Coccothrinax Crinita / Old Man (shipped to CA)?

[iDesign]

I'm finishing my landscape plan, and have a spot for a decently-sized Coccothrinax crinita ("Old Man Palm"). And here is what I was able to find locally...

The more I think about it, the more I want to "cheat" and have a large one shipped to me (most likely from Florida).  Seems like they're plentiful and (relatively) affordable there. Anyone willing to pick one up and ship to me in California (marked up by however much would make it worth your time)?

Examples of the size I'd love to find...

or...

I understand it would cost more than these... just giving some sizing reference for the size I'm hoping for. 

Perhaps someone on here has one they'd be willing to sell?
Or a magical Lowes with one, and I could pay you to pick it up and ship it to me?

[Johnny Palmseed]

I couldn’t imagine the charge to ship something that size nowadays. If they even would accept it for shipping, it would need a crate vs a box. They don’t have much stuff yet as it is still fairly cool out. Hard to say if they will have these again and price is anyone’s guess.

[NatureGirl]

I wonder if you could just order one from your Lowe's in CA?

[iDesign]

1 hour ago, NatureGirl said:

I wonder if you could just order one from your Lowe's in CA?

Great idea! Probably no-go but those other posts had photos of the price tag with codes of some sort... worth a try! I’ll post results here in case anyone is following.

If any fellow Southern CA peeps know of a nursery who can special order them I’m all ears! Jungle Music has them, but only at a tiny size.

[Johnny Palmseed]

I have had success in the past by talking to the manager of the garden center at my local Home Depot. They were very forthcoming about what they could or could not get. I was able to special order items for no additional charge by tacking them on to their regular order from their supplier. For example, I wanted 3 single Roebeleniis instead of the triple or quads that they had. They agreed to order them and actually didn’t require me to prepay or anything. They ordered 4 or 5 and tagged them with my name on hold and told me to pick the ones I wanted. This was quite a while ago but it would be worth asking about at your local store. They also did this for royals and coconuts. The biggest problem is that the supplier would actually have to have what you want.

[JubaeaMan138]

Rancho soledad nursery . Last year they had some big boys . If they don’t have it they could probably get it for you . 

[iDesign]

23 minutes ago, JubaeaMan138 said:

Rancho soledad nursery . Last year they had some big boys . If they don’t have it they could probably get it for you . 

Woah, that would be amazing! I've probably been there 6-7 times now, and have never seen them. I'll be going back in a couple weeks and will definitely keep my eye out 

Do you know what section of the nursery they were in by chance? I tend to spend most of my time in the covered "Palms of Paradise" area - Perhaps the crinitas (when they have them) are stored in an outdoor space I haven't been to? Feels like I've seen it all, but it's a large nursery so I could have missed them.

[JohnAndSancho]

Plantvine. Free shipping over $100. Local or Lowes is more than likely gonna be cheaper though. 

[aztropic]

45 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Plantvine. Free shipping over $100. Local or Lowes is more than likely gonna be cheaper though. 

Don't think they ship to California. 

California has some very strict laws regarding importation of fruit and plants. They once took away my lunch when I drove through the border check station on I 8... 

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[iDesign]

1 hour ago, aztropic said:

Don't think they ship to California. 

California has some very strict laws regarding importation of fruit and plants. They once took away my lunch when I drove through the border check station on I 8... 

Bummer... looks like you're right. https://www.plantvine.com/shipping-plants/

I'm going to check on both the Rancho Soledad & Lowes Special Order leads & update this thread if I have success via either route. Not sure why they're not more popular here... hopefully not because they don't do well 

* I do know of at least two large "old men" somewhat near to me (in yards of other Palmtalkers), but I'm pretty sure those got here on a plane.

[mnorell]

You might try calling Redland Nursery in Homestead and see what they have. They show the species as available, and they ship certified nursery material. They show their largest in stock as a 15gal, but it may very well not be certified at that size and you'd have to see if they can get it to you. But a 15gal would probably cost a bunch to ship, even if the plant is only $150. Also it's noted that they're open-pollinated, so you can't be sure you're getting pure C. crinita (not that anybody else is guaranteeing that, either).  Redland is a very respected nursery in the trade.

[chad2468emr]

Got a “ping” because you’d referenced an old post of mine where I’d found one at a lowe’s. I actually see them fairly often at Lowes here in central FL at this point. I’m happy to buy one for you + ship to you if you pay for shipping + materials up front. I’m constantly covered in dirt and dealing with plants anyway, so I’ve really got nothing to lose, haha. I’d likely just rinse the dirt off the root ball to keep the package weight down, wrap the roots in plastic wrap + wet paper towels, and ship with the fronds tied back. I don’t need to make any money off it, and will happily just break even, but between the palm + shipping + materials I do imagine it’d be ~$300 - $400 total depending on what size box is needed. 

I know all too well what it’s like to pine after a specific palm species and not be able to find anything other than tiny seedlings online, so I’m more than happy to help someone out with one I happen across often in my specific area.

If I happen across any at a lowes, I can reach out to you here and we can sort through how much it’ll all cost prior to anyone making any moves to ensure we’re aligned. Sound good??  

[iDesign]

3 hours ago, chad2468emr said:

Got a “ping” because you’d referenced an old post of mine where I’d found one at a lowe’s. I actually see them fairly often at Lowes here in central FL at this point. I’m happy to buy one for you + ship to you if you pay for shipping + materials up front...

That would be so incredibly nice of you!

My only hesitation is that I'm not sure what the rules are for shipping plants to CA. I do know it's possible because I was able to get a Tribear shipped here (the other palm I had been searching for forever... photo below). That palm came through fabulously with no issues. I did notice that there wasn't any pot included, which might be why it was able to be shipped here?

Looks like I now have three solid leads on obtaining my elusive "old man" palm...

1) Ask Lowes whether they can special order (I tried, but wasn't able to reach the right person yet)
2) Check "Rancho Soledad" (they should be getting another Hawaii shipment in a couple weeks, so I'll check again)
3) Check with "Redland Nursery" (they ship, but sounds like they'll just ship the small ones of CA)

Hopefully one of these three leads will pan out... but if not I would indeed love to take you up on the shipping offer! I'm happy to pay a higher than normal shipping cost, and would of course assume the confiscation risk. This is seriously one of the last "must have" palms on my list, and it's already got a very prominent place specified for it in my yard design.

One other idea... Perhaps I could pay YOUR Lowes to ship it to me?
If you wouldn't mind, maybe you could ask at YOUR Lowes whether it's possible for you to pick a plant out and have it shipped (or transferred) to MY Lowes? I'm happy to pay any shipping/transfer fees that might be involved... and doing it as a Lowes to Lowes transfer might get around any importing issues. Hmmmm.....

[aztropic]

Is this what you're looking for? 

Some of our local nurseries brought in the old men this year. Usually,we get spindles or bottle palms for something special,but this year,it's Coccothrinax. With the big boxes carrying them in FL, there now seems to be quite a few available if they're shipping them to Phoenix,AZ now.

  ROAD TRIP!

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Silas_Sancona]

21 minutes ago, aztropic said:

Is this what you're looking for? 

Some of our local nurseries brought in the old men this year. Usually,we get spindles or bottle palms for something special,but this year,it's Coccothrinax. With the big boxes carrying them in FL, there now seems to be quite a few available if they're shipping them to Phoenix,AZ now.

  ROAD TRIP!

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

  but have to admit, Kind of shocked to see that particular nursery bring these in. Could never get management i'd worked beneath to even think about looking for stuff outside the " usual palm selection box " ..and i know the owner brings in stuff from FL.   See someone is labeling stuff the same way i used to too, haha..

[iDesign]

Wow, that's fantastic that they're starting to show up (at large sizes) closer to CA. I see that you bought one (a stunning specimen in fact)... congrats!!!

---

Here's where I am in my personal hunt...

- I FINALLY got confirmation from my local Lowes that they CAN'T order it. I also asked about the possibility of having @chad2468emr pick one out at his local Lowes and have Lowes transfer it over to my Lowes (so as to avoid confiscation)... but she said "we don't do that anymore" 

- I sent an email to Redland Nursery asking if they can ship a larger one to CA but haven't heard back from them yet. I'll follow up with them on Monday 

- Rancho Soledad is still waiting on their big Hawaii shipment. I'll try visiting them again in a week or so. Special ordering from Rancho Soledad doesn't appear to be something they do (at least not for small buyers like me). Jesse told me they just get whatever the HI location feels like sending them. Fingers crossed HI gets in the mood to send some old man palms our way 

- Sooo tempted to ask Chad to pick on out from his Lowes and ship it to me (that was so kind of him to offer)! My only hesitation is worry that he would go through all that trouble only to have the plant confiscated when it reaches CA. Unless Lowes could perhaps provide a "phyto certificate" he could pack along with it? Seems like there must be a way to ship one (without having it confiscated) 

- @aztropic can you please PM me the name of the nursery you bought yours from? Curious if they might be willing to ship one to me. Worst case, I'd actually consider doing the 12-hour road trip! (though I'd want to first confirm they still have them... and that it wouldn't be confiscated at the CA border). Yes, I'm nutty enough to consider a road trip just to buy a palm. 

- If someone happens to be driving to San Diego area and lives by a source for big ones, I'd happily pay you to bring me one (or three)! 

The quest continues!!!