Yay! A New Order From Floribunda Has Arrived!

[Jim in Los Altos]

This Spring’s annual order from Floribunda has arrived! Three one gallon Basselinia glabrata, two Pinanga coronata, two Cyphophoenix alba, and three 4” container Prestoea montana. Are are robust and big for container size as is usual. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kinzyjr]

Nice haul, @Jim in Los Altos!

[flplantguy]

They look great, as usual! Best self made holiday is the day the box arrives. 

[happypalms]

Hey who’s a croppin now Jim, I know the feeling very well, keep them coming, I wanna see more!🤣

[SeanK]

Everything looks healthy; good start.

[Harry’s Palms]

….and Santa didn’t need to deploy his sleigh! Great haul , Jim . Reminds me of my visits to @DoomsDave . Just curious , do you leave them in a protected environment for a while , or plant them out right away ? Harry

[PalmatierMeg]

Congratulations! I got my spring order from Floribunda about 10 days ago. My container garden was decimated by Ian and last winter's nights in the upper 30s.

For future orders I am sticking to Floribunda and sellers I know on PT. TIP: If a palm seller peddles stuff with outdated scientific names or cutesy meaningless monikers consider red flags raised high. 'Nuff said.

[Jim in Los Altos]

10 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

….and Santa didn’t need to deploy his sleigh! Great haul , Jim . Reminds me of my visits to @DoomsDave . Just curious , do you leave them in a protected environment for a while , or plant them out right away ? Harry

Harry, all but one are planted as of today. One more to go into the ground. I rarely keep any palms potted for long. I don’t like to wait until summer. I did put the Pinanga coronata palms into a big decorative pot however. 
 

[DoomsDave]

@Jim in Los Altos sure an if yer not a better man than me! I always pot up and wait they’re rooted then move ‘em out or move to bigger pots.

[Jim in Los Altos]

5 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

@Jim in Los Altos sure an if yer not a better man than me! I always pot up and wait they’re rooted then move ‘em out or move to bigger pots.

Dave, I’ve always been a “plant them even when they’re tiny” kind of guy. Many of my big honking palms were planted as 2 or 3 inch seedlings directly to the ground. Here are just a few of them…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Harry’s Palms]

Dave, I’ve always been a “plant them even when they’re tiny” kind of guy. Many of my big honking palms were planted as 2 or 3 inch seedlings directly to the ground. Here are just a few of them…

 

@Jim in Los Altos. I have done that as well and been ok. I was just curious how others have done it . Some of them stay in pots for a while just because I am deciding on final spot or don’t have time to dig the hole. Harry

‘These two came home from Maui with me in 4” pots . Pritchardia H. above and Chambeyronia M. below . Planted within a week of coming home . 

[kylecawazafla]

It's amazing how you have a southern california garden in northern california! Incredible garden! 

[Jim in Los Altos]

3 hours ago, kylecawazafla said:

It's amazing how you have a southern california garden in northern california! Incredible garden! 

Thanks Kiwan. I’m fortunate to be in a very mild (for NorCal) microclimate here. Pacific influence, SF Bay buffering, and just enough inland for some good warmth. I just ordered more palms from FB.  tonight. I got a suggestion to try Pinanga ‘Maroon Crown Shaft so I ordered a few as well as Chrysalidocarpus ‘Baby Red Stems, Chamaedorea arenbergiana, and Pritchardia aylmer robinsonii. 
 

It’s going to be a challenge selecting places for them all! I’ve planted all of the first batch. 

[happypalms]

In regards to planting small palms, from little things big things grow!

[Hu Palmeras]

Mr. Jim, you have a paradise. I hope you reap seeds to confirm that you have a paradise. And expand it even further. Because it's not New York. It's a complete paradise.

🌴🌴🌴🦜🦜

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

On 4/23/2026 at 9:22 PM, kylecawazafla said:

It's amazing how you have a southern california garden in northern california! Incredible garden! 

More like a Hawaiian garden. San Jose is inland enough to get hot but close enough to get marine influence. 

[mnorell]

Wow wee, Jim. What else can one say? Truly spectacular and all these new goodies I'm sure will do beautifully under your deft hand. And I agree on planting small...not only because the plants seem to like it when their roots can decide where to go from a young age, but also of course it makes it so easy to stuff these things into all the little nooks and crannies that are just aching for another palm (especially when those big containers just won't fit, dang it). Plus no broken back trying to dig a hole for a 15-gallon monster (or lugging it home). Only water, fertilizer and (quite a bit of) patience are required. Life goes along, you blink a few times, and suddenly everything's big and beautiful!

[Jim in Los Altos]

23 hours ago, mnorell said:

Wow wee, Jim. What else can one say? Truly spectacular and all these new goodies I'm sure will do beautifully under your deft hand. And I agree on planting small...not only because the plants seem to like it when their roots can decide where to go from a young age, but also of course it makes it so easy to stuff these things into all the little nooks and crannies that are just aching for another palm (especially when those big containers just won't fit, dang it). Plus no broken back trying to dig a hole for a 15-gallon monster (or lugging it home). Only water, fertilizer and (quite a bit of) patience are required. Life goes along, you blink a few times, and suddenly everything's big and beautiful!

I just made another order of never before tried palms. Can’t wait to get them. 

[Hu Palmeras]

Jim, you can go ahead, my friend, and post the list of palm trees you ordered. Come on, my friend, you should manage to get those precious varieties that Floribunda has in Hawaii, like Merojejya or a Joy. And what about the palm trees hidden in the South American rainforest? Jeff explained to me that he has a Tahina Spectabilis, but it will still be a while before it produces seeds. He explained that the Merojejya sometimes produces many fruits and other years none at all, or only a couple. It's an interesting tropical and exotic laboratory he treasures. Any minute now, the CIA or NASA will come and film a movie in his Botanical Garden.

[mnorell]

2 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I just made another order of never before tried palms. Can’t wait to get them. 

I have a feeling the Pinanga 'Maroon Crownshaft' may do well for you. I ordered one from Jeff last year and it sailed through winter looking perfect (yes, I know, it was not much of a winter!) and so it might do well in favored spots like yours in Central California. A few others that have surprised me with their winter hardiness here in Palm Springs are Areca laosensis (much easier for me than A. triandra) and Areca vidaliana (which was a suggestion from "Happy Palms" Richard). For some reason Pinanga coronata has always crapped out on me eventually...maybe because I'm hung up on the 'kuhlii' form, which may just be difficult compared to the other forms of this species. Jeff used to sell his "blunt leaf" form and I used to grow it in the Keys, it grew quite fast and made almost a barrier hedge for me there and then Irma's seawater-sweep killed them all. Like you I ordered a P. coronata from Jeff a couple of months ago and this one he's selling seems more like the old-fashioned 'Pauleen's Ventura' type. Maybe it is hardier. I'm surprised you haven't grown it in the past, or have you? I always think you must be in a very cool spot (I think I'm too used to the climate of Carmel, which is one of my favorite air-conditioned spots on the planet)...obviously you get some decent heat. You must, because I can't stop ogling that xWodveitchia you have. That is truly a spectacle and you need to pat yourself on the back for that one!

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, mnorell said:

I have a feeling the Pinanga 'Maroon Crownshaft' may do well for you. I ordered one from Jeff last year and it sailed through winter looking perfect (yes, I know, it was not much of a winter!) and so it might do well in favored spots like yours in Central California. A few others that have surprised me with their winter hardiness here in Palm Springs are Areca laosensis (much easier for me than A. triandra) and Areca vidaliana (which was a suggestion from "Happy Palms" Richard). For some reason Pinanga coronata has always crapped out on me eventually...maybe because I'm hung up on the 'kuhlii' form, which may just be difficult compared to the other forms of this species. Jeff used to sell his "blunt leaf" form and I used to grow it in the Keys, it grew quite fast and made almost a barrier hedge for me there and then Irma's seawater-sweep killed them all. Like you I ordered a P. coronata from Jeff a couple of months ago and this one he's selling seems more like the old-fashioned 'Pauleen's Ventura' type. Maybe it is hardier. I'm surprised you haven't grown it in the past, or have you? I always think you must be in a very cool spot (I think I'm too used to the climate of Carmel, which is one of my favorite air-conditioned spots on the planet)...obviously you get some decent heat. You must, because I can't stop ogling that xWodveitchia you have. That is truly a spectacle and you need to pat yourself on the back for that one!

Yes Michael, I purchased five Pinanga ‘Maroon Crown shaft,’ one Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii, three Chamaedorea arenbergiana, and three Chrysalidocarpus ‘Baby Red Stems.’ The P. coronata are my first attempts. 
  The climate here is warmer in all twelve months than in Carmel as can be seen by the two average temperature charts below. A full 20° summer to early autumn. 
 

 

 

 

[mnorell]

42 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Yes Michael, I purchased five Pinanga ‘Maroon Crown shaft,’ one Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii, three Chamaedorea arenbergiana, and three Chrysalidocarpus ‘Baby Red Stems.’ The P. coronata are my first attempts. 
  The climate here is warmer in all twelve months than in Carmel as can be seen by the two average temperature charts below. A full 20° summer to early autumn. 
 

 

 

 

You realize your summer high temps are warmer than quite a number of areas in the Los Angeles metro! And your winter temps don't seem that far off from Santa Monica. Another place that is so unexpectedly hot in my own experience is Big Sur...how many times setting out from the consistently refrigerated air of Carmel...driving that amazing coast, and suddenly you arrive at Nepenthe, get out of the car, and you're absolutely roasting. Bizarre!

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, mnorell said:

You realize your summer high temps are warmer than quite a number of areas in the Los Angeles metro! And your winter temps don't seem that far off from Santa Monica. Another place that is so unexpectedly hot in my own experience is Big Sur...how many times setting out from the consistently refrigerated air of Carmel...driving that amazing coast, and suddenly you arrive at Nepenthe, get out of the car, and you're absolutely roasting. Bizarre!

Yeah, the climate here is basically frost free. Sometimes a bit of frost on cars and exposed lawns once or twice durning the winter. With all the canopy in my garden, it adds a couple of degrees on clear nights. A little bit of elevation (323 feet) further helps. I’ve been to Monterey a few times in the summer and every time it was overcast and very cool. Would be ideal for Ceroxylon and other cool cloud forest species.