Some suggestions please

[sur4z]

I would appreciate some suggestions to replace the Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily) sitting in pots on either side of my front door. The house is in South Florida and is a few hundred yards from the ocean. The front door faces North and is covered by a second floor balcony. The east side of the yard has a 20 foot high seagrape hedge and as you can see in the picture there is a wall on the west side of the door. I say all this because these pots never get direct sunlight. So what I am looking for is an attractive palm that is slow growing, doesn't need direct sunlight and doesn't need constant watering (that's the problem with what I have now...I tend to forget to water it and it droops). Thanks

[Kim]

I don't know about the shady exposure, but I remember seeing Adonidia merrillii in Belize in broken clay pots with the roots exposed doing just fine. They were definitely not pampered palms, looked like they could tolerate anything but cold weather.

Edit: I actually saw a potted pair in Chicago, they looked okay. Seriously!

[paulgila]

my suggestion is c.plumosa. the only drawback is they grow so fast!

[tjwalters]

I'm thinking small Rhapis. Too common?

[JASON M]

C. elegans

[sur4z]

Kim- I sorry if i made it sound like I wanted a maintenance free palm...I plan to give whatever I decide on the appropriate TLC but I am not ususally home during the day except on weekends and i don't want something to dry up and die. The Christmas palm is a little to common around here and is very susceptible to LY. Also I think I would like some palmate palm. Thanks

P.kelapa- Thanks for that suggestion but for my purposes I think it wouuld get too wide and get in the way of the door. Maybe something like a L.spinosa would work.

[Kim]

Okey dokey, not a palm to be tortured then. Maybe a pretty little Asterogyne martiana? Not palmate, but a different look with the undivided leaves, and it will remain small.

[Walter John]

Rhaphis for sure

[putu enjula]

Rhaphis for sure

How about a variegated Rhaphis!?

[AggiePalms]

Hmmm... the only problem with L. spinosa is ... it is spinosa! All Licuala would be spectacular if not too wide or spiny for an entryway. A couple of other palmate suggestions would be a pair of native small Thrinas (you don't see those in every doorway!) or maybe one of the container happy Livistona species, like a rotundifolia? If your space were wider I would recommend Kerriodoxa, really great as an entryway focal point suitable for part shade. The black petioles with those weeping round leaves are really nice. I have to agree though with all the Rhapis suggestions.

Good luck. You can really enhance that doorway with any of the suggestions.

[Ken Johnson]

Chamadorea species are nice. metalica?

[sur4z]

Okey dokey, not a palm to be tortured then. Maybe a pretty little Asterogyne martiana? Not palmate, but a different look with the undivided leaves, and it will remain small.

I was unfamiliar with this little palm but after a little research I have to say it's a pretty cool palm...the only problem I think I read on one of the sites is that it likes to be wet.

[Gileno Machado]

Lytocaryum would look very nice too and they seem to perform fine in indirect light outdoors, but they'd also need a frequent shower...

[realarch]

Arenga hookeriana.......ummmm ummmmm.

[Kim]

Okey dokey, not a palm to be tortured then. Maybe a pretty little Asterogyne martiana? Not palmate, but a different look with the undivided leaves, and it will remain small.

I was unfamiliar with this little palm but after a little research I have to say it's a pretty cool palm...the only problem I think I read on one of the sites is that it likes to be wet.

You can easily set up some onobtrusive drip lines to the pots. You might have to do that with any palm interesting and unusual enough to please you. I've never been to Florida, but my understanding is you have a distinct wet and dry season and the ambient humidity is ample year round, is that correct? If the air is dry, the Asterogyne would be a poor choice.

[Walter John]

Rhaphis for sure

How about a variegated Rhaphis!?

oui..

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Your problem is that the space is small so that leaves out many nice species that get stretched out in the shade and anything with thorns or teeth. No Licuala or Livistona. Thrinax get stretched out and would work only the first year or so, then start to encroach on your entrance way. Rhapis is definately the way to go and there are several varieties to choose from. How about something you don't see every day like Chuniophoenix nana?

[tjwalters]

Rhaphis for sure

I'm not familiar with that one.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Oooh oooh! Look here!

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=29700

[DoomsDave]

Sur4z

You have many possibilities where you are.

Rhapis will be great, especially the smaller kinds, like laosensis, subtilis, etc.

Or, a variegated excelsa. Rock tha house! yo yo yo yo, etc.

Chuniophoenix nana is an adorable little palmate palm that will get to be about 2 feet tall from a small plant in the ground in a few years, but will stay a lot smaller in a pot. Maybe too small, but it's great for a little spot like you have. It will never become a monster. IT gets these seeds that look like orange nickel gum-balls.

Hmm. If you want to try a rarity, Licuala mapu. It's speckled, and slow. If it does get too big, count your lucky stars and sell it to someone for a fortune, or put it in the ground.

Small chamadoreas will also work well. Metallica is bees' knees. It's pretty to look at and tougher than you think. It won't get all spazzed if you forget to water it for a day or two. Ernest-augustii will be good, though it might get a bit wide. Fragrans is good, too, though it will get tall, it's a clumper, not a monster (at least not here) and the blossoms smell pretty, like its name indicates. And, there's good old bush type radicalis! You killa' dat', you needa' see-a dawctah!

Trachycarpus nana. NOT wagnerianus! Nana stays teensy.

Ravenea! Hillebrandtii! Pinnnate, but small and adorable.

Mama mia mama mia . . .

OH!

If you want to really have fun, get a couple of Dypsis "slick willy" and put them on either side of your door. They'll eventually get big, but not that fast, and when they do you can put them in the ground and have people swoon over them. THe Hoopers' is about 30 years old and 6 feet tall.

There are others, too . . .

Gotta rev up the brain

[bubba]

Kim, The humidity of South Florida is something I do not believe you can understand without experiencing it.Even our "dry season" would feel swampy to you.It is one of the reasons that the California climate is greatly enjoyed by my family. I only wonder if you Californians understand how good the lack of humidity feels. It may be one of those things that is taken for granted.

I have to go with Dave's choice of the Hilldebrandtii. I recently saw one of these and it is a little jewel.

[BigFrond]

How about some lipstick?

[sur4z]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I had a good time looking up the palms I was unfamiliar with. I think I have narrowed it down to two (unless I change my mind).

R.hildebrandtii

A.vestiaria

[DoomsDave]

LICUALA Mapu!

Yeah, it's a bit tender, but the doorway is covered. You're in So-Flo, which means you'll have the humidity it likes.

I'd try a couple.

This from the PACSOA website:

Common Names:

L. mattenensis var 'Mapu'

Distribution & Habitat:

Rainforest in south-eastern Sarawak, Borneo.

Description:

An absolutely spectacular palm !!! Beautifully mottled leaves, up to about 300mm (12") across, on plants up to about 2.5m tall, although generally much less. Solitary trunk, and yellow, bananna shaped fruit.

General:

Extremely highly sought after by collectors, it has until recently been very expensive, but the increased availability of seed has seen the price drop to more reasonable levels.

Culture:

Warm, sheltered and moist. Will grow outside as far south as Brisbane, but does prefer a warmer climate.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I've planted Chamaedorea elegans multiples in clients front porch planters in the past and they are all doing fine and look great, even with the clients with the brown thumbs.

[Kim]

Nice choices, but I have a hard time imagining the A. vestiaria fitting in those dinky pots for long. You'll be tripping over stilt roots and dodging fronds in no time.

[sur4z]

Okay Okay...I'm waffling already. How about my first thought...

L.spinosa

or Dave's choice L.mapu

[sur4z]

oops...

L.mapu

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The spinosa has teeth, of course, so there is the problem of snagging visitors and their clothing. A small spinosa will work but only for a while, then they get pretty darn big. The clump at the Arboretum is at least 10 feet wide.

The mapu stays small so the teeth probably are not an issue. I don't know what the cost is on them now but they can't be cheap. You can't beat the beauty and uniqueness of the mapu, but the downside is they are sloooow, expensive and difficult to grow. If your front porch is visible from the street, there is a good chance of them being stolen.

Here is an idea. I have seen (but never done it) thrinax leaves cut back so they resemble the spinosa leaves. The trick is to cut the spear leaf tip off before it opens. It gives a weird look to it but it looks a lot like a licuala.

[Alberto]

Reinhardtia gracilis!

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Reinhardtia/gracilis.html

[Coco Bonsai]

how about this....

feel free to visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coco-Bonsai/191417977569937

[DoomsDave]

YES!

Reinhardtias are adorable, and slow. Not cheap, but worth the wait if you can.

Licuala spinosa I think will be too bulky and spiny for your spot. Go for a small, wimpy Licuala.

Jerry raises a good point, alas, about theft, though if you're in a gated community that shouldn't be too big of a problem.

Bythe way who says you can have only two pots? Why not four? Or six? Or Eight . . .

OR . . . . (bleah! )

[DoomsDave]

GUIHAIA!

Palmate, slow as Congress in a dither, mama to make a decision, daddy to . . . well. . . .

[DoomsDave]

how about this....

feel free to visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coco-Bonsai/191417977569937

C-C-B, that is [expletive] ADORABLE!

[sur4z]

GUIHAIA!

Palmate, slow as Congress in a dither, mama to make a decision, daddy to . . . well. . . .

Dave- I had not heard of this palm but after a google search it led me to a palm talk thread and it is a very cool palm...but it looks to be a little pointy and tends to spread out since it is suckering. I think your L.mapu suggestion is the way to go. I'll keep an eye out for a couple at next months PRA.

[Tomw]

Arenga hookeriana.......ummmm ummmmm.

I'll second the Arenga hooeriana.

Also the Coccothrinax montana

coccothrinax montana.bmp

or Coccothrinax crinita

[peachy]

I thought some of the calytrocalyx species would be lovely there. (and they get red new leaves too)

Peachy

[sur4z]

To all who chimed in...thank you for your suggestions. Even though I professed to have narrowed it down above, I did fianaly narrow it down to a C. metallica or L. grandis. And the winner was...

[Kim]

Nice choice, looking good! Maybe add a little bacopa to trail over the edge of the pot, or something similar. Who wouldn't love to have a pair of L. grandis like that by the door, elegant!