Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana in habitat

[Than]

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

It is the most reliable and suitable crowshafted palm for your climate!

Not for our climate? I am grateful this palm exists. For those of us who do not collect palms but we rather want to create a jungle-like garden and we don't care about having many species, it is a godsend.

52 minutes ago, dimitriskedikogloy said:

What about the kentia not really crownshaft but I think it can take some moderate frost under canopy 

I don't wanna say too much because it is only January and we still have two cold months ahead; however, my kentia has seen the same conditions and also looks OK so far, although less happy than the Archontophoenices. The latter is still pushing a leaf right now, although very slowly. I hope both Archontophoenices and Howea survive. Nurseries in Messinia insist kentias cannot survive outdoors, even inside Kalamata. I hope they can. I'll know in April.

[dimitriskedikogloy]

11 minutes ago, Than said:

Not for our climate? I am grateful this palm exists. For those of us who do not collect palms but we rather want to create a jungle-like garden and we don't care about having many species, it is a godsend.

I don't wanna say too much because it is only January and we still have two cold months ahead; however, my kentia has seen the same conditions and also looks OK so far, although less happy than the Archontophoenices. The latter is still pushing a leaf right now, although very slowly. I hope both Archontophoenices and Howea survive. Nurseries in Messinia insist kentias cannot survive outdoors, even inside Kalamata. I hope they can. I'll know in April.

oh they totally can in thessaloniki in restaurants and cafes they are young and potted and still somehow survive our lows

[Than]

4 minutes ago, dimitriskedikogloy said:

oh they totally can in thessaloniki in restaurants and cafes they are young and potted and still somehow survive our lows

The microclimate right in front of a café in Thessaloniki can be much warmer than that of my exposed garden inside a valley in front of a creek in inland Messinia... Especially if the cafés use the common halogen stoves in winter 😅

[Phoenikakias]

3 minutes ago, Than said:

Not for our climate? I am grateful this palm exists. For those of us who do not collect palms but we rather want to create a jungle-like garden and we don't care about having many species, it is a godsend.

I don't wanna say too much because it is only January and we still have two cold months ahead; however, my kentia has seen the same conditions and also looks OK so far, although less happy than the Archontophoenices. The latter is still pushing a leaf right now, although very slowly. I hope both Archontophoenices and Howea survive. Nurseries in Messinia insist kentias cannot survive outdoors, even inside Kalamata. I hope they can. I'll know in April.

Too hot, too windy (actually extremely windy) and too dry (actually very to extremely dry) for it during summer in my climate. Inquire about the fate of the three trunking Alexandras planted along Posidonos in Palaio Faliro.

[Phoenikakias]

Just now, Than said:

The microclimate right in front of a café in Thessaloniki can be much warmer than that of my exposed garden inside a valley in front of a creek in inland Messinia... Especially if the cafés use the common halogen stoves in winter 😅

Those 'poisonous' and elusive details...😏

[Than]

Just now, Phoenikakias said:

Too hot, too windy (actually extremely windy) and too dry (actually very to extremely dry) for it during summer in my climate. Inquire about the fate of the three trunking Alexandras planted along Posidonos in Palaio Faliro.

Well it should be the same here too then. Humidity goes down to 20% often but Archont. didn't seem to care. Things may change when it is higher than the canopy though.. It gets windy here too sometimes, when the wind is southern. Last night was insane, 70km/h southern winds. I could hear my stuff outside banging non-stop.

[Phoenikakias]

10 minutes ago, Than said:

Well it should be the same here too then. Humidity goes down to 20% often but Archont. didn't seem to care. Things may change when it is higher than the canopy though.. It gets windy here too sometimes, when the wind is southern. Last night was insane, 70km/h southern winds. I could hear my stuff outside banging non-stop.

Southern wind is full of moisture, it can not harm. Very strong, desiccating, northern wind is a different story. Watch those videos in my garden during windy, summer days. I bet you do not face  northern wind of such ferocity. It is the most palm-limiting factor in my place together with settling snow. And such strong northern wind may last for days even 24h, weeks and month. There had been such occasions in the past.

 

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I'm starting to get nervous about how many seeds you've sent me...should I take a trailer to the PO tomorrow?

I have a mate that travels up the coast every year collecting seeds and some good ones at that from time to time, he’s always letting me know what he has each season, those arenga seeds you got from me, and a lot of seeds he’s offering to me I have to decline in taking them, his remarks about declining seeds are, yes I can stuff a lot growers up by flooding them with to much seed blocking there production line with way to many seeds. 
You can get stuck with common stuff wasting time and money, when you should have been germinating other quality varieties of palms.

[Than]

2 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Southern wind is full of moisture, it can not harm. Very strong, desiccating, northern wind is a different story. Watch those videos in my garden during windy, summer days. I bet you do not face  northern wind of such ferocity. It is the most palm-limiting factor in my place together with settling snow. And such strong northern wind may last for days even 24h, weeks and month. There had been such occasions in the past.

 

Oh God this is awful. I remember this climate from Nea Makri and I hated it. I hated the strong wind and worrying about a wildfire.. I know how you feel. However, I have noticed that plants and the soil in my garden dry fast with the southern wind.. 

[Phoenikakias]

@Thanthis is very interesting. By southern wind soil in my place dries out only very slowly.

[Than]

15 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

@Thanthis is very interesting. By southern wind soil in my place dries out only very slowly.

That's interesting to me too cos in my mind southern wind (λίβας) = hot and dry

[Phoenikakias]

21 minutes ago, Than said:

That's interesting to me too cos in my mind southern wind (λίβας) = hot and dry

Does it not have to cross first the eastern Med basin, before it reaches Greece?

[Than]

5 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Does it not have to cross first the eastern Med basin, before it reaches Greece?

Wikipedia is always right: Ο λίβας είναι κατά βάση ένας ήπιας ταχύτητας ξηρός και θερμός άνεμος, ο οποίος πνέει στη Μεσόγειο καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του έτους, ωστόσο επηρεάζει κατά κύριο λόγο την Κορσική. Στην υπόλοιπη επικράτεια είναι πιο εμφανής τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες, οπότε και συνοδεύεται από απότομη αύξηση της θερμοκρασίας. Στην παραδοσιακή γεωργία έχει επικρατήσει να λέγεται πως ο λίβας καίει τα σπαρτά, καθώς τα χαρακτηριστικά του ευνοούν την αφυδάτωση των καλλιεργειών, οδηγώντας ενδεχομένως στην αποξήρανσή τους ή ακόμη και σε καταστροφή της σοδειάς.

[Phoenikakias]

30 minutes ago, Than said:

Wikipedia is always right: Ο λίβας είναι κατά βάση ένας ήπιας ταχύτητας ξηρός και θερμός άνεμος, ο οποίος πνέει στη Μεσόγειο καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του έτους, ωστόσο επηρεάζει κατά κύριο λόγο την Κορσική. Στην υπόλοιπη επικράτεια είναι πιο εμφανής τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες, οπότε και συνοδεύεται από απότομη αύξηση της θερμοκρασίας. Στην παραδοσιακή γεωργία έχει επικρατήσει να λέγεται πως ο λίβας καίει τα σπαρτά, καθώς τα χαρακτηριστικά του ευνοούν την αφυδάτωση των καλλιεργειών, οδηγώντας ενδεχομένως στην αποξήρανσή τους ή ακόμη και σε καταστροφή της σοδειάς.

There must be different kinds of southern wind, which probably varie depending on speed and height of air movement, notwithstanding distance of affected locality from sea. Anyway I have never experienced in my garden a southern wind of the Santa Ana type. You may check conditions in your garden too in order to put common belief to test.