Hello all.

I've finally succumbed to the hints, suggestions and nagging from comic97 and kennybenjamin to post some pics of my place. First a little history...

I started this yard 5 years ago and had the intention of planting only native plants, particularly fauna attracting rainforest plants. As i planted out the backyard i needed some native palms and headed to palms for brisbane with a list of latin names i had no idea how to pronounce. As i walked around with younger Kennybenjamin (the years have been rough haha), my attention kept being drawn to the colours of exotics, such as areca vestiaras and areca catechu var albas etc. I left with my natives and planted them out.

After i collected nearly all the natives i wanted, i really wanted to plant some of the awesome exotic palms. So the front yard was allocated exotics. It was planted out. Then i ran out of space. With many more palms still on my list i accepted the inevitable. The whole yard theme changed from native rainforest to world wide colourful species and i haven't looked back. I've kept some native trees to still bring in the birds/butterflies etc, but the exotics are sneaking in. You'll have to excuse a lot of smaller specimens as some of my favourates are still tiny. Anyway, i've blabbed on enough. Now to the pics. Lets start with the front...

The view front the street

now

walkway along the house was broms. Some rotted out due to no light. Before

Now with Raphia sp. Pinanga sarawakensis, a zingiber, heliconia red xmas, and Calyptrocalyx elegans and croton

The corner...

Now, from right to left, Dictyocaryum lamarckianum, Pinanga sp, Loxococcus rupicola, Iguanura walichiana,

from front on. Excuse the building waste. R to L Areca guppyana, Areca multifida, Chamberyonia hookeri

Further around to the pond. Small Pinanga speciosa on the left

Some from the front

Driveway planting area. Some muppet digging. It used to be one hedge with an Ivory curl tree and frangipani. As you can see the hedge got the chop.

It then got planted out..

And grew..

From the road, this is the front planter 4/5yrs ago. Pletny of D. lutescens...

Now. Kept the large D. lutescens, put in (L-R) D. lanceolata, D. prestoniana, Ptychosperma schefferi, D. sambiranensis (dont know the new name)..

And the same bed from the right view. R-L D. leptocheilos, the world's smallest Clinostigma exorrhizum, Pinanga coronata..

Let's head up the back. This has larger natives and smaller exotics due to holding out on exotics as mentioned earlier.

Yours truly extending the bed.

Nowadays. Ptychosperma bleeseri ( a truly quick, tough palm. Very happy with this guy),

Looking around the yard, apologies for the darkness. Then...

Planted out

Now..

Looking around more. Back right corner

Planted out with natives. Note the size of the Caryota rumphiana..

Now.

Alright, let's get down to business. Some close up of palms...

Areca latiloba

Archontopheonix purpurea triple

Behold the left side of the backyard. Fully equiped with a So-Cal inspired heat box to keep a VERY out of place Areca macrocalyx alive. Remember the thread with the Bizzie in the heat box? That was the inspiration for this

Here's the poor fella.

Moving along

some close ups of this group. Pinanga adangensis

Basselinia gracilis highland form

What's in the shadehouse i hear you say? Why it's a tiny Lemouropheonix halleuxii

Next group. L-R Calyptrocalyx albertisianus, tiny Pinanga insignis (if you squint and look hard enough) Dypsis sp. dark mealy bug and a nice tough Laccospadix australasica

Pinanga disticha

Calyptrocalyx albertisianus

Nenga pumila var. pachystachya

A good shot of that Ptychosperma bleeseri from earlier

A then

and now..

Looking along the retaining wall

Now

A cycad. Lepidozamia hopei

Pinanga javana with Giant fern

Bentinickia condapanna

Dypsis sp. new redneck. or is it sp. highland redneck? Kennybenjamin?

Hydriastele pinangoides

Pelagodoxa henryana

back right hand corner

Satakentia liukiuensis and Licuala peltata var. sumawongii - Two palms that will take a fair bit of hot western sun

A Livistona australis sp eungella courtesy of jonathon in Tassie

Finishing up some more then and nows...

now. The Caryota rumphiana has suprised me. A great grower that yellows a bit in winter

A view of the house prior to finishing the landscaping and turfing

And nowadays

Well there you go. Hope you enjoyed the pics. Some are small but hopefully in a few years the cool smallish palms will really come up well. Thanks for watching.

Bravo matey, still pleeeenty of room left too! A bit less room left after a nice Dypsis carlsmithii goes in though hey!

The hard work is done, time to sit back and watch them grow!

Looking forward to the carlsmithii and kicking back now and enjoying. You're spot on

I should say the underplanting and foliage will be the next stage to bring in the whole 'tropical' feel, which will be relatively easy compared to the hardscaping.

You'll have the full rainforest in a few years. Keep us updated and great work!

Regards Neil

Thanks for posting, a lovely selection of fantastic palms there, best wishes, drainage looks spot on, and you've got some sun capturing areas too, nice work.

Great garden Napalm with some very nice up and coming species !

The use of rocks throughout the landscape plan really sets off the garden !

Cheers Troy

Thanks for the kind words gents. Wal, the sloping block was a blessing in disguise. Grat for drainage when watering heaps and summer downfalls. Neil, I plan on updating this thread every year or two to keep a record online, and to let the people who are interested informed. Troy, the rocks really work well to hold soil back and let water out. Whether I like it or not, some of them are too big to move. Lucky I like them too. Haha

Excellent stuff NApalm, I really like all the rock work and built up planting areas and I sure your garden will be a sight for sore eyes in years to come.

Most of your palms would be fried if they were planted in my garden, I have a Satakentia that is the same size as yours, but is pretty slow between the wickets.

NApalm great job you have done there, realy like what you did with the hardscaping . Also nice vw.

Fantastic selection that will only get better with age! I do really like all the rocks too. Please continue to update as we all enjoy before and after photos.

Dude, that's awesome!

Hahaha Finally the secret is out, great pics Stuart, This will be one garden to keep an eye out for in the future, especially with afew catechu var albas planted and a few neoveitchia storkii and afew more pinangas Well done mate, Thanks for posting

Thanks for the replies all. Looking forward to the next few years of growth and seeing the changes. Without palmtalk it would be a completely different yard

Thanks for the replies all. Looking forward to the next few years of growth and seeing the changes. Without palmtalk it would be a completely different yard

A great statement, that last one, one which many of us identify with.

Oh yeah, you have the fever bad. Amazing transition from bland to bling and not bad having ole Kenny as a palm bud.

Thanks for the post.

Tim

Wow!!!

Looking very good mate, fantastic selection of palms..........your garden will no doubt be the standout in the street !!

Fantastic garden, and thanks for providing some inspiration. Strange, I hadn't really thought a Brissy garden would need the "shrink wrap".

Thanks again guys. There's a bit of a challenge going on this winter in se qld. There are numerous areca macrocalyx's planted out in a quest to get these living here. Some people just dont learn

Edited June 30, 201412 yr by NApalm

Your hard work is paying off. Great job. Please give us occasional updates. Also, I can agree with you totally about the positive effects PalmTalk has had on many of us here.

All the rock work you have done really makes the garden.

Great work. Thanks for the photos. Keep the updates coming.

Nice landscaping and planting. The rock work looks cool.

Plenty of room Stu as Ben has already pointed out. We still have to leave a little room for the ankle biters to play in though. Does the bleeseri get the full afternoon sun?

looking forward to seeing this garden grow. Well done.

Thanks for posting.

Such a nice collection! Looking forward to seeing next updates.

Wow I'm really looking forward to watching your garden/collection grow.

The rocks are fantastic

Great pics NApalm! But you still have a lot of grass! I think you will probably be moving the boulders a little closer to the house...think of the possibilities!!!

Good Luck, Peter

Thanks again everyone. Very kind.

Bismark, the bleeseri gets full morning and midday sun then shaded by a fence for the afternoon. Its just pushing above the fence now so this summer will be a test with the increasdd sunlight. But a tough palm.

I agree about the lawn. There are grand plans at work, but not for a few years yet. I think a water feature is needed down the track

i missed this when you first posted -- nice work! You've accomplished so much, yet there is so much more to come as the young palms grow. Very exciting! Lots of terrific palms in the mix, nice choices. Love all the rocks, such a great look.

Cheers kim. It's funny. After thinking the shape of the garden beds was done for now, I just decided to extend a bed. In the process of that, I decided to extend another bed! How can you not? It means instant palm real estate! Pics to follow...

Great choices in palms looks fantastic . Ya its funny how planting beds seem to be constantly growing in my yard also .

Looks great.

Great you've inspired me to give bleeseri a go. Cheers

I'm hearing you akamu

Cheers Steve

The bleeseri is a tough customer Bismark. I'll have an updated pic when i finish the extension.

@NApalm got any more updated photos. ? Should be nice and lush'er with 2 years of growth. 

Hows the  Lemouropheonix  and Areca?