Check Out These Yards!

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We began with the Limbocker Garden at 9am. This garden is unique, in that it was started just 3 years ago with mostly liners. The size of the palms can only be explained by some extraordinary soil ammendment and irrigation engineering. Here's John greeting people as they were arriving.

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I went looking for ideas to try in my yard. This is nice. Not sure if you can tell but that's a Dypsis leptocheilos on the left.

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I wasn't aware you Caryota urens' trunks got that thick... slightly hoping my don't. This yard had 2 of them, and both had short petioles like C. ochlandra, but everything else about them was C. urens all the way.

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The Limbocker's have gone tropical with only their front yard so far. I can't wait to see what they eventually do in the back.

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The mixing in of flowering tropical plants was done really well. You don't feel like you're in someone's palm collection.

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Nice job layering plants from front to back here.

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Then we were off to the Wild's garden. I'd met Mr. Wild (sorry, didn't get first name) at the first garden, and he was going on as if his yard would be a let down after the first... oh yeah, sure.

Only a letdown for someone not interested in seeing some pretty mature and sometimes very rare palms! This has to be the tallest Caryota I've ever seen in a yard.

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We'll get to those rare palms in a minute. Check out this pool!

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Here's the promised palm porn. Left to right: Wodyetia bifurcata, Wod-Veitchia cross, Dypsis madagascariensis, Howea, and a bit of a Pritchardia hildebrandtii.

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The house was a corner lot, not always the most desirable location, but in this case a great place to utilize palms.

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I admit this one had me stumped. Thankfully Nick (Elidro) was there to convince me this wasn't a Rhopalostylis, but actually a Kentiopsis oliviformis.

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Elidro also told me what this one was, but I can't remember what he said... It used to be a ravenea but is now a dypsis. Or was it the other way around? All I know is it's rare, and I probably won't see another one any time soon.

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Test your own skills by identifying these ones by the pool. I'll post photos of the next 2 gardens later tonight.

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The Boyer and Young garden's will be familiar to those that toured them last year with the PSSC. These two neighbors seemed to have a healthy competition regarding whose yard would be more tropical than the other. This is the sort of "keeping up with the jones's" I'm all for. They eventually created a gate to connect their yards.

First up, this monster Bismarckia.

[Shon]

Terry I believe that one Dypsis now Ravenea is kingaly.Great grower if you can get one. Great pics keep them coming. I love seeing pics of local so cal yards. Could you give location so maybe we can tell what zone they might be in.

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Thanks Shon. It was kingaly. All 4 gardens are in Huntington Beach, within 5-10 minutes of each other. My guess is they are borderline 10a/10b from the minor cold damage seen.

That last photo of a Bismarckia was from the Boyer's front yard. The reason people were swarming it was to see it's inflorescence.

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Here's the Young's front yard. This triple Wodyetia fooled a few people as being a royal. That basketball goal's rim is at 10ft for a height reference.

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Rhopalostylis sapida gets all the attention, but I prefer the looser spread of this Rhopalostylis bauri. Also in the Young yard.

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For a quick comparison, this R sapida is in the Young's backyard.

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The wonder of the pool in the Young backyard is almost making me forget the glory of the Wild's pool. I think that's an Archontophoenix purpurea presiding over the pool.

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Hiding up there on the patio above the waterfall was this Licuala, which I'm going to go out on a limb and call a ramsayi.

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Still in the same yard guys. Here's another favorite of mine, Parajubaea torallyi.

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Of course they had other tropical plants... here's a ginger that I used to know the name of.

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I was seriously hitting mental palm overload by now. Not used to taking in this much visual palm information in 3 hours. I think this one's a Clinostigma of some kind.

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This Dypsis looked halfway between a baronii and a lutescens to me. The sign is too bright to read the label, and I forgot what it was. Everyone reading this is thinking "It's a Dypsis ___, you idiot!"

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Here is the palm portal that transports you from the Young yard to the Boyer's. They landscapes are equally impressive, but have very different personalities.

The group is probably discussing the damage the Boyer's Syagrus botryphora took (behind them) in this past January freeze. All things considered, it looks to be pulling through just fine. I believe it experienced 28F.

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The first thing you see when you cross into the Boyer's yard is this shot of red. Please ID it somebody.

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This yard had a nice central lawn area surrounded by a fine arrangement of palms, including the Caryota gigas seen here.

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More of the Boyer yard. As you can see, more tender palms like the Pritchardia and Chambeyronia suffered some minor damage.

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This place had a few giant tree ferns, I'm guessing Cyathea cooperi "brentwood". Anyone ever see the Outer Limits episode with the alien that looked like a fern crozier with really mean eyes? I'm totally serious...

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It was almost time to head back to Tropical Vibe for the BBQ, so I asked John Boyer if he would pose next to his favorite palm. Without hesitation he walk over to this Hedyscepe canterburiana. Not sure if you can tell in the photo, but there is a second hedyscepe right behind him.

Thanks John for planning this event, it was an all-around success. It was fun finally meeting Dave and "The Germinator", as well as hanging out with Nick and other Tropical Vibe "regulars".

[Shon]

Iresine hebistii is the red plant. Very good companion plant with palms.

[BS Man about Palms]

Thanks for the pics Terry, it was very good for those of us who couldn't make it.  When we were last there for the tour (I think OVER a year ago) the Youngs Sapida had not started to trunk. It just looked like an enormous bush!

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I looked it up and you are correct, the PSSC toured these two Gardens in Spring 2005.

And belated happy birthday BS, man about Palms! We will yet meet at a Palm related activity or event. We've probably passed each other in the weed/bug killling products at Home Depot and not realized it.

[BS Man about Palms]

Roger that!

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Bill: I've seen photos of you on this forum... some I wish I hadn't. I think I'd recognize you walking out of Bevmo. Here's a photo of me blocking a good view of a Bismarckia. I only wear the hat while doing yardwork or sometimes while standing in front of big palms. The t-shirt is the tipoff that I've been working with Johnny 2 Saturdays a month. It's been great experience working up close with palms, as well as interacting with people new to tropicals.

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Terry-

Very good! I was gonna ask that you post a pic. You ACTUALLY look familiar, we may have passed each other.

Sorry about the damaged retina's....  

PS- Just noticed, nice look, you look like you have "Bismarkia wings"  :cool:

[happ]

Great tour Terry  

[Johnny]

Terry, great job with the pics. The 28mm came in handy for the Caryota pics. Here's my comments on the palms above...

Test your own skills by identifying these ones by the pool. I'll post photos of the next 2 gardens later tonight.

The palm on the left with visable light green trunk and white/tan crownshaft is one of three palms that what we used to call Dypsis ambositrae (first form). We aren't sure what it actually is now but it sure is a beauty. The double trunk palm in the center with the lime green trunks and yellow crowshafts are Dypsis baronii.

The wonder of the pool in the Young backyard is almost making me forget the glory of the Wild's pool. I think that's an Archontophoenix purpurea presiding over the pool.

A. purpurea is correct. To the left is a cold burned C. macrocarpa. Directly below the purpurea is a D. onilahensis droopy form that is about half the size it used to be 18 months ago. There are other palms I see in the pic but are too congested to describe.

Hiding up there on the patio above the waterfall was this Licuala, which I'm going to go out on a limb and call a ramsayi.

Licuala ramsayi is correct. to the left is a Chamaedorea klotzchiana and to the right a Pinanga coronata. We currently have some P. coronatas that big at the nursery!

Of course they had other tropical plants... here's a ginger that I used to know the name of.

This is Costus sp. These had minor cold burn and still flowered on last years growth! we only have a few left of these at the nursery but I am hoping we can track more of them down.

I was seriously hitting mental palm overload by now. Not used to taking in this much visual palm information in 3 hours. I think this one's a Clinostigma of some kind.

Clinostigma savoryana

This Dypsis looked halfway between a baronii and a lutescens to me. The sign is too bright to read the label, and I forgot what it was. Everyone reading this is thinking "It's a Dypsis ___, you idiot!"

This one has proven to be a delightful but mysterious Dypsis. The seeds were purchased as D. psammophila 7-8 years ago. I sold the last of the a couple of years ago. Limbocker also has one of mine growing in the planter to the left of his garage door (when viewed from the street). Maybe you have a pic of that one, too? What's unique about this batch of palms is that the crownshafts stay far too white for baronii and the crownshafts lack the freckles on lutescens. All of the palms from this batch of seeds are consistent and look the same but they are mysterious. All of the psammophilas I have seen always look different which makes me wonder if anyone even has a true psammophila. One thing is for sure. This palm is a beauty!

The picture of John Boyer's Hedyscepes is great. It good to see some trunking Hedyscepes. He actually transplanted that palm from Dana Point (Karel's old garden) about 6 years ago. When done correctly (amd with a little luck) they can be moved.

Terry you did a great job with the pics. John Boyer's front yard Bismarckia may cause you to think about the placement of yours. On that note, while I was at the Super Bowl last February I saw field grown Bismarckias at a nursery and I also saw the landscaping crew transplanting Bismarckias within the resort. If you decide to move yours I have a feeling you will be alright. My crew dug one up thinking we were going to trash it. i told them to stick it it in a can even though the rootball was miniscule. Not only did it survive but it made it throught the freeze 4 months later. It's a bit pissed off but it's coming along. I will show it to you next time you are at the nursery.

Again, great job with the pics! Keep them coming!!

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Thanks for filling in the details John. Especially regarding the mystery Dypsis. You are SURE you don't have anymore???

I noticed the Pinnanga to the left of the Licuala. Love the gold crownshaft. A photo would have looked cluttered and not done justice.