High Altitude Garden

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

I went to San Jose for a few days and while I was there I met up with one of our local palm society members. First we went to check out a location for a future meeting of the Costa Rica Palm Society and then we went back to his place for lunch and a walk around the garden. He lives at 1,200 meters (roughly 4,000 feet) elevation.

Queen Palms are not common in Costa Rica and I thought his was spectacular! He said it was planted 6 to 8 years ago and it grew like a rocket.

His beefy little Majesty Palm

Cyrtostachys renda looking pretty good

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

He said this was sold to him as a bottle palm, but we are not sure if it's a bottle or a spindle.

He has a nice Triangle Palm

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Verschaffeltia splendida

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Even Heliconia vellerigera (She-Kong) looked pretty good. I was surprised to see it blooming.

Attalea rostrata from seed he collected near the Pacific Coast

Ravenala madagascariensis looking tattered - it can get pretty windy in this location.

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Mystery clumping palm. He couldn't remember the name of this one.

Looking up at the crowns

Entire palm

Base

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Bird of Paradise was blooming all along his driveway.

I can't grow these here by the beach. They get black sooty mold and die.

High altitude coconut. He said it fruits occasionally, but not often.

A shot of his palms in the back of the property.

Areca catechu is the tallest palm behind the bodega. To the right is the mystery clumper, then Livistona, Verschaffeltia, Triangle.

Last photo. When I got back to the house in Escazu where I was staying, I watched this Mot-Mot bird eating seeds while sitting on this Dypsis lutescens infructescence.

[JASON M]

I think the mystery palm that clumps is a dypsis baronii

[DoomsDave]

Mystery clumping palm. He couldn't remember the name of this one.

Looking up at the crowns

Entire palm

Base

Dypsis baronii!

Scream

[PalmsZA]

mystery clumper looks more like Euterpe to me boys!

Great palms your mate has Jeff!

[bayside mike]

Nice pics thank's Jeff.

San Jose is a cool place right in the middle of so much.

[ariscott]

I love tropical highlands.... Can they grow ultra tropical stuff there or are they a bit too high???

Regards, Ari

[Jeff Searle]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for sharing some pictures of your friends garden. It's interesting with the varieities he's growing. The Hyophorbe is the Spindle palm. I'm somewhat surprise to see the Sealing Wax growing so nicely at 4,000' elevation. That specific Heliconia should flower alot there as it is a high elevation species. And even the coconut growing there shows the wide range this palm has. Thanks again!

Jeff

[Alberto]

I love tropical highlands.... Can they grow ultra tropical stuff there or are they a bit too high???

Regards, Ari

Cyrtostachys renda sounds ´´pretty ultra tropical´´ in my ears....

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Thanks everyone!

Jeff, thanks for the ID on the Hyophorbe.

Ari, I agree with Alberto. I consider C. renda to be ultra tropical as well. My friend wants to try some Jubaea there and I think they would do great in his location. Also, I plan to give him some Dictyocaryum lamarckianum when they get a little bigger (I have 100 seeds starting to germinate now) and I would love for him to try some Ceroxylon there too.

[paulgila]

great shots,as always,jeff!

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Thanks Paul.

Here's a photo that I forgot to post. Shows the size of his Syagrus with a car for scale.

I love the nice rings on the trunk.

The tall palms on the right are Areca catechu which line his driveway.

[paulgila]

that is a nice-looking syagrus! upright fronds,respectable stature,cool ringed trunk--whats not to like?

[ariscott]

Ari, I agree with Alberto. I consider C. renda to be ultra tropical as well. My friend wants to try some Jubaea there and I think they would do great in his location. Also, I plan to give him some Dictyocaryum lamarckianum when they get a little bigger (I have 100 seeds starting to germinate now) and I would love for him to try some Ceroxylon there too.

Some trees and gingers are more ultra tropical than C. renda... 'Doh!! We are in palm forum... .

The reason I asked was I absolutely love tropical highlands.... there is nothing like it. Where I grew up, there is a mountainous area just outside of Jakarta, with elevation range from 700 - 1300m. It is absolutely beautiful and cool, but no frost. Everything grows like weeds, literally even the ultra tropical stuff but you can also grow hydrangea. It was quite bizarre to see torch gingers growing side by side with hydrangea. But that is what I want to do eventually if I can make myself to leave this place. Although having a place in tropical highlands in Bali wouldn't be bad.

Atherton tablelands is tropical highlands outside of Cairns, but they can go down to 0 deg C there and the ultra tropical stuff won't grow too well. Some will grow but won't flower.

Regards, Ari

[MikeL]

Thanks for the pictures, Jeff. That mystery clumping palm sure looks like Euterpe oleracea.

I'm also surprised to see how well C. renda does at 4000 feet in Costa Rica. My friend grows dozens at around 2000 feet on Maui and complains about their lack of vigor at that elevation.

Mike

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Paul, My sentiments exactly. I know Queens are a bore for most people (including myself when I lived in FL) but I don't see them very often in Costa Rica so I appreciate them more now, especially a robust one!

Ari, Hopefully one day we will chat on FB from our respective tropical highland farms!

Mike, I was thinking Euterpe also, but I have never grown any large ones before (mine are all small) so I'm not familiar with them as adults.

Regarding the C. renda, I think that location has a lot to do with it. The closer you get to the equator, the warmer it seems to be at higher elevations. I would say it was low to mid 80's the day I was there and it even felt a little humid. The nights must not get too chilly since the C. renda looked pretty happy there.

[Really full garden]

Jeff,my new garden is at 800m and C.renda does fine.I think some of the ultra tropicals are a little slower than at lower elevations.I have also noticed that crotons do not achieve the same intensity of color that they do in my beach garden.The lowest recorded temp.during the last 20 yrs was only 56F.