A few weeks back I stopped at Len's place to buy a nice trachy nova, and Len showed me around a bit. He's a modest guy, but I feel his garden deserves to be featured on PalmTalk, it is simply stunning. If you wonder how his palms end up so dark green, try dolomite lime, that's Len's secret sauce. (It's mine too, along with good ol' urine.)

His Vista garden is inland far enough to supposedly be 10a, but looks more like a 10b zone to me. He would be better able to comment on the hardiness zone.

His bismarckia is just in the perfect spot, towering over a magnificent lagoon-style pool. Notice the kentia on the right, not much frost damage from last Winter, shows you how mild of a spot Len has.

I am going to put down what I remember from taking these pictures, but he will have to correct any of my comments. One of the next two photos is the old dypsis betafaka, which is not the real betafaka, but was referred to some as the "ugly betafaka" but it doesn't look ugly to me. He says it puts on a lot of growth in Winter.

This is one of two of Len's dypsis hybrids, don't remember which one, but it looks amazing:

This is the other hybrid in his front garden, they're both the same type of hybrid, but notice how different they look. That's attributed to the variation in the hybrids.

Here is a better view of the front yard one:

This is one of Len's copernicia, I am drawing a blank on which one, looks actually like a rigida or baileyana. He says this is one of the only ones that survived from all the copernicia he brought back from Florida. This is a real beauty. Don't say you can't grow copernicia in Southern California, this is a fantastic specimen.

That's all I had time to photograph, but there was so much more to see. I was a bit in a hurry as I had another stop to make at Joe's place. The picture below is Joe's brahea edulis forest, showing how amazing something as common as brahea edulis can look.

Lens got a great looking garden. i wish you had something for scale by the bizzy. that thing is a freaking beast! thanks for the photos!

Yeh, Pope Leonard Geiger the 2nd has a great garden!

great shots,axel.

nicely grown trees. in the first photo in the first post, is the plant to the left of the bismarkia near the water's edge a allogoptera (arenaria perhaps)?

Awesome Copernicia!!!!!!

Beautiful palms Len. I'm thinking the Dypsis cross are D. lepto. X D. decaryi. And maybe the Copernicia is a C. bailyana. Definitely not C. rigida. I wish you had more pictures.

Len, btw, did you ever keep any of the crotons alive near your front door?

Thanks,guys.

Gary, no one will get your Pope reference

Danny, thanks, it is a Fallaensis. Can't stop yellowing in winter

Grant, yes. Good eye. They say it is the most salt tolerant palm in the world. I put it there hoping it would take the pool water splash, leaking from waterfall, etc. It does great. Even has leaves sitting in pool water and doesn't even brown.

Thanks,guys.

Gary, no one will get your Pope reference

Danny, thanks, it is a Fallaensis. Can't stop yellowing in winter

Grant, yes. Good eye. They say it is the most salt tolerant palm in the world. I put it there hoping it would take the pool water splash, leaking from waterfall, etc. It does great. Even has leaves sitting in pool water and doesn't even brown.

Uhhhh. I got the pope reference...

i love the papal gardens!!!!

Beautiful palms Len. I'm thinking the Dypsis cross are D. lepto. X D. decaryi. And maybe the Copernicia is a C. bailyana. Definitely not C. rigida. I wish you had more pictures.

Len, btw, did you ever keep any of the crotons alive near your front door?

Jeff, the crosses are teddy tris. The first is killer. My friend Tri got it from Australlia. It is cold sensitive and brown tips. The other one is one I got from you. It never brown tips and is cold tolerant. Go figure.

I still have a few of your crotons. Non-palm people that visit the garden always comment on those plants more than any others. They don't grow like they do for you but i am very happy to have them. Here is Purity (has to be cut back all the time), Eleanor Roosevelt (grows like champ), Mamey (grows like champ), Stop Light (my favorite), charmer (super slow) and General Patton? (Slow also).

<edit> pics loaded in reverse order from what I typed.

Dude, that B. veillardii crown shaft is massive!

Dude, that B. veillardii crown shaft is massive!

It's crazy big. Want some seed from it?

Ok. I killed the last hundred from your tree, let's begin the massacre again. If you need me to help stop that C. fallaensis from yellowing, let me know.

Ok. I killed the last hundred from your tree, let's begin the massacre again. If you need me to help stop that C. fallaensis from yellowing, let me know.

I have tons of volunteers from this palm growing great under it. You kill 100. Weak.

Great Looking Garden Len, inviting pool you have there, can you add a few more pics of it? and aint that Veillardii a very chunky mother. Pete

dear len,

beautiful garden with manny of my favorite palms in it..

dear axel,

thanks for the visuals.

love,

kris.

I have been to Lens garden a couple times. He does a great job growing plants! :greenthumb: My profile pic came from his place last time I was there.

Randy

Thanks for the pics Axel. California crotons, huh!

One of the best and most varied gardens in Socal imho.

Len, your Allogoptera looks great! You dont see those enough in California despite them growing well here (albeit slow). Yours looks like it loves the extra heat from all the surrounding rock work. And its a good choice near the pool being that it will stay small and doesnt mind the occasional cannonball splash.

Pope? I like it...

Well, George's nursery in Fallbrook did in fact dip to 27F... Perhaps there a special pope badge for Len that the PalmTalk admins could provide.

Great garden Len! Looks like a very relaxing environment for a palm nut! I love those teddy triangle hybrids!

Thanks guys! Peter, really.? Thanks man. Randy, it has grown a lot since you were here

crotons add a nice splash of color and a very nice B. veillardi as well good balance of plant material you have. ty for the pics

Looks really good Len. Hows the carlsmithii looking?

Great pictures Axel

I am sure you had a great time visiting Len's fabulous garden !

Stay tuned for my thead on Len's place 55 pictures and 2 hrs of video !

Looks really good Len. Hows the carlsmithii looking?

Hey Shon. It is trunking but I can't imagine it being a straight Carl, it has a trunk the size of a Lutescens.

Outstanding garden! Love the use of the crotons for a bit of color. A very tropical oasis you got going there Len.

I am so glad this topic got moosed. That betafaka looks cool.

Thanks Moose. The cool Crotons I have came from Jeff. Many died but the ones that made it do great. Jeff said he is sending me "Jackpot" soon. Can't wait.

What a shame I did not get to see this place? But a San Diego PRA is coming, and I will be there to see this incredible garden. Can't wait.

A fantastic garden indeed and chalk full of rare beauties primarily from Madagascar.