I visited my local palm nursery today not to buy anything but just a look. The only palms that really caught my eye was a nice sized Caryota ochlandra and a few varigated Raphis. My eleven year old disappeared on me as he likes to chat to the employees. I found him learning how to sow Araucaria columnaris in the potting shed. While chatting I took the chance to take a couple pics of the chunkiest Dypsis decaryi growing against a sunny wall. These aren't the tallest in my area but must be close to the most robust. They get extra water from the nursery irrigation run off on the otherside of that wall.

Very graphic planting , and big fat healthy palms indeed.

Those suckers are lovely Pip. We had to cut down one like that when we extended our fouse 10 years ago. Lizzy is still whining that I didn't do more to save it at the time. But it was bigger than that and we couldn't afford it. Anyway, I have recently found a sprout under an old neglected thing nearby and although we no longer have room for it, I have finally replaced the triangle in her collection with this, in a pot, which would otherwise have been doomed to die. She can add it to her (stupid) bonsai collection of pots.

But seriously that picture does bring back some good memories of the past.

Pip and Steve...

Definitely one of my favorite ones, and thankfully it should grow here as well...

mine ( bought from Bunnings) is getting bigger slowly...cant wait to see it grows to become  one like  the Chunky in Pip photo

was like this when I bought last year :

This is the prime size for D.decaryi. This is one of the palms that IMO lose their appeal as the get taller.

9 hours ago, scottgt said:

This is the prime size for D.decaryi. This is one of the palms that IMO lose their appeal as the get taller.

Yes I know what you mean. As the old leaf bases fall the triangle shape of the trunk is lost. 

11 hours ago, scottgt said:

This is the prime size for D.decaryi. This is one of the palms that IMO lose their appeal as the get taller.

I agree.  That smaller size is nice.  Too tall and they tend to ugly up a bit.  Hurricanes don't like them either!

 

Here's a pic of the largest Dypsis decaryi I know of in Victoria. They are close to where I live in the Melbourne suburb of Seaford (out the front of the Seaford Hotel). Both plants are flowering.

Between rainstorms, spring planting is underway! This Dypsis decaryi (via Phil at JM) is the latest addition to my crowded backyard palmetum. I'm hoping it can handle conditions year-round here in interior NorCal. And maybe in 10-15 years I'll have to start worrying about spacing on this over-planted berm. The stones are there to annoy the squirrels.