Wollemia nobillis pine in Coffs Harbour botanical garden

[happypalms]

A great Australian rare tree now becoming more common with most botanical gardens having them and available for sale in chain stores with one I purchased a few days back $85 Australian dollars quite cheap in comparison to what they where selling for some years back but great to see what they look like a bit more older than what you can buy.

[Jonathan]

They seem to have tortured that one - you people from NSW are pretty cruel...

These grow really well here, there's a nice little grove at the local botanical gardens. I bought three a couple of years ago, and this will make you cry Richard, for $5 each! Mind you they were only four inch seedlings. The biggest now probably 4 feet after two years in the ground, so reasonably fast. 

[happypalms]

Tortureed yes that would be Coffs Harbour city council from what say $5 bucks that’s a bargain they sound like they price them like kentia palms by the trunk or stem length that was $85 at a chain store so they would be much more expensive at a reputable nursery I think they prefer cool conditions judging by there habitat but I hear living in Tasmania is torture putting up with that cold weather is a form of torture you can have  Siberia in the form of the apple state.

[Jonathan]

7 hours ago, happypalms said:

Tortureed yes that would be Coffs Harbour city council from what say $5 bucks that’s a bargain they sound like they price them like kentia palms by the trunk or stem length that was $85 at a chain store so they would be much more expensive at a reputable nursery I think they prefer cool conditions judging by there habitat but I hear living in Tasmania is torture putting up with that cold weather is a form of torture you can have  Siberia in the form of the apple state.

Slander! It nearly got to 11C here today...damn near tropical! 

As the guy at the local nursery pointed out, Wollemi's are easy to germinate, reasonably fast growing and highly adaptable, so the ridiculous prices are hard to justify. I wonder if most  commercial nurseries are still propagating from cuttings, which perhaps take longer to establish and grow slower than seedlings? There's a few trees around locally producing seed now which is good  news for the species. 

 

[happypalms]

2 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Slander! It nearly got to 11C here today...damn near tropical! 

As the guy at the local nursery pointed out, Wollemi's are easy to germinate, reasonably fast growing and highly adaptable, so the ridiculous prices are hard to justify. I wonder if most  commercial nurseries are still propagating from cuttings, which perhaps take longer to establish and grow slower than seedlings? There's a few trees around locally producing seed now which is good  news for the species. 

 

I’ve heard about Tasmania and what happens in the apple isle and it’s more than cold weather 11 I won’t ask what the temperature is at 6 in the morning then I think cuttings done by the big nursery stores you should be collecting seeds from your local one# iam sure they would sell.

[Jonathan]

4 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I’ve heard about Tasmania and what happens in the apple isle and it’s more than cold weather 11 I won’t ask what the temperature is at 6 in the morning then I think cuttings done by the big nursery stores you should be collecting seeds from your local one# iam sure they would sell.

We have to keep the sheep warm somehow Richard.

It was 8.6C at 6am this morning, 9.5 now, so not much difference all day, which is pretty typical here in winter really. We get the odd frosty morning but have only had one so far this year. You have to  choose your poison - our cool winters or your stinking hot summers...I think @Tyrone has possibly hit the sweet spot in Albany with neither problem!

[happypalms]

3 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

We have to keep the sheep warm somehow Richard.

It was 8.6C at 6am this morning, 9.5 now, so not much difference all day, which is pretty typical here in winter really. We get the odd frosty morning but have only had one so far this year. You have to  choose your poison - our cool winters or your stinking hot summers...I think @Tyrone has possibly hit the sweet spot in Albany with neither problem!

I thought that.

but you can have  those temperatures tomorrow here its meant to be 3 degrees Celsius in Grafton so a cool one in the morning around here it doesn’t get hot here we like to call it preferred palm growing optimal temperature that has no rainfall I think of the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane the palm growers sweet spot.

[Jonathan]

6 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I thought that.

but you can have  those temperatures tomorrow here its meant to be 3 degrees Celsius in Grafton so a cool one in the morning around here it doesn’t get hot here we like to call it preferred palm growing optimal temperature that has no rainfall I think of the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane the palm growers sweet spot.

Yeah, there's always somewhere just a bit better, isn't there? Still, we do our best and it’s fun to have a gardening challenge. 

[happypalms]

12 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Yeah, there's always somewhere just a bit better, isn't there? Still, we do our best and it’s fun to have a gardening challenge. 

Somewhat of challenge not for me that sort of cold gardening zone pushing is fun condemning palms to death sentences the palm police will hear about that.🤣

[Jonathan]

7 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Somewhat of challenge not for me that sort of cold gardening zone pushing is fun condemning palms to death sentences the palm police will hear about that.🤣

My Chambeyronia is your Pigafetta. Police business either way...we're keeping an eye on you sonny.

[happypalms]

1 minute ago, Jonathan said:

My Chambeyronia is your Pigafetta. Police business either way...we're keeping an eye on you sonny.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure piggafetta won’t grow here I haven’t tried but iam pretty sure it wont  grow here.

[Tyrone]

On 6/16/2024 at 4:35 PM, Jonathan said:

We have to keep the sheep warm somehow Richard.

It was 8.6C at 6am this morning, 9.5 now, so not much difference all day, which is pretty typical here in winter really. We get the odd frosty morning but have only had one so far this year. You have to  choose your poison - our cool winters or your stinking hot summers...I think @Tyrone has possibly hit the sweet spot in Albany with neither problem!

Averages here are pretty mild but our winter mins can be just like Tassie. Coldest so far this winter is 3C which is a tad abnormal but there’s a heap of winter left. Average winter mins are 6C. Winter maxs average around 16,17C, but I reckon this winter we could be 18 or even 19C. Summer maxs average mid twenties. However what is often never considered is how often the climate likes to flip out of the average line and go extreme. So my extremes are -2.5C and 45C. Both extremes cause serious damage. Both can be softened by canopy. So I’m madly trying to grow more and more canopy to blunt the edges of the extreme flip outs this place can throw at you. For palm growing nothing much beats the Sunshine Coast. However I don’t live there, so I make do. 
 

I’ve got one Wollemi growing in the ground ok. Glad they are coning in Tassie now. 

[happypalms]

On 6/18/2024 at 9:11 AM, Tyrone said:

Averages here are pretty mild but our winter mins can be just like Tassie. Coldest so far this winter is 3C which is a tad abnormal but there’s a heap of winter left. Average winter mins are 6C. Winter maxs average around 16,17C, but I reckon this winter we could be 18 or even 19C. Summer maxs average mid twenties. However what is often never considered is how often the climate likes to flip out of the average line and go extreme. So my extremes are -2.5C and 45C. Both extremes cause serious damage. Both can be softened by canopy. So I’m madly trying to grow more and more canopy to blunt the edges of the extreme flip outs this place can throw at you. For palm growing nothing much beats the Sunshine Coast. However I don’t live there, so I make do. 
 

I’ve got one Wollemi growing in the ground ok. Glad they are coning in Tassie now. 

We all should buy 1000 acres on the Sunshine Coast and start a retirement village for old retired palm growers who can’t pick up golden cane leaves anymore and just give us a watering can or hose all day long watering palms.

[Jonathan]

On 6/19/2024 at 5:29 PM, happypalms said:

We all should buy 1000 acres on the Sunshine Coast and start a retirement village for old retired palm growers who can’t pick up golden cane leaves anymore and just give us a watering can or hose all day long watering palms.

I'll fly up for the winters, summer is nice down here...perfect climate balance!

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I'll fly up for the winters, summer is nice down here...perfect climate balance!

Oh I see our summers a bit to hot for the tassie apples up here hey with our golden coloured beaches and palm trees swaying in the wind in the land of coconuts 🌴 

[Jonathan]

A bit hot yes but maybe we can come up there and teach you how to grow Wollemi's! These are at the local botanical gardens in Hobart.

[Jonathan]

On 6/21/2024 at 7:06 AM, happypalms said:

Oh I see our summers a bit to hot for the tassie apples up here hey with our golden coloured beaches and palm trees swaying in the wind in the land of coconuts 🌴 

Our beaches are rubbish it's true!

 

[happypalms]

15 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Our beaches are rubbish it's true!

 

Those photos of the beach look like photos of whistler in Canada in summer looks fantastic in summer but freezing cold in winter oh and not to mention summer as well or did you photoshop them and as for gardening lessons 101 on pine tree growing you better come up in now in winter otherwise the weather will be to hot for you with a top yesterday of 22c that might be a bit hot for you even in winter so the hotel air conditioning might be on flat out for you also iam starting up a home for palms that are struggling in cool weather and looking forward to many of your palms coming to a peaceful warm climate to live out there days in subtropical conditions 🤣🤣🤣

[Jonathan]

1 hour ago, happypalms said:

Those photos of the beach look like photos of whistler in Canada in summer looks fantastic in summer but freezing cold in winter oh and not to mention summer as well or did you photoshop them and as for gardening lessons 101 on pine tree growing you better come up in now in winter otherwise the weather will be to hot for you with a top yesterday of 22c that might be a bit hot for you even in winter so the hotel air conditioning might be on flat out for you also iam starting up a home for palms that are struggling in cool weather and looking forward to many of your palms coming to a peaceful warm climate to live out there days in subtropical conditions 🤣🤣🤣

Lol! I had to photoshop the penguins and icebergs out.

[happypalms]

23 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Lol! I had to photoshop the penguins and icebergs out.

I thought that but I did notice some coconut palms swaying in the breeze obviously not photoshopped in 🤣🌴🥥