happypalms Another day in paradise in the garden

[tim_brissy_13]

Dictyocaryum and C mijoroanus - now we’re talking! 
 

I think the C mijoroanus should be an easy grower for you. Dictyocaryum might be more tricky but I think you’ve definitely got the climate to potentially do it if you can nurse it through the really hot days. I think shade and moisture will be the key. 

[Tyrone]

Dictyocaryum. Well done getting that species. I think you’ll have success if you can help it never see extremes. Your winter temps will be fine. Stable temps are important. I had them going in Perth until we had a low humidity 40C day followed by an 18C day a couple of days later. My last one that survived the rat attacks couldn’t handle the wild swings in temp and humidity. 

[happypalms]

20 hours ago, Tropical Toni said:

oooh where did you get Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana? 

Online! 

[happypalms]

18 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Dictyocaryum and C mijoroanus - now we’re talking! 
 

I think the C mijoroanus should be an easy grower for you. Dictyocaryum might be more tricky but I think you’ve definitely got the climate to potentially do it if you can nurse it through the really hot days. I think shade and moisture will be the key. 

If I can impress you Tim iam doing well, thought you might like those two varieties. 
Hopefully 🤞I  can get that dictyocarum to live one special palm. Iam now finding that the true water loving palms, will require very special attention in the way of amended soil and water. It’s the 6 weeks of no rain and high temperatures iam up against. Summer is so unpredictable in Australia you can get ten years of great rainfall and then opposite go into a ten year drought slowly and agonising all the way along as a gardener! 

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Dictyocaryum. Well done getting that species. I think you’ll have success if you can help it never see extremes. Your winter temps will be fine. Stable temps are important. I had them going in Perth until we had a low humidity 40C day followed by an 18C day a couple of days later. My last one that survived the rat attacks couldn’t handle the wild swings in temp and humidity. 

I can get fluctuations in temperature from 2 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius in one day in winter, and then in summer 20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees. So i have an average of 20 degrees Celsius fluctuations. I can’t be home all the time in summer on those crazy hot days to irrigate. 
I will say your temperatures are pretty out there in regards to weather in WA! 

[happypalms]

Ok so I now a have a bit of planting real estate, so its time to put it to the palm boffins in palm land. 
What would you suggest I go with, it’s sort of understory, there is room for a few taller growing varieties of palms, cycas varieties. 
It gets medium light so that gives plenty of choices. It will have irrigation. It’s by the driveway and entrance to the greenhouse so it will be getting a lot of eye attention! Only the best of the best will go in! 

[Harry’s Palms]

You have many interesting , rare palms that would be welcomed in that space . If it were me , I would start with a couple of rare Dypsis varieties that have a bit of color to them . After that , perhaps some Licuala or Chuniophoenix . I’m sure you know better than I about these things . Whatever you choose will look stunning . Harry

[happypalms]

Yep I know why I love gardening now.🌱

[Dan64]

That was an awesome walk!

[happypalms]

14 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

You have many interesting , rare palms that would be welcomed in that space . If it were me , I would start with a couple of rare Dypsis varieties that have a bit of color to them . After that , perhaps some Licuala or Chuniophoenix . I’m sure you know better than I about these things . Whatever you choose will look stunning . Harry

I like your choice in plant selection Harry. I do have quite a few dainty licuala varieties. A couple of dypsis lantzeana with a few dypsis minuta, brevicaulis, confusa and louvelli just a few good ones I have.  
Iam sure I will find something! 
Richard 

[Than]

Ι agree some colour would compliment the rest of the plants there very nicely. Something bright red perhaps. Some ti plants on the border might help.

[happypalms]

2 minutes ago, Than said:

Ι agree some colour would compliment the rest of the plants there very nicely. Something bright red perhaps. Some ti plants on the border might help.

As @Harry’s Palms suggested as well a row of Chuniophoenix nana as a border up the back. But definitely red I think the small dypsis varieties might get to go in. A mass planting of chamaedorea adscendens or metallica perhaps but not sure it would fit in as good as the small dypsis varieties. It’s an ornamental showpiece garden, I will leave the mass planting seed production separate for this ornamental entrance garden. 

[Navarro]

Teniendo riego y atención  plantaría lo más raro que tengas , quitaría esa cycas revoluta y la sustituiría por un dioon spinulosum , algunas licualas , Johannesteijsmannia que siempre quedan bien  y lo más raro que tengas 

[happypalms]

17 hours ago, Navarro said:

Teniendo riego y atención  plantaría lo más raro que tengas , quitaría esa cycas revoluta y la sustituiría por un dioon spinulosum , algunas licualas , Johannesteijsmannia que siempre quedan bien  y lo más raro que tengas 

I have a stack of spinolosum around the garden already, the revoluta that’s a possibility for sure, I have a few great cerotazamia and Zamia varieties, perhaps another Joey or two perakensis perhaps. But as you say the best will only do. I have some great licuala varieties. 
Decisions decisions oh to be spoilt for choice!

[happypalms]

23 hours ago, Dan64 said:

That was an awesome walk!

Your welcome!

[happypalms]

Couple of nice varieties, the masoala has been a bit tricky to work out there specific needs, Iam learning they are a bit like Howea species, in my soil and climate. And I got the basselinas worked out they seem to like my soil and climate. You learn your palms after a while some are tricky others are easy. 

[Tyrone]

Are those Basselinia from the batch of seed I got or an earlier one. Mine are nowhere near that size. 

[Harry’s Palms]

It takes patience sometimes . I have learned some tough lessons on easier palms than those . For many years I just grew easy ones , then built a greenhouse to make it easy for some more difficult palms . When I moved to this place with no greenhouse , it got real . I am learning too. 
      Some good looking seedlings , good work there . Keep pushing the boundaries and learning what the little ones want . Harry

[gyuseppe]

Richard, these are 2 species that I didn't know about. Thanks to you, I discovered 2 new palms. I always read your posts with interest.👌

[Than]

Looks quite humid in there. No fungi?

[happypalms]

20 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Are those Basselinia from the batch of seed I got or an earlier one. Mine are nowhere near that size. 

Same batch. South Pacific palms absolutely love my place especially the new cal stuff!

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

It takes patience sometimes . I have learned some tough lessons on easier palms than those . For many years I just grew easy ones , then built a greenhouse to make it easy for some more difficult palms . When I moved to this place with no greenhouse , it got real . I am learning too. 
      Some good looking seedlings , good work there . Keep pushing the boundaries and learning what the little ones want . Harry

It’s definitely an art form, very challenging as a grower to work some palms out. If I see something going wrong I change what iam doing too them. Remembering what I did wrong and what I have done differently.

Richard 

[happypalms]

On 1/21/2026 at 11:50 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

Yes , rain is always welcome for my garden as well . Summer rain is rare here . I remember a July rain event that lasted a couple of hours , with rain accompanied by thunder and lightening. Harry

If we are lucky enough when far North Queensland (cairns) has cyclones if it tracks south we can get a full wet week, the east coast low when that sets in my area becomes that true subtropical climate. 
The whole mid north coast  area once was what they called the big scrub before settlement one huge rainforest. Close to 400 square kilometres of pristine environment a small Amazon jungle. Now settlement and land clearing has broken that up into large reserves national parks and state forest. A place where the rainforest from the tablelands met the ocean! 

[happypalms]

At it again planting a few more in the ground, a nice paludosa, I even managed to get a couple of baby suckers of that one I shall see how they go, and this one was labeled as poiveana but I looked it up and it said solitary, so a bit of confusion on this little dypsis. The usual adscendens for a bit of fun, and a trio of gracilis getting thrown in the ground in the understory m. All under irrigation and well watered in a bit of time and that tropical look will be worth the wait. 

[happypalms]

A few chamaedoreas around the garden, and apparently according to a local source the chamaedoreas are huge @peachy I have plenty more to go into the garden over time! 

[gyuseppe]

Richard as you know i love chamaedorea, thanks for sharing the photos, it's always a pleasure for me to read your posts

[Harry’s Palms]

Chamaedorea are beautiful . Most are fairly cool hardy and make great “ in between” palms to grow in the shade of the larger palms. Some can take a fair amount of sun too. They don’t take much room , depending on the species , but love water. I only have a few different ones now . When I moved here I had more but not enough shade to keep them alive. Like Dypsis , there are many to choose from. Harry

What species is this? Oblongata?  Thank you for sharing your garden , once again. 

A couple of C. Ernesti Augusti between a Rhopalostylus ( juvenile) and a C. Lutescens

C. Radicalis volunteers popping up between the Pritchardia and a Caryota Mitis . 

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Chamaedorea are beautiful . Most are fairly cool hardy and make great “ in between” palms to grow in the shade of the larger palms. Some can take a fair amount of sun too. They don’t take much room , depending on the species , but love water. I only have a few different ones now . When I moved here I had more but not enough shade to keep them alive. Like Dypsis , there are many to choose from. Harry

What species is this? Oblongata?  Thank you for sharing your garden , once again. 

A couple of C. Ernesti Augusti between a Rhopalostylus ( juvenile) and a C. Lutescens

C. Radicalis volunteers popping up between the Pritchardia and a Caryota Mitis . 

Your welcome the species name I do believe is arenbergia, I have a few different ones that are a bit tricky to remember. Radicalis pop up all over my garden most I leave and the same with plumosa, adscedans, elegans in fact all chamaedorea species pop up, some wanted and a few unwanted. I have sefritzii throughout the garden but never any seeds on them. I still say you need some adscedans in that garden, I got a stack more seeds maturing in the garden, I might have to get those craftwork beads abroad. Your garden is always well maintained one advantage to a house garden, pick a spot in my garden and work that area and move onto the next spot first chance you get it never ends!

Richard 

[happypalms]

For some reason or other it split in two and is loving the situation it’s in. Constantly getting water from the laundry room, all the grey water it can drink and it loves every last drop. It’s the only one around that loves washing day! 

[Tyrone]

Grey water. Often an untapped and overlooked resource. Especially in this dry continent. That ramsayi is amazing. 

[Harry’s Palms]

That is a beauty , looks to be in mostly shade. Harry

[happypalms]

11 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Grey water. Often an untapped and overlooked resource. Especially in this dry continent. That ramsayi is amazing. 

Why waste it put it into the garden, I also have a bio cycle septic system, it’s about 40 meters of irrigation and omg it makes for a green part of the garden, all the water loving palms get planted in under that setup! 

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

That is a beauty , looks to be in mostly shade. Harry

Yep shes a cracker of a palm, I feel like removing it and planting a marojejya darinii there, perhaps a Joey would want to go there! 
Richard 

[happypalms]

After a few months on the heat mats and a bit of luck, the fruits of my labour are finally coming together. Certainly some good winners in this batch of seedlings, coming to a garden near you in the future, so far the rats have left me alone and haven’t had a 4 course meal of the finest rare palm seedlings! 

[Harry’s Palms]

A nice batch of sprouts there . You are going to fill that new green house fast at this rate. Harry

[happypalms]

Just now, Harry’s Palms said:

A nice batch of sprouts there . You are going to fill that new green house fast at this rate. Harry

Winter is coming around the next few corners so to speak, we will see what happens and how they go for there first winter, time will tell. I could fill the new greenhouse with just with stuff that could be potted up let alone new seedlings. 🌱 
Richard 

[Harry’s Palms]

I am guessing at least a few of those new sprouts are full tropical that will need the protection at least for the first few winters. Harry

[happypalms]

On 1/30/2026 at 9:43 PM, Harry’s Palms said:

I am guessing at least a few of those new sprouts are full tropical that will need the protection at least for the first few winters. Harry

About the best cold weather treatment they will get is placed inside a hothouse that won’t have heating, watering will be kept low to avoid cold soil, the substrate will be a mix that has avoided rock mineral bases. I see all the panic now over there with the big freeze hitting peoples gardens, the one reason I don’t go to all that full on winter protection is, is to avoid heartache and work only to have a big freeze hitting and kill after 4 or 5 years of continuing to panic and protect plants. If they die they die they were not meant to live. It’s a tough hard lesson in what will live and what won’t, palms are one plant that will respond immediately to unfavourable conditions. 
Richard 

[happypalms]

A spot of some rare and exotic, it’s wonderful to see the newly germinated seedlings start to get a nice bit of a look about. After all there my babies having nurtured them from the day I put the seeds in. Such beautiful gifts of Mother Nature that deserve the best they can get to start out, one day to be planted in my garden! 

[happypalms]

Throwing em in the ground while the summer heat and rain is about. 
With so many good plants to choose from and only wanting the best ones for the driveway garden! And i finally got a spot the newly acquired Zamia skinneri. 5 years time should see all the new plants fitting into the garden well. carlucdova palmatadypsis pinnatafrons ficus damearopsis draceana goldieana sabinara magnifica chamaedorea deckeriana