Islamorada, FL Palms

April 17

Had to run down to the Keys for a couple of days. Here’s some pics from the hotel. It is hot, bone dry, and sunny this time of year. Desert conditions. Didn’t have any time to run around looking for out of the way stuff, but the hotel did a really great job with the landscaping, so I thought I’d share…..

It was a quick trip.

Whoever put all this together really knew what they were doing. Great selections for the climate and conditions.

Tourist Palmscaping to start….

In place of bottles and spindles for accents, they plugged in a lot of coccothrinax…

Random Zombia antillarum…

Some Latania for silver accents…

Lots of Thrinax Radiata all over for some lower cover and shade…

Leucothrinax morisii everywhere down here as accents… way better ones along the roads. These and Thrinax are in every yard, median and parking lot.

Chrysalidocarpus Pembana clumps recurring as under tree accents…

Typical Areca / Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens all over as screening palms…. Mostly looking ok for down here.

Lots of these as screens… blanking on the name right now… that clumping one with the fragment fruit, I think, or maybe Arykury Palms/Syagrus schizophylla. Not sure, favor the first….

Some Vetechia sprinkled in…

A Copernicia alba…

A few Satakentia….

A random Atela…

Lots of Serenoa repans, some stands 8-10 feet tall….

Lots of Allagoptera arenaria…

Lots of Chamaerops humilis as accents… a common yard palm down here.

Some Acoelrrhaphe wrightii screens…. Looking happy even in dry spots.

This random huge palm was not too happy…. (Not sure, but it was a big young boy)

Lots of cool understory and ground cover plants around too… all appropriate choices

Missing was Pseudophoenix Sargentii and more Copernicia…. Many great Pseudophoenix along the roads and the way down.

300lb Goliath Grouper…. Always watching… always judging…

Tarpon of course (off site)

April 18

Beautiful shots and credit to the landscaper designer! They did an outstanding job.

April 18

So many gorgeous palms and what superb photography too. I never knew people actually inhabited those far out Keys. Silly me thought they were just some kind nature reserves or a resting place during the long swim from Cuba. Thank you for the lovely pictures and my edification.

Peachy

April 18

The Florida Keys are a wonderful place to be nearly all of the time. The weather is always warm and it's the perfect place to grow palms. The only exception is when a hurricane threatens the area. There is literally only one road in and out. So, when a hurricane is predicted, getting out of the Keys can be problematic.

April 18

5 hours ago, peachy said:

So many gorgeous palms and what superb photography too. I never knew people actually inhabited those far out Keys. Silly me thought they were just some kind nature reserves or a resting place during the long swim from Cuba. Thank you for the lovely pictures and my edification.

Peachy

Key West's most famous resident was author Ernest Hemingway.

https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/ernest-hemingway-key-west-home

Today, it's largely a short term tourist spot.

April 18

No reason to go further than Mile Marker 88! Great shots!

April 18

@Looking Glass great photos, thanks for sharing! The ones you weren't sure about I think are Arenga Engleri and probably Livistona Saribus. Both will do ok in full sun if watered and fertilized, but Saribus in particular always seems to look a bit yellowed and ratty.

April 18

2 hours ago, bubba said:

No reason to go further than Mile Marker 88! Great shots!

I assume that's an insider reference to the great seafood restaurant😉

April 18

3 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

The Florida Keys are a wonderful place to be nearly all of the time. The weather is always warm and it's the perfect place to grow palms. The only exception is when a hurricane threatens the area. There is literally only one road in and out. So, when a hurricane is predicted, getting out of the Keys can be problematic.

The soil there is terrible salty sand and limestone, and they get 20 less inches of rain annually than we do 2 hours north, but it is nice and hot and sunny, and well into Zone 11. I liked that they picked palms that would do well under these harsh conditions, for the most part, and didn’t try to put common, large rainforest-type palms in, that would require (and not get) ICU level tending and amending to be decent looking. But the palms that tolerate dry, hot conditions and poor soils thrive there.

There were lots of Pseudophoenix by the road on the way down. Many looking excellent. Next time I’ll try to get some pics of those. Another palm that thrives under local conditions.
Also Dyctyosperma, and I’m sure many nice Cuban palms are hiding out in places down there.

7 hours ago, peachy said:

So many gorgeous palms and what superb photography too. I never knew people actually inhabited those far out Keys. Silly me thought they were just some kind nature reserves or a resting place during the long swim from Cuba. Thank you for the lovely pictures and my edification.

Peachy

A great place to go if you like boating, fishing, snorkeling. Many multi, multi million dollar mansions and boats there. Very tourist friendly and fairly relaxed overall. Worth a stay if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@Looking Glass great photos, thanks for sharing! The ones you weren't sure about I think are Arenga Engleri and probably Livistona Saribus. Both will do ok in full sun if watered and fertilized, but Saribus in particular always seems to look a bit yellowed and ratty.

Arenga Engleri! Yes. For some reason I was blanking on that name. They used these as big clumps to separate buildings and walkways, and break up the views. Worked great as a screening palm for corners and small square or round areas.

The Saribus was huge. Looked terribly unhappy. One of two miserable palms there. Another was a pair of Satakentia planted in the sand with the coconuts. They were frying and not long for this world. Would have needed twice daily watering in that spot. The other thousands of palms there, were all placed perfectly and doing well.

April 18

I love that place, the islander yes? My family and I stayed there last October. You are correct about the landscaping, beautiful! The staff are friendly and helpful as well. I recognize that Livistona,it was a little yellow when I took the picture then

April 19

11 hours ago, bubba said:

No reason to go further than Mile Marker 88! Great shots!

That place has great food and amazing views. My son did like his fish but I'm pretty sure he didn't appreciate the view

April 19

I visited the Keys when I was in middle school lol and havent been back. I wish one day I could visit again. South Florida in general will always have a special place in my heart.

April 19

14 minutes ago, NC_Palms said:

I visited the Keys when I was in middle school lol and havent been back. I wish one day I could visit again. South Florida in general will always have a special place in my heart.

Reminds me of my only trip to the Keys one college spring break. I drove a couple of friends down from Knoxville but they wanted to stay in Fort Lauderdale the whole time so I drove myself. Driving across an 8-mile stretch (more or less) with nothing but water on either side of the highway was an interesting experience! Even more interesting at night during a thunderstorm! ⛈️

April 19

Up the street in Key Largo:

April 19

More:

April 19

These are some previously posted palms but still out of the ordinary:

June 18

Here are some roadside Pseudophoenix I snapped pics of this time around. They are everywhere down there. The best looking ones are in yards and at the hotels, where they get some water and fertilizer. But I’m only allowed to stop and photograph so many!

The ones on the side of the main road live a very harsh life in dry sand with no aid. Some have irregular growth patterns that probably follow spurts during rainy years. Others are pencil pointing, and a few have started “Pseudophoenix Decline” symptoms.