Spindle palms growing in crete

[dimitriskedikogloy]

Recently came across some splidle palms growing outside a beach bar in crete and they look very healthy just seemed very interesting to me here is a picture on from google maps

[dimitriskedikogloy]

Here is a video i made about the street there

 

[iko.]

Thanks for the tour. It's good to see diversity.

I have seen similar to these ones being sold as Dypsis (I think now is Chrysalidocarpus) pembana but I also remember reading about some people who has this palm and they said is a different Dypsis/Chrysalidocarpus.

Yes, you're right, this is a Ranenala madagascariensis which is quite tender, much more than Hyophorbe verschaffeltii.

In that place, loos like they planted a small coconut in 2014 which unfortunately didn't survive to the next year. Not such a bad try but probably they should have kept it closer to the house.

[Janni]

Hi Dimitri

 

Malia is the place, where I got all my examples from, when someone says we have a limited range, what can grow in Greece 😁 I came across Malia by coincidence because I googled nurseries in Greece. I found one nursery, that had a few Hotel Projects on its homepage, all of which were in Malia. That was the reason I started to stroll around that town in google streetview.

The garden landscapers know about their potential there and the hotels are trying to outdo each other with increasingly tropical gardens. I found a few more nice palmy spots in Malia. If you click on the hotels of your streetview findings, you will see many more photos of the hotel gardens in the Google Images.

Here a few more examples (not only Hyophorbe Verschaffeltii): 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6L57h7ZMCm2d99US7

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wH9b4PSJh11c2Lf16

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4oYp3vZ9gx7He7pV6 (here you can see a Veitchia as well)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cQtiqCBn6FMLtEpLA

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yDkoHmSgaiYbLKak7 (a Hotel with a stunning Garden)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3xLCRzfioPyVy9gb9

[Janni]

one more Hotel with at least one Spindle Palm and many many other tropicals... near Rethymno

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GHVrzYkc7QxFnJ3N7

 

 

[dimitriskedikogloy]

22 minutes ago, Janni said:

Hi Dimitri

 

Malia is the place, where I got all my examples from, when someone says we have a limited range, what can grow in Greece 😁 I came across Malia by coincidence because I googled nurseries in Greece. I found one nursery, that had a few Hotel Projects on its homepage, all of which were in Malia. That was the reason I started to stroll around that town in google streetview.

The garden landscapers know about their potential there and the hotels are trying to outdo each other with increasingly tropical gardens. I found a few more nice palmy spots in Malia. If you click on the hotels of your streetview findings, you will see many more photos of the hotel gardens in the Google Images.

Here a few more examples (not only Hyophorbe Verschaffeltii): 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6L57h7ZMCm2d99US7

https://maps.app.goo.gl/wH9b4PSJh11c2Lf16

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4oYp3vZ9gx7He7pV6 (here you can see a Veitchia as well)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cQtiqCBn6FMLtEpLA

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yDkoHmSgaiYbLKak7 (a Hotel with a stunning Garden)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3xLCRzfioPyVy9gb9

wow these gardens are amaying never in my life would i expect such a variety of palms to exist in such a small city. The thing that im confused with the most is where all these palms come from. Even in the biggest nurseries of southern europe such variety is impossible to find

[Than]

Crete has a very mild climate as we know, so this is no surprise. I guess those hotels hired horticulturalists to create their gardens. Perhaps there are a couple of visionary horticulturalists in Greece after all.

[dimitriskedikogloy]

17 minutes ago, Than said:

Crete has a very mild climate as we know, so this is no surprise. I guess those hotels hired horticulturalists to create their gardens. Perhaps there are a couple of visionary horticulturalists in Greece after all.

could you imagine in the future a hotel full of beccariophoenixes it would look amazing and they would certainely do very well too.

[Phoenikakias]

Just FYI a French site (FdP) gives bottle palm for 10A and spindle palm for 10B! Same with Latania 😍 lontaroides 10A and lodigesii 10B.

[Than]

5 minutes ago, dimitriskedikogloy said:

could you imagine in the future a hotel full of beccariophoenixes it would look amazing and they would certainely do very well too.

I believe in 20 years beccarios will become more common and available commercially. We were born too early and on the wrong side of the Atlantic

[Than]

4 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Just FYI a French site (FdP) gives bottle palm for 10A and spindle palm for 10B! Same with Latania 😍 lontaroides 10A and lodigesii 10B.

Do you have these in your collection? Do they survive the winter (and the summer) in the Denmark of the South?

[Phoenikakias]

2 minutes ago, Than said:

I believe in 20 years beccarios will become more common and available commercially. We were born too early and on the wrong side of the Atlantic

Are you aware what is going on right now on the other side of the Atlantic?

[Phoenikakias]

1 minute ago, Than said:

Do you have these in your collection? Do they survive the winter (and the summer) in the Denmark of the South?

Lol no, but I want to try now. Lodigesii in the past failed miserably but I was not so experienced as nowadays. Hyophorbe indica is also a big NO.

[Than]

7 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Are you aware what is going on right now on the other side of the Atlantic?

Well, I am aware that there are many nurseries in Florida and California with great collections, including big Beccarios. Things we can only dream of here.

[Phoenikakias]

3 minutes ago, Than said:

Well, I am aware that there are many nurseries in Florida and California with great collections, including big Beccarios. Things we can only dream of here.

Lol are you aware of the latitude of Florida and SoCA? I just wonder why the 'Karaoloi' and the 'Kochlioi ' have not started yet an extensive palm production.

[dimitriskedikogloy]

44 minutes ago, Than said:

I believe in 20 years beccarios will become more common and available commercially. We were born too early and on the wrong side of the Atlantic

i might have been born just at the right time tbh these last decade has been the time where palms and palm varieties are gaining popularity here in Greece

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

Just FYI a French site (FdP) gives bottle palm for 10A and spindle palm for 10B! Same with Latania 😍 lontaroides 10A and lodigesii 10B.

I agree with 10a for bottle but I thought spindle was more cold hardy.  I just planted a large spindle in November and already have a bottle survive 27°F twice with no damage.  Both times I protected it.

[Than]

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

I just wonder why the 'Karaoloi' and the 'Kochlioi ' have not started yet an extensive palm production.

Because there is no demand?

17 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Both times I protected it.

Beautiful specimen! Poor root system must have suffocated in that tiny pot. How did you protect them? Also what are those tall slim palms in front of the house in your photo?

[Fusca]

10 minutes ago, Than said:

Beautiful specimen! Poor root system must have suffocated in that tiny pot. How did you protect them? Also what are those tall slim palms in front of the house in your photo?

Thanks - it has awesome colors!  Hyophorbe do very well in relatively small pots.  My bottle palm was in a small pot when I purchased it as well.  The spear of the spindle is moving so it's rooting in.  I wrapped it with a canvas tarp - the fronds are quite stiff and remain mostly upright so it's easy to wrap.  Here's the bottle:

Those palms in the background of the other photo are Veitchia arecina.  I collected 5 seeds and they all germinated!

[Than]

6 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Thanks - it has awesome colors!  Hyophorbe do very well in relatively small pots.  My bottle palm was in a small pot when I purchased it as well.  The spear of the spindle is moving so it's rooting in.  I wrapped it with a canvas tarp - the fronds are quite stiff and remain mostly upright so it's easy to wrap.  Here's the bottle:

Those palms in the background of the other photo are Veitchia arecina.  I collected 5 seeds and they all germinated!

I thought they are Veitchias but then I saw you are in zone 10a.. impressive! You sure you are not in 10b?😅 How did they survive 27 F?

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Than said:

I thought they are Veitchias but then I saw you are in zone 10a.. impressive! You sure you are not in 10b?😅 How did they survive 27 F?

Easy!  😅  The photo of the spindle and Veitchias was taken in Miami, Florida (zone 11a) where I bought the palm!  The spindle traveled in the back of the pickup truck for over 1,400 miles (2300 km) before arriving at my garden.  I'm technically 10a but close to the border of 9b.

[iko.]

4 hours ago, dimitriskedikogloy said:

wow these gardens are amaying never in my life would i expect such a variety of palms to exist in such a small city. The thing that im confused with the most is where all these palms come from. Even in the biggest nurseries of southern europe such variety is impossible to find

Don't know about Greece, but on the other side of Southern Europe, Spain, there are nurseries growing all these palm species in various sizes. They have become quite common in garden centers and among landscapers along the Mediterranean coast and on the islands.

[Than]

8 hours ago, Fusca said:

Easy!  😅  The photo of the spindle and Veitchias was taken in Miami, Florida (zone 11a) where I bought the palm!  The spindle traveled in the back of the pickup truck for over 1,400 miles (2300 km) before arriving at my garden.  I'm technically 10a but close to the border of 9b.

Dang... for a moment I dreamt of tall veitchias in front of my house too haha. Such beautiful trees.. 

 

[Than]

@Janni and @Mazat you guys both live on lake Constance, right? You need to meet up! 😁

[pietropuccio]

15 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Just FYI a French site (FdP) gives bottle palm for 10A and spindle palm for 10B! Same with Latania 😍 lontaroides 10A and lodigesii 10B.

In my experience, I agree that the lagenicaulis is slightly more resistant than the verschaffeltii (spindle palm), while the two Latania are decidedly less resistant than the two Hyophorbe, several attempts have failed.

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, Than said:

@Janni and @Mazat you guys both live on lake Constance, right? You need to meet up! 😁

In different countries though, it is a situation similar to Prespes.

[Janni]

36 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

In different countries though, it is a situation similar to Prespes.

😅 yes, it´s a lake with borders to different countries like at Prespes, but the situation here at Lake Constance is completely different. Germany, Switzerland and Austria are friendly neighbours, grown together in friendship. Often you don´t even notice, that you crossed a border. No fences, no Border Police. Just check out this scenery here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/33kAMmngTXTYGHLx8 you cannot tell, what is the German or the Swiss side... Of course there are some big border crossings with police, customs control and everything. 

Btw: many regions and Cities in these three Countries often share the same names and no one ever cares about it  

but I don´t want to dive into political discussions. Let´s enjoy the developing palm diversity in crete.

The nursery, that brought me in the first place to look at Hotels in Malia is Φυτώρια Κρήτης and after that I found Φυτώρια Κουκουτσάκης near Chania. Both have a relatively large diversity of palms in their stocks. I suppose many of the smaller nurseries jumped on that trend and are now also selling those palms in different sizes. The first imported plants must have come either from Egypt or Spain. 

[Than]

On 1/29/2026 at 12:50 PM, Janni said:

Φυτώρια Κουκουτσάκης near Chania.

Oh yeah, I went there 2 years ago, along with @Victor G. who wanted to buy some avocados and mangoes. They have a good selection apparently.