Bay Area PRA - Jim's Heavenly Abode

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

This weekend I decided to do another PRA, this time to visit Jim's garden in Los Altos, located in a classic Sunset 16 climate with ample Summer heat and mild Winters. Jim has lived there for a long time, so long in fact that he witnessed the brunt of the 1990 freeze where it got cold enough to freeze over soild people's unheated swimming pools. To me, his garden looks like a work of art, an amazing paradise of palms planted with a strong focus on design as opposed to the more typical "stuff it all in" approach that I take.

Jim's garden seems planted with mostly upper USDA zone 9b in mind even though he rarely sees frost. Anything more tender is planted near the house or under canopy - a wise move given he's witnessed the brunt of many of the severe Northern California freezes.

Two interesting factoids make Jim's garden really stand out: for one, he has the most Northern large healthy bismarckia in the State. I challenge anyone to find one growing bigger and nicer further North than his giant specimen. See the picture below and you'll know what I mean. The second unique feature in his garden is the biggest tripple livistona chinensis I have ever seen, a monster that would get DoomsDave to scream obscenities.

This is the droopiest parajubaea torralyi I've ever seen. My first ID would be p. cocoides, but it's not cocoides. It also has green petioles.

On the other side of his driveway is another parajubaea torallyi, this one has the classic brownish-red petioles, and it's got the more upright growth habit.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Licuala elegans and another one that now I can't remember the name.

I thought this Chinese windmill palm had a special form of crown that almost made it look like a cocothrinax, just get that trunk cleaned up! Turns out these are some sort of volunteer seedlings that pop up on his place, and they all have that distinct look.

More, notice the big ones are ordinary trachys, the smaller one is yet another volunteer with that nice crown and leaf form:

A beccariophoenix that looked a lot better than many of the specimens I saw in Southern California, no spots, perfect looking.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Dypsis decipiens triple on steroids, stand back, this one bites!

But this livistona chinensis triple will eat you alive if you get too close!!! Notice the absolute perfect shape of this specimen, not one trace of yellowing, it must be eating anything that gets within its reach.

3 year old rhopie growing like a weed:

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Phoenix reclinata X roebelini cross with beautiful bright orange-red spathes coming out, it's got very soft leaves unlike a true reclinata.

another look:

Look at those chinensis leaves!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

The rhopie and the philodendron are battling it out! Watch out, that philodendron survived the 1990 freeze.

Another perfect looking rhopie! The secret is vigoro.

No Bay Area palm garden is complete without a nice ceroxylon, this is a quindiense.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Raphis going to town:

Sabal getting ready to speed up: couldn't get a full picture, it's a giant bermudana and there wasn't enough room to get it all on the camera.

That's the best I could do, and it doesn't do it justice:

Another b. alfredii, this one has purple petioles.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Great pictures of Jim's fabulous garden Axel !

Having been to Jim's place twice now there is always something new to discover .

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Syagrus sancona, seems to have no trouble with as low as 26F, the hardiness reports on this one seem mis-placed. But this one sorta looks like a queen until you look at the trunk, which is very different.

Brahea nitida:

If you're getting tired of looking at the palms, check out the cabana. Next to it is this dynamite brahea edulis that looks like it as something else crossed into it. The leaves are much much more costapalmate than any edulis I've ever seen.

That's all for now. All in all an amazing garden. There's lots more in there including beautiful pritchardia. I was a bit surprised that Jim didn't have more dypsis, he certainly has the climate for them. He says he's not had success with baronii, he looses them to root rot in the Winter, perhaps they don't like his soil.

[Stevetoad]

Great garden. Jim b.alfredii looks better than mine. Mine always looks spotty and nasty. It grows well though so ill leave it be.

[Trava]

Beautiful,my choice of palms.Very healthy rhopie.But I can not see 15 photos?

[DoomsDave]

Sounds like a great PRA. But photobucket will not let me see the pictures.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Photobucket got me by the huevos - they limit the bandwidth so now I have to pay. My wallet got a little lighter this Morning, so photos should be viewable now.

Buyer beware of anything free, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

[JakeK]

Awesome garden! Love those parajubeas.

[BeaumontTropics]

thanks axel for posting Jim's garden!

his presentation of mixing feather's with fan's is so impressive. Truly one of the nicest garden's i've seen on here. I wish his Royal was still there though! anyway, i'm glad you took the time to snap

some photos of a garden that is truly iconic!

[bgl]

Axel, Great photos of a great garden! And Jim, you've certainly created your own little paradise there! Beautiful!

Bo-Göran

[paulgila]

those parajubaeas are looking awesome! great job,jim!

[realarch]

Thanks for the pics. I've only seen photo's of Jim's place, but it is surely one fine garden.

Tim

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

thanks axel for posting Jim's garden!

his presentation of mixing feather's with fan's is so impressive. Truly one of the nicest garden's i've seen on here. I wish his Royal was still there though! anyway, i'm glad you took the time to snap

some photos of a garden that is truly iconic!

I agree, that is one of the magic ingredients of Jim's garden. I've been trying to balance out my own garden after going overboard with pinnate palms for the last 15 years. I must have planted at least 50 fan palms this Spring.

[LJG]

One of my favorite gardens. Every thing is done perfect.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Axel, It was a pleasure having you over to tour my garden. PRAs are rarer up here in the north compared to SoCal and any time I get to talk palms with a real hobbiest, it's a treat.

[dalmatiansoap]

Bravo!

[MattyB]

Wow! Nice work Jim and thanks for the pics Axel.

[DoomsDave]

Well, after a gander at those pictures, I thoroughly fouled the air of the Dark Tower with vile obscenities.

Hmm. Axel, maybe tell Photobucket to leggo mi huevos, and treat themselves to [Mexican obscenity] . . .

Very nice garden, Jim.

Sometimes less really is more.

[ghar41]

Always enjoy seeing Jim's garden. His placement of plants, palms and accessories is amazing.

[Danilopez89]

Oh I just loved all the pics. ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Danilopez89]

I think this one was one of those pics.

[Josh-O]

[_Keith]

Go see Jim's garden, if he will have you.  If not, then beg.  One of the highlights of my travels.  Great garden, great guy.  

[Jim in Los Altos]

Thank you Keith. You being a great guy, makes your statement all the more appreciated. If anyone wants to see lots of my garden pics, you can go to my Facebook page titled James Denz. Search through my albums for garden pics.

[Josh-O]

Jim, are you growing any cyphokentia cerifera?

 

Hows you lemur doing?

 

thanks,

Josh

[Jim in Los Altos]

Jim, are you growing any cyphokentia cerifera?

 

Hows you lemur doing?

 

thanks,

Josh

Josh, No Cyphokentia in my garden... yet. The lemur is doing fine and looks great. It's growth slowed a bit compared to last summer but it did just open a new leaf.

[Josh-O]

Jim, are you growing any cyphokentia cerifera?

 

Hows you lemur doing?

 

thanks,

Josh

Josh, No Cyphokentia in my garden... yet. The lemur is doing fine and looks great. It's growth slowed a bit compared to last summer but it did just open a new leaf.

Glad to here the lemur is moving along. I also have a lemur in the ground and it's doing pretty good here at my Carlsbad garden/house.

I think you might be able to pull off the  Cyphokentia C in your rain forest?

As always your garden looks great 

[strandoo]

I've got no idea what a PRA is. Please enlighten me.

Regards John

[dalmatiansoap]

I've got no idea what a PRA is. Please enlighten me.

Regards John

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