Texas Palms

[Ben G.]

On 4/9/2025 at 12:48 PM, MarcusH said:

Short update on the Mule palm that were planted last year near the Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio .Looks like they recovered from the transplant shock and just sailed through the winter.  

I was at the Tea Gardens today for a promotion ceremony. I got to check these out, and they do look like they sailed through winter.

I wanted to take more time (and pictures), but work was crazy...so I was in and out of the area pretty quickly.

Thanks for getting photos of these.

[Fusca]

On 4/10/2025 at 5:08 PM, Meangreen94z said:

There was one in Rio Hondo that looked near perfect from what I saw 

What's interesting to me is that it's in a position exposed to north winds (in town) but the surrounding concrete must be enough to protect it.  It was there in 2019 so it survived 22°F in 2021.

[Meangreen94z]

Chamaerops humilis var. argentea in Kingsland, Texas. Saw approximately 2°F(-16.6°C) in 2021.

[Wudman]

Hello, I am new to palms and landscaping in general.  I live in Katy, Tx and I planted my first palms about 5 months ago.  I have young Pindo Palms and Queen Palms.  If anyone has watering suggestions for me, please share.  I just had a drip system installed.  My soil has a lot of clay.

[Fusca]

4 hours ago, Wudman said:

Hello, I am new to palms and landscaping in general.  I live in Katy, Tx and I planted my first palms about 5 months ago.  I have young Pindo Palms and Queen Palms.  If anyone has watering suggestions for me, please share.  I just had a drip system installed.  My soil has a lot of clay.

Welcome to Palmtalk!  Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) are almost impossible to over water - they love it.  Pindos (Butia odorata) aren't as thirsty but they still appreciate it when newly planted.  Drip irrigation is a good idea for heavy clay soil.  

[PA-TX2024]

There are lots and lots of Robustas with volunteers growing in this neighborhood. 

[Robert Cade Ross]

On 4/14/2025 at 9:07 AM, Wudman said:

Hello, I am new to palms and landscaping in general.  I live in Katy, Tx and I planted my first palms about 5 months ago.  I have young Pindo Palms and Queen Palms.  If anyone has watering suggestions for me, please share.  I just had a drip system installed.  My soil has a lot of clay.

Prepare the chainsaw for the queen eventually as she will unfortunately succumb to one of the bad freezes in our future sadly . Till then enjoy the rapid growth and majestic look she will provide for years or potentially decades.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Ventured out onto Tiki island yesterday afternoon- next to Galveston island and found plenty of interesting plants and palms  .queens  double trunk foxtail in ground burned back and trimmed from the January event but looks to be on the road to recovery will be a fun zone push to observe.cidp & queen peep the two young Bismarkia hidden pigmy dates @Dwarf Fan a wispy European fan for ya large Bismarck palm I didn’t get pics of all of the ones I saw .majesty cut back mango tree large plumeria - plunged in a pot or dug up each fall common practice around here.my favorite discovery is two random Sabal uresana .

[Chester B]

Tiki island is a cool spot. I drove around there but didn’t undercover all the great  palms you saw. 

[Ben G.]

I really like those sylvestri and the mules. Nice finds.

[fr8train]

On 3/21/2025 at 1:46 PM, Fusca said:

I think it might be Nannorrhops but hard to tell without a close-up shot of the trunk.  I assume no petiole thorns?  

I was able to stop by again today and get a better look:

[Robert Cade Ross]

5 hours ago, Chester B said:

Tiki island is a cool spot. I drove around there but didn’t undercover all the great  palms you saw. 

Lots of $$ in the neighborhood homes so more interesting palms are planted all over the area  

[Robert Cade Ross]

I need to explore the island more that was only from like 1/3rd of it too haha I’m sure there are some trunking Bismarkia and other stuff we all love to dream of growing in the tundra …😆

[Robert Cade Ross]

In Austin for the week - a few things I saw  

[Ben G.]

That arenga looks like it has seen better days for sure. 

Those Chameadorea radicalis make me excited for when I will have more than one mature radicalis in my garden. They look great.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Found a large coconut palm in south west Houston today when driving on the tollway - building number included if anyone wants to venture out and visit it before she croaks in December 😆

[Ben G.]

1 hour ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Found a large coconut palm in south west Houston today when driving on the tollway - building number included if anyone wants to venture out and visit it before she croaks in December 😆

I immediately thought about the constantly quoted and memed quote from the movie Dodgeball: "It's a bold strategy Cotton. Let's see how it works out for him." 

[PA-TX2024]

9 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Found a large coconut palm in south west Houston today when driving on the tollway - building number included if anyone wants to venture out and visit it before she croaks in December 😆

It wouldn't surprise me if they plant a Royal after this coconut dies lol.

[Ben G.]

I had a little time to look around a couple nurseries this morning I saw some huge and expensive specimen palms for sale, including a few you don't see commonly around here. I had to take a couple of pics of their Jubaeas though, since I have only ever seen one or two in person before:

They also had Brahea armata and edulis, it was kind of cool to see those too.

[Chester B]

I think these were coconut palms for sale today at Ramirez Garden in S Houston. I didn’t bother to ask how much. 

[MarcusH]

Some massive Sabal Mexicana at the Botanical Garden in SA. 

[Meangreen94z]

Motivation to not give up on your palms over inclement weather, spend a few hours protecting. 17°F in January. Pictures from today in Pearland, Texas

Copernicia alba 

Phoenix theophrastii ‘Golkoy’

Butia 

Copernicia alba

Liviston nitida

King

Ravenea rivularis

Phoenix sylvestris and Livistona decora

Livistona decora

Queen

Beaucarnea recurves

Bismarckia

Bismarckia 

Livistona Australis

[Ben G.]

That's awesome that you were able to pull everything through the winter alive. 

I am willing to protect one of two plants in my landscape in a given year, but I can't bring myself to plant too many marginal plants.

I always smile when I see others like (like you) pull it off though.

[Austinpalm]

10 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

Motivation to not give up on your palms over inclement weather, spend a few hours protecting. 17°F in January. Pictures from today in Pearland, Texas

Copernicia alba 

Phoenix theophrastii ‘Golkoy’

Butia 

Copernicia alba

Liviston nitida

King

Ravenea rivularis

Phoenix sylvestris and Livistona decora

Livistona decora

Queen

Beaucarnea recurves

Bismarckia

Bismarckia 

Livistona Australis

Great to see all the survivors Daniel.  I'll be interested to hear at the end of the summer if the majesty's growth rate slows down after this past winter's cold.  I've tried a few majesty's in Austin, that would survive sub 20F temps, but they always really slowed down after the experience.  Hopefully that one is big enough that it can shrug it off.

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, Austinpalm said:

Great to see all the survivors Daniel.  I'll be interested to hear at the end of the summer if the majesty's growth rate slows down after this past winter's cold.  I've tried a few majesty's in Austin, that would survive sub 20F temps, but they always really slowed down after the experience.  Hopefully that one is big enough that it can shrug it off.

These are all in Pearland , south of Houston. Although they have seen Austin low temperatures the last 5 years. My parents live in a retirement community and I built them this garden. I drive in to protect what’s in ground  and bring potted plants inside on average once a year..  They aren’t in physical shape to do that anymore, but enjoy having it 10-11 months out of the year. I think it’s a worthy investment 

[PA-TX2024]

@NBTX11 Your Filiferas are coming along nicely. This HEB seems to like them.

[NBTX11]

19 hours ago, PA-TX2024 said:

@NBTX11 Your Filiferas are coming along nicely. This HEB seems to like them.

Yeah. There’s a few more at that HEB. Look towards the far end of the parking lot. There’s one by a stop sign and another next to the far entrance along the road. 

[Robert Cade Ross]

Moody gardens will probably never be the same without the old garden director so I’ve come to accept the fact that the only new palms with be sabals at this point lol …

[Robert Cade Ross]

Will I regret buying two queen palms maybe… but they were 75% off and have nothing wrong with them lol. Lowe’s for the win #ManvelTx

[Robert Cade Ross]

Robsuta & Filifera yesterday;) in Webster 

[MarcusH]

On 5/4/2025 at 7:10 PM, Robert Cade Ross said:

Will I regret buying two queen palms maybe… but they were 75% off and have nothing wrong with them lol. Lowe’s for the win #ManvelTx

Lol I've bought a Queen a couple months ago.  I kept the receipt to return it after the next freezes.  I even saved the pot it came with.  Let mother nature decide. Maybe I'll protect it just for fun but what bothers me is the slow recovery process.  Anyway I already went through 2 Queens so this time I don’t keep my hopes up high and be realistic about it. I can treat the Queen as an annual. I love Queens. 

[Robert Cade Ross]

11 hours ago, MarcusH said:

Lol I've bought a Queen a couple months ago.  I kept the receipt to return it after the next freezes.  I even saved the pot it came with.  Let mother nature decide. Maybe I'll protect it just for fun but what bothers me is the slow recovery process.  Anyway I already went through 2 Queens so this time I don’t keep my hopes up high and be realistic about it. I can treat the Queen as an annual. I love Queens. 

Third times a charm if this winter goes to shit it will be the third time I’ve lost a queen to a freeze since 2021 lol … there’s a hard in Pearland that recently replaced their huge ones for the third time 🥱 sooo hopefully the ice age is over …

[Chester B]

13 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Third times a charm if this winter goes to shit it will be the third time I’ve lost a queen to a freeze since 2021 lol … there’s a hard in Pearland that recently replaced their huge ones for the third time 🥱 sooo hopefully the ice age is over …

I had one queen survive but the new spear browned off.  It has just been sitting there doing nothing, but I felt that it was still alive.  Last week I removed it, as I don't really want to wait until mid summer to come around before it slowly starts growing.  And then risk of another winter damaging it.  I have no time for sub par palms and plants.  I trunk cut it after digging it up and it was in fact still alive.  I replaced it with a Twinberry aka Simpson's stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) and planted a Sabal "blackburniana"  in the same area as the replacements.

[SeanK]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

I had one queen survive but the new spear browned off.  It has just been sitting there doing nothing, but I felt that it was still alive.  Last week I removed it, as I don't really want to wait until mid summer to come around before it slowly starts growing.  And then risk of another winter damaging it.  I have no time for sub par palms and plants.  I trunk cut it after digging it up and it was in fact still alive.  I replaced it with a Twinberry aka Simpson's stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) and planted a Sabal "blackburniana"  in the same area as the replacements.

If we get to September 1st and it's still struggling, it should have been removed in April. Hindsight is 20/20.

[Mazat]

On 4/28/2025 at 2:31 AM, MarcusH said:

Some massive Sabal Mexicana at the Botanical Garden in SA. 

With the perfect look, great shirt👍🤗

[MarcusH]

On 5/8/2025 at 11:23 AM, Mazat said:

With the perfect look, great shirt👍🤗

Lol thank you appreciate it.

[MarcusH]

Just bought two Sabal Minor that came in a 7 gallon pot for 30 dollars each.  Is that a good price ?

[SeanK]

2 hours ago, MarcusH said:

Just bought two Sabal Minor that came in a 7 gallon pot for 30 dollars each.  Is that a good price ?

Very...

Those aren't singles, are they? I don't see characteristic leaves, yet the pots are full.

[MarcusH]

4 minutes ago, SeanK said:

Very...

Those aren't singles, are they? I don't see characteristic leaves, yet the pots are full.

They have multiple trunks , small ones. You don't think they're Sabals minors ?

[MarcusH]

Here's a closer picture