The forgotten chamaedorea elegans

[happypalms]

The chamaedorea genus with so many to choose from, the only problem with them is which one do I plant with so many beautiful characteristics the choice is endless. But one of my favourites is the elegans I remember my grandmother growing a few on the kitchen window sill and in her greenhouse, so popular years ago they seem to be forgotten about taking second place to the much prettier cousins. Easy to grow and very predictable in growth, a top little understory palm. 

[peachy]

A parlour palm in a 20cm pot and 1 metre over all height will set you back $60 in most nurseries around here. A 13cm pot with about 20 seedlings crammed in it is about $12 in Bunnings and $15 in Coles.  Unless you have a small professionally designed courtyard, they don't really stand out as a garden plant but in pots they are hard to beat. Probably a Kentia would be the closest rival.  I put very small ones into little pots as gifts but I also have littles of all sizes in strategic positions all over the house.  In fancy bigger pots I have 1 metre + specimens on the patio and indoors and visitors always admire them and ask the name.  A few places still label them as Neanthe bella. The much maligned Golden cane (Chrysalidus lutescens), ghastly things outdoors, also make a very pretty houseplant surprisingly.

Peachy

[Harry’s Palms]

Very nice palms , but mine grew to about 3’ and died in two different locations here . Not sure why because they did so well for years. I haven’t seen any for sale recently . Yours look very nice . Harry

[happypalms]

14 hours ago, peachy said:

A parlour palm in a 20cm pot and 1 metre over all height will set you back $60 in most nurseries around here. A 13cm pot with about 20 seedlings crammed in it is about $12 in Bunnings and $15 in Coles.  Unless you have a small professionally designed courtyard, they don't really stand out as a garden plant but in pots they are hard to beat. Probably a Kentia would be the closest rival.  I put very small ones into little pots as gifts but I also have littles of all sizes in strategic positions all over the house.  In fancy bigger pots I have 1 metre + specimens on the patio and indoors and visitors always admire them and ask the name.  A few places still label them as Neanthe bella. The much maligned Golden cane (Chrysalidus lutescens), ghastly things outdoors, also make a very pretty houseplant surprisingly.

Peachy

Yes cheap as and available in the chain stores yet so underrated by collectors. Planted on mass as singles they look great in the garden but as one plant alone they don’t do much when they are six feet tall. I even have the lady in the post office where I collect all my little palm treasures wanting one, she says she kills all plants and I have convinced her you can’t kill a elegans time will tell, a fantastic indoor palm beating its cousins for indoor quality. 
Richard 

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Very nice palms , but mine grew to about 3’ and died in two different locations here . Not sure why because they did so well for years. I haven’t seen any for sale recently . Yours look very nice . Harry

Get some more Harry asap, I get the odd palm or two just dying for some reason beyond thoughts. All you can do is try to work out why and not make the same mistake again. But do get some more they grow fast. The only problem with them is when they are six feet tall out growing the tiny little corner that you thought needed a filler at ground level. 
Richard 

[Tyrone]

I’ve got a few in pots here that I’ve collected over the years. The last two were trunking ones thrown pots and all into a verge side rubbish collection in the middle of summer with no shade, all burnt and sad. I grabbed them and put them into shade and gave them some water and fish/seaweed and they’ve greened right up and are flowering. Eventually I’ll find a shady little spot and plant the elegans community all together. 

[NC_Palms]

I love seeing large parlor palms. They sell them as houseplants as 50 seedlings or so stuck in a 4" pot and thus nobody can really see what they look like when they thrive. I posted mine on this thread. It is maybe 1 foot and a half long.

 

[happypalms]

9 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

I love seeing large parlor palms. They sell them as houseplants as 50 seedlings or so stuck in a 4" pot and thus nobody can really see what they look like when they thrive. I posted mine on this thread. It is maybe 1 foot and a half long.

 

They go so well in containers and on patios. But best as a single palm by itself. Individual palms look the best if you had 50 in one pot i5 would look terrible.

[quaman58]

A nice story behind this palm. An older friend of mine worked in the University of California system for 30 odd years. Early on somebody gave this to her as a little seedling that she kept on her desk for much of that time. She’s been retired for about 15 years and gave me this because she figured I’d probably take care of it. I can’t remember if the trunk split after or before she gave it to me, but it’s about 2 m tall now, having lived its entire life in a pot outdoors on my front porch. I reckon it has to be 45 years old at a minimum. 

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, quaman58 said:

A nice story behind this palm. An older friend of mine worked in the University of California system for 30 odd years. Early on somebody gave this to her as a little seedling that she kept on her desk for much of that time. She’s been retired for about 15 years and gave me this because she figured I’d probably take care of it. I can’t remember if the trunk split after or before she gave it to me, but it’s about 2 m tall now, having lived its entire life in a pot outdoors on my front porch. I reckon it has to be 45 years old at a minimum. 

Oh wow what a palm with a journey in life, and you ended up as it keeper nice one. And as for the split trunk double wow even better, you have a royal gem in that palm.