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Walnut Creek, California, The Dick Douglas Garden


freakypalmguy

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Wow, the Butia x Parajubaea cocoides is growing fast! As are so many of your palms. This garden in the inspiration to many of us here in Northern Calif. The Trithrinax campestris (driveway), Butia paraguayensis and Brahea elegans are three of my favorites, and have to be seen to be fully appreciated. The color of these palms is incredible.

Glenn

Modesto, California

 

Sunset Zone 14   USDA 9b

 

Low Temp. 19F/-7C 12-20-1990         

 

High Temp. 111F/43C 07-23-2006

 

Annual Average Precipitation 13.12 inches/yr.

 

             

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Dick: Do you have a guess at why the crowns on your Jubs are so small relative to most of the pictures I see out there?

Longview, Texas :: Record Low: -5F, Feb. 16, 2021 :: Borderline 8A/8B :: '06-'07: 18F / '07-'08: 21F / '08-'09: 21F / '09-'10: 14F / '10-'11: 15F / '11-'12: 24F / '12-'13: 23F / '13-'14: 15F / '14-'15: 20F / '15-'16: 27F / '16-'17: 15F / '17-'18: 8F / '18-'19: 23F / '19-'20: 19F / '20-'21: -5F / '21-'22: 20F / '22-'23: 6F

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Truly awesome. Thanks for posting the photos Matt. Another 25 years and maybe my place will look like that.

Martin Farris, San Angelo, TX

San Angelo Cold Hardy Palms and Cycads

Jul - 92F/69F, Jan - 55F/31F

Lows:

02-03: 18F;

03-04: 19F;

04-05: 17F;

05-06: 11F;

06-07: 13F;

07-08: 14F 147.5 Freezing Degree-Hours http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?sh...ee+hours\;

08-09: 23F;

09-10: 12F 467.6 Freezing Degree Hours, Average Temperature During Freeze 24.2F;

10-11: 13F 1,059.5 Freezing Degree Hours with Strong Winds/Rain/Snow/Sleet, Average Temperature During Freeze 19.4F;

Record low -4F in 1989 (High of 36F that p.m.) 1,125.2 freezing degree hours, Average Temperature During Freeze 13.6F;

Record Freeze 1983: 2,300.3 Freezing Degree Hours with a low of 5F, Average Temperature During Freeze 13.7F.

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Bravo!

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Fantastic garden. So beautifull mature palms!!

I have some offspring from the Butia x Jubaea off the second photo. Shame there is nobody near the palm for scale. I´m very curious about the real size of that palm!

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

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Fantastic garden. So beautifull mature palms!!

I have some offspring from the Butia x Jubaea off the second photo. Shame there is nobody near the palm for scale. I´m very curious about the real size of that palm!

Hi Alberto,

In Post #2, picture #3 looking up into the crown, is taken by me while standing within 2 feet. I'm 5'10", so I'm guessing 10 feet minimum to the crown. The diameter is similar to that of a 55 gallon oil drum. I hope that helps.

Matt in Temecula, CA

Hot and dry in the summer, cold with light frost in the winter. Halfway between the desert and ocean

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Thanks Dick and Matt!!

Wow, one of the best home gardens I have ever seen, what a collection of palms.

Bruce

Innisfail - NQ AUS - 3600mm of rain a year average or around 144inches if you prefer - Temp Range 9c to 43c

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Beautiful garden and a wonderful collection of palms, most of which don't do very well here in N-FL (except Butia which seem really happy here). I've got a small ButiaXJubea from Jungle Music I need to plant this year. Our freezing January weather opened up a few spaces driving the change that makes a garden an evolution. I really enjoy seeing palms in different climates. When I see a well managed palm garden (like Dick's) in a climate much different than mine, I find myself thinking...I'd be cool to have a place there to grow palms that I can't grow here.

Land O Lakes FL, a suburb on the North Side of Tampa, FL

Summers are great, 90f/32c in the day & 70f/21c at night with plentiful rain & sun

Winters are subtropical with occasional frosts and freezes. Tropical cyclones happen.

We have a few Royal palms in the warm microclimates but Coconuts freeze.

I am a Kayaker, Hiker, Bicyclist, and amateur Photographer that loves the outdoors.  

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Absolutely amazing palm garden...

Thanks for the pictures and also Dick for the valuable information concerning the history of the collection and the cultivation tips for the various species...

Sirinhaém beach, 80 Km south of Recife - Brazil

Tropical oceanic climate, latitude 8° S

Temperature extremes: 25 to 31°C

2000 mm average rainfall, dry summers

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It's a Nanny Dave, but I see how you could wonder which.

Matt

Matt in Temecula, CA

Hot and dry in the summer, cold with light frost in the winter. Halfway between the desert and ocean

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Thanks for all of your nice comments about my palm garden. I'll try to answer all of your questions, but for now.....about the Nannorhops. I have 5 planted around various parts of the garden. When they were all planted about 35 years ago they were in full sun. Over the years other palms have grown up and shaded some of them. The one in the picture is the most silver one and I wish it were a Brahea ducumbens. I have 2 small decumbens in pots, and they don't grow very fast for me. As small as they are, I think they need putting in the ground......in a sunny spot which I don't have much of anymore.

I've found that Nannorhops will take quite a bit of shade and still look nice, but I think full sun is ideal for them. I have one Nanny that has grown into a giant, while the others are much smaller. They all came from the same source, and I don't know why one has grown to be so large. Once established, the Nanny's seem to thrive on neglect, and they are very drought tolerant, but they take my winter rains and the soil is saturated all winter. I have one that is growing in quite a bit of shade which is very silver. The amount of light doesn't seem to affect the color.

I've never moved one or tried to divide one, but I may attempt to do that this year. I have one in the shade that looks like it could be divided into about 3 pieces as the rhizomes run along the surface of the ground. Has anyone ever tried to divide or move one?

Dick

Richard Douglas

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I really enjoyed that tour, it must look fabulous in person.

Gary

Rock Ridge Ranch

South Escondido

5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo

33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet

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Gary and all, as I have mentioned before, any of you are welcome to visit for a palm tour. I'm retired, so I'm around most of the time, just drop me an E-mail and let me know when. I'm only 5 minutes from the Plesant Hill BART station and it's easy to get here on BART if you don't have wheels. I recommend visiting in the warmer months, because it's kind of soggy in the winter months.

The Butia X Jubaea is self sterile, but it will cross with Butia, Jubaea, and Syagrus. Repeated attempts with Parajubaea have failed. It's pollen is also good on Jubaea, Butia, and Syagrus. The trunk thickness is about what one would expect, about half between a Butia and a Jubaea. It usually starts blooming in June and has 6 to 8 inflorescences. The spathes are covered with rust tomentum and they are bright magenta on the inside when they first open. The flowers are magenta and are quite beautiful.

The only two Chamaedoreas I can grow outside are C. microspadix and radicalis. I have both forms of C. radicalis, the trunking one and the ground hugging one. I like the lower form better. I use C. microspadix as an understory palm under the taller palms. They will take quite a bit of sun, but like overhead shade mid day. They give a nice tropical effect, and the orange fruit gives a splash of color in the garden. I shake the male flowers over the females when they reach anthesis and get a good fruit set. I only have one "Douglas delight" and it's in the ground and seems to be quite cold hardy. It's a cross between C. oreophila and C. radicalis.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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As happ said, "your garden is an inspiration". Seeing all these photos almost had me feeling I had visited your garden, which I really enjoyed as it contains so many different and beautiful palms from what we see in our area. Congratulations!

Hawaii Island (Big Island), leeward coast, 19 degrees N. latitude, south Kona mauka at approx. 380m (1,250 ft.) and about 1.6 km (1-mile) upslope from ocean.

 

No record of a hurricane passing over this island (yet!).  

Summer maximum rainfall - variable averaging 900-1150mm (35-45") - Perfect drainage on black volcanic rocky soil.  

Nice sunsets!

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As happ said, "your garden is an inspiration". Seeing all these photos almost had me feeling I had visited your garden, which I really enjoyed as it contains so many different and beautiful palms from what we see in our area. Congratulations!

Thanks Al, and I would love to see your place sometime. Seems you can grow a lot of palms on your side of the island that don't do well on the wet Heilo side. How about a photo tour of your garden sometime?

Dick

Richard Douglas

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Dick, have you had to irrigate extensively? Do you ever get a visit from a water district rep?

Los Angeles/Pasadena

34° 10' N   118° 18' W

Elevation: 910'/278m

January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F

July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F

Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm

USDA 11/Sunset 23

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?MTW

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What a beautiful garden! Great photos.

That bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides, if I recall correctly?) looks great with the lawn--but that looks like major lawn maintenance! Do you have some special trick, or spend a lot of time trimming the grass around those culms?

zone 7a (Avg. max low temp 0 to 5 F, -18 to -15 C), hot humid summers

Avgs___Jan__Feb__Mar__Apr__May__Jun__Jul__Aug__Sep__Oct__Nov__Dec

High___44___49___58___69___78___85___89___87___81___70___59___48

Low____24___26___33___42___52___61___66___65___58___45___36___28

Precip_3.1__2.7__3.6__3.0__4.0__3.6__3.6__3.6__3.8__3.3__3.2__3.1

Snow___8.1__6.2__3.4__0.4__0____0____0____0____0____0.1__0.8__2.2

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Happ,

Fortunately I have a well and all of the back is well water. It's hard water and leaves residue on the plants, but it is basically unlimited. The front is not piped for well water, but that's the reason there are always hoses strung around. I have a hose directly from the well pump that I move around in the front. It keeps me busy moving sprinklers around, but it does the job. Also the Ignacio valley is over a huge aquifer and the water table is not that deep. I water in the summer anyway, but I think most of the large palms have their roots down to moisture.

As for the bamboo and the grass in the front........It is not fun to mow around bamboo. I only get the electric trimmers out to trim around the bamboo if I'm having a group in. It takes me a couple of days to trim neatly around the bamboo. I don't maintain my place like I once did. I'm getting old and it's to much for me now. My regular garden guy, who was excellent, found a decent job so I don't have his services anymore. I NEED a good garden guy to come in once a week, but they are hard to find. I refuse to hire anyone who doesn't know what their doing.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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Magical garden! Thanks Matt for the photos and thanks Dick for the vision of planting palms that thrive in your climate.

That's what makes it so special.

How could you not want to hug that big Jubea or at least give it a good friendly pat.

Dick, not only do you have a fantastic garden, but your mentoring on this board provides invaluable information as well.

I think it's called clout.

I too enjoy watching my babies grow, but it will be a few years before they make a presence in the garden. Hmmm....

starting to wonder about my palm spacing.

blink.gif

Thanks guys.

Tim

Tim

Hilo, Hawaii

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Dick, I echo what Tim just said. I always enjoy reading your posts and learning from your expertise, especially when it comes to hybrids. It's nice to see you in your wonderful garden, it gives us zone impaired people something to strive for.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Dick,

Post #9 first photo... What palm is that ?

Thanks

Dave

Dave,

The palm is a sabal, but I don't know which one. I once had 9 different Sabals, but one got smothered out by the bamboo growing up front, and another which seemed to be the picture of health developed a bud rot and suddenly quit growing. I don't know what happened to the growth point, but I don''t think it was cold. Most of the Sabals seem to be cold hardy in my climate, but they quit growing in my long cool, and sometimes wet, winters.

Over the years labels get lost and so does my memory, so I can't remember what half my sabals are now, but they all look different. Sabals are hard to identify unless they come from habitat. Even the experts get confused. Over the years some of the world's leading taxonomist have visited my garden, including Dr. Harold Moore, Dr. Uhl, Dr. Dransfield, Dr, Hodel and others, and even they were not positive about the identification of some of the sabals.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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It looks like a Trachycarpus martianus....

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

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It looks like a Trachycarpus martianus....

It is a Trach martianus. Thrinax or Cocothrinax will not grow for me. The nights are much to cool, even in the summer.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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One of the best collection of photos i have seen of Dicks garden - surely one of the best collection of cool hardy palms .

Now i need more land ! :mrlooney:

Old Beach ,Hobart
Tasmania ,Australia. 42 " south
Cool Maritime climate

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Dick: Do you have a guess at why the crowns on your Jubs are so small relative to most of the pictures I see out there?

Buffy, sorry I missed your Jubaea question before. The one with Spider Man (freakeypalmguy) glued to the trunk has a very strict growing habit. The crown on it is smaller than the others I have, but it seems to be the fastest growing and has the thickest trunk. I don't know if there's anything to it, but I've heard the strict ones tend to have thicker trunks. The other 3 I have growing in the back seem to have normal sized crowns, but none of mine droop or have relaxed fronds like some I have seen.

One of mine has been blooming for over 10 years, and 2 bloomed for the first time last year. They are getting pretty tall, and I just hope Patrick Schafer doesn't fall off a ladder pollinating them, because I'm sure he won't waste a flower. The Jubaeas are harder to pollinate than the Butias, not only because they are higher, but the fronds are very rigid and it's harder to reach the flowers. Sometimes he has to remove a higher up frond to reach the flowers.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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Here's the original picture of the Jube before I altered, er, I mean, climbed it.

060.jpg

Dick, to also tag on to your answer to Buffy, these pictures do nothing to show the really massive size of the his trees. Here is the picture just before I made my ascent, it gives a better feeling of the scale of this beast.

067.jpg

Matt in Temecula, CA

Hot and dry in the summer, cold with light frost in the winter. Halfway between the desert and ocean

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Nice thread, Matt and Dick.

I was there 2 years ago, and only had time for the half hour tour. I'm up there almost every year, and next time I need to take a longer look.

2 questions and a statement:

Dick - I can't see the crown of the palm on the right in the first picture below. Is it a mule?

In the second photo below - Mule or shade-stretched Butia? I like it either way.

Third Photo -How tropical is this! Anyone that can grow Trachycarpus could eventually have this view.

post-662-12673757921921_thumb.jpg

post-662-1267375824011_thumb.jpg

post-662-12673758342476_thumb.jpg

Zone 9b/10a, Sunset Zone 22

7 miles inland. Elevation 120ft (37m)

Average annual low temp: 30F (-1C)

Average annual rainfall: 8" (20cm)

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Very nice garden, everything is very... furry. I guess most cold hardy palms are furry? Looks pretty cool though. I love the Jubaea, one thing that I wish would grow here.

Keith

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Terry,

I have 4 mature Jubaeas. 3 have bloomed and one has not. The one that hasn't bloomed is shorter than the others and it gets more shade from an Oak. The palm growing next to the tall Jubaea is a mule. I call it my mule on steroids, because it's huge, twice as large as the two others I have. It's the largest one I've ever seen.

The Butia is a stretched out shade grown. It started out in the sun but the Washingtonias and other things have grown faster and shaded it.

Spring is around the corner. I just noticed one of my Trac. wagnerianus is pushing out a bloom spike.

Dick

Richard Douglas

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Fantastic garden. So beautifull mature palms!!

I have some offspring from the Butia x Jubaea off the second photo. Shame there is nobody near the palm for scale. I´m very curious about the real size of that palm!

This is my fastest and greener (BxJ)x B, offspring of D.Douglas famous palm.

Dick,what is the measure of your palm at the base and men´s height?

post-465-12675407032197_thumb.jpg

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

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Another (BxJ)XB

This one was the more Jubaea alike since seedling stage and also slower growing.

post-465-12675408911275_thumb.jpg

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

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This is very blue and looks more like a pure Butia.

post-465-12675411977143_thumb.jpg

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

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Dick: Thanks for the reply. I love this thread. I have a sister-in-law at Berkeley. I'll have to visit you the next time I go see her.

Longview, Texas :: Record Low: -5F, Feb. 16, 2021 :: Borderline 8A/8B :: '06-'07: 18F / '07-'08: 21F / '08-'09: 21F / '09-'10: 14F / '10-'11: 15F / '11-'12: 24F / '12-'13: 23F / '13-'14: 15F / '14-'15: 20F / '15-'16: 27F / '16-'17: 15F / '17-'18: 8F / '18-'19: 23F / '19-'20: 19F / '20-'21: -5F / '21-'22: 20F / '22-'23: 6F

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