for our area.Only 2 nurseries currently import them,but I suspect they will be more commonly available in the next few years as the public learns about them.They look pretty similar to a queen,but stay a nice dark green even in full sun,and laugh at the coldest temps we could ever throw at it.

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[DoomsDave]

Another great thing about Mules is that they don't set any seed or very little. None of the hassle dealing with those clumps of seeds for old folks to skate on . . .

[DesertCoconut]

I know this thread is very old, but I wanted to post an update on the surviving Royal at Chandler Fashion. It is alive and doing remarkably well! The Elephant Bar, however, has not survived and there is a dumpster in the parking lot indicating a remodel of the building. I wanted to document this beauty before anything happens to it because I know how real estate developers like to destroy things.

[Silas_Sancona]

 Great update.. and welcome to the forum Funny how ive not stumbled upon it even though in in the area/ pass by quite frequently, and live a few blocks east of the Mall. Aside from the specimen mentioned by Aztropic over I Glendale, another that's supposedly growing on the State house grounds downtown, and east side beast over at Treeland Nursery, i'd recently been told of a couple others growing in a courtyard at a shopping Plaza near Scottsdale.  Sad that they closed the Elephant. We had one back in San Jose. Lots of memories w/ the family there. Also hoping new developers leave this royal alone. 

If I can get my hands upon a pair of 15s locally, I'd been toying with the idea of adding a couple to a project I'm doing here at the house. There's an idle part of the front yard where I'm getting ready to rip up concrete laid by a former owner. Never gets used ..except by a neighbor who thinks he can park extra cars on it. That section of the overall yard sits in a prime spot for something extra experimental. A Royal pair, Sabal uresana, or possibly one of my Gumbo Limbo are all considerations.. Too small of an area to try something big like a Royal Poinciana. 

On a side note, I visited Tohono Chul Park last week to eyeball their collection and came across a couple big surprises. Near the Spanish Colonial Courtyard, someone has planted Colvillea racemosa and Tabebuia Cariba specimens, and acouple other un-expecteds. Small sized? Yes, but stopped me in my tracks.   Somewhat acquainted with Tucson's thermal belt, and having read about what was supposedly grown there in the past,  it will be interesting to see how these two trees do there. There's a nursery that sells roughly 100 types of Bamboo on the west side of town there as well.

Headed back that way Thursday and will try to get pictures. BTW, the new " Palm Canyon" exhibit is worthy of a visit if anyone is in town. Not the biggest display garden per se, but nice..  Looking forward to watching it get better established over the coming years. Again, if I get pictures, I'll post em.

[greysrigging]

Nice to see that Royal surviving ( thriving ). I have seen mature  Royals growing well in Mount Isa, an extremely hot and dry/dusty mining town in far north western Queensland. Summer max temps of 45c or 113f every year and the odd frosty nights (  but not every year ).The hot dry winds shred the fronds and sometimes they look a bit ratty, otherwise the hot sun has little effect on them.

[DoomsDave]

DC!

Welcome aboard!

Tell us sissies along the coast about all the great palms you can grow in the desert!

Also see my Private Message to you.

[aztropic]

Royals are definitely an option here in the valley of the sun.Location,though,is the key.When younger,they require protection from our summer afternoon sun.I have had great luck with them,when planted on the east side of something.(house,tree,wall,etc)

Here's a couple royal palms I grew from seed along with a royal poinciana;also grown from seed.Poinciana has hundreds of flower buds this year and should put on quite a show!

[greysrigging]

Your Poinciana will look like this in a few years....In a park near my house in Darwin, NT ( Australia )

They flower in Oct/Nov in our climate.

[aztropic]

They never look like that here in the desert! Here is an updated pic of ours flowering for the first time between 2 royal palms.Still quite a milestone for Mesa,Arizona as we usually get cold enough every 3 - 5 years to outright kill a tree at this size.Already lost 3 just a year away from flowering over the years, but finally got lucky with this one.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Vari805]

Wow Scott, that is well done!  

[aztropic]

On 4/18/2017 11:05:12, DesertCoconut said:

I know this thread is very old, but I wanted to post an update on the surviving Royal at Chandler Fashion. It is alive and doing remarkably well! The Elephant Bar, however, has not survived and there is a dumpster in the parking lot indicating a remodel of the building. I wanted to document this beauty before anything happens to it because I know how real estate developers like to destroy things.

Bad news... Here is the current state of this fairly rare for Arizona palm. Unfortunately,all the irrigation water was turned off months ago. Most of the other landscaping has already died or is in extreme distress.We just went through 2 weeks of 110F to 119F temperatures.Looks like the renovation/remodel to a new restaurant has stopped and the interior is gutted without any improvements yet. Unless our monsoon rains get going soon,this famous palm is a goner!

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

On 4/18/2017 11:05:12, DesertCoconut said:

 

[DesertCoconut]

That makes me sad. I've been watching that tree grow for the past 15 years. I had a bad feeling about it when I saw the restaurant close. 

But now I'm growing 2 of my own and they are taking the heat better than my queens and mules!

I wish I lived closer. I would water it with a couple 5 gallon buckets every night. Any volunteers? In the meantime, I'll be doing a little rain dance for it.

[Silas_Sancona]

I noticed this specimens' sad state yesterday while running errands. Took a look at the Royal at Treeland while picking up Pumice and a box of Humic acid earlier today. Amazing how much better that specimen looks with some degree of attention/ irrigation.  Wasnt as burned from our recent nuke fest as id feared. 

Agree with Scott, the other Royal near the mall is most likely a Goner if rain doesn't come soon. That being said, that exact prayer may be answered in the next 10 days.. or less, possibly starting mid- next week. Gfs, gfs-para, and a few other solutions ( via Tropical tidbits) continue hinting at a noticeable uptick of monsoonal relief. Cicadas have been buzzing for roughly 7 days here at the house. Cpc 14 day outlook update issued earlier today has Arizona under 33-40%+ chance for above normal precip. Bring it on!

[aztropic]

This was another famous local royal;probably the oldest in Phoenix that  died in last years bout with 120F.  (43rd ave just south of Olive in Glendale,Arizona)

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Hammer]

7 hours ago, aztropic said:

Bad news... Here is the current state of this fairly rare for Arizona palm. Unfortunately,all the irrigation water was turned off months ago. Most of the other landscaping has already died or is in extreme distress.We just went through 2 weeks of 110F to 119F temperatures.Looks like the renovation/remodel to a new restaurant has stopped and the interior is gutted without any improvements yet. Unless our monsoon rains get going soon,this famous palm is a goner!

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

Couple a 5 gallon buckets should help.  No?

[DesertCoconut]

2 hours ago, aztropic said:

This was another famous local royal;probably the oldest in Phoenix that  died in last years bout with 120F.  (43rd ave just south of Olive in Glendale,Arizona)

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

 

Oh no! I just saw that one last summer and it was doing great! Someone please tell me the one at the capitol building downtown is still alive? I haven't checked on it in a couple of years. How are yours doing, aztropic?  I saw the one at Treeland just last month. That's an amazing little oasis they have growing there.

[aztropic]

6 hours ago, Hammer said:

Couple a 5 gallon buckets should help.  No?

Any water would help but access to the tree is blocked by construction fencing...  Windows have been removed from the building only covered by plywood.It hasn't rained here in months but I would expect a storm within 2 or 3 weeks that hopefully will save it.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona.