Start of a Central FL palm garden

[RiverCityRichard]

New member, but have been getting some good info from everyone on this site for a while. Started getting some palms a few years back and got inspired to start a bigger garden. In DeBary FL, about 30 miles north of Orlando. Progress so far:

2 B. Alfredii, one on the left planted from a 15g in June 2022, other went in this week from a 25g. Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana planted from a 7g in November 2021.

Side yard has a couple of flamethrowers, Chambeyronia Oliviformis, another king palm, Lanonia Dasyantha, Caryota Obtusa, Chamaedorea Radicalis x Cataractarum (most likely) and Chamaedorea Microspadix.

Plenty of other tropicals mixed in, big fan of Plumerias. Always run the risk of a hard freeze, but taking advantage of some high oak canopy and looking forward to a dense jungle look in a few years time.

[kinzyjr]

@RiverCityRichard Welcome to PalmTalk!  Hope that the jungle continues to take shape for you.

[RiverCityRichard]

Thank you @kinzyjr! Have a lot more to plant out including some fan palms

[Merlyn]

@RiverCityRichard welcome to palmtalk!  I'm just on the Southwest side of the lake from you, and have been planting palms here for about 5 years.  Alfredii is a great starting point for any yard, IMO.  Mine have taken freezes and frosts down to 24.6F with minimal cosmetic damage.  I can't say the same for Obtusa/Gigas, my first attempt died after a 27F frost and my second attempt is struggling with full sun and just looking bedraggled.  I'll be interested to see how yours does in a shady spot, that might be the key to getting them healthy here.  I love the Lanonia Daysantha, I only have a few seedlings I bought from Floribunda.  Many of the related Licuala should do well for you too, like Spinosa, Ramsayi, Peltata (regular and Sumawongii), Auriculata/Paludosa, Distans, and Fordiana.  I even have a Grandis planted near the front door, but it's really well sheltered by the house.  Keep posting updates as things grow and get planted!

Edit: here's my build thread with all the stuff I discovered NOT to do... 

 

[PalmatierMeg]

You're off to a great start. Welcome to PalmTalk

[RiverCityRichard]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

You're off to a great start. Welcome to PalmTalk

Thank you! I appreciate that

[RiverCityRichard]

4 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@RiverCityRichard welcome to palmtalk!  I'm just on the Southwest side of the lake from you, and have been planting palms here for about 5 years.  Alfredii is a great starting point for any yard, IMO.  Mine have taken freezes and frosts down to 24.6F with minimal cosmetic damage.  I can't say the same for Obtusa/Gigas, my first attempt died after a 27F frost and my second attempt is struggling with full sun and just looking bedraggled.  I'll be interested to see how yours does in a shady spot, that might be the key to getting them healthy here.  I love the Lanonia Daysantha, I only have a few seedlings I bought from Floribunda.  Many of the related Licuala should do well for you too, like Spinosa, Ramsayi, Peltata (regular and Sumawongii), Auriculata/Paludosa, Distans, and Fordiana.  I even have a Grandis planted near the front door, but it's really well sheltered by the house.  Keep posting updates as things grow and get planted!

Edit: here's my build thread with all the stuff I discovered NOT to do... 

 

Thank you! I enjoyed reading about your jungle in that thread, very impressive for this area.

I've been fortunate so far, moved into this house in October 2019, and the coldest I've seen on my sensors was 28f over Christmas 2022.  I believe I benefit from being on a hill with the river on one side, and Lake Monroe/Konomac on the other. Grew up in DeLand, and surprisingly Debary stays significantly warmer.

Awesome to hear/see the luck you've had with Licualas. I actually had a Licuala Spinosa planted underneath the larger king palm from 2021 until last month, when I had to dig it up to make room for new fence. Went in a 15g pot and is languishing from transplant shock. I have an overgrown 7g L. Ramsayi in my shadehouse, along with A Purpurea, A Tuckeri, C. Lanceolata, Copernica Prunifera, Livistona Benthamii, Livistona Decora, and misc. other seedlings. I purchased the Caryota Obtusa/Gigas from MB Palms last weekend, and was told shade + water is best, with lots of fertilizer.

[redbeard917]

Your palms and other plants look very happy/well-grown. What is the small tree in the last photo?

[RiverCityRichard]

1 hour ago, redbeard917 said:

Your palms and other plants look very happy/well-grown. What is the small tree in the last photo?

Thank you! That is a rainbow Eucalyptus. Planted last September as a twig with maybe a dozen leaves

[Merlyn]

22 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Thank you! I enjoyed reading about your jungle in that thread, very impressive for this area.

I've been fortunate so far, moved into this house in October 2019, and the coldest I've seen on my sensors was 28f over Christmas 2022.  I believe I benefit from being on a hill with the river on one side, and Lake Monroe/Konomac on the other. Grew up in DeLand, and surprisingly Debary stays significantly warmer.

Awesome to hear/see the luck you've had with Licualas. I actually had a Licuala Spinosa planted underneath the larger king palm from 2021 until last month, when I had to dig it up to make room for new fence. Went in a 15g pot and is languishing from transplant shock. I have an overgrown 7g L. Ramsayi in my shadehouse, along with A Purpurea, A Tuckeri, C. Lanceolata, Copernica Prunifera, Livistona Benthamii, Livistona Decora, and misc. other seedlings. I purchased the Caryota Obtusa/Gigas from MB Palms last weekend, and was told shade + water is best, with lots of fertilizer.

My Christmas 2022 data is below, with an absolute low of 26.4F in the backyard.  When I started planting I thought the front yard was colder, so I planted my sensitive stuff in the backyard.  It turns out I had it backwards, and the front yard is consistently 2-3F warmer on cold fronts.  It's basically identical during the afternoons.  This makes some sense, as the backyard is a couple of feet lower and doesn't have the road or driveway to radiate heat at night.

I use an Ambient Weather 5 channel datalogger WS-3000 with the 5 sensor setup.

I have had problems transplanting Licuala, several Sumawongii just struggled and eventually croaked after transplant.  But they were in too much sun and struggling before the transplant...so hard to say what killed them.  Part shade seems to be required to get big fans, good growth, and a nice green.

Lanceolata is about as hardy as Pembana here, meaning both will get torched in the upper 20s and may lose some trunks.  A spot with frost protection is a good idea.  I also have Lastelliana and Leptocheilos in the ground, though they are also not super hardy.  They are all about the size of your Obtusa, so maybe they'll get big enough this summer to survive the winter!

You can probably grow Baileyana, Fallaensis, Gigas, Alba, Prunifera, and Hospita ok there.  I have struggled with Macroglossa defoliating, but they seem to keep (slowly) growing back.

[kinzyjr]

10 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Thank you! That is a rainbow Eucalyptus. Planted last September as a twig with maybe a dozen leaves

Very nice!  There are a few here.  The one up the road has eclipsed the 40 foot mark already.  I hope it does really well for you, but the rap on them is that they shed a lot of branches in hurricanes and tropical storms.  We joke here that they are the most beautiful tree we've ever seen in someone else's yard

@Merlyn's thread is a better guide for your area, but you're also welcome to get ideas from my progress thread:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/52296-palms-and-others-of-interest/

[redbeard917]

What's the tree in the foreground in the second to last photo? Also what sort of soil amendment are you doing? It looks like a top dressing of some kind of compost.

I am sort of in the area right now, Crime Hills/College Park, and also have a thread of my local palm zone pushing experiments, but no one will learn anything from it as it's only a month or two old, just contains "before" pictures, and last winter was not any kind of a test anyway.

[Bkue]

Love it. Hope to see long term progress pics. 

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/18/2024 at 3:02 PM, Merlyn said:

My Christmas 2022 data is below, with an absolute low of 26.4F in the backyard.  When I started planting I thought the front yard was colder, so I planted my sensitive stuff in the backyard.  It turns out I had it backwards, and the front yard is consistently 2-3F warmer on cold fronts.  It's basically identical during the afternoons.  This makes some sense, as the backyard is a couple of feet lower and doesn't have the road or driveway to radiate heat at night.

I use an Ambient Weather 5 channel datalogger WS-3000 with the 5 sensor setup.

I have had problems transplanting Licuala, several Sumawongii just struggled and eventually croaked after transplant.  But they were in too much sun and struggling before the transplant...so hard to say what killed them.  Part shade seems to be required to get big fans, good growth, and a nice green.

Lanceolata is about as hardy as Pembana here, meaning both will get torched in the upper 20s and may lose some trunks.  A spot with frost protection is a good idea.  I also have Lastelliana and Leptocheilos in the ground, though they are also not super hardy.  They are all about the size of your Obtusa, so maybe they'll get big enough this summer to survive the winter!

You can probably grow Baileyana, Fallaensis, Gigas, Alba, Prunifera, and Hospita ok there.  I have struggled with Macroglossa defoliating, but they seem to keep (slowly) growing back.

Had pretty much the same issue at my house. The south side that is blocked from the wind, has no canopy, and is barren sand more or less. 2-3 degrees colder than the north and east facing sides, that have some oak canopy. I believe mine is the WS-10 4 Station. Coldest we hit this year was just below 36f on the south side of the house.

My Pembana got half torched in December 2022, but looked again by this time last year. Do you have Lanceolata in the ground? I have a 7g Leptocheilos too, that had some crown rot issues from overwatering on the drip sprayer last year but now looks okay. Probably going to wait until its substantially larger to put it in the ground. I'll have to get an update on how yours does.

I love the look of the Baileyana, I might give one a shot next year. MB had some nice size ones for sale this year.

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/19/2024 at 10:20 PM, redbeard917 said:

What's the tree in the foreground in the second to last photo? Also what sort of soil amendment are you doing? It looks like a top dressing of some kind of compost.

I am sort of in the area right now, Crime Hills/College Park, and also have a thread of my local palm zone pushing experiments, but no one will learn anything from it as it's only a month or two old, just contains "before" pictures, and last winter was not any kind of a test anyway.

In that photo I have two newly planted Hong Kong Orchid trees, both of which are shedding the old leaves and growing new bright green ones. There are also two Plumerias that I've had for a few years, one of which grows white/gold flowers, and the smaller having bright pink flowers. Below those are "Black Magic" Cordylines, which will be shaded again when the Plumerias fill out their leaves soon. I use some generic top soil, and depending on what I'm planting, a mix of coconut coir soil with worm castings and black cow. My soil is typical white fForida sand, so I've done some serious amendments on most of the plantings.

 

I'll have to check your thread out, probably a couple of degrees warmer there. I'm hoping for at least a couple more of these mild winters while everything gets established

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/18/2024 at 8:05 PM, kinzyjr said:

Very nice!  There are a few here.  The one up the road has eclipsed the 40 foot mark already.  I hope it does really well for you, but the rap on them is that they shed a lot of branches in hurricanes and tropical storms.  We joke here that they are the most beautiful tree we've ever seen in someone else's yard

@Merlyn's thread is a better guide for your area, but you're also welcome to get ideas from my progress thread:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/52296-palms-and-others-of-interest/

I actually got the idea to plant the eucalyptus from a dude who lives about 10 miles away from me in Deltona. They usually get a bit colder there than I do, and he had 3 planted around his yard that were all massive. He lost a chunk off the trunk of one during Ian, and it regrew like nothing ever happened. Mine is planted far from the house, and if it goes that direction it will hit the oak. If it falls away then there is a pretty open park/parking lot. Has grown pretty quickly, but all the advice I took on it was not to overwater much, forcing the roots to spread a bit for a strudier tree.

 

Your yard is inspiring! How is the progress going with Gumbo Limbo? Been really curious to try one of those in a spot where I had a water oak removed. I used to stay on the edge of Lakeland/Plant City and remember some serious frosts so it's impressive what you're making happen there.

[RiverCityRichard]

A few better angled photos and a new red leaf

[Merlyn]

16 minutes ago, RiverCityRichard said:

 Do you have Lanceolata in the ground? I have a 7g Leptocheilos too, that had some crown rot issues from overwatering on the drip sprayer last year but now looks okay. Probably going to wait until its substantially larger to put it in the ground. I'll have to get an update on how yours does.

I love the look of the Baileyana, I might give one a shot next year. MB had some nice size ones for sale this year.

I planted some Lanceolata big seedlings, but at about 2ft tall they got torched at 27F and frost and died.  Under canopy they survived about 25-26F withe severe damage.  My 10-15ft tall Pembana got torched in the same cold front and I lost several trunks.  I ended up removing that cluster due to trunk rot.  I hope Lannceolata ends up a bit hardier overall.  Similar palms are Ptychosperma Macarthurii and Schefferi, which might be a touch tougher.

I have a Fallaensis and Baileyana in the ground for at least 3 or 4 years.  They are slow growing, and only about 4-5 feet tall from 3 gallon size.  

[RiverCityRichard]

3 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I planted some Lanceolata big seedlings, but at about 2ft tall they got torched at 27F and frost and died.  Under canopy they survived about 25-26F withe severe damage.  My 10-15ft tall Pembana got torched in the same cold front and I lost several trunks.  I ended up removing that cluster due to trunk rot.  I hope Lannceolata ends up a bit hardier overall.  Similar palms are Ptychosperma Macarthurii and Schefferi, which might be a touch tougher.

I have a Fallaensis and Baileyana in the ground for at least 3 or 4 years.  They are slow growing, and only about 4-5 feet tall from 3 gallon size.  

That’s a shame. I was really hoping both of those would prove to be tougher than Lutescens. I’ll probably keep one Lanecolata in pots just because it’s become very attractive in the shade house. I’ll risk the rougher looking one. I’ve heard that about the P. MacArthurii, but never seen one other than at Leu Gardens to make a judgement from. I’ve got 2 out of 6 seedlings in 4” pots from eBay. 4 of them died two years ago from seedling fungus, and the other 2 are maybe one leaf bigger in that time.

 

A big Copernicia will probably be my next goal then!

[RiverCityRichard]

8 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I planted some Lanceolata big seedlings, but at about 2ft tall they got torched at 27F and frost and died.  Under canopy they survived about 25-26F withe severe damage.  My 10-15ft tall Pembana got torched in the same cold front and I lost several trunks.  I ended up removing that cluster due to trunk rot.  I hope Lannceolata ends up a bit hardier overall.  Similar palms are Ptychosperma Macarthurii and Schefferi, which might be a touch tougher.

I have a Fallaensis and Baileyana in the ground for at least 3 or 4 years.  They are slow growing, and only about 4-5 feet tall from 3 gallon size.  

Also my biggest Pembana is on the the far left in that last photo. It’s a single trunk, and the one that regrew from frost damage. 

[Merlyn]

I have Lutescens too, about 10 or 15 feet from the old Pembana.  The Lutescens grew back about the same speed as Pembana, but the Pembana got a trunk and bud infection.  It may have just been bad luck.  Mitis was right next to Pembana, and I lost most of the big trunks...but it grew right back.  I have a Pembana up front, it is about 4 feet tall now and took no damage at ~36F this winter.  I wish they were a few degrees hardier.

I've only seen mature Macarthurii and Schefferii in pictures, though there probably was one at Fairchild that I just didn't notice.  But I like the torn leaf end look of Arenga and Wallichia, so it was worth getting some eBay seedlings to try out.

[kinzyjr]

1 hour ago, RiverCityRichard said:

I actually got the idea to plant the eucalyptus from a dude who lives about 10 miles away from me in Deltona. They usually get a bit colder there than I do, and he had 3 planted around his yard that were all massive. He lost a chunk off the trunk of one during Ian, and it regrew like nothing ever happened. Mine is planted far from the house, and if it goes that direction it will hit the oak. If it falls away then there is a pretty open park/parking lot. Has grown pretty quickly, but all the advice I took on it was not to overwater much, forcing the roots to spread a bit for a strudier tree.

That's really great news on the Rainbow Eucs.  They've always been a gorgeous tree, but I've restrained myself from planting one.  Maybe if something perishes leaving a big open spot at the bottom of the yard, I'll roll the dice.

1 hour ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Your yard is inspiring! How is the progress going with Gumbo Limbo? Been really curious to try one of those in a spot where I had a water oak removed. I used to stay on the edge of Lakeland/Plant City and remember some serious frosts so it's impressive what you're making happen there.

Apperciate it - the yard is a continual work-in-progress.  The Gumbo Limbo is doing great.  It's at ~10 feet of overall height now and starting to get the peeling bark that makes it look interesting.  You can see a little of the trunk in the photos of the Allagoptera planting on my post  on that thread tonight.

Where I live, palm horticulture is a little bit easier than over by County Line Rd.  Between elevation, an ever-increasing UHI, and the lakes in the area, there are some decent microclimates.  During radiational freezes, the difference can be quite significant.  This is probably best illustrated by the photos of the Foxtails over by the airport vs. the Foxtails at Lake Miriam Square in the January 2022 Freeze:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/72092-january-2022-florida-freeze-report/?do=findComment&comment=1057329 

This photo is an example of what happens in the fall in the UHI vs. outlying lower areas here:

[kinzyjr]

@RiverCityRichard Here's a full view of the Gumbo Limbo I took today.  It's roughly 10 ft. overall height.

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/21/2024 at 9:39 PM, Merlyn said:

I have Lutescens too, about 10 or 15 feet from the old Pembana.  The Lutescens grew back about the same speed as Pembana, but the Pembana got a trunk and bud infection.  It may have just been bad luck.  Mitis was right next to Pembana, and I lost most of the big trunks...but it grew right back.  I have a Pembana up front, it is about 4 feet tall now and took no damage at ~36F this winter.  I wish they were a few degrees hardier.

I've only seen mature Macarthurii and Schefferii in pictures, though there probably was one at Fairchild that I just didn't notice.  But I like the torn leaf end look of Arenga and Wallichia, so it was worth getting some eBay seedlings to try out.

Thats a shame! When I first started reading about Pembana I thought it would be a great hardier alternative to Lutescens, which are everywhere in my neighborhood, and always look yellow in our sugar sand. Going to try and keep the Pembana to one trunk and wrap the crown with Christmas lights and burlap when needed.

I spend a lot of time fishing in the Broward area and will have to check and see if I can find a larger specimen of Macarthurii to bring back next time. I did just germinate a couple Wallichia Disticha that I’m interested in trialing here

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/21/2024 at 10:30 PM, kinzyjr said:

That's really great news on the Rainbow Eucs.  They've always been a gorgeous tree, but I've restrained myself from planting one.  Maybe if something perishes leaving a big open spot at the bottom of the yard, I'll roll the dice.

Apperciate it - the yard is a continual work-in-progress.  The Gumbo Limbo is doing great.  It's at ~10 feet of overall height now and starting to get the peeling bark that makes it look interesting.  You can see a little of the trunk in the photos of the Allagoptera planting on my post  on that thread tonight.

Where I live, palm horticulture is a little bit easier than over by County Line Rd.  Between elevation, an ever-increasing UHI, and the lakes in the area, there are some decent microclimates.  During radiational freezes, the difference can be quite significant.  This is probably best illustrated by the photos of the Foxtails over by the airport vs. the Foxtails at Lake Miriam Square in the January 2022 Freeze:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/72092-january-2022-florida-freeze-report/?do=findComment&comment=1057329 

This photo is an example of what happens in the fall in the UHI vs. outlying lower areas here:

You’re most definitely in a better spot. I was right south of i4 off the Thonotosassa Rd exit. Definitely rural and I can remember the grass looking like it had snowed. That thread definitely shows Lakeland as a heat island. I bet you’ll have a serious tropical jungle in a few years!

 

Always loved the look of the gumbo limbo, and I never see any around here, even on the coast. But always figured being a native to Brevard area and south they could take a decent bit of cold. That’s a great looking tree, I’m sure it will be a beast in a few years, and offer free sunscreen for life

 

[Merlyn]

12 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Thats a shame! When I first started reading about Pembana I thought it would be a great hardier alternative to Lutescens, which are everywhere in my neighborhood, and always look yellow in our sugar sand. Going to try and keep the Pembana to one trunk and wrap the crown with Christmas lights and burlap when needed.

I spend a lot of time fishing in the Broward area and will have to check and see if I can find a larger specimen of Macarthurii to bring back next time. I did just germinate a couple Wallichia Disticha that I’m interested in trialing here

I hoped they would be tougher too, partially just because of the big leaves and white trunks.  They do like the soil a lot better than Lutescens, I never had problems with visible deficiencies.  I think they are slightly hardier, but in my experience all of the Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus are susceptible to crown rots after winter.  I've had that problem with Baronii, Lanceolata, Lastelliana, Leptocheilos, Pembana, and Onilahensis.  The ones that haven't (so far) are Decaryi, Cabadae and Madagascariensis. 

Wallichia should do well for you.  I have a couple of Oblongifolia/Densiflora in shady spots, they took no damage at about 26F with frost...but under canopy.  I think Distichia is about as hardy.  It's a full sun palm though, so it might take some damage from exposure and frost.

[flplantguy]

Hopefully your garden is everything you want it to be!  You have a good jump start with the plant sizes and the advice here is very helpful i have found.  The chrysalidocarpus seem to like conditions similar to many orchids, high humidity and not too wet for too long, but can handle frequent water when its warm enough.  Dont use coco coir or other high water content mixes alone on them if you pot them for a while, i did that with a few after running out of perlite and that was a mistake.  The psammophilus is recovering after i repotted it into perlite alone but it lost a stem to pink rot from an excessively humid and cool greenhouse and my overzealous watering. I look forward to seeing your successes!

[Merlyn]

@flplantguy oh yeah, coco coir is great as an additive but not as a substitute for perlite.  It retains about 85% of the water you put in there, where perlite and vermiculite retain around 60%.  It actually holds more water than compost at 70%!

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/25/2024 at 9:25 AM, Merlyn said:

I hoped they would be tougher too, partially just because of the big leaves and white trunks.  They do like the soil a lot better than Lutescens, I never had problems with visible deficiencies.  I think they are slightly hardier, but in my experience all of the Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus are susceptible to crown rots after winter.  I've had that problem with Baronii, Lanceolata, Lastelliana, Leptocheilos, Pembana, and Onilahensis.  The ones that haven't (so far) are Decaryi, Cabadae and Madagascariensis. 

Wallichia should do well for you.  I have a couple of Oblongifolia/Densiflora in shady spots, they took no damage at about 26F with frost...but under canopy.  I think Distichia is about as hardy.  It's a full sun palm though, so it might take some damage from exposure and frost.

I can agree on the soil for sure. Mine was planted in typical central florida sugar sand with some mulch and a drip, and took off pretty quickly. Haven't found any Madagascariensis, but would definitely like to try one. I've seen a mature W. Disticha in Winter Park, and it was pretty impressive. The seedlings have been quite slow so far though. Hoping they'll take off this summer.

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/25/2024 at 11:52 AM, flplantguy said:

Hopefully your garden is everything you want it to be!  You have a good jump start with the plant sizes and the advice here is very helpful i have found.  The chrysalidocarpus seem to like conditions similar to many orchids, high humidity and not too wet for too long, but can handle frequent water when its warm enough.  Dont use coco coir or other high water content mixes alone on them if you pot them for a while, i did that with a few after running out of perlite and that was a mistake.  The psammophilus is recovering after i repotted it into perlite alone but it lost a stem to pink rot from an excessively humid and cool greenhouse and my overzealous watering. I look forward to seeing your successes!

Thank you! That's great advice! My Pembana in the yard is in sand with some mulch top soil, and gets a 30 minute drip 3x a week. Seems to respond well. The ones in pots are 50% sugar sand and 50% miracle grow palm/cactus mix, and are doing alright. I do use a coco coir soil mix with worm castings and mix with coarse sand for archontophoenix, licuala, and clinostigma savoryanum, which has done okay. Been all trial and error with my shade house potting experiments

[NickJames]

Looking great! I’m in Deltona. 

[peachy]

Welcome to the palm addict support group. Looks like you are off to a great start for a new garden and it will soon be fabulous.  Plumeria will survive a bad freeze. About 15 years we had a freak event and it went down to -5c overnight. The whole city was a dead wasteland but many things I thought were goners came back in time.

Keep up the good work, you are on a winning streak already.

Peachy

[RiverCityRichard]

On 4/29/2024 at 12:51 AM, NickJames said:

Looking great! I’m in Deltona. 

Awesome man. I remember when I was a kid living in Osteen seeing some royals and young coconuts planted on the side of one of the lakes off Howland. Might even be where I developed my interest in palm trees

[RiverCityRichard]

22 hours ago, peachy said:

Welcome to the palm addict support group. Looks like you are off to a great start for a new garden and it will soon be fabulous.  Plumeria will survive a bad freeze. About 15 years we had a freak event and it went down to -5c overnight. The whole city was a dead wasteland but many things I thought were goners came back in time.

Keep up the good work, you are on a winning streak already.

Peachy

Haha thanks! Definitely is turning into an addiction. And I appreciate it, definitely looking forward to everything filling in. Outstanding! They both went through the 2021 and 2022 Christmas freeze without any damage, which I was surprised of. Blooms should be starting in the next week or so

[happypalms]

Once you get hooked on palms there’s no turning back the only therapy you can get is buying and planting more palms it seems to work for me 

[happypalms]

On 4/17/2024 at 6:35 AM, RiverCityRichard said:

New member, but have been getting some good info from everyone on this site for a while. Started getting some palms a few years back and got inspired to start a bigger garden. In DeBary FL, about 30 miles north of Orlando. Progress so far:

2 B. Alfredii, one on the left planted from a 15g in June 2022, other went in this week from a 25g. Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana planted from a 7g in November 2021.

Side yard has a couple of flamethrowers, Chambeyronia Oliviformis, another king palm, Lanonia Dasyantha, Caryota Obtusa, Chamaedorea Radicalis x Cataractarum (most likely) and Chamaedorea Microspadix.

Plenty of other tropicals mixed in, big fan of Plumerias. Always run the risk of a hard freeze, but taking advantage of some high oak canopy and looking forward to a dense jungle look in a few years time.

 No turning back now couple more years you will be very pleased you planted some nice palms being rewarded with one of mother nature’s finest gifts the palm tree 

[RiverCityRichard]

January 2026 update:

 

 

Edited January 6 by RiverCityRichard
Removing duplicate photo

[PalmBossTampa]

Happy New Year ! Nice collection 😎

[RiverCityRichard]

1 hour ago, PalmBossTampa said:

Happy New Year ! Nice collection 😎

Thanks brother! Happy New Year!

[DoomsDave]

@RiverCityRichard nice to meet you! 
 

I see a helluva garden already!