florida Palms and Others of Interest

[kinzyjr]

10 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I love these but I have never failed to kill every one I get. In sfl they did perfectly fine in wet and dry but now the moment I just look at one for too long it loses its leaves and dies.

Somehow, the city manages to grow these in the ground here.  Mine stay in pots as accent plants.  This is one of the few plants I keep in the ground since all they need is potted up once every 3-5 years.

22 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

@kinzyjr do it!!!  Once you get a good layer of mulch in there you won't have to weed...too often.  And it's a lot easier to mow when you don't have to edge stuff under the fence. 

I'll have to move my "hardy native perennials" garden then.  

[kinzyjr]

Chamaedorea - Take 2

Some of the Chamaedorea in the garden weren't doing well in their current placement.  Lowe's had 2 x Chamaedorea cataractarum in @Palmarum's patented "Cart of Sorrows" that looked like they weren't too bad off.  I took those, a Chamaedorea radicalis, and the Chamaedroea microspadix and Chamaedorea tepejilote from the lower yard and packed them into this bed with the sea grapes, bananas, and Thrinax radiata.

Sabal minor 'Emerald Isle' reunited?  

The best Sabal minor 'Emerald Isle' was on the other side of Sea Grapes from the Chameadorea area above.  The other two were in other planting beds.  They were moved beside their friend.  If they survive the move, this will be one thick bunch!

Finally Flowering!

The Sabal etonia 'miamiensis' are now flowering!

That's all for now.

[kinzyjr]

Now that it is official:

[Palmarum]

21 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

... Some of the Chamaedorea in the garden weren't doing well in their current placement.  Lowe's had 2 x Chamaedorea cataractarum in @Palmarum's patented "Cart of Sorrows" that looked like they weren't too bad off. ...

Sabal minor 'Emerald Isle' reunited?  

The best Sabal minor 'Emerald Isle' was on the other side of Sea Grapes from the Chameadorea area above. ...

Ahh yes, the Cart of Sorrows. It was a nice way to find homes for great plants that just didn't look their best. I still remember carrying around the pocket full of discount labels.

My S. minor var. "Emerald Isle Giant' plants (which I think are the same as 'Emerald Isle') are becoming monsters in their pots. They have shattered my perception towards S. minor specimens, as what I thought were very slow growing palms. 

Ryan

[kinzyjr]

There won't be many updates until fall due to the sheer volume of work that needs to be completed.  For now, a small update - the Cocos nucifera 'Atlantic Tall' just put out a spathe.

[JohnAndSancho]

20 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

There won't be many updates until fall due to the sheer volume of work that needs to be completed.  For now, a small update - the Cocos nucifera 'Atlantic Tall' just put out a spathe.

I'm literally posting pictures of mud, it'll be ok to do occasional updates 😂

[kinzyjr]

On 7/15/2025 at 2:49 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

I'm literally posting pictures of mud, it'll be ok to do occasional updates 😂

Everyone likes a teaser clip.  This year's - Beccariophoenix fenestralis

[kinzyjr]

Labor Day Weekend teaser - Cocos nucifera flowering

 

[kinzyjr]

This Livistona saribus is planted where the younger Veitchia arecina and Veitchia winin were planted.  They didn't care to be as close as they were to the fire pit.

What happened to the Veitchia species? 

They now share a bed near the larger specimens in the understory section.  First photo is the individual beds before, with the Carpoxylon macrospermum off to the left.  Second photos is the red brick-enclosed bed after transplant, containing ~6 x Veitchia arecina, Veitchia joannis, and Veitchia winin.  The nickname "Jurrasic Park Bed" given by @RiverCityRichard stuck.

[kinzyjr]

Fall Update #1 - The Dearly Departed and The South Coconut Bed

Dearly Departed: Each year, some palms flourish and establish and others pass on to the mulch pile.  This years departures:

• Livistona rigida: Never grew right and died suddenly.
• Butia odorata: This was a surprise. It was doing well and then suddenly put out undersized frond and then spear pulled.
• Phoenix dactylifera: The middle of the three seed-grown palms on the side of the driveway perished, or at least the main trunk did.  The jury is out on the offsets.  When I pulled the spear, there was frass and tunnels in it.  Not good, but not necessarily lethal bronzing.  There is another beside it that may require removal.
• Livistona saribus: A seedling died in the old desert bed area.  It was replaced with the larger one in the post above.
• Livistona chinensis: The smallest of three seedlings I received as a gift perished after a move intended to reshape the Okinawa Bed.  Unfortunate, but the other two are doing better.
• Veitchia arecina: A small and sickly seedling grown from seeds produced locally.  Unfortunately, it couldn't handle the move to the Veitchia bed in the post above and became part of the mulch.

Death's Door: A few palms struggle where they are at and need to either be moved or face certain death.  Recent attempts to salvage:

• Copernicia fallaensis: It did not care for its location and was nearly dead.  It was removed from the old desert bed a few months ago and placed in a pot.  It regrew its entire crown in a couple of months.  It was placed near the driveway but may not handle that area well either.
• Areca catechu 'Dwarf': It didn't care for the sand-and-mulch area near the Pritchardia and Maypan coconut.  Moved back into a pot to attempt recovery.
• Licuala grandis: This did not like the redzone garden for whatever reason.  After a short recovery in a 1G pot, it was re-introduced to the long bed garden on the south side of the property.  This area gets all day indirect light and it seems to be acclimating well.
• Chamaedorea tepejilote: After the move to the Red Zone, this one might not be long for the world.
• Chamaedorea microspadix: Only in slightly better health than the tepejilote.
• Acoelorraphe wrightii: This one also did not care for what was formerly designated as the Desert bed.  It was moved to the red zone bed, but is not doing all that much better there, either.

The South Coconut Bed: Probably the favorite bed of all of the folks who have toured, this bed sports lots of stone, tropical plants, and a sheltered environment.  The palm thought to be an Atlantic Tall coconut palm is flowering this year.  As expected, the first fruits have mostly aborted.  The Syagrus schizophylla has roughly doubled in size, with the pineapples giving it a run for its money.  The Panama Tall seedling isn't growing as fast, and the pineapples almost completely hide the Adonidia merrillii seedling tucked away in here.  The sea grapes and podocarpus serve as barricades to wind and cold during the winter, keeping the bed protected from advective cooling.

The map shows the location of the South Coconut Bed

• Top Left: The coconut palm with flowers and immature fruit and a frond in senescence. 
• Top Right: A view of the Syagrus schizophylla, Cocos nucifera 'Panama Tall', Adonidia merrillii, and pineapples from the end of the path. 
• Bottom Horizontal #1: Close-up of the palms in the last photo. 
• Bottom Horizontal #2: Fallen immature coconuts.

 

 

 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

2 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

Phoenix dactylifera: The middle of the three seed-grown palms on the side of the driveway perished, or at least the main trunk did.  The jury is out on the offsets.  When I pulled the spear, there was frass and tunnels in it.  Not good, but not necessarily lethal bronzing.  There is another beside it that may require removal.

That’s tragic. Those phoenix were so big and beautiful, and they were part of the beginning of the whole project weren’t they? It’s a shame that they’re a target for everything. An unkempt one probably would never die completely due to their wild offsetting but losing the main palm does kinda ruin the look. 

Everything happens for a reason though… one goes out another comes in. At least it’s nothing too rare unlike some of the other palms you have.

[kinzyjr]

Just now, TropicsEnjoyer said:

they were part of the beginning of the whole project weren’t they?

Yes, they were grown even before the house was a possibility.  At one point, date palms were the feather palm you never had to worry about replacing here.  A lot has changed since 2006. ☹️

[kinzyjr]

Fall Update #2 - The Maypan Coconut Bed

The Maypan Coconut Bed:  This palm was bought at the same time as the Atlantic Tall coconut palm above, boasting a coconut larger than a men's basketball.  It has shared the bed with various other palms over the years, but this one has been the eye-catcher.  It suffered a some setback this year when the bed had to be dug for fiber optic cabling, but has been quick on the mend with a canopy spread well over 20 ft.    Its current mate in the bed is a small Pritchardia thurstonii that no one would bid on in the CFPACS 2024 Spring Meeting auction.  I got it and a bromeliad in a pot for $10.  My thought was that the Pritchardia would be a cheap annual, but it did pretty well last winter with no frost.  Never in my life did I think I'd use a coconut frond as canopy, but the frond was hanging low, so I put a 6ft. ladder under the frond for a better photo.  There was an Areca catechu Dwarf in this bed, but it didn't care for its location, so it has been moved back into a pot for the cool season.

The map shows the location of the South Coconut Bed

• First Photo: The Maypan coconut in full view.
• Second Photo: A close-up of the trunk and the bed overall.
• Third Photo: The Prichardia thurstonii sharing this location.

 

[kinzyjr]

Fall Update #3 - Okinawa Bed and Other Small Beds Near the Fire Pit

The map shows the locations of the beds:

The Livistona decora Bed: Part of this bed could already be seen in the Maypan photos.  The Livistona decora is approaching the point where it will trunk, while the Copernicia alba is doing 50/50.

The Okinawa Bed: (3 Photos) Given its name by @palmfriend, this bed is anchored by Livistona chinensis and Arenga engleri.  The Arenga are all seed-grown and the Livistona chinensis were gifts from another grower.  The lighthouse was moved from the Brahea bed to this bed.  The Livistona chinensis are the same age.  Notice how much more robust the one at the end of the bed is than the one in full sun.

The Brahea Bed: Currently inhabited by a lone Brahea edulis.  Given that this bed seems to suit the humidity-tolerant species in the Brahea genus, I'm considering expanding this bed to include Brahea aculeata, Brahea armata, Brahea brandegeei, and Brahea dulcis.

[kinzyjr]

On 5/4/2025 at 9:33 PM, kinzyjr said:

Finally Flowering!

The Sabal etonia 'miamiensis' are now flowering!

Correction: As was pointed out earlier in this thread by @Zeeth, this species is recognized by the WFO Plant List as a distinct species.  Long live Sabal miamiensis: https://wfoplantlist.org/taxon/wfo-0000299294-2025-06

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

Fall Update #3 - Okinawa Bed and Other Small Beds Near the Fire Pit

The map shows the locations of the beds:

The Livistona decora Bed: Part of this bed could already be seen in the Maypan photos.  The Livistona decora is approaching the point where it will trunk, while the Copernicia alba is doing 50/50.

The Okinawa Bed: (3 Photos) Given its name by @palmfriend, this bed is anchored by Livistona chinensis and Arenga engleri.  The Arenga are all seed-grown and the Livistona chinensis were gifts from another grower.  The lighthouse was moved from the Brahea bed to this bed.  The Livistona chinensis are the same age.  Notice how much more robust the one at the end of the bed is than the one in full sun.

The Brahea Bed: Currently inhabited by a lone Brahea edulis.  Given that this bed seems to suit the humidity-tolerant species in the Brahea genus, I'm considering expanding this bed to include Brahea aculeata, Brahea armata, Brahea brandegeei, and Brahea dulcis.

They all look great Jeremy, but can I say something? 

 

You might be the most organized detail attentive person I know. I'm over here trying to do basic math and measurements to figure out where to drill holes in my ceiling for grow lights for the Wall of Bananas and it's making my brain hurt, and you've got detailed maps of your yard and the labels on your seedlings leaving absolutely nothing to mystery.