Start of a Central FL palm garden

[Bkue]

6 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

January 2026 update:

 

 

This is awesome. This is what brings me here. Keep up with it. Looking great! 

[RiverCityRichard]

22 hours ago, Bkue said:

This is awesome. This is what brings me here. Keep up with it. Looking great! 

Thanks! Will be adding more once the freeze risk is gone. Greenhouse is overflowing

[RiverCityRichard]

On 1/6/2026 at 9:58 PM, DoomsDave said:

@RiverCityRichard nice to meet you! 
 

I see a helluva garden already! 

Likewise man! I’ve gained some great knowledge from a lot of your posts.

[Merlyn]

6 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

Thanks! Will be adding more once the freeze risk is gone. Greenhouse is overflowing

It looks like everything is growing great!  I had a couple of frosts so far, but most of the damage is just to the bananas and grass.  Fortunately the coldest night of 29.7F had just enough wind to avoid frost.  I had heavy snowlike frost a few days later, but it was (I hope) warm enough at 34.2 to avoid any serious damage.

I spotted this palm in your photos, is it Chamaedorea Ernesti-Augustii?  I tried one of those, but the local idiot bear decided to stomp on it and killed it.  I was thinking of trying another in a lower bear traffic spot...

[sonoranfans]

Happy new year richard, nice start!  I have found teddys(chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos) is much faster and holds more leaves in full sun here.  They are rockets I didnt expect after growing one in 3/4 shade.   C  Oliviformis and teddys are very similar cold tolerance, both lose their foilate but had buds completely intact at 28F and frost in dec 2010.  Remember the small ones are the most tender regardless of what you read on cold tolerance.  Its mostly a few degrees colder at ground level so you have a time window of a few years where you might need to protect.  Once the bid rises in height, the palms will be more cold hardy.  My alfredii out in the open got pretty bad frost burn at 28F in 2020, thought it a goner due to most leaves being burnt.  It was a little 3 gallon size palm.  But today it ios 30' tall and laughs at frost, no cold damage of any kind at all since 2010.  You may think like me in a few years, I should have planted a couple more alfredii (I have 3).