What Brahea will grow well along the Gulf Coast region of Texas? (Corpus Christi)

[Dwarf Fan]

I know John Fairy Garden has Brahea moorei and Brahea edulis that they have been growing successfully, what other Brahea should do well in my area?

Can I grow in Brahea dulcis in Corpus Christi or will humidity be a problem?

 

[Xenon]

There is a pair of Brahea armata at a gas station directly facing the Gulf in Galveston that have been there forever (40+ years). Moody Gardens also has several and there are some scattered around in Houston that do okay too. Moody also has a big Brahea brandegeei iirc. Not California specimens, but ok to decent looking. 

Copernicia as a whole would do much better in your conditions. Copernicia alba is near bulletproof and the Caribbean species would also be very well adapted. Perhaps you'd like the diminutive Copernicia macroglossa? 

 

[Xerarch]

Here are a handful of Brahea I’ve noticed around town here. My seed grown armata/brandegeei hybrids are doing well, maybe get some updated photos of those tomorrow. 

[Xerarch]

Since I’m sure y’all are on the edge of your seats to see my small, seed-grown Brahea hybrids, I got some pics of them this morning. overall I’d say Brahea is a go here in coastal S TX, they don’t quite look their best like they do in the deserts, but they are hardy and look pretty good. Same goes for Washingtonia, especially filifera, they look best in deserts but I’ve been surprised how many filifera and filifera leaning hybrids I see around town, and they look good enough. I wish I had more info on the original post questions, I’d like to see different Brahea species to see how they do, but I’ve had to have an eagle-eye just to observe the ones I’ve already posted. Anyway, here are mine. 

[Dwarf Fan]

Those are super healthy looking, very nice Xerarch do you know the lineage of the hybrid?

Are those Armata x ??? hybrids?

[Xerarch]

46 minutes ago, Dwarf Fan said:

Those are super healthy looking, very nice Xerarch do you know the lineage of the hybrid?

Are those Armata x ??? hybrids?

They are F2 hybrids from seed from @DoomsDave’s ‘Franken’ Brahea which I believe is armataXbrandegeei. 

[Dwarf Fan]

10 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

They are F2 hybrids from seed from @DoomsDave’s ‘Franken’ Brahea which I believe is armataXbrandegeei. 

Cool, I have actually been considering both of those Braheas lately, it is to see a hybrid of the two.

[Meangreen94z]

4 hours ago, Xerarch said:

Since I’m sure y’all are on the edge of your seats to see my small, seed-grown Brahea hybrids, I got some pics of them this morning. overall I’d say Brahea is a go here in coastal S TX, they don’t quite look their best like they do in the deserts, but they are hardy and look pretty good. Same goes for Washingtonia, especially filifera, they look best in deserts but I’ve been surprised how many filifera and filifera leaning hybrids I see around town, and they look good enough. I wish I had more info on the original post questions, I’d like to see different Brahea species to see how they do, but I’ve had to have an eagle-eye just to observe the ones I’ve already posted. Anyway, here are mine. 

Nice, the first one really shows a good amount of blue/silver

[Dwarf Fan]

19 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

Nice, the first one really shows a good amount of blue/silver

I know the signature of the Armata is the Silver/Blue color fronds but I actually always prefer the Green Form when the Palm can express both forms.

[Xerarch]

20 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

Nice, the first one really shows a good amount of blue/silver

Yes there is certainly some difference in color, indicating I guess some variation in the seedlings, perhaps favoring one parent or another.  I kept one of each color and gave away the other two surviving ones I had, both of those showed the more silvery leaf I believe.

[Dwarf Fan]

20 minutes ago, Xerarch said:

Yes there is certainly some difference in color, indicating I guess some variation in the seedlings, perhaps favoring one parent or another.  I kept one of each color and gave away the other two surviving ones I had, both of those showed the more silvery leaf I believe.

Figures the green would be the more recessive trait on an Armata hybrid.

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, Xerarch said:

Yes there is certainly some difference in color, indicating I guess some variation in the seedlings, perhaps favoring one parent or another.  I kept one of each color and gave away the other two surviving ones I had, both of those showed the more silvery leaf I believe.

How old are they? Thanks

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, Dwarf Fan said:

I know the signature of the Armata is the Silver/Blue color fronds but I actually always prefer the Green Form when the Palm can express both forms.

Aside from being more sun tolerant, a lot of times the silver variant is hardier than the green form. Bismarckia nobilis, Sabal uresana, Chamaerops humilis var. argentea are just a few examples. 

[Xerarch]

8 minutes ago, Meangreen94z said:

How old are they? Thanks

They're maybe 5 years old but most of that time they were in small pots and did not grow that much, I germinated them in Ohio were I couldn't plant in the ground.  They really took off after being put in the ground, that was last year.  So they've been in the ground for only a year/year and a half, almost every frond you see on there is new growth from this year.

[Keys6505]

Here's my B. Clara that took up one of my vacancies created by palmageddon, so it's been in the ground for a little over a 2 1/2 years (ish?).  Is that math right?  It's slowww.  It was planted at about a 1 gal+ size along with a L. Decora about 20' away.  The Decora is now 8-10' tall and this thing still looks like this.  I have protected it with a moving blanket and Christmas lights for the extreme teens cold, but it it hasn't really seemed phased.  I don't recall it defoliating at all.  Got through the recent drought and months of 100 degrees plus with no issues and fronds always seem to look good despite Houston's 632% humidity.  Great color.

[Meangreen94z]

13 hours ago, Keys6505 said:

Here's my B. Clara that took up one of my vacancies created by palmageddon, so it's been in the ground for a little over a 2 1/2 years (ish?).  Is that math right?  It's slowww.  It was planted at about a 1 gal+ size along with a L. Decora about 20' away.  The Decora is now 8-10' tall and this thing still looks like this.  I have protected it with a moving blanket and Christmas lights for the extreme teens cold, but it it hasn't really seemed phased.  I don't recall it defoliating at all.  Got through the recent drought and months of 100 degrees plus with no issues and fronds always seem to look good despite Houston's 632% humidity.  Great color.

I’ve always heard Brahea clara handles humidity a lot better than armata. I’ never had a chance to test it , but yours looks great.