Current age demographics for PalmTalk (End of 2025)

[PhoenixFXG]

Just turned 30. Best thing about palms is I can enjoy this slow burn of a hobby for the next 50 years  

[RiverCityRichard]

32. Got into palms 4 years ago after buying my first house. I do remember seeing my first coconut palm outside Ron Jon’s in Cocoa Beach as a kid, and that blew my mind. (Grew up in inland central Florida)

This hobby has been awesome now that fishing/hunting hobbies have been harder to work out with having kids. Now digging in the yard with my boy has become something I look forward to every week. 

[sonoranfans]

For Palmtalk I can say I am retired, I started growing palms in 1998, joined Palmtalk in 2007, and currently have around 60 in ground palms in my yard, and half a dozen containers.  I have planted a few hundred deciduous trees as well in 5 other homes I have lived in.   So I have always liked growing plants.         

[Harry’s Palms]

11 hours ago, RiverCityRichard said:

32. Got into palms 4 years ago after buying my first house. I do remember seeing my first coconut palm outside Ron Jon’s in Cocoa Beach as a kid, and that blew my mind. (Grew up in inland central Florida)

This hobby has been awesome now that fishing/hunting hobbies have been harder to work out with having kids. Now digging in the yard with my boy has become something I look forward to every week. 

Great hobby to share with the children . I remember my little girl , then a toddler , following me around with her pink beach pail “helping “ me plant palms everywhere around our home . She would go with me to Jungle Music and different palm specialty nurseries around the north San Diego area on “ safari “ . Cherish the memories , as your palms grow , the child’s voices will echo after they have grown and left the nest . My favorite …” Why are you trying to hide our house , Dad ?” Now , at 71 it means so much. Once , while visiting us on holiday , she posted on social media a photo of the view from our deck with a one word caption “Home” ! Harry

[WaianaeCrider]

On 11/21/2025 at 3:24 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

Jesus Christ @WaianaeCrider, I got tired as hell just reading that. There must be something in those papayas, man! 

LOL   It's the clean Pacific air.

 

[NorCalWill]

If PalmTalk was around when I was 18, I surely would have found it. That's when I got my first palm as a birthday gift from a friend who knew that I like them back in 1985, a one gallon Chamaerops humilis. I ended up giving that one away to someone who had some land to plant it on. Growing up in Northern California, my family would drive to L.A. occasionally to visit an aunt. I remember staring out the window of the car at all of the palm trees everywhere. That's when I got hooked. 

[PalmBossTampa]

On 11/20/2025 at 6:21 AM, NC-Key-Bar said:

I’m 35 (and a half). Got into palms and plants in highschool, but never had any. Just liked them. That’s what pushed me towards picking Biology as a major in college (when I had no idea what to do). And choosing Plant Bio classes as electives  

Fast forward - we moved out of our first home in 2022 to a place with more room. My toddlers were now more independent, and gave me more time for hobbies. Gardening, Birds, Lawncare, ect. My wife and I both. 

I hope you are a good example of the 31-40 group who can continue to build the next generation of collectors and more importantly conservationist for this field.  Truly not everyone will continue the hobby into 40’s and 50’s but if a descent percentage do we are in good shape.  I think many more people would be drawn to the hobby if exposed, and I have often thought that smaller palms for pots/patio are a great entry point for apartment dwellers and folks with smaller yards. 

[PalmBossTampa]

On 11/22/2025 at 2:12 PM, PhoenixFXG said:

Just turned 30. Best thing about palms is I can enjoy this slow burn of a hobby for the next 50 years  

Advice- find a couple slow growing species that you like and start them now. Having something to look forward to is great for our longevity. I wish i started some species in my 30’s , but next best time is today 😎

[PalmBossTampa]

On 11/20/2025 at 2:29 PM, Hillizard said:

I just got a few more little palms delivered this past month or so from small growers and Floribunda, but I'm definitely considering an 'edit' of my garden to make room for them.  Several of these species will be considered (wildly) borderline for my location, but WTH, life is short and I want to try them. If they start to decline, I can always donate them to a public garden in a more suitable microclimate. I did that recently with my seedling Ceroxylon sasaimae. I'll post pix soon.

That’s the spirit! I’m also willing to lose some in an effort to push whats possible 

[PalmBossTampa]

On 11/22/2025 at 7:30 AM, Tyrone said:

I germinated my first palm in 89 when I was 16. A phoenix canariensis and it’s a big palm at my dad’s place with about 3.5m of clear trunk. I decided to start collecting palms in 99 when I bought my first house. The palm bug bit hard and I’ve been on Palmtalk in its various forms for 25 years back when Robert Lee Riffle was here on the forum. I’m so infected by the palm bug it’s well and truly in my blood now. No cure, and I don’t want to be cured either. 

My first germination was also CIDP, and also planted at my parents house! They were a much more prevalent species around here pre-Sylvester palm introduction.

[pogobob]

I’ll be 75 next June and immigrated from the Netherlands in 1956 at 5yrs old. Been into surfing all over the world, road racing bicycles on and off until 65 years old. Been a Palm society member since 1977, and now I’m on my second go round with my 13 years old garden in the hills of Vista/ Bonsall area of San Diego. I just finished spreading 36 cubic yards of mulch this week myself. I’m growing cycads, aloes, agaves, plumerias, protea, boojums, and of course palms. The world keeps on changing but I’m still the same cantankerous beast that I’ve always been 😎

[pogobob]

Oh yeah, and my son Braden DeJong is perhaps the most talented cycad farmer in California. He has 5 acres of beautiful colonies of cycads in Bonsall. Sunset Cycads

[SeanK]

On 11/22/2025 at 2:12 PM, PhoenixFXG said:

Just turned 30. Best thing about palms is I can enjoy this slow burn of a hobby for the next 50 years  

If I were 30, I'd buy a 15- gal Jubaea.

[RiverCityRichard]

11 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Great hobby to share with the children . I remember my little girl , then a toddler , following me around with her pink beach pail “helping “ me plant palms everywhere around our home . She would go with me to Jungle Music and different palm specialty nurseries around the north San Diego area on “ safari “ . Cherish the memories , as your palms grow , the child’s voices will echo after they have grown and left the nest . My favorite …” Why are you trying to hide our house , Dad ?” Now , at 71 it means so much. Once , while visiting us on holiday , she posted on social media a photo of the view from our deck with a one word caption “Home” ! Harry

Incredible memories. Glad to hear that story. For now my 2 year old is the measuring stick for palm growth in the garden lol. Made a great spot for annual family photos, and will be great to see the family grow with the gardening growing behind us.

[rizla023]

33. Started planting in 2020 when I was 28.

[PalmBossTampa]

10 hours ago, pogobob said:

Oh yeah, and my son Braden DeJong is perhaps the most talented cycad farmer in California. He has 5 acres of beautiful colonies of cycads in Bonsall. Sunset Cycads

 

I hope this all keeps me in good physical shape into my next decades too. Did you encourage your son to get into cycads or was it just by exposure to your passions?  Ive got twin teens and I’m only exposing them but not expecting them

[SailorBold]

49..but just turned 43 in September 

[JohnAndSancho]

19 hours ago, PalmBossTampa said:

I hope you are a good example of the 31-40 group who can continue to build the next generation of collectors and more importantly conservationist for this field.  Truly not everyone will continue the hobby into 40’s and 50’s but if a descent percentage do we are in good shape.  I think many more people would be drawn to the hobby if exposed, and I have often thought that smaller palms for pots/patio are a great entry point for apartment dwellers and folks with smaller yards. 

That's what sucked me in. I bought a Majesty for my apartment as a houseplant. Lol we all know how they do as houseplants 99% of the time, and I found y'all looking for guidance. Then 2020 happened, and I suddenly had all the time in the world to do nothing and extra money. I came out of that with a decent job that left me enough money to pay the bills, buy a car, and buy more palms. 

Then the bottom fell out, as bottoms tend to do, but now I can at least look like I know what I'm doing. And after getting lots of gifts and lots of knowledge over the last 5 years, I've got all the room in the world to grow stuff. 

[BayAndroid]

Thanks all, for the great "behind the username" stories we've seen in this thread. It's been nice to put a story to the user and to see some of the users who don't post much, as well. 

[donalt]

Guillermo, though I am not in the age range, nor do I live in your area, that is an excellent expedition you are seeking to do. Years ago I found some books in a used book store that recounted very similar expeditions from the early 1900s. Many were to Madagascar, where so many new, rare and exotic palms were discovered. Explorers brought home seeds and today, many palms around the world have their origins from Madagascar. A more recent discovery was the foxtail palm (Australia) that was nowhere in Florida USA until maybe 40 years ago. Now they are everywhere. Do that trip!

[tinman10101]

I am 51.  No big deal. you could just probably google me and my bday pops up.  Like many on here, caught the bug when I purchased my home and said no way I want my yard looking like all these boring ones around me.  In any case, that was during the days when HOA were more laxed.  My new neighbor next door got a HOA citation for planting one lonely bush in the front of his barren yard while next to his house is a jungle LOL.

I must say I was fortunate to ride the Palm Wave through my brother.  Met so many awesome and gracious people (through my brother) and visited so many gardens only to realize later that palm gardening is not a sprint but a 15+ year marathon.  You just have to visualize your garden in the future and be very patient.  I also realized that for every beautifully grown palm in mine or someone else's garden, there were probably many other palms that were sacrificed in that garden as a means of learning to achieve said palm.  More importantly,  you may have the most rare and beautiful grown plant in the world but if you have no one to share it with, to talk and reciprocate your love of plants, then it mine as well be a "weed".  Just some things I wanted to impart from my experience. 

I have also witnessed some amazing friendships evolve through the palm community.  Palms were the catalyst just like any other niche interest but the sharing of this knowledge and see it expand and manifest has been priceless for me. 

I wish I had the palm bug earlier in age but seeing a nice baseline in the survey in the 30s trending is amazing to see.

Cheers

Tin

[Jonathan]

On 11/25/2025 at 2:16 AM, SailorBold said:

49..but just turned 43 in September 

Lucky bugger, you're getting younger!

[MoPalm]

I've always been interested in plants and weather since I was about ten. However, that interest faded for a while, until a few years ago when I moved from the desert-like climate of the Middle East to the California Bay Area. The weather here is nice most of the year, and my interest in plants suddenly came back—stronger than ever.

I fell in love with Kentia palms at first sight and started buying them, planting them all over my property. Some got burned by frost or too much sun, which led me to start planting hardier palm varieties as canopy to protect them! The story continues, but my plan from the beginning was to not get addicted and start collecting all kinds. It's hard, though. I spend most of my free time calling nurseries and people to ask about this or that variety!

I've traveled over a thousand miles, driven semi-trucks (without a CDL), and taken risks just to get more and more palms! I can't pass up a good deal. I hope I'm not truly addicted, but it's hard to tell. The urge to buy plants in the spring and fall is very strong.

I just turned 39 and have started to wonder if I'm patient enough to build a full canopy, like the legendary ones I see around here.

I met some great people in the San Diego/LA area who patiently grew very slow-growing palm varieties from seed. All respect to everyone who has that strong love, care, and patience. A truly legendary focus around here!

I think not only are the collectors I've met and purchased from dedicated to finding rare palms, but they are rare individuals themselves! Indeed.

 

 

[Than]

I am 45 so with some luck and if I eat properly and exercise I will see my palms as grown trees! That is, if the cold, the spidermites, the heat and mainly my mistakes don't kill them first.

I was interested in plants since my teens, dunno why and cannot remember how it started.  My mom would kill anything green within days and my dad was never into growing anything. I received a cocos as a birthday gift from my dad when I became 15 or smth. I knew that as a traditional Greek man born in 1939 he didn't really approve of his son's hobby deep inside. He didn't understand a teenage boy growing plants, and that made his gift especially moving for me. Anyway, the cocos died within weeks. 

I am kinda proud deep inside that I was into plants before all those new "plant moms and dads"  emerged during the pandemic thanks to the Instagram 🤪

 

[Harry’s Palms]

@MoPalm Yes , you are hooked! The canopy you desire will happen faster than you think . I was about your age when I started , moved into my “new “ house in ‘97 and started over after 7 years in the other house. My canopy is mature , and now I have my understory areas to plant the smaller stuff. Still sowing seeds at 71! Harry

[MoPalm]

Harry, your story is exactly the inspiration I need! It proves this isn't a hobby, it's a lifelong journey. It reminds me of when @Darold PettyDarold gave me a tour of his yard—it was an absolute dream. I remember thinking that every morning spent drinking coffee under the palms he grew over the years must be like adding another 10 years to your life. That’s the real health benefit of this passion. 

2 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

@MoPalm Yes , you are hooked! The canopy you desire will happen faster than you think . I was about your age when I started , moved into my “new “ house in ‘97 and started over after 7 years in the other house. My canopy is mature , and now I have my understory areas to plant the smaller stuff. Still sowing seeds at 71! Harry

[Foggy Paul]

I’m 65 and hoping to work a few more years before being put out to pasture. I’ve loved plants all my life but never expected to have a house, or a garden, in expensive SF until meeting my wife in 2012. We got married in 2014, bought the house in 2016 and planted out the back garden in 2018. So the oldest plants have been in the ground 7 years. I’m sure it will be another 7 before I start to see trunk on most of them. Thank heavens for the fast growers we do have (Chamaedorea, Trachycarpus, Archontophoenix).

[guillerman]

On 11/25/2025 at 11:40 AM, donalt said:

Guillermo, though I am not in the age range, nor do I live in your area, that is an excellent expedition you are seeking to do. Years ago I found some books in a used book store that recounted very similar expeditions from the early 1900s. Many were to Madagascar, where so many new, rare and exotic palms were discovered. Explorers brought home seeds and today, many palms around the world have their origins from Madagascar. A more recent discovery was the foxtail palm (Australia) that was nowhere in Florida USA until maybe 40 years ago. Now they are everywhere. Do that trip!

Love it, thanks for the intel! Definetely Madagascar is one of the top of mind places, or any place into the less explored high altitude ranges

[PalmBossTampa]

On 11/26/2025 at 1:17 AM, MoPalm said:

I've always been interested in plants and weather since I was about ten. However, that interest faded for a while, until a few years ago when I moved from the desert-like climate of the Middle East to the California Bay Area. The weather here is nice most of the year, and my interest in plants suddenly came back—stronger than ever.

I fell in love with Kentia palms at first sight and started buying them, planting them all over my property. Some got burned by frost or too much sun, which led me to start planting hardier palm varieties as canopy to protect them! The story continues, but my plan from the beginning was to not get addicted and start collecting all kinds. It's hard, though. I spend most of my free time calling nurseries and people to ask about this or that variety!

I've traveled over a thousand miles, driven semi-trucks (without a CDL), and taken risks just to get more and more palms! I can't pass up a good deal. I hope I'm not truly addicted, but it's hard to tell. The urge to buy plants in the spring and fall is very strong.

I just turned 39 and have started to wonder if I'm patient enough to build a full canopy, like the legendary ones I see around here.

I met some great people in the San Diego/LA area who patiently grew very slow-growing palm varieties from seed. All respect to everyone who has that strong love, care, and patience. A truly legendary focus around here!

I think not only are the collectors I've met and purchased from dedicated to finding rare palms, but they are rare individuals themselves! Indeed.

 

 

Sounds like you are full of passion rather than addiction.  Addictions are usually things that are detrimental to ourselves or those around us.

I feel the same way BTW. Where can i go find some seeds?  Has Floribunda refreshed the list ? What can I move to the next container? Hobbies make us happy by the fulfillment they bring and knowledge learned . Enjoy without guilt 

[Cindy Adair]

I really enjoyed reading all the replies and the survey is interesting too.

Thanks BayAndroid for getting this going. 

At 68 I continue to start all kinds of plants from seed knowing some are more for the next owner of my farm to see mature. 

 The journey is what matters. 

Lots of interesting people on this forum!

Thanks to all who frequent PalmTalk but especially those who post!

[JohnAndSancho]

4 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

I really enjoyed reading all the replies and the survey is interesting too.

Thanks BayAndroid for getting this going. 

At 68 I continue to start all kinds of plants from seed knowing some are more for the next owner of my farm to see mature. 

 The journey is what matters. 

Lots of interesting people on this forum!

Thanks to all who frequent PalmTalk but especially those who post!

Absolutely. I love the origin stories. I know I've said this in lots of other people's threads, but I get discouraged a lot when I look at where I'm at compared to so many of the established gardens on here and then read that some of y'all have been working at this for as long as I've been alive - and it sounds like most of y'all are in better health than me and I hope to keep learning from y'all and my own mistakes.

I also love reading the younger generation getting involved. Y'all might not get my pop culture references or have any idea how slow dial up Internet was, or understand how Limp Bizkit got to be so popular, but I'm glad some of y'all are growing stuff. 

[weldertom]

I'll say that at my age, I have had the privilege to see most of our palms go from 1-2 ft to full maturity.  Also, the perspective that much of what I plant from today onward, will not provide me shade before I leave this rock. However, there is serenity in knowing what I leave behind may be enjoyed by others.