Some tropical scenes from a non tropical place

[kylecawazafla]

[kylecawazafla]

Very large for our area:

[kylecawazafla]

Spindle palm in ground!

Surprisingly not the only adonidias surviving zone 8

[kylecawazafla]

[kylecawazafla]

Can you spot what is wrong with this photo??

Some giant Sabal palmetto. Its hard to believe that this area is zone 8! I think the downtown area has been a zone 10 for a while though to have such nice palms and Epiperemnums

[kylecawazafla]

[kylecawazafla]

And then some of the wildlife in our area:

[Zac in NC]

Thanks for posting this over on here too Kyle.

Zac

[SubTropicRay]

Great palms Kyle.  The Floridian mascot is nice too.

[Alicehunter2000]

Kyle, do you have many successes with bizmarkia around town? Any more photo's?

[BobbyinNY]

It's amazing..... even the most "non-tropical" places in Florida look great compared to alot of other palm-growing areas.

[ruskinPalms]

Kyle, how cold has it gotten in Gainesville this year ???

I think your pictures demonstrate the virtues of planting close to the house. I have my most tender things close to the walls. I think the spindle is the most impressive. That is one tough spindle to be that size in Gainesville! Maybe it was planted big, but my gut feeling tells me it was planted no bigger than a 3gal as that is how most of the box stores sell them.

[SunnyFl]

Very impressive, Kyle.  Wow - you're growing some nice things - and way up in Gainesville.   How is the adonidia protected in winter?

And the palm in Post #2, photo #3 - it looks like a... a... nah, it can't be  not that far north.

Really enjoyed the pix - hope you post more.

[Kris]

Dear Kyle  

that place you guys live in simply rocks,beautiful palms &

that plastic containers used for potting those bottle palms

seen near your car park is Superb !

here in india we get only coloured pots in terracota brown

colour which easily fades in a 2 years time.and looks sick.

that black containers of yours looks preety neat & formal too.

2 states that has facinated me is floridia & California.

Thanks for sharing those lovely pictures _ Some of the wild life in our area,so sweet of you to share those lovely

moments with all of us.

Love,

Kris (India).

[kylecawazafla]

Hey Alice,

That is the only large bismarkia I have seen in Gainesville. It is growing close to downtown so I'm guessing its in a good microclimate. I don't know how Gainesville and Panama City climates compare, but the one here seems to be coping fine, although it may not have gotten under the 30's so far this winter where that photo was taken.

Ruskinpalms: I actually live in Archer, FL which is SW of Gainesville and I don't record the temperatures here, but some of the Washingtonia robusta have 50% leaf burn. Meanwhile, the bananas still look fine in downtown, so I'm guessing it could be anywhere from 35 - 15 within 10 miles of here. I saw that spindle last year when I lived here too and it was a lot smaller, so like you thought, I think its been growing for a while now.

SunnyFL, it's actually not my yard; I took the photos around the town I live in right now. I don't know if that adonidia is protected at all. I'm assuming it was a h ouseplant someone put out, and they just happened to be in a really good microclimate. I wonder how large it can get here.

Thanks Krisachar, I've never really looked at the pots they were growing it, but its cool to get some perspective. What kind of wildlife do you have there in India??

[Scott]

Kyle - great tour and pics! Love that Bismarckia.

Thanks for sharing!

[epicure3]

Those pics are awesome Kyle. I am surprised at some of those palms. That spindle looks very good. the foxtail looks like it's struggling a little. Those sabals in one of your pics are the biggest I have ever seen. They rival socal washies in height.

[ruskinPalms]

Yep. The sabals here in FL really are under rated palms. It is incredible to be walking in a dense stand of these. They do acheive awesome heights once they get old. The also get cool, curvy trunks when they are seeking sun. Myakka State Park comes to mind for some nice tall sabal stands. But, my favorite sabals are on a stretch of beach in Sarasota county between Venice and Englewood. Apparently the beach cannot be developed in that area because it is a native American burial ground. It is a magnificent glimpse of what undeveloped coastal Florida looks like. I really should get down the there and do a posting with some nice photos. Sabals, cactus, sea oats, sea grapes etc. It really is magnificent.

[epicure3]

(ruskinPalms @ Mar. 06 2007,22:52)

QUOTE

Yep. The sabals here in FL really are under rated palms. It is incredible to be walking in a dense stand of these. They do acheive awesome heights once they get old. The also get cool, curvy trunks when they are seeking sun. Myakka State Park comes to mind for some nice tall sabal stands. But, my favorite sabals are on a stretch of beach in Sarasota county between Venice and Englewood. Apparently the beach cannot be developed in that area because it is a native American burial ground. It is a magnificent glimpse of what undeveloped coastal Florida looks like. I really should get down the there and do a posting with some nice photos. Sabals, cactus, sea oats, sea grapes etc. It really is magnificent.

You can grow them here in SoCal but they never look like they do in Florida. Not humid or warm enough I guess. They are gorgeous. I could do without that hurricane cut look, however.

[glbower]

Sabals are OK in their natural environment, which here in Southwest Florida is pretty much everywhere -- in the pine flatwoods, pastures, swales, fence rows, etc. You name a place, and I guarantee there'll be a Sabal growing in it. Don't want one in my yard, however. I have a friend who's always ragging me about all those foreign palms in my yard and telling me I should plant some sturdy American palms like the Sabal. I tell him planting a Sabal in your yard is like planting a dandelion in your rose garden.

[epicure3]

(glbower @ Mar. 08 2007,21:37)

QUOTE

Sabals are OK in their natural environment, which here in Southwest Florida is pretty much everywhere -- in the pine flatwoods, pastures, swales, fence rows, etc. You name a place, and I guarantee there'll be a Sabal growing in it. Don't want one in my yard, however. I have a friend who's always ragging me about all those foreign palms in my yard and telling me I should plant some sturdy American palms like the Sabal. I tell him planting a Sabal in your yard is like planting a dandelion in your rose garden.

Yup, the day I plant a washingtonia in my yard is the day those dandelions go in as well. I am yanking volunteer seedlings at least a couple of times a year.....along with the weeds.

[wendisplantation]

I have to agree-I am between Daytona and St. Augustine. I have 2 Sabals in my front yard that I only have kept there for canopy reasons. They came with the house, I didn't plant them. ???