Guerilla planting of non palm plants

[Tracy]

So when a plant fan starts to run out of space and sees an opening what do they do?  In my case, it can lead to a little Gorilla planting.  So back in 2013, when the greenhouse property was replaced with an infill development, they had a master plan to hide the new development from the older established neighborhood across the street (mine).  The builder eagerly planted what the neighbors wanted to get their permits approved with minimal neighbor opposition, despite the density of the new development which doesn't match it's surroundings.  Fast forward a couple of years, after the HOA for the development decides to ignore the prior agreements with adjacent neighbors for the project approval and rips out the trees designed to buffer the new neighborhood.  Now the old neighborhood sees an opportunity in the voids to fill a few spots. 

A neighbor planted a couple of Dracaena draco's  in the void a few houses down.  I think that prompted a gorilla to arrive one night across the street from my garden and drop another younger Dracaena draco in the ground.  So this "gorilla planting" is starting to get a little bigger these days and actually popped out it's first inflorescence.  Do you have gorillas in your neighborhood doing some plantings????

[Darold Petty]

A friend of mine scattered my excess Rhopalostylis seeds on Mt. Davidson, where the Eucalyptus forest provides summer moisture from fog drip, similar to a redwood forest.  I confess that I have never returned to see if any became established.   Really, I need to get out more, perhaps later this week.   

[Merlyn]

I bet training that gorilla to plant at the midpoint between the curb and sidewalk was pretty difficult!  It must have been even harder to train it to just strip off the old dead leaves and not rip off the nice green ones. 

[rprimbs]

When one of the little street trees on my road, next to a wall died, I was sorely tempted to replace it with a mango.  And then I figured I could continue down the road replacing more and more with mangos.  But I never did..

[Tracy]

19 minutes ago, rprimbs said:

When one of the little street trees on my road, next to a wall died, I was sorely tempted to replace it with a mango.  And then I figured I could continue down the road replacing more and more with mangos.  But I never did..

It is never too late to start your well intended project. 

[Tracy]

An update on the gorilla's efforts to beautify the neighborhood.  Post flowering the trunk branched.

[Tracy]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:42 PM, Darold Petty said:

A friend of mine scattered my excess Rhopalostylis seeds on Mt. Davidson, where the Eucalyptus forest provides summer moisture from fog drip, similar to a redwood forest.  I confess that I have never returned to see if any became established.   Really, I need to get out more, perhaps later this week.   

So Darold,  have you.made the jaunt to Mt Davidson yet?  I am not familiar with it so I have to ask where it is too.

[Darold Petty]

Mt. Davidson is right in the center of San Francisco, the west side only gets the incoming fog drip. The east side is more like a NorCal  chapparal. It is notorious for the gigantic cross at the summit, featured in one of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies.   I checked, but did not recognize any palms in the undergrowth.  I suppose I must 'discard' more seeds !   

[ahosey01]

On 1/24/2025 at 11:17 PM, Tracy said:

An update on the gorilla's efforts to beautify the neighborhood.  Post flowering the trunk branched.

That much growth in one year?!  Is that a Dracaena or a Pauwlonia lol

[realarch]

Man, what a great ape!

Tim

[Jonathan]

19 hours ago, realarch said:

Man, what a great ape!

Tim

Yeah, but would have thought bananas would be more his style...or Ape-ricots! (Sorry).

[happypalms]

On 12/6/2022 at 1:20 AM, Tracy said:

It is never too late to start your well intended project. 

They say when is the best time to plant a tree 20 years ago.

[Kim]

That is one clever gorilla!

Every time I drive into Ocean Beach/Point Loma where the I-8 ends, I think "this broad, boring median could sure use a nice Bismarckia or three!"  Haven't done anything about it. 🫤

[Tracy]

On 1/27/2025 at 2:23 PM, Jonathan said:

Yeah, but would have thought bananas would be more his style.

I guess having plenty of banana's in his own yard, this gorilla didn't find it necessary to plant them elsewhere.🙊

[rprimbs]

On 1/31/2025 at 9:59 AM, Kim said:

That is one clever gorilla!

Every time I drive into Ocean Beach/Point Loma where the I-8 ends, I think "this broad, boring median could sure use a nice Bismarckia or three!"  Haven't done anything about it. 🫤

That would probably work.  I have a Bismarkia in the ground that I have never watered, and it is doing great.  They are a good xeric palm.

[Aquamarine]

On 1/25/2025 at 12:17 AM, Tracy said:

An update on the gorilla's efforts to beautify the neighborhood.  Post flowering the trunk branched.

Nice plant! And I love the planting across the street too! 

[MoPalm]

I have a couple of Dracaena dracos that I acquired during my last visit to San Diego. They are small, just starting to trunk, with about 6-10” of trunk. Can they survive our San Francisco East Bay winter? I’ve seen frost at 40°F**, and last year I think we had lows of 32°F**. Do I have any chance to plant them in the open sky, or should I look for a place under a canopy? We have long, wet, and cool winters here.  Zone 9b-10a

---

 

[Jonathan]

22 hours ago, MoPalm said:

I have a couple of Dracaena dracos that I acquired during my last visit to San Diego. They are small, just starting to trunk, with about 6-10” of trunk. Can they survive our San Francisco East Bay winter? I’ve seen frost at 40°F**, and last year I think we had lows of 32°F**. Do I have any chance to plant them in the open sky, or should I look for a place under a canopy? We have long, wet, and cool winters here.  Zone 9b-10a

---

 

I have one that's been growing slowly but happily for about 15 years, very similar climate to yours. Seems to handle a bit of frost. It's open to the sky now, but was smothered under some  shrubs when young, which probably sheltered it from the worst frost while small.

Go for it I'd say!

 

[Tracy]

On 4/22/2025 at 3:48 PM, MoPalm said:

I have a couple of Dracaena dracos that I acquired during my last visit to San Diego. They are small, just starting to trunk, with about 6-10” of trunk. Can they survive our San Francisco East Bay winter? I’ve seen frost at 40°F**, and last year I think we had lows of 32°F**. Do I have any chance to plant them in the open sky, or should I look for a place under a canopy? We have long, wet, and cool winters here.  Zone 9b-10a

---

 

It should not need any canopy and will prefer as much sun as you can give it.  I know you are thinking canopy for frost protection but it doesn't sound like you get hard freezes.  Are you on the east or west side of the eastbay foothills?  I do recall a dusting of snow down near Niles around 1970 but believe that was an aberration. 

I would focus on good drainage for the long cool winters.  One option is planting on a slope if you have one or tro to create an elevated mound.  Go for it and share photos once it is in the ground. 

[MoPalm]

Tracy, I’m in Concord, near Walnut Creek. It’s hot here but colder in winter than other parts of the Bay. The lowest temperature this year was 32°F, though historically, it can dip to 28°F—maybe even 26°F every 5 years or so. Do you think my plants still have a chance? I’ll send pictures tomorrow. I’m wondering if these can go in the ground—if so, I might look for something a little taller, pot the smaller ones I have, and place them near the garage door under the gutter.

[MoPalm]

Here are some nice potted dragons potted near financial district in San Francisco. I took the pictures a few days ago. Note one of them looks like a pony tail palm, wonder if it is a different type of dracaena drago.