Building a Palmy Paradise in Coastal St. Augustine, FL

[ChristianStAug]

I have not posted much over the past year or so but I wanted to share my yard's progress in St. Augustine, FL. I live across the Bridge of Lions in the Davis Shores community, a skinny section of Anastasia Island that jets into the intracoastal across from St. Augustine's famous Castillo de San Marcos. There was luckily no cold damage this year and everything is off to a fantastic start. It is a very special location considering the latitude! Over the past couple of years I have brought up some bigger material from South Florida, so some here may consider that cheating.  The light was a little harsh being midday when I took these and I was not aware how much the site would compress everything.

Palm List
Acoelorrhaphe wrightii
Archontophoenix alexandrae
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Archontophoenix purpurea
Arenga engleri
Bismarckia nobilis
Chamaedorea microspadix
Chamaedorea seifrizii
Chamaerops humilis
Dypsis cabadae
Dypsis decaryi
Dypsis lutescens
Gaussia princeps
Hyophorbe lagenicaulis
Livistona chinensis
Phoenix roebelenii
Rhapis excelsa
Roystonea regia
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Thrinax radiata
Washingtonian robusta
Wodyetia bifurcata

The REAL king of the house

Argena and Archie

Chammys as understory plantings

Hard to keep the algae out of the pool this time of year!

Bottle n Bromes

Are non palm pics allowed here? The yellow plumerias just started here if sited in a warm spot.

Cunninghamiana that I should have divided when it was much smaller. It is a quadruple clump lol.

Wow, this site compresses the crap out of your photos, huh?

Palm Forest

Royal gained about 2.5 feet gray wood since last year (planting)! Can't wait to see it fill out its crown this year after getting quite tattered this winter and in a November noreaster we had. Got to get the bananas out of here as well.

This year's addition's behind the royal. Thankfull FP&L put our electric underground last year so these all have clear shot to the sky. Only low hanging Comcast remains on the pole.

I am a firm believer in the "moat method" for getting palms established their first growing season! Try to fill em up as often as possible.

One of my favorite views down the back lawn. My zoysia always seem to take forever to get going with a little bit of shade here.

Heliconias waking up!

Archie triple shooting for the stars out front!

Queen n things

So many lovely fronds in one picture. Some light oak canopy helps the front yard for frost events.

I planted this royal this year in my deceased date palms ex-gandoderma hole. Wish it luck! These cannas are from my childhood in Illinois. They will likely smother the royal a bit during summer.

For the succulent lovers.

More Bromes! Is this allowed on here? I am serious.

Bizzy Baby

Hope you enjoyed! See you at CPFACS

[amh]

Great looking yard.

[JohnAndSancho]

All you're missing is a hammock, a pitcher of hurricanes, and some Bob Marley 

[pohonkelapa]

Very inviting.

[The Gerg]

Very nice.  I also like the unmentioned crotons. Thanks for the tour.

[Billeb]

Lotsa work. Looks awesome. All I’d need is an old fold up chair, an espresso and quiettime. 

-dale

[TropicalGardenSpain]

Very nice! The garden looks fantastic and a great choice of plants and palms  

[Merlyn]

Nice setup!  I'm impressed by how well the archies and royals did over the winter.  You must have an ideal location to minimize the damage from cold fronts.  I didn't spot the Gaussia Princeps in your photos, can you post a pic?  I have a whole bunch of small ones planted out here, the biggest one is only about 18" tall.  I'm hoping they will turn into a nice "slightly hardier Hyophorbe" because I keep on losing bottles and spindles.

[jg3035]

Love the design and the pictures. Could I ask what's under and around the corner from the queen palm in the front yard--dypsis lutescens? The contrast of textures is great. 

[ChristianStAug]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

6 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Nice setup!  I'm impressed by how well the archies and royals did over the winter.  You must have an ideal location to minimize the damage from cold fronts.  I didn't spot the Gaussia Princeps in your photos, can you post a pic?  I have a whole bunch of small ones planted out here, the biggest one is only about 18" tall.  I'm hoping they will turn into a nice "slightly hardier Hyophorbe" because I keep on losing bottles and spindles.

It is quite small as well. I will get a better photo for you this weekend. Yes our location is very special. I think it is the last sliver on the east coast of Florida to attempt to really try many things. The difference between my location and a couple miles west on the mainland averages 6-8 degrees in most freeze/frost events. We actually have Ficus aurea in our neighborhood in an old cedar tree -- the farthest north I have ever seen it naturalize. 

29 minutes ago, jg3035 said:

Love the design and the pictures. Could I ask what's under and around the corner from the queen palm in the front yard--dypsis lutescens? The contrast of textures is great. 

Yes, below that queen is Dypis lutescens. Below the Dypis is one of those big black/purple Ti plants (cordyline). 

[bubba]

Magnificent tropical garden in what is described as north Florida!

[Allen]

Well that garden is really awesome.  Hard to put into words!

[Merlyn]

3 hours ago, ChristianStAug said:

It is quite small as well. I will get a better photo for you this weekend. Yes our location is very special. I think it is the last sliver on the east coast of Florida to attempt to really try many things. The difference between my location and a couple miles west on the mainland averages 6-8 degrees in most freeze/frost events. We actually have Ficus aurea in our neighborhood in an old cedar tree -- the farthest north I have ever seen it naturalize.

That would be great to see a larger photo!  This is my largest, a triple that was about 75% defoliated but is growing back nicely!

My house is pretty much the opposite of yours, somehow I am always a few degrees colder than surrounding areas.  My backyard hit 24-26F for 4 hours at the end of January, and less than a mile from me there are clumps of white bird of paradise and cardboard palms that looked almost pristine...go figure.

[The7thLegend]

20 hours ago, ChristianStAug said:

 

@ChristianStAug looks great man!  You're in a nice spot.  Up here off IGP and Palencia, Kings and such got burned crispy this past winter.  Hope you keep posting updates.

[kinzyjr]

@ChristianStAug

Looks wonderful man!  @Lou-StAugFL was right when he said everything you had looked really well grown!

[ChristianStAug]

@Merlyn here is the Gaussia. If you want bigger specimens I know of a nursery in Homestead that has some larger ones.

[ChristianStAug]

@The7thLegend yes, I will try to keep posting for sure. At my warehouse off SR207 in St. Augustine, the damage in adjacent neighborhoods was on par with 26ish and HEAVY frost. 
 

@kinzyjr thanks buddy!

[ChristianStAug]

July 2024 Update

-Big Bismarkia currently being treated for Palmetto Weevils. There is hope this attack was not fatal and I will continue with preventative treatments on all 3 of those in my property

-The Christmas 2022 freeze was pretty ugly, but only lost some very small plants and a couple canes on the Arecas (which in hindsight I should have left as others in the neighborhood recovered. Some things were wrapped and others took cosmetic damage that is long grown out.  One of the odd looking Archontonphoenix below had spear pull later last spring and you can see it totally grew out of that after several odd leaves.

-There was no freeze or frost at my house the winter 2023-2024

-Most things continue to grow and the yard is getting awrfully full. My palm corner under the big royal is a palm thicket.

-Last spring my main additions were the Beccariophoenix alfredii and a Livistonia saribus in my front bed and a couple more royals and archontonophoenix cunninghamianas in backyard corners. 

-In non-palm news, I am really proud that I was so successful in getting full blooms on my Heliconia Rostrata clump this year.  Also pictured is a tube of Heliconia Orange Gyro which should set bloom very soon.  I am also trying to spread the northern range of Tillandsia utriculata one more county to the north. My plants in the camphor tree are from Flagler County.

[kinzyjr]

@ChristianStAug Now we need a CFPACS Tour - St. Augustine starring you, @Lou-StAugFL, and maybe @Almisa in 2025.  With as many nice gardens as there are between there and Jacksonville, it might have to be a full weekend tour with multiple gardens each day.  Perhaps the meeting before or after CFPACS Tour - Longwood starring @Fishinsteeg234?

[JLM]

D  u  d  e
 

That garden is spectacular, and honestly St Augustine is one of my favorite cities in Florida, so that makes it that much better! Absolutely wonderful

[donalt]

your backyard is gorgeous; love how you've made a private tropical garden around the pool.

how have you treated your Bismarck palm to prevent/slow weevil issue? I didn't know there was a treatment!!

[Scott W]

Beautiful yard Christian,  can't wait to see it in person!  

BTW, a salt system should keep the algae at bay as it will keep the chlorine levels more constant.   I followed this method this year when I had a bad outbreak, and will be going back to a salt system soon.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/

[CodyM]

@ChristianStAug You have an amazing garden!! I live right down the road and all our tropicals luckily made it through our winter here! Pushing zones is definitely a challenge but worth the reward🤌🏽