Juania Australis in the British Isles

March 9

I think we need a new updated thread for these palms...

Starting with the big one at Overcliffe Gardens near Dublin in Ireland. This is probably the largest Juania in the British Isles.

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The Earlscliffe Juania was planted very small back i 1995, so it has been in the ground for 30 years now. The earliest photos I can find are from 2002 and 2003. The third photo below shows it in 2009...

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Next up we have the Juania specimen at Overbeck's Garden in Salcome, Devon.

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The Overbecks Juania was apparently planted in 1995 as well, but it was a very small seedling back then. the earliest photos I can find for it are from 2011 and 2013.

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Next up we have another legendary Juania at Glendurgan Gardens in Cornwall that has been in the ground about 25 years as well, alongside Dr Kevin Spence for scale...

Here is a grainy photo of the Glendurgan Juania from 2012 before it had properly started trunking...

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There are other decent specimens in southern England and Ireland, which I will update on in due course... :greenthumb:

March 9

I don't want seeds!
but does it produce seeds in ireland and uk?

March 9

@UK_Palms It is so difficult to get a Juania Australis here in the US and yet in the UK several places have them for sale. Question, are any of the big Juinia you pictured setting fruit and seed? If so are the seeds viable? I have a couble leads on Juania seeds here in the US and expect one supplier to have some for me soon.

March 9

1 minute ago, gyuseppe said:

I don't want seeds!
but does it produce seeds in ireland and uk?

I posted same question as you at same time, go figure. P.S. I don't want to go through the issues of importing seeds into the US, much rather get them here.

March 9

This palm will break your heart. I have grown several, and they exhibit what I call "sudden death syndrome" even though I have a very good microclimate. They grow well and then die suddenly without any sign of distress. Any Ceroxylon has a similar look and is much easier to grow.

Carpe emptor ! :winkie:

March 9

26 minutes ago, gyuseppe said:

I don't want seeds!
but does it produce seeds in ireland and uk?

So I believe all 3 of the ones shown have produced flowers as of 2024 now (some of these photos are from 2023) however you really need separate male and female specimens for pollination as they are dioecious. So someone would need to collect male pollen and hack the female plant at Earlscliffe with it, assuming either of those other two are male.

Those are definitely female flower sacks on the Earlscliffe Juania. Some are fresh and not opened up in the image below, but you can also see older, spent ones hanging down too. The first flower supposedly emerged way back in 2016, so I would have been flowering for about 7-8 years now. Hopefully some of the gardens and owners can lend some pollen. I think there are other large Juania’s in private gardens too.

March 10

A few additional threads discussing Juania australis:

April 7

On 3/9/2025 at 9:28 PM, Darold Petty said:

This palm will break your heart. I have grown several, and they exhibit what I call "sudden death syndrome" even though I have a very good microclimate. They grow well and then die suddenly without any sign of distress. Any Ceroxylon has a similar look and is much easier to grow.

Carpe emptor !

i'm very surprised. we recently spoke to a gardener who visits his friends in san francisco every now and then and he was thrilled with the climate and everything that thrives in your area. it should almost grow and flourish. a mystery ...🤔

yes, then you'd better leave it 😒

April 7

for comparison. of course there will be different microclimates in dublin and the surrounding area as well as in san francisco and everywhere else. it shows how many exotic plants grow in some areas of the british islands. amazing.

April 12

On 4/7/2025 at 11:24 AM, Mazat said:

i'm very surprised. we recently spoke to a gardener who visits his friends in san francisco every now and then and he was thrilled with the climate and everything that thrives in your area. it should almost grow and flourish. a mystery ...🤔

yes, then you'd better leave it 😒

There is one in Golden Gate Park which has flourished, but as Darold suggests, it may be an outlier. With our climate getting warmer, this is one I’d never try even if I could get one, which I can’t.

April 14

beautiful thread! They look stunning and perfectly happy so far away from the equator!

April 16

Hand Clapping! I am delighted to read the updates in this thread with those glorious pictures.

The little trials in the Britsh Isles gave enormous specimens. Who would have said that 30 years ago ! I remember the Juania by the wall growing taller than the wall but its long-term success was more than in doubt. - We knew the wall was not going to grow

They are beautiful indeed - the green ringed trunk is fabulously exotic, reminiscent of Clinostigma, Ceroxylon and Howea.

It is so important for conservation, to have some trees in cultivation able to fruit, of an almost unaccessible species. And then it is even more tricky and fascinating because of dioecy: You can't make seeds with one specimen!

So keep them well and observed as in their first days, check nutrients and competition with other plants: Don't get distracted - adult palms can get sick when they start flowering. Make seeds, make more and share to where they can live well.

Of course I can't grow it here, but I still hope to plant a few one day in some palm-friend gardens in the highlands in Tenerife, which should not be a bad place for it, but not possibly the best.

And I wonder if Dublin is good for Juania, where else could it go better? Was it ever tried in the Azores?

Carlo

August 20

Another Juania to add to the growing list in the UK… but this time in someone’s back garden in southern England! These photos were recently posted by Dr Kevin Spence. Hope he doesn’t mind me sharing them in this thread about the UK Juania! That thing must have been in the ground for at least 10-15 years. Maybe more…

August 20

3 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

Another Juania to add to the growing list in the UK… but this time in someone’s back garden in southern England! These photos were recently posted by Dr Kevin Spence. Hope he doesn’t mind me sharing them in this thread about the UK Juania! That thing must have been in the ground for at least 10-15 years. Maybe more…

What do you think was the lowest temperature

she experienced, Ben ?

About ...

Wonderful 🌴

August 20

On 4/16/2025 at 8:40 AM, Carlo Morici said:

Hand Clapping! I am delighted to read the updates in this thread with those glorious pictures.

The little trials in the Britsh Isles gave enormous specimens. Who would have said that 30 years ago ! I remember the Juania by the wall growing taller than the wall but its long-term success was more than in doubt. - We knew the wall was not going to grow

They are beautiful indeed - the green ringed trunk is fabulously exotic, reminiscent of Clinostigma, Ceroxylon and Howea.

It is so important for conservation, to have some trees in cultivation able to fruit, of an almost unaccessible species. And then it is even more tricky and fascinating because of dioecy: You can't make seeds with one specimen!

So keep them well and observed as in their first days, check nutrients and competition with other plants: Don't get distracted - adult palms can get sick when they start flowering. Make seeds, make more and share to where they can live well.

Of course I can't grow it here, but I still hope to plant a few one day in some palm-friend gardens in the highlands in Tenerife, which should not be a bad place for it, but not possibly the best.

And I wonder if Dublin is good for Juania, where else could it go better? Was it ever tried in the Azores?

Carlo

Good and funny example with the wall,

Carlo 🤗

Had to laugh and that's healthy

August 20

Juania australis in a North Berkeley palm garden, visited on Aug. 19th, 2018, by members of the NorCal Palm Society.
https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/57500-northern-ca-ps-meeting/#comment-861662

August 21

I love the look of all the cooler growers, so of course i cant grow them 🤣. Nice specimens here!

August 22

That’s certainly a statement that palm, absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for posting the pictures.

August 22

On 3/9/2025 at 1:28 PM, Darold Petty said:

This palm will break your heart. I have grown several, and they exhibit what I call "sudden death syndrome" even though I have a very good microclimate. They grow well and then die suddenly without any sign of distress. Any Ceroxylon has a similar look and is much easier to grow.

Carpe emptor !

I had the same experience with a couple of palms that just decided to stop living. It sucks to grow a palm for 15 years or so and just have it die for no apparent reason. Harry

August 22

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

That’s certainly a statement that palm, absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Richard, I think this palm is beautiful, but where I live it's impossible to grow, even though it would withstand the light frost in my city, I know someone who tried to grow it, but without success
This species requires a series of elements that combine between them to grow well
(I hope you understand what I said, I use translator)

August 22

On 8/20/2025 at 2:42 PM, UK_Palms said:

Another Juania to add to the growing list in the UK… but this time in someone’s back garden in southern England! These photos were recently posted by Dr Kevin Spence. Hope he doesn’t mind me sharing them in this thread about the UK Juania! That thing must have been in the ground for at least 10-15 years. Maybe more…

Wow - I didn't see this posted anywhere else. That's incredible. Are you able to tell us who's garden that is? Was it posted on the EPS form?

August 22

I was overly optimistic to think they stood a chance here. They germinate well in winter in ambient outdoor temps, but despite anything I tried to keep them cool in summer it was an absolute failure. The averages for my place were not far different than habitat, but it gets way hotter here than habitat. I will stick to subtropical palms. They do much better.

August 24

On 8/22/2025 at 9:48 PM, Josh76 said:

Wow - I didn't see this posted anywhere else. That's incredible. Are you able to tell us who's garden that is? Was it posted on the EPS form?

I don't know exactly but from my understanding it is near Portsmouth in Hampshire on the south coast.

It seems there are a fair few more Juania in the British Isles than first thought. I saw another on google maps at Kells Bay Gardens in Ireland. I knew one was growing there, but I thought it was much smaller. This one has been there longer than I thought. The first image is from 7 years ago back in March 2018...

I believe these two Juania in Northern Ireland are the furthest ones from the equator...

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The one at Tremenheere in Cornwall...

Glendurgan Juania in Cornwall last year...

Also I visited the Juania in Salcombe, Devon last month...

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Just seen this private garden in Essex as well on the eastern coast of England... the amount of exotics growing there...

August 24

2 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

No lo sé exactamente, pero según tengo entendido está cerca de Portsmouth, en Hampshire, en la costa sur.

Parece que hay bastantes más Juania en las Islas Británicas de lo que creía. Vi otra en Google Maps en los Jardines de Kells Bay, Irlanda. Sabía que había una allí, pero pensé que era mucho más pequeña. Esta lleva allí más tiempo del que pensaba. La primera imagen es de hace 7 años, en marzo de 2018...

Creo que estas dos Juania en Irlanda del Norte son las más alejadas del ecuador...

El de Tremenheere en Cornualles...

Glendurgan Juania en Cornwall el año pasado...

También visité el Juania en Salcombe, Devon el mes pasado...

Acabo de ver este jardín privado en Essex, así como en la costa este de Inglaterra... la cantidad de plantas exóticas que crecen allí...

This palm tree is native to Chile. Robinson Crusoe Island (Juán Fernandez). Here in Chile, my friend and I are germinating Juania Australis (Chonta) seeds. I hope to germinate many more, and a new batch. I'm sharing some photos.

August 24

4 hours ago, Hugopalmeras said:

This palm tree is native to Chile. Robinson Crusoe Island (Juán Fernandez). Here in Chile, my friend and I are germinating Juania Australis (Chonta) seeds. I hope to germinate many more, and a new batch. I'm sharing some photos.

¿Dónde obtuviste semillas, Hugo?

August 24

From the island's park ranger. I hope to get even more. But don't you know this palm tree is the last link in the palm tree world? They want to clone palm trees. If palm trees already exist, the palm tree kingdom already exists. You just have to go after them.

August 24

8 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

No lo sé exactamente, pero según tengo entendido está cerca de Portsmouth, en Hampshire, en la costa sur.

Parece que hay bastantes más Juania en las Islas Británicas de lo que creía. Vi otra en Google Maps en los Jardines de Kells Bay, Irlanda. Sabía que había una allí, pero pensé que era mucho más pequeña. Esta lleva allí más tiempo del que pensaba. La primera imagen es de hace 7 años, en marzo de 2018...

Creo que estas dos Juania en Irlanda del Norte son las más alejadas del ecuador...

El de Tremenheere en Cornualles...

Glendurgan Juania en Cornwall el año pasado...

También visité el Juania en Salcombe, Devon el mes pasado...

Acabo de ver este jardín privado en Essex, así como en la costa este de Inglaterra... la cantidad de plantas exóticas que crecen allí...

You're all geniuses. I never thought so many people liked palm trees. Palm trees are a wonderful kingdom. It's a world within a world. And I encourage you to keep exploring it.

WELCOME GUEST

Juania Australis in the British Isles

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