KALANCHOE FALCATA AKA CRASSULA FALCATA THE PROPELLER PLANT BRIGHT RED LONG LASTING BLOSSOMS TEN DAY SPECIAL 8 INCH SIZE This drought tolerant succulent has long lasting clusters of bright red flowers.  They last for at least a month.  The leaves are fleshy and blue.  Plants are about 12 inches tall.  The ones offered here are in bloom and in 8 inch pots.  They like sun and are cold hardy below a freeze.  This species is drought tolerant. REGULAR PRICE 8 INCH $30 SALE PRICE THIS SIZE $20 Just mention this special for your discount.  I can mail order these.

CHAMAEDOREA SEIFRIZII THE CLASSIC BAMBOO PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL BIG 5G This New World suckering shade palm has pinnate leaves and never gets much above 8 to 9 feet.  This is the reason it's so popular.  It's not my favorite suckering Chamaedorea, but it does fit inside the home of the average house without hitting the ceiling.  Outdoors, it wants filtered light and is cold hard into the mid, perhaps lower 20's F.  The 5g on sale here are oversize, about head height or more. REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $55 Just mention this Special at the time of purchase for your discount.  Although a tall box is needed, these can be shipped anywhere within the U.S.

ASPLENIUM TONGUE FERN SIMPLE LEAF FERN TEN DAY SPECIAL 8 INCH SIZE This low profile companion fern can take part day sun or filtered light.  It isn't very tall, perhaps up to 14 inches.  It slow expands over the ground.  The leaves are simple without divisions.  The name "Tongue Fern" refers to its resemblance to the tongue of a type of deer.  This type of fern is native to European counties and the U.S.  It is simple to grow and cold tolerant into the low 20's F.  These plants on special are very large for their pots.  They are about 18 inches wide. REGULAR PRICE 8 INCH $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $22.50 Just mention this special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

KAHILI GINGER A TYPE OF HEDYCHIUM GINGER PICTURES OF OUR 5G SIZE TEN DAY SPECIAL ALL SIZES If you go to Friday's post below, you'll see that I put our Kahili Gingers on Sale.  But, I didn't have photos of the 5g size.  They are very large with multiple tubers and near blossoming age.  You can see the health of these plants here.  I have a picture of the blossoms in Friday's post. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $45 Just mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

CARYOTA URENS THE COLD HARDY THAI MOUNTAIN PALM TALLER THAN GIGAS, THINNER TRUNK AND MORE COLD HARDY! TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 15G SIZE From northern Thailand, this species gets almost twice as tall as Caryota gigas but, especially at the base, has a thinner trunk all the way up.  Typical trunk diameter is 15 to 18 inches.  Height can easily exceed 50 feet.   Caryota gigas gets to about 30 feet.  The leaves on this species are shorter and more "chopped" at the ends than gigas.  The nice 15g here are about ten feet tall, ready for planting.  These are too big for mail order unless you do our pallet shipping.  Cold hardiness is 18 to 19 degrees F.  This is a full sun plant in almost all areas except the desert.  Expect a life expectancy of about 20 years.  Remember, Fishtails are all monocarpicd.  They die when they blossom. REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $185 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $150 Remember to ask for you discount when you purchase.  We don't allow retroactive discounts.
A larger nursery plant

CHAMAEDOREA PLUMOSA THE "BABY QUEEN PALM" SUPER HARD TO FIND RIGHT NOW TAKE FULL COASTAL SUN! TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE For those of you who have tried, you know that finding Chamaedorea plumosa as a nice 15g right now is almost impossible.  Short supply has led to their scarcity.  We have a limited number of nice tall plants, all multiples.  This species is from Mexico and gets to a height of 14 feet.  It has 1.5 inch stems with prominent rings.  The amazing thing is that it can take full coastal sun.  These are too tall to ship except by independent truckers.  Cold hardiness is the low 20's F. REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $150 Just mention this Special for your discount when you purchase.

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS THE TEDDY BEAR PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE This great palm is known for its rusty-brown/red crown shaft that is quite fuzzy to the touch.  It therefore has its common name of the Teddy Bear Palm.  It is not a huge palm, usually getting up to about twenty-five feet with a six inch thick trunk.  Trunk color is silver with prominent rings.  Leaf color is green.  Right on the coast it takes full sun easily.  Far inland would require part day sun or filtered light.  Cold tolerance is down to about 25 degrees F. I'm offering the 15g size as shown on special.  I have limited numbers available. REGULAR PRICE 15G THIS SPECIES $195 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE $175 Just mention this Blog Special to get the discount at time of purchase.

DIOON HOLMGRENII RARE MEXICAN DIOON CYCAD LARGE 15G AND 25G PLANTS TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE TWO SIZES Among cycad enthusiasts, this species is known as one of the more rare Mexican cycads to find.  But, finding good sized Dioon holmgrenii right now on the market is almost impossible.  Shown here are some plants we just got in.  They are both at least ten years old and in 15g and 25g pots.  The larger ones have caudex sizes of about nine inches.  You never see plants like this on sale. This species loves hot sun.  It has a cold tolerance down to about 20 to 22 degrees F.  It grows at a medium rate.  It is known for the fact that it has long and upright leaves.  Leaf color is blue green. REGULAR PRICE 15G $600 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE $350 REGULAR PRICE 25G $750 TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G SIZE $450 I only have a few of these.  You must mention this special when purchasing to get these prices.  And, you'll note these prices are a bit lower than last time I got these beauties in.	25 gallon size
15 gallon size

CHAMAEDOREA COSTARICANA SUCKERING, MEDIUM SIZED BAMBOO PALM NICE 15G PLANTS ON TEN DAY SPECIAL This clustering, thin trunked palm tree is native to Costa Rica and surrounding Central American countries.  It has stems that are 1 to 1.5 inches thick, green in color, with overall height of twelve to sixteen feet.  References will say this species peaks out at ten feet.  This is not true; it is taller.  Leaves are about three feet long and green in color.  Flowers are orange and seeds are black.  Shown here is a nice 15g plant.  It is a few feet overhead in the pot.  This is the size I'm putting on special. Culturally, most consider this a filtered light plant.  But, I've had some customers who swear it takes full coastal sun.  I don't grow them in sun at the nursery.  Cold tolerance is into the low 20's F.  REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $200 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $175 This is not an easy species to find.  It is a good growing palm.  Mention this Special when purchasing to get the discount.

ENCEPHALARTOS TRANSVENOSUS LARGE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD SPECIES TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 5G PLANTS Recently we took pictures of a batch of huge, outdoor grown 5g Encephalartos transvenosus.  These have been grown over the past five to ten years in full sun, outdoors.  Caudex size is four to over six inches.  This is huge for a 5g pot.  Leaf length is about four feet on these plants. This species is from South Africa and gets enormous with trunks over 20 feet tall.  Leaves are six to eight feet long and leaflets are shiny, dark green with some glaucous faint hairs on the leaflets.  This is a full sun species along the coast.  Cold tolerance is 22 degrees F. REGULAR PRICE THIS SPECIES, THIS CAUDEX SIZE $400 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS BATCH OF 5G PLANTS $225 But, mention this special to get this price when purchasing.  These would be simple to ship affordably anywhere in the U.S.
Boxed specimen not on sale

SUNDAY, 30 AUGUST, 2015

AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT BISMARCKIA NOBILIS THE LEAF STEMS: HAIRY PETIOLES or SMOOTH, CLEAN PETIOLES I think once before on this Blog I talked about the presence of hairs on this blue fan palm, Bismarckia nobilis.  I first started looking at this about fifteen years ago when a garden owner Gary Michaels in the Crown Point area of San Diego pointed out the difference between two Bismarckias he had in his yard.  One was the typical appearance with hairy leaf stems.  The other had absolutely no hairs.  It was as clean as stainless steel - shiny, smooth and easily noticed.  I had not been aware (probably just didn't look closely enough) of this prior to this time. So, I started observing all our Bismarckias at the nursery for this.  And, I looked at the stems of garden plants.  I've found, over time, that maybe one in fifty or a hundred is the super clean and smooth type.  You must inspect the petiole top to bottom.  If the smooth type, it's clean all the way to the palmate leaf.  And, all stems match.  You are either looking at a hairy one or a smooth one. Gary had the idea that the smooth type is more likely to be female.  And, he thought the smooth type was more intensely blue.  I can't say that either of these conclusions by him are true.  I just don't know yet.  But, if you start looking, you too will find some very cool smooth ones.  Look at your plant and those in your area.  You'll now start observing Bismarckia in a totally new way.	This and next taken Balboa Park, San Diego Two trees, both with ten to fifteen feet of trunk.	For comparison, same two plants with picture taken ten to fifteen years ago when much smaller.
TYPICAL BISMARCKIA WITH HAIRY PETIOLES
BISMARCKIA NOBILIS WITH SUPER SMOOTH, CLEAN PETIOLES.  A RARE FIND! Note that by the time a Bismarckia gets to a 15g size, you can definitely see the hairs.  We looked a dozens of nursery plants and only found two that were with hairs.
This picture and next two were taken on nursery plants.
AND, AS A TREAT, TWO PICTURES OF BISMARCKIA IN HABITAT IN MADAGASCAR. Both pictures by friend, MR

COPERNICIA BAILEYANA CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? FROM THIS TO THAT? EIGHT YEAR OLD 5G PLANTS I've always appreciated how slow it is to grow Copernicia.  It takes six months to germinate seeds and then you look at blades of grass for four years.  Then, finally, you see palmate leaves.  The 5g plant shown here is literally eight years old!  By far, this is my favorite species of the genus.  It has these huge, off-white columns for trunks.   Can you believe that this little guy will make the monster, beautiful fan palms shown here?  Yes, it is true that this genus in the ground is faster.  But, that's not an option for a nursery as this genus doesn't dig that well.  So, a palm enthusiast must start small if he's in California.  But, the wait is worth it.  A customer of ours got a smaller plant from us and now, about six years later, it is very nice and well overhead.  Our plants are still below you knee.  But, to go from this to that is amazing!
		close up picture showing white petioles of a juvenile garden plant

ARENGA ENGLERI SMALLER SUCKERING PINNATE PALM WHAT CAN THIS SPECIES DO FOR YOU? This Asian, suckering palm is known as the Dwarf Sugar Palm.  It is slow growing, but for many garden enthusiasts offers a lot of advantages.  I will list a few below.  Last week I offered 5g on special.  Shown here is our 15g size along with two garden photos. Short stature, rarely over 8 to 10 feet Tolerates coastal sun or strong filtered light Tolerates desert heat in filtered light Is a nice "neighbor blocking palm" Never gets too big Is slow growing Has very fragrant blossoms Is super durable, easy to grow Cold tolerant into the upper teens F. Has silver back sides to leaflets Not an overwhelming species Is very attractive We have many sizes for sale and it's easy to mail order.

CERATOZAMIA HILDAE A DWARF, FILTERED LIGHT CYCAD "CUTE AS A BUG'S EAR" People love this understory Mexican cycad because it's petite, never gets over about four feet tall and can be slipped into almost any garden where severe cold doesn't occur.  Its hallmark is the presence of grouped leaflets as shown here.  Leaf color is green to dark green.  The third photo shows the color when more sun is seen - sort of a limey green.  Caudex size gets to about six inches in diameter and can sucker.  But, to emphasize, the hallmark is the grouping of the leaflets. When you look at these photos you'll notice something.  No two plants look the same.  There is always variation from plant to plant, even with plants from the same seed batch.  Some plants has long leaflets that are more narrow.  Others have short, plump leaflets, often crowded.  And, there's everything in-between.  Some "groups" of leaflets will just be two - others four - and rarely six, three on either side of the stem.  Regardless which plant you'll pick out, you'll agree that all are adorable.  And, they make a wonderful smaller, containerized patio plant. We offer all sizes for sale.  They prefer filtered light and are cold hardy to the low twenties F.  All are easy to ship.
	A long leaflet, widely spaced plant	A wide leaflet, tightly spaced plant

WANT AN INTERIOR QUALITY KENTIA PALM? THAT'S: NO BLEMISHES, BANK LOBBY QUALITY? WE HAVE AND CAN OFFER THEM PERFECT, QUALITY PLANTS Some folks call us for interior quality palm trees.  But, they want absolutely perfect, interior quality plants and nothing less.  The Kentia Palm is a superior interior palm.  And, we have interior quality.  What this type of customer is looking for is a plant that has been grown in a controlled environment, has no blemishes or bad leaves and has perfect color.  This is not an exterior grown palm where one deals with weather.  Well, we can offer these.  They are not cheap as they are imported from perfect growing conditions in Hawaii.  But, if you own or are associated with a big office building, restaurant or hotel, give us a call.  The ones shown here are about 12 feet tall.  We can ship but remember, shipping big plants is not inexpensive.  And, if you are a demanding home owner who has to have "perfect", these might keep you happy.

TALKING ABOUT INTERIOR PALMS: HOW ABOUT THE "CADILAC" OF THEM ALL RHAPIS MULTIFIDA JUST IN, GORGEOUS HUGE 5G GREAT FOR ANY INTERIOR NEED AND GREAT IN THE GARDEN! Above, I just mentioned our interior quality Kentia Palm.  The latter takes up room and does get tall.  If you need something that's equal quality, no blemishes and perfect but stays small, consider this thin trunked type of Rhapis.  It only gets to about eight feet, is dark green in color and very compact.  These plants were grown in Hawaii and imported for us.  They are the best and biggest 5g we've ever had!  And, they can be mail ordered.  They'll sell out quickly.  If you want one (or more), let us know immediately.  These plants are gorgous and overhead in their 5g plants.  These are easy to ship! And, of course, it goes without saying that these make a pefect, filtered light patio or garden plant.

WODYETIA BIFURCATA THE FOXTAIL PALM NICE 15 G SIZE AVAILABLE THEY LIKE SUN AND HEAT This single trunk, crown shafted species from Queensland, Australia gets to a height of typically no more than about twenty to twenty-five feet.  The trunk is narrow, the crown shaft a silver color and the leaves very fluffy in cross section - thus the name "Foxtail".  They have to get full sun and take heat.  In the desert, part day sun may work.  Cold tolerance is about 23 degrees F.  The 15g plants shown here are overhead with a bit of trunk.  We have limited numbers available.

SATURDAY, 29 AUGUST, 2015

ARCHONTOPHOENIX CUNNINGHAMIANA THE KING PALM, TRIPLE TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE I discussed this sought after species yesterday at length, so please look at that thread.  Along the coast this is a full sun species.  Far inland areas need part day sun.  Anticipate a mature height of 35 feet and a cold hardiness of 24 to 25 degrees F.  The triples shown here are on sale.  They are about 7 feet tall. REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL $125 Just mention this Blog Special for your discount at time of purchase.
King Palm triple	King Palm double

KING PALM WANT A LITTLE LARGER SIZE? TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G SIZE See post above.  These plants are about 7 to 8 feet with some woody trunk. REGULAR PRICE 25G THIS SPECIES $300 TEN DAY SPECIAL 25g $185 Remember: mention this Special at time of purchase to get your discount

LIVISTONA DECIPIENS AKA LIVISTONA DECORA THIN TRUNK, REASONABLY TALL VERY GOOD COLD TOLERANCE TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This Australian single trunk fan palm loves heat and is cold hardy into the teens F.  It has a thin trunk or it's mature 40 foot height.  It is quick growing and a nice addition to any garden.  Leaves have thin leaflets that droop at their ends. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE $45 But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

BRAHEA EDULIS THE GUADALUPE FAN PALM SLOW, RARELY OVER TWELVE FEET LIKES SUN AND TAKES HEAT TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS This fan palm is native to an island off the coast of Baja California.  It is super slow growing.  A big plant has ten feet of fairly clean, barky trunk.  Leaves are green and flat.  It takes sun in almost all areas.  Cold tolerance is into the mid to upper teens.  Easy to mail order. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $45 You must mention this Blog Only Special when ordering to get this discount.  These plants are a piece of cake to mail order.

BIRDS NEST ANTHURIUM ANTHURIUM HOOKERI TEN DAY SPECIAL 12 INCH POT SIZE The plants shown here are Bird Nest Anthurium and on sale.  They prefer filtered light or a little bit of sun.  They can reach heights of about seven feet.  These plants are great companion plants for the garden floor.  The trunks will have adventitious roots and the leaves extend upwards.  The leaves can be five feet long or more.  They have a bit of wave to the surface.  In our area they tolerate temperatures into the upper 20's F.  REGULAR PRICE THESE 12 INCH POTS $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $49 You must mention this special at the time of purchase to get this price.  It's like a reward for reading this blog.
		Mature plants, not part of this Ten Day Special

NEROGELIA SPECIES/HYBRID SPECKLED WITH RED COLORS TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANTS We recently got in a small batch of this interesting Nerogelia.  This bromeliad has red speckling on the dorsal aspect of the leaves.  I've been told with some more sun this red coloring becomes much more intense.  I was also told it's a fairly uncommon clone to find.  These would make a nice companion plant with some color to add to the garden.  Note, these are not single head plants but suckering with multiple growth points and heads of leaves! REGULAR PRICE THESE PLANTS $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANT $27.50 Easy to mail order.  Just mention this Blog Special to get this price when ordering.

EPIDENDRUM ORCHIDS COLORFUL AND EASY TO GROW TEN DAY SPECIAL Epidendrum Orchids are terrestrial orchids that can actually grow in the ground.  The are a stem type of orchid and have clusters of colorful small flowers.  Flower colors range through orange, red, purple and white.  Shown here is the orange variety.  Soon we'll have all sorts of colors available. In another month or two, all the stems of these plants will be loaded with flowers.  So, get them in the ground now! These plants are about 2 feet tall with lots of canes.    NORMAL PRICE FOR THESE ORCHIDS $45 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $30 These are easy to mail order. Just mention this special to get the discount.

HEDYCHIUM GARNDERIANUM THE KAHILI GINGER COMING INTO BLOOM RIGHT NOW! SUPER FRAGRANT FLOWERS TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G & 15G PLANTS! Although sometimes called the "Hawaiian Ginger", this plant is native to the Himalayas in Asia.  Is surprisingly cold hardy into the mid twenties F. and gets to a height of six to eight feet.  But, the amazing quality of this plant is it's florid, super-fragrant yellow and red blossoms.  They are short lived but absolutely stunning.  Along the coast it tolerates full sun but most people grow it in part day sun or filtered light.  It is an easy to grow species and also easy to propagate from the rhizomes in the soil. Blossoms are quite large as shown.  And, they are held in an upright fashion as opposed to the dangling, non-fragrant blossoms of Shell Ginger.  We presently have 2 sizes available:  very nice 5g and huge 15g, both on sale.  They have been flowering lately.  The fourth photo shows a blossom forming. REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL $125 REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $45 Just mention this Blog Special to get your discount.

PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA THE TRUE DATE PALM FEMALES PRODUCE EDIBLE DATES TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This species of suckering pinnate pam is native to the Middle East, loves hot sun and is cold hardy to about 16 degrees F.  You need both sexes to get edible dates on a female palm.  Heights reach 30 feet.  Date growers prune off the suckers.  Eventually the mother plant stops trying to put out offsets. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $39 But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNEI THE WINDMILL PALM SHORTER, SINGLE TRUNK TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE I say "shorter" on this single trunk fan palm because it literally takes thirty years to get a height of twenty feet.  Mature height is about thirty feet.  Growth rate is slow to medium.  Trunks are hairy but this fiber can fall off over time.  Leaves are small and droop down toward their edges.  It takes sun or part sun in most areas.  Cold hardiness is below 15 degrees F.  This is one of the most cold hardy of all palms but will not grow in severe cold like the Midwest.  There it would definitely need winter protection.  REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $39 But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

CHAMAEROPS CERIFERA BLUE MEDITERRANEAN FAN PALM DWARF, LOVES SUN & HEAT TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE Native to northern parts of Africa, this sun loving, suckering fan palm tends to be shorter than its brother, the regular and green Med Fan.  Heights are rarely over eight feet with widths often being as wide as the plant is tall.  Cold tolerance 15 degrees F. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $39! But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

CHAMAEROPS HUMILUS THE GREEN MEDITERRANEAN FAN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE Compared to C. cerifera above, the native habitat of this species is further north in the Mediterranean coast area of Europe.  Heights are variable, sometime to twenty feet.  It does sucker and leaves are green or blue green.  It also has a great cold tolerance of 15 degrees F. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL5G $39 But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

BUTIA CAPITATA "BLUE" BLUE PINDO PALM LOVES SUN AND HEAT TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE  This is the rare blue for of the Pindo or Jelly Palm.  Native to South America, this palm gets to a mature height of typically 20 feet and is cold hardy to 15 degrees F.  Growth rate is medium.  It's an easy species to grow.  And, it's really hard to find this blue form, especially on sale! REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $140 But, you must mention this Blog Only Special to get your discount at the time of purchase.

SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST, 2015

DIOON EDULE SMALLER CYCAD, SUN-LOVING SLOW GROWING PROBABLY MOST COLD HARDY CYCAD AN ASSORTMENT OF MANY SIZES Dioon edule is a slow growing, smaller cycad native to Mexico.  It has thin leaflets that often have a slight gap between them.  Leaf color is green and sometimes a blue-green.  Because of the slow growth, a garden plant seems to never get very tall or have too large a caudex.  A mature Dioon edule with a two foot tall trunk may be 100 years old.  Overall height rarely exceeds five to six feet.  Plants may sucker.  Many times they do not.  I'm showing you here a whole assortment of plants with pictures of the caudex.  On the clustering plants it's hard to show the stems:   Citrus Pot: 2.5 inch caudex, age 4 years 5g.  4 inch caudex, age 6 to 7 years 7g.  5 inch caudex, age 8 years 15g suckering plant, age 12 years 20g plant with an 11 inch tall caudex, age 20 years 25g plant, caudex 15 inches, age 25 years Boxed specimen, 30 years old Some established garden plants All sizes can be shipped.  We feel this species might be the best cycad for cold, going well into the teens F.  And, it's the only species that takes full, hot desert sun.  All of these plants can be easily shipped.	Plant #1, cit pot size
	Plant #2, 5g size
	Plant #3, 7g size
	Plant #4, 15g size, suckering
	Plant #5, 20g size
	Plant #6, 25g size
	Plant #7, 24 inch box
This & next two in gardens

DYPSIS LUTESCENS THE ARECA PALM SUCKERING, NOT TOO TALL GREAT PLANT TO "HIDE SOMETHING" VERY LARGE 20G AVAILABLE This is an attractive, suckering, thin trunked palm species is from Madagascar or surrounding areas.  The number one reason people buy this species is "to hide something".  By this, I mean they want to hide a neighbor, an ugly next door structure, an unsightly fence, the side of a garage, etc.  This is an ideal species for this purpose as it suckers and is fairly dense.  You can't see through it well.  Mature height averages 14 feet in California.  Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F.  Trunk diameter is about 3 inches.  It'll take full sun along the coast and far inland areas must give it only morning or filtered sun. The 20g we're offering now are superb.  They are 12 feet tall with thick canes already developed.  Limited numbers are available.
photo by JD	photo by MR

DRACENA DRACO THE DRAGON TREE MEDIUM SIZED MATURE BRANCHING STEMS - GRAY FOLIAGE I think people fall in love with this species because they see them as small plants in a nursery.  Younger, they have thinner trunks, gray foliage and are very attractive.  Folks think it "must be a smaller tree".  But, it really is not.  Look at the last photo here.  Notice the stout trunk, many branches that are easily seen and a pancake type of canopy of leaves at the top.  It's cool but not small.  They can get to 20 feet tall and branch profusely.  It's a sun plant and cold hardy into the low 20's F.  I'm showing nursery plants in the 5g and 15g size.  Both can be easily shipped.  Growth rate is slow.	5g size
		15g size
	20g next to a 15g	Mature plant in San Diego

TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS BLUE FOLIAGE TAKES HOTTEST SUN AND SUPER COLD HARDY TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS This South American suckering fan palm is very slow growing.  The 5g I am putting on special are six to seven years old.  Leaf color is blue or blue-green.  They love hot sun.  Cold hardiness is into the mid-teens F.  The 5g plants are suckering and easy to ship.  This sale price is actually quite a bargain for what you are getting.  This species does sucker.  Sometimes you get just two stems, other times many.  Mature height can be up to twenty feet in California. REGULAR PRICE 5G $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $55 Remember to mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase for you discount.

ARENGA ENGLERI THE DWARF SUGAR PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE This suckering pinnate palm species from Asia is desirable for several reasons.  It is a semi-dwarf species, rarely over eight to ten feet tall.  It is also a great species to "block the neighbor" from looking over the fence (privacy creating species).  It is super cold hardy for a pinnate palm, going down into the teens F.  Finally, the blossoms are very fragrant.  We just got in some nice 5g plants and are passing on the savings to you. I've included an older stock photo showing you a near-mature plant at the nursery.  Note the height.  It will thicken with more canes over time, but not get much taller. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $50 You must mention this Blog only price when ordering.

Older photo of a larger 25g sized plant

 

RED, CLUSTERING PETITE NEROGELIA AN EASY TO GROW RED BROMELIAD TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE PLANTS We've been offering these plants for years and seldom do they go on sale.  This is a smaller Nerogelia that can take some sun, even full sun along the immediate coast.  They turn from green to bright red in the sun.  They are compact and low.  In three or four years you'll get many heads and they are tightly held together.  The plants we have presently are older and have about fifteen heads.  They are a very full cluster.  They tolerate temperatures into the twenties F.  They add nice color to the garden. REGULAR PRICE THESE PLANTS $55 TEN DAY SPECIAL $40 Just mention this special at time of purchase to get the discount.

ENCEPHALARTOS HORRIDUS BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER CYCADS IN THE WORLD There is a saying among cycad enthusiasts that "you can never have too many horridus".  After 36 years as a nurseryman growing cycads, I can say this is definitely true.  E. horridus is always the cycad that I run out of in smaller sizes.  The Latin derivation for the word "horridus" is "prickly or bristly".  I sometimes tell people that its derivation is from the word "horrible, and that's how you'll feel if you fall into it".  This is because, of all the cycads, it is one of the most gnarly and spiny cycads of any.  With this said, this South African cycad is also one of the most beautiful and striking of all cycad species.  Its color is powdery blue.  This is dependent on the plant receiving direct sunlight and on heat.  Remember, the blue color is from a powder that the leaflets exude as a protection from desiccation.  So, in the shade or in a humid greenhouse, the plant doesn't need to produce this powder.  Consequently, blue leaves will turn green.  You can actually wipe off the blue powder (and color) with your finger. E. horridus is a smaller to medium sized plant.  A caudex that is three feet tall is considered "enormous" for this species and hardly, if ever, will get taller.  Crown width is typically three to four feet, rarely larger.  Leaves often are recurved downward or even upon themselves with a 360 degree circle.  Leaflets are prominently barbed with a backward flip to the proximal barb.  A similar species, E. trispinosus, doesn't typically have this flip to the barbs and this is a good way to tell them apart.  Growth rate is slow.  Note that, even though this species loves sun, growers in desert areas must only give part day sun or the leaves will burn.  Cold tolerance is about 22 degrees F. One last comment and a point I want to make is that, among this species as a group, there are variations in the appearance of the plants.  Just like people, plants individually do vary.  This can be seen in overall size, leaflet shape and leaf shape.  A dear friend of our nursery, now deceased, thrilled in his collection of different appearing horridus.  He had well over twenty different appearing forms of this species.  My feeling is that you should not consider all of these "varieties" or "dwarfs, giants, etc." but rather consider them as variability in the appearance of this species. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON E. HORRIDUS, CLICK HERE	A boxes specimen with nice color	Once again, note golden collar at base of leaf stem
		Emerging female cone
female cone

RAVENEA GLAUCA THIN TRUNK, MEDIUM SIZE, BEAUTIFUL CROWN OF LEAVES TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE This morning I've added a super popular single trunk Madagascar Palm to our list of plants on special.  This species gets a typical height of twenty to twenty-five feet, likes sun in most areas and is a good growing species.  People who've gotten this species love it.  Shown here are some 15g plants and a picture from habitat.  Our availability is fair at this point.  But, they could sell out.   So, get one while you can at this discounted price. REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $150 You must mention this price when purchasing.  OK to buy now and pick up later.

 

LEPIDOZAMIA PEROFFSKYANA HUGE BAND SIZE PLANTS TEN DAY SPECIAL These plants are also five year old band seedlings with a cuadex one to two inches in size.  They should be put in 5 gallon pots soon.  This species is a large, green cycad that forms substantial trunk, has glossy green leaves and NO spines!  It's very user friendly in this fashion but you must give it room to grow.  Shown here is the band size.  They are cold tolerant to the low 20's F. and, in most areas, want bright filtered light. REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $55 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $45 Band size seedlings are easy to ship right to your door.  You must mention this Blog Special when ordering to get this discounted price.

 

ARCHONTOPHOENIX "TERACARPA" THE BEST OF ALL THE KING PALM FAMILY 5G PLANTS AVAILABLE TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE Over the past several years I've told you about the King Palm which we grow from seeds of a plant in my garden.  Initially I thought this was an A. maxima but have since not been sure.  I'll note some characteristics of this plant below. 1.  It is a massive palm with a trunk diameter of almost 18 inches. 2.  Overall height is far above a regular King Palm.  Mine is already about 45 feet tall. 3.  The leaves are a darker green in full sun than other Kings.  AND, THEY DON'T SEEM TO BROWN TIP in our full sun. 4.  Growth rate is much faster than other Archontophoenix.  It's just shot above everything else in less time. 5.  Seeds are red and twice the size of A. cunninghamiana 6.  The underside of the leaves is a faint silver and overall length of the leaves is longer than other Kings.. 7.  Crown shaft color is a faint blue 8.  There is no ramenta on these leaves (no hairs) 9.  Occasionally we see red or bronze emergent new leaves  Presently we have a limited number of 5g plants.  Some are singles, some multiple The plant shown here has a small second plant in the pot.  The last photos are from the seed parent mother plant in my garden. REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE $45 You must mention this special when purchasing to get the discounted price.
		different plant showing bronze new leaf
Mother plant in my garden	Note the lack of 'brown tipping" in full sun	Note the massive trunk diameter

 

PHOENIX THEOPHRASTII CRETAN DATE PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS This suckering pinnate palm is native to the island of Crete and to some parts of Turkey.  It is related to Phoenix dactylifera (the true Date Palm) but is smaller in stature.  It does have some silver color to it (like the true Date Palm) but is also seen as a green colored plant.  Overall, however, it's size is less than the common Date.  It also suckers, has very bristly leaves with a compact, coarse appearance.  Reports are plants in the wild can reach forty feet height, but most plants I've seen are much shorter.  It can be pruned into a single trunk plant, just like the true Date Palm.  It likes hot full sun and is cold tolerant into the teens F., perhaps to as low as 16 to 17 degrees.  Shown here are some 5g and 15g plants along with some garden specimens.  Note the coarse, bushy appearance to the mature plants.  It might be chosen by someone who wants a Phoenix species that is smaller than a Canary Palm, could be maintained as a single trunk palm, and is super cold hardy.  Presently we have available 15g and 5g sizes. REGULAR PRICE 5G PLANTS $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $50 Just mention this Blog Only Special to get this price when you purchase.  I only have a few of these for sale.

WEDNESDAY, 19 AUGUST, 2015

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS BLUE FAN PALM FROM MADAGASCAR A WHOLE ASSORTMENT OF SIZES This palm is a favorite among palm enthusiasts.  Native to Madagascar, it lives in a habitat of hot, sunny and rather dry weather.  Cold tolerance is down to the low 20's F.  It does well in the desert.  It loves heat!  There is a green form of Bismarckia which I'm showing below.  All of these plants here are the blue form.  The blue color you see on a garden plant may have a little to do with the genetics of an individual plant.  But, more important, is the cultural conditions the growing plant sees.  In the greenhouse, Bismarckia have a less intense blue.  Move that same plant into hot inland sun and it gets much more blue.  Every nursery plant shown here will look similar to the plants at Balboa Park in San Diego as shown below. We have plants in all sizes from 1g, 5g and on up to available 48 inch boxes with up to three feet of trunk (through an associate).  So, we've got something for everyone.  All can be shipped either by Federal Express or independent trucker.	25g size
		24 inch box
	15g size	30 inch box
48 inch box	This and next picture Balboa Park, San Diego

CONTRAST THE BLUE BISMARCKIA ABOVE WITH BISMARCKIA SPECIES MAYOTTE ISLAND, THE GREEN BISMARCKIA I'm showing this species or type of green Bismarckia to contrast it with the blue form above.  The distinguishing thing is the color of the mature leaves.  When young, this green Bismarckia from the Mayotte Islands will show a bit of blue.  But, with maturity it is green.  Of note, there is also a different green form of this species actually on the island of Madagascar.   Little is published about the "Mayotte Island" form.  It likes sun and is probably cold hardy into the low twenties F.  The first garden photo below is by Tim Brian in HI.  This is the green form from Madagascar.  The second garden picture by Tobias Spanner shows the form on the Mayotte Islands.  The plants we have are from Mayotte Island seeds.  You'll note nursery plants have a lot of red in the petiole and stem.  This is characteristic of the Mayotte Island plants.  It of course is a full sun palm.  This is a very rare palm to find as everyone seeks out the blue type.  But, we have them and they are showing nice cold hardiness to the low 20's F.
Green Bismarckia by T.B., Hawaii	photo by TS at RPS	15g at the nursery

TALKING ABOUT BIG, MAJESTIC FAN PALMS CONSIDER COPERNICIA BAILEYANA THICK TRUNK - BEAUTIFUL CROWN OF LEAVES If you mention this magnificent and large fan palm to any palm enthusiast, he will immediately praise this gorgeous species.  Native to Cuba, it has a thick and fairly tall trunk with beautiful large, upright leaves.  When I first saw this species in specimen size at Fairchild Botanical Garden in Miami, I was awestruck.  I will share pictures from that trip with you below.  It was a great tragedy when Hurricane Andrew blew down some of these huge relics.  As I recall, staff at the garden were able to salvage some of them by up-righting the trunks and bracing them. Trunk size on this species is up to about fifty feet with a trunk diameter of two feet.  The trunk is clean and smooth, tan in color.  Leaves are circular, upright, and the crown size is about fifteen feet.  Leaves are green and the large crown is a bit crowded appearing but gorgeous.  The underside of the leaves is slightly glaucous.  Also note how the petioles are very light colored, almost white, with small black armor.  The leaf stems are very attractive. One seldom sees this species for sale because growing it from seed is painfully slow.  We have available one and 5g size.  The 5g plants are about seven years old!  They are showing numerous fan leaves. This species likes sun and appears to be cold hardy into the mid, possibly the lower 20's F.  If you like this species, you just have to obtain what's available and be patient.  It's like growing a Jubaea.  It just takes time to get an enormous specimen, but if you give it good culture you should be successful.  Fortunately, growth rate in the ground is faster than in pots. We have limited numbers of these for sale.  This includes 5g plants as shown and a limited number of one gallons that are very nice.  If you would like to try one of these really special plants, let us know soon	5g size
1g size
		5g size

PHOENIX ROEBELENII THE PYGMY DATE PALM NICE 15G PLANTS AVAILABLE When old and mature, specimen Pygmy Date Palms are typically between six to ten feet in overall height.  Pictures here show nursery plants that are either single or multiple in the 15g size.  The number of actually stems in a pot depends on how many plants the nurseryman puts into the pot when growing them.  But, there is in the native habitat a naturally suckering form.  But, in the U.S., almost all Pygmy Dates are not the suckering form.  Most people think they do sucker b/c there are multiple plants in the pot.  Not true.  If a pot has three plants, it'll always be three plants. This species is a slow to medium growing palm that wants full sun.  Cold hardiness is about 22 degrees F.  For a Date Palm, it is one of the least cold hardy.  If you live in a cooler area, there are definitely better Phoenix species available.  The first three pictures are a single trunk nursery plant followed by a "multi".  We can mail order any size.
	A stand of sever multiple plantings

DYPSIS LEPTOCHEILOS THE TEDDY BEAR PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE I feel this species should be in the Top Ten List of desirable palms for Southern California.  It is a good grower, is not overly large, has an attractive silver-blue trunk that is topped off with a rusty brown crown shaft that feels like velvet.  What else could you want?  This species comes from Madagascar, gets to about 25 feet height and has a rather thin trunk of six inches typically.  If the trunk doesn't get any direct sun, it will maintain this color throughout its life.  With sun, it will develop a brown tan color.  So, you might consider planting the species where it will pierce the canopy but maintain shade on its trunk.  Along the coast Dypsis leptocheilos can be grown in full sun, all day long.  If you live far inland, I'd give it part day sun.  Cold tolerance is into the low 20's F.  At our nursery in 2007, 25 degrees did not burn this species.  Shown here is an assortment of sizes from 1g plants up to 25g.  Sizes available changes over time, but we try to always have this species in stock.  No palm garden is complete without a Teddy Bear.  The fifth photo shows our 5g size which are on ten day special REGULAR PRICE 5G $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL $55 You must mention this blog only special when ordering.

WHEN MAIL ORDERING PLANTS: DO YOU WANT BARE ROOT PLANTS WITH CHOPPED OFF ROOTS AND LEAVES? OR PLANTS SHIPPED WITH ALL THEIR LEAVES, IN A CONTAIN WITH SOIL? HOW JUNGLE MUSIC IS DIFFERENT When most people order plants by mail order, they don't really consider how the plant will be sent to them.  But, it's critical to realize that bare root plants, whether a palm or cycad, have a much higher immediate mortality rate and usually have at least a one year setback.   To make things worse, leaf and/or root pruning is also needed when plants are sent bare root.  And, specifically with cycads, this means you most likely will get a plant with chopped back leaves that must go into pumice, not soil. It is far from ready for the ground.  The leaves are cut back to prevent dehydration of a stressed plant.  I would say that the majority of Internet plant providers ship plants to you  bare root. So, why would a nursery do this?  It could be to "save money" on shipping, but what a high price to pay for small savings.  More importantly, it could be that the sending nursery is not really a certified nursery and is forbidden from sending a plant with its soil.  "Certified Nursery" means that a nursery's state agricultural department checks the nursery and their plants on a regular basis to make sure plants are disease and insect free.  If you've ever ordered plants by mail and didn't receive agricultural permits with your order, you bought plants from such a bootlegging nursery.  It's required by state laws that such permits accompany the plants sent. To comfort you about Jungle Music, we are a California Certified Nursery and almost always ship our plants in their container, soil and all, and do include all required Ag permits.  Only when someone demands it will we ship bare root.  Bare rooting cycads means leaves have to be cut back, roots pruned back, and the customer has to re-establish the plant in pure pumice for one year.  Only after this can plant into the soil or cycad mix.  I am going to show you some bare root cycads here and how the leaves must be pruned off. (we rarely do this)  I will also show you how we almost always ship our plants: in their containers with soil.  We feel our shipping policy and techniques are second to none.  You decide which plants you'd rather get.  99% of our orders are sent in their pots with soil and their entire leaves!  Also, I'll show a few photos sent to me by customers of cycads received after they took them out of their shipping box.	Bare rooted cycad.  We hardly ever ship plants this way	See how leaves are cut off and roots exposed? You can see this is not the way to ship plants
A larger cycad with leaves cut back for bare root shipping.  Less than 1% of our mail orders are shipped like this.	Plant loaded into box and  ready to ship
wooden stakes are used to stabilize plant	plant inserted into top loading box, soil and all	top cap is added to accommodate larger plants
from customer, condition of boxes on arrival	photo from customer; perfect condition on arrival	photo from customer of cycad received

photo from customer of plant after removal from box	customer's cycad after removal from box	large cycad after removal from shipping box
Photo from happy mail order customer, showing his plants

FURCRAEA MACDOUGALII UNUSUAL BLUE SUCCULENT TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND AND 5 GALLON SIZE It is actually difficult to find this sun loving blue succulent for sale.  It is native to Mexico and felt to be the tallest Agave type of plant.  It gets to a height of typically under ten feet, has a fairly narrow trunk and fleshy, thick and peculiar shaped blue leaves.  Shown here are our band sized plants and 5g larger plants, both on special.  And, I'm showing a mature garden specimen.  This species likes hot sun and is cold hardy at least to the low 20's F.  BTW, these are second generation plants from 'bulbils" from a customer's mature and fruiting plant.  They are easy to grow but growth rate is rather slow.  Larger plants tend to be quite expensive if you can find them. REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL $25 REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $40 Please mention this Blog only special to get this price.  These are simple to ship right to your door.		photo by unknown author
band size	5g size	5g size

ENCEPHALARTOS ALTENSTEINII SUN LOVING, LARGE SOUTH AFRICAN CYCAD TEN DAY SPECIAL LARGER BAND SIZE This rather larger green species from the Cape region of South Africa can get a trunk up to fifteen feet.  The trunk diameter is stocky, up to two feet.  Leaves are typically six feet long.  Leaf color is green.  This species has a full head of many leaves.  It is most closely related to E. natalensis.  But, the base of the petiole is free of prickles or spines.  This is a fast growing plant and likes full sun along the coast.  Cold tolerance is about 22 degrees F.  We are having a special on older band size seedlings as shown.  These are NOT new seedlings but ready for a 5g pot or the garden. REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $45 You must mention this Blog only special when purchasing to get this price.

ARENGA PINNATA THE SUGAR PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This single trunk pinnate palm is felt to be probably native to Indonesia and gets its common name from the fact that sugar is harvested from the trunks of mature specimens.  This is a tall species and can get up to fifty feet of height.  The trunk is thick, often to 24 inches, and covered with a mesh of woven fibers.  Leave can get quite long, well over twenty feet.  The top of the leaflets are dark green but the underside is silver.  The overall leaf appearance resembles a Caryota but this species is not bipinnate and Caryota leaflets are never silver underneath.    This species likes full sun and is cold hardy into the lower 20's F.  Several mature trees are located in the San Diego area. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $50 Blog only special must be mentioned when purchasing.

CHAMAEROPS HUMILUS THE MEDITERRANEAN FAN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 15G PLANTS This species is native to the Mediterranean coast of Europe and the genus extends down into Morocco where plants become more blue in color and are known as C. cerifera.  Regular Med Fans are green to blue-green in color and one of the most cold hardy palms around.  They like sun and tolerate temperatures perhaps below 15 degrees F.  Color of the leaves and height of the stems is quite variable.  There are dwarf and very tall clones found.  Leaf stems are armed and the underside of the leaves is often silver.  We are offering huge 15g plants on special.  They can be mail ordered although it's a bit expensive because of the height and weight of these plants. REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL $135 Blog only special.  You must mention it when purchasing.

DIOON RZEDOWSKII RARE MEXICAN DIOON SPECIES TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE This is a rare cycad species from various mountainous regions in Mexico.  You hardly ever see them for sale, especially with any size.  These seed grown plants are over ten years old, have been outdoor grown for over five years and have seen part or near full day sun.  Mature plants have leaves about five to six feet long, narrow trunks that get up to 15 feet and minimal armor on the leaflets.  The plants on special are in 15g pots and have caudex size of six to seven inches.  They can take full sun right on the coast.  Otherwise, consider them a part day sun species.  Cold tolerance is down to the low 20's F.  The last two photos are from plants in the wild c/o J.O. REGULAR PRICE 15G THIS SIZE $650 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $450 You must mention this Blog Only Special to get this price when you purchase.  We have several for sale at this price.
	habitat photo by JO	habitat photo by JO

WALLICHIA DISTICHA SINGLE TRUNK, LEAVES IN ONE PLANE A VERY INTERESTING AND PECULIAR PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE This unusual palm that has all of its leaves in a single plane.  That is to say from the front, it is a fairly large, "Caryota-appearing" palm tree.  But, looking from the side, it is narrow and you can hardly see it.  The dictionary definition of "distichous" is:  "Arranged in two vertical rows on opposite sides of an axis: distichous leaves. "  In this case, the trunk of the palm is the axis.  This species is native to the Himalaya Mountains in Asia, spreading from northern India across to northern Thailand.  There it grows at altitudes of up to 4000 feet.  Because of it's heritage and as you might guess, it does have some cold hardiness and can easily be grown in many areas of Southern California.  It tolerates temperatures down to about the mid to upper twenties F.  It prefers full sun.  Mature height is about 30 feet.  Usually this species is single trunk, but in the wild suckering specimens are found.  This is not to confuse it with another suckering species, Wallichia densiflora,  which is always a clustering species.  Wallichia could be confused with Arenga and Caryota, both of which are also from the same part of the world.  All have leaflets that have jagged or toothed apical ends as shown here.  All also go through a flowering process that begins at the upper trunk and works its way down the trunk over time.  And, all have stems that die after suckering.  When there is only one stem (as with this species), the tree will die after it flowers.  Seeds of Wallichia disticha are very small as shown here.  The back sides of Wallichia and Arenga leaflets are silver whereas Caryotas are green on the back side.  This helps in identifying the genus.  Trunks of Wallichia disticha are also covered with dense brown fibers as shown here.   We have very limited numbers of this species for sale.  For someone who likes different species, this one is for you. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE $50 But, remember to mention this Special to get your discount.	a 5 gallon nursery plant
back side of the leaves is silver
tiny seeds from fruiting Wallichia disticha		trunk detail showing woven fibers
	Note jagged sides and ends of the leaflets	great photo showing leaves in one plane
	a removed blossom from a local tree brought to nursery	This juvenile specimen will become more distichous with age
close up photo of leaf/leaflet detail	detail of upper trunk near leaves	Wallichia densiflora, a totally different appearing palm

SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST, 2015

BRACHYCHITON RUPESTRIS FAT SNAKESKIN TRUNK TEN DAY SPECIAL PRICE 5 GALLON SIZE! About three decades ago I visited Seaborne Nursery up in the Lake Hodges area of San Diego County.  It has long since vanished as a nursery.  The owner was a fellow who knew a lot about palms, cycads and certain tropical trees.  His name was Bill Seaborne.  To old time enthusiast, this name might ring a bell.  He even wrote a book back then on tropical plants.  In any case, Bill (now deceased) convinced me to try a few of this interesting species of tropical tree.  I planted them and within about five to ten years found they had the most peculiar, large and swollen trunks.  The leaflets are quite fine with a hint of red.  But, the trunk is massive and swollen at the base.  It is a green trunk and has a  snake skin type of texture.   Growth rate is quite fast.  I have a few 15g trees for sale.  But, it's the 5g size that I'm putting on special.  This size is shown here.  I am also showing you pictures of mature trees off the Internet.  This species is not known for flowers, but rather for it's peculiar swollen trunk.  It can get to fifty feet tall, likes sun, and has a cold tolerance that is probably into the low 20's F.  REGULAR PRICE FOR 5G IS $65 SPECIAL 10 DAY PRICE 5G $45 You must mention this Blog Only special when purchasing to get this price.
		by anbg.gov
by Adelaide Zoo, Australia, website

BUTIA ERIOSPATHA A MORE GREEN COLORED PINDO PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 5G SIZE This species is native to Southern Brazil and is more green in color than Butia capitata.  It gets to a similar twenty feet of height and has somewhat re-curved leaves.  Notable are the hairy flowers, unique to this species.  We have a limited number of huge 5g plants on special.  They are easily three to four feet tall and very chunky.  These can be shipped easily. REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G PLANTS $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $55 Just mention this Blog Only Special when you order to get this price.

DYPSIS DECARYI THE TRIANGLE PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This single trunk, sun loving pinnate palm from southern  Madagascar gets to a height of about twenty feet or a bit more, likes full, hot sun and is cold tolerant to about 23 degrees F.  Shown here are nice 5g size.  We do have many sizes for sale.   Maximum height of this species is 20 to 25 feet.  Growth rate is medium. REGULAR PRICE 5g SIZE $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $49 Just mention this Blog Special when purchasing to get this special price.
	15g plant not on sale

THE  GOLD OR ORANGE COLLARS ON THE BASIC BLUE SOUTH AFRICAN ENCEPHALARTOS There are four blue cycads that typically form a "gold collar" at the base of the petiole.  You see this is juvenile to mature plants.  This group includes: Encephalartos horridus, lehmannii, trispinosus and princeps.  I'm writing this so you recognize this reproducible characteristic.  So, I'll show some photos as examples.  Although not specific to the basic blues, they are typically seen on the four species mentioned above.  Other species may show collars.  But, when you are looking at a blue Encephalartos and it has a collar, you should first start eliminating one of these species.  The color of the collars varies from orange to gold and may fade to tan over time.  It can even persist for a while after a leaf is cut (photo #3).  These collars can be raised or flat to the touch. They can extend into the caudex scale at the base of the leaf stems such that you see a triangular area of color that merges into the colored collar (5th photo).  They are most prominent on the more recent leaves and disappear over time.

HOWEA FORSTERIANA COMMENTS ON VARIOUS SIZES AVAILABLE AND SELECTING THE BEST SIZE FOR YOU Customers are often confused by pot sizes and their capabilities of planting.  So, I thought I'd comment about various sizes of the popular species, Howea forsteriana, and ease or difficulties in transporting and actually planting the various sizes you could buy.  The planting expenses incurred can really escalate the cost of a project.  Very large plants are expensive to transport and place in the ground.  I have chosen the Kentia Palm because it is very slow growing.  With a fast growing species like Caryota or Archontophoenix, it is difficult to justify putting in a massive plant.  A well grown and cared for 15g plant will be the size of a 36 inch box in several years.  So, getting "super big" with such species is money wasted.  But, with a very slow growing palm like the kentia palm, Howea forsteriana, it might be money well spent because the consumer may have to wait a decade or more to get good size on the plants he puts in the ground. I'll start with the 5g size and move up from there.  I'll show pictures of nursery stock.  This first batch of photos to the right and below shows you Kentias planted in various locations in Southern CA.
5 gallon sized plant This is a great beginning size for many people.  The plants typically weight about 35 pounds and can be easily carried and planted.  Our 5g plants, either singles or multiples, are usually five to eight feet tall.  One would need to dig a hole that is about 16 inches wide and 14 inches deep with typically amending of soil if needed.  Almost anyone can transport this size in an average car and easily plant it themselves.  It takes us about four to five years to produce plants as shown here in the 5g size.
15 gallon sized plant This is probably the most popular size chosen by customers doing landscape.  Our 15g plants are typically 8 to 10 feet tall and pretty chunky.  Remember, a sun grown plant will be more compact and fat at the base compared to shade grown plants.  The caliper at the base is a good way to judge not only the health of the plant, but also its age.  In a shady greenhouse, one can stretch out leaves to ten feet and say "look how tall they are".  But, this is meaningless as the plant will shrink after putting it into the ground.  So, look at basilar caliper.  The base shown here is excellent caliper. 15g plant typically weight about 80 pounds.  With the leaves tied up, they may be over ten feet long during transport.  So, an SUV or pickup may be needed for transport.  Planting holes should be about 20 inches wide and at least 18 inches deep.  A strong individual can plant a 15g by himself, or he might need assistance from one other person.  Our 15g plants are typically seven to eight years old or more.
24 inch boxed Howea forsteriana When you get a boxed plant, you will need assistance in transporting and planting.  Weight of this size is typically 250 pounds or more.  A pickup or perhaps a large SUV is need for transport.  You'll need assistance with offloading this size plant.  It requires a hole 30 inches wide, all sides and at least 26  to 28 inches deep.  This gives room for soil amendments underneath and at the root ball's edges.  Two to three men are needed to plant such a box.  For most homeowners, this is the largest box size you want to get unless you have a contractor with heavy equipment doing the lifting and planting. Our 24 inch Kentia Palms are typically ten to fourteen feet tall.  Singles tend to grow faster than multiples.  The main difference between this size and a 15g is the caliper of the trunks, trunk formation and overall size of the crown.  Age of these plants is about ten years.  Sometimes we'll utilize a 25g pot instead of a 24 inch box and can get comparable sized plants in these plastic containers.
30 inch box size Howea forsteriana This size is next to impossible to load into a pickup without a lift gate.  These plants can weight 500 to 600 pounds.  Most landscapers use a tractor or Bobcat to transport these at the job site.  If you are planting this by yourself, don't even consider this size plant unless you have good health insurance.  Many contractors who don't use heavy equipment stay away from this size because of employee injuries.  Plants shown here are of exceptional caliper and about 14 feet tall.  Delivery is available for this sized plant.  But, you have to get them from the street side to your planting location.  Age on these plants is typically twelve years or more.
36 inch box (or larger) or dug Kentia Palms Plants like these shown here are typically field grown for ten to twenty years and then dug and either put into large boxes or wrapped with burlap and transported.  These plants weigh more than a ton and a crane is typically required for reaching out with the plant and setting it in the planting hole.   A flatbed large truck in needed to move them to a job site.  You can see that, with these requirements, it might cost well over a thousand dollars just to bring such a plant to your job site and put it in the ground.  When you buy large trees like this, you are typically charged by the footage of trunk height, counting all trunks on multiples.  Most growers consider the height to be from the ground to where the new leaf emerges.  But, be careful with these measurements.  Some consider "height" to be up to the point where the most recent leaf curves.  You can see that this tacks on additional profit to the grower.  Plants like these shown are for people who "just can't wait".  They want instant garden.  Many palm enthusiast would argue, however, that a smaller plant in the ground, over time, will be a healthier plant than a tall, craned in specimen.  I don't myself do this crane work but work with associates who can get you Kentia Palms with twenty feet of trunk or more.
SUMMARY:  There is a whole assortment of sizes available to enthusiasts who want to purchase and add Kentia Palms to their garden.  5g and 15g plants are quite easy to plant and the typical enthusiast or gardener can do it.  Larger plants weigh more and often require professionals to put in the ground.  Large trunked out specimen may require a crane and tend to be much more expensive, not only for the plant but for putting them into the planting area.  We usually remind people that time is on their side.  Be patient and remember that a moderately sized Howea will get to be quite large over time.  And, it is fun to watch them grow.

SPATHODEA CAMPANULATA THE AFRICAN TULIP TREE HUGE FLORID ORANGE BLOSSOMS TEN DAY SPECIAL 15 GALLON TREES We are fortunate here in Southern California because there are quite a few striking, beautiful flowering tropical trees that we can grow.  Included in this group is the African Tulip Tree with its clusters of large orange blossoms.  This is a sun loving tree that can get fairly large with a canopy of twenty to thirty feet across.  It blooms in summer but sometimes longer.  There's a large tree several blocks from the nursery that had blossoms with color from June of last year until October.  Cold hardiness is estimated to be in the mid-twenties F.  Shown here are some seven foot tall 15g plants.  This species is a fast grower so these trees in the ground will be good sized in just a few years.  They were grown outdoors in a cooler part of our county. REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $145 To get this price, just mention this Blog Only Special when purchasing.
		Photo c/o Wikipedia Commons

MARCROZAMIA MOOREI LARGER AUSTRALIAN CYCAD COLD HARDY, THIN LEAFLETS TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE This is reportedly the largest species in this genus of Australia cycads called Macrozamia.  Overall height can reach twelve feet and it can form several feet of vertical trunk.  Such heights takes decades.  It sort of looks like a palm tree in a way but with much less trunk.  Leaves are long and arched.  Leaflets are thin.  A good way to recognize this species is by looking at the leaf in cross section.  It is definitely keeled whereas  M. communis and johnsonii are flat.  This species demands full sun and can tolerate temperatures into the upper teens.  Such weather may burn the leaves but the plant usually comes back when warmer.  This particular plant from the nursery shown here is in a 15g pot and has a seven inch caudex.  It is about 8 years old.  All 15g might not be quite this big, but they are all nice.  We're offering this gallon size on special for ten days. REGULAR PRICE 15 GALLON PLANTS THIS SPECIES $425 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $325 This size can be mail ordered right to your door, in the container, soil and all!  To get this discount, just mention this Blog Special when ordering.

ENCEPHALARTOS GRATUS LARGE CENTRAL AFRICAN CYCAD HUGE NURSERY SPECIMEN Native to Malawi and Mozambique, this medium to large sized green leaf cycad gets a stout trunk up to six or eight feet tall.  Although most reference books say this species has leaves up to six feet, you can see on this nursery specimen that the leaves are probably eight feet or more.  And, this plant is growing in full sun.  Just to make my point, look at the second nursery specimen in the green box (different plant) where the leaves protrude above the adjacent building. My point here is that this is a powerful cycad with long leaves and dark green leaflets.  Either reference books underestimate leaf length or these plants shown here got a dose of steroids!  It is also very easy to grow and is extremely fast in the ground.  The two boxed specimens shown here are about fifteen years old from seed. Culturally, most people grow this species in part day sun.  Desert areas require filtered light.  But, right on the coast, many grow it in full sun.  Cold tolerance is not quite as good as the South African Encephalartos.  But, E. gratus takes down into the mid-twenties F. quite easily.  The first specimen shown here has seen a temperature of 22 degrees F. with no leaf burn.  We have an excellent supply of this species from seedlings to huge specimens.  And, any size can be shipped or delivered if needed.
		E. gratus with male cones

ENCEPHALARTOS LONGIFOLIUS BLUE SORT OF LOOKS LIKE E. LEHMANNII One could mistake the blue Encephalartos shown here for  E. lehmannii.  The leaflets are narrow, come to a  point, and have a strong blue color.  But, all of the nursery plants here are the blue form of Encephalartos longifolius.  Below I discussed what I called the "Basic Blue" species (yesterday's post).  One might also add this one to the group, but there are some important differences.  The "Basic Blues" below are smaller mature plants, slower growing, have shorter leaves and a smaller mature caudex, and tend to have the gold collar described below.  Encephalartos longifolius is a more rapid grower, has longer leaves, is sometimes green in form, other times blue, has a trunk that can get to 10 to 15 feet, and rarely has pronounced gold collars.  And, cone appearance on this species is also different (taxonomist's way of distinguishing the species).  The main way I distinguish juvenile E. longifolius from E. lehmannii is by looking at the leaflets.  E longifolius leaflets are wider in the mid to proximal leaflet and then taper more in their distal half, down to a point.  Lehmannii leaflets are thinner and the width is more consistent along the length of the leaflet.  Sometimes it's a bit tough to tell them apart, but if you compare the leaflets here with the lehmannii below, you'll pick up on it.    Encephalartos longifolius is native to high elevations in the region of the Eastern Cape in South Africa.  The dark, olive green form may in fact be more rare than the blue form.  Leaves on nice specimens curve prominently at their ends.  Stems can get quite thick.  I've had plants where the leaves were over six to seven feet long.  Sometimes leaflets will stack upon themselves.  There are also leaflet forms that form a blunt tip or have a peculiar margin offset at their ends.  Cold tolerance is down to the low 20's F., and this species likes full sun along the coast.

SATURDAY, 15 AUGUST, 2015

TRINTHRINAX CAMPESTRIS BLUE FAN PALM, SUPER COLD HARDY TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This South American suckering fan palm comes from Argentina and Uruguay.  From these locations, you might suspect it could have quite a bit of cold hardiness, and this is the case with not only this species of Trithrinax, but of the genus as a whole.  Availability of seeds of this species has been sparse to nonexistent.  And, as a young plant, it is quite slow growing.  Consequently, to get a good sized container plant can take a decade or more.  We were fortunate to offer some very nice 5g plants as shown below.  I'd estimate their age at 6 years.  They are dividing and very chunky at the base.  They are totally acclimated to full hot sun and are intensely blue.  This is a perfect selection for someone who lives in an interior area with lots of heat. Overall height of this species is up to twenty feet.  Multiple stems are produced, but usually the number is just several.  Leaves are small, typically about two feet wide.  The segments of the leaves are pointed and sharp.  Trunks retain old leaf bases but, like Washingtonia, eventually fall off.  This is a drought tolerant species and can take temperatures well into the 100's F. and cold tolerance is into the teens.  Of note, most specimens I've seen are blue.  The last two photos show a mature plant that is blue-green in color, probably due to the fact that it's not getting full sun. REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $50 But, remember to mention this special when purchasing to get this price.	15g size not on sale and nearly sold out	15g size not on sale and nearly sold out
5 gallon size that is on sale	5 gallon size on sale

AGAVE VILMORINIANA OCTOPUS AGAVE TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS This species of Agave in native to northern Mexico with perhaps extension into the U.S.  It is not a large plant.  Mature height is up to four feet with a similar spread of the leaves.  The leaves are thick and fleshy and soft at the end.  There is no terminal hard point to them.  The leaves go out and then curve downward.  They are slow growing, green to blue-green in color.  Culturally, they are xerophytic with low water requirements, are somewhat tropical appearing for an Agave and like full, hot sun.  By the way, they get their common name b/c of their mature appearance (last photo) that sort of resembles an octopus. REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $45 Easy to ship.  Just mention this Special when ordering to get this price.
		photo c/o website Univ. of Arizona, Pima County

BISMARCKIA NOBILIS AN ASSORTMENT OF SIZES AVAILABLE ALL SUPER BLUE! I wanted to show you some very nice Bismarckia that we usually have available.  Not only is the color superb; it's super blue.  But, this is a good growing species that loves sun and heat.  It has a cold tolerance down into the low 20's F.  Native to Madagascar, this species can get over 40 feet tall.  We assume it will do this in California as well. We have many sizes for sale including 15g and the very easily shipped 5g size.  Drop by and see what we have.  Many of these pictures are of our 25 g size.
Note how these stems have a very clean, metallic sheen with no hairs on the leaf stems		Different Plant: Compare these very hairy petioles to the steel clean stems of the plant shown today

RAVENEA HILDEBRANDTII SEMI-DWARF PINNATE COMORO ISLAND PALM BAND SIZE AVAILABLE This endangered semi-dwarf palm species is from the Comoro Islands, close to Madagascar.  It has a very thin trunk. Although reports of twenty foot palms in habitat exist, in most domestic gardens don't expect anything over ten feet in a lifetime.  Trunk diameter is two to three inches.  Leaf size is three to four feet.  Most have grown this species in part day sun or filtered light.  However, I have one customer growing it well in full sun.  Cold hardiness is in the mid-twenties F. I have available a limited number of band size plants.  These are on about their fourth to fifth leaf.  I'm working on getting some nicer 5g plants but don't have them yet.  This species is always hard to find.  The older tree below is from Fairchild Tropical Garden.
when available, what 5g plants look like

PHOENIX PUSILLA PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST RARE DATE PALMS AROUND BAND SIZE FROM WILD COLLECTED SEEDS TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE It's almost impossible to get this smaller and super rare species of Phoenix.  I was lucky to get some wild collected seeds two years ago and am now offering band sized seedlings at a discount.  Native to India, mature this species is rarely over ten feet and has a maximum of fifteen feet.  The trunk is typically eight to ten inches thick.  It is usually a single trunk plant but can sucker.  Leaves are six feet long and flat.  This is a sun species and I don't know for sure the cold tolerance.  But, most Southern California areas should be able to grow it.  These seedlings are on approximately their fourth to fifth leaf.  This is the only size I have for sale and I know of no one else that has them. REGULAR PRICE THESE BAND PLANTS $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $25 Limited numbers available.  You must mention this Blog Special to get the discount at the time of purchase.

BUTIA ERIOSPATHA A MORE GREEN COLORED PINDO PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 5G SIZE This species is native to Southern Brazil and is more green in color than Butia capitata.  It gets to a similar twenty feet of height and has somewhat re-curved leaves.  Notable are the hairy flowers, unique to this species.  We have a limited number of huge 5g plants on special.  They are easily three to four feet tall and very chunky.  These can be shipped easily. REGULAR PRICE THESE 5G PLANTS $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $55 Just mention this Blog Only Special when you order to get this price.  We only have a few of these plants left.

SYAGRUS CORONATA FAIRLY COLD HARDY SPECIES TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This rare species of Syagrus is from a dryer area of southern Brazil and can reach heights over 30 feet with a thin 12 inch trunk.  The most memorable trait of this species is the presence of old retained leaf bases right below the crown.  These are attached for a few feet and spiral in a downwards fashion.  Leaves are ten feet long and plumose. This species is one of the more cold hardy of the genus but not as good as the common Queen Palm.  I'd say it'll take into the mid and perhaps low twenties F.  I wants full hot sun and may even survive in more interior desert sun.. REGULAR PRICE 5G THIS SPECIES $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $50 To get this discount, you must mention this Blog Special at time of purchase.  Only a few left.

BRAHEA ARMATA MEXICAN BLUE FAN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G AND 15G SIZE This fan palm is native to very hot areas of Mexico and is thought of as a nice garden species for the following reasons: Beautiful blue color Tolerates the hottest sun conditions Good for desert areas Super cold tolerant down to about 15 degrees F. Doesn't get too large, typically 20 feet Tolerates drought conditions Has low water requirements. We're offering ten day specials on two sizes as shown here. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $45 REGULAR PRICE 15G $175 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $125 Mention this special when purchasing.  Mail order possible.		5g size
	15g size
	Brahea armata in flower a few blocks from the nursery	inland San Diego area showing nice blue color

BRAHEA DECUMBENS, 1.5G & 5G PLANTS DWARF, BLUE, SUCKERING SUN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL TWO SIZES! This easy to grow Mexican fan palm hardly ever gets over five feet tall.  In the sun, it gets super blue, suckers and doesn't have a large footprint in the garden.  Surprisingly, when young, plants are green in color.  But, outdoors in the sun, I guarantee that they'll turn blue.  Leaves are small compared to other Braheas.  It is rare and, unfortunately, very slow growing.  I am showing here two sizes: 1.5 gallon plants 4 years old 5 gallon plants 6 years old. This species will take sun in all areas and does not like shade.  It does well in desert areas.  Cold tolerance is about 17 to 18 degrees.  We're offering both sizes on a ten day special.  And, for this slow growing species, they are oversized in their pots.  After a little acclimation, put them right into your garden! REGLAR PRICE 1.5 GALLON $50 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $39 REGULAR PRICE LARGE 5G PLANTS $85 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $62.50 Easy to ship. But, you must mention this Blog Only Special when purchasing to get these prices.	5 gallon sized plants
		1.5 gallon sized plants
	garden plant in sun showing blue color

DYPSIS HYBRID PALM, TWO GALLON DOMESTIC CROSS WITH D. ONILAHENSIS TEN DAY SPECIAL These plants came from seeds from a domestic garden where a Dypsis onilahensis hybridized with some unknown other Dypsis species.  Seeds came off a pure D. onilahensis tree.  Reports on this cross so far are that it's a great grower and more cold hardy than regular D. onilahensis.  The grower lives in a colder area and says these "did fine" while regular onilahensis suffered. So, for you cooler climate guys, this might be a great species for you to try.  I've only got ten of them and there are no more available.  I'd only be guessing at predicting future appearance.  So, it's sort of a fun gamble.  We presently have plants that have been in 2g pots for a while and are real nice.  Very limited numbers. REGULAR PRICE THESE 2G HYBRIDS $55 TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE PLANTS $45 You must mention this Blog Only Special to get this price when purchasing.

DYPSIS AMOBOSITRAE "RED" A VERY COOL MEDIUM SIZED PLANT WITH RED COLOR AND WHITE CROWN SHAFT For decades I've received seeds of palms from Madagascar that were an unknown or un-described species.  The seeds for this current plant came in as "Dypsis ambositrae".  Over the years I've received "ambositrae" seeds only to be disappointed that it was not the "real thing".  The plants I'm showing you today appear to be the real Dypsis ambositrae.  Because of the red color, we call them "ambositrae red".  Shown are what we have available in limited numbers: 2 gallon plants.  This species has a soft green, keeled and arching leaf.  Crown shafts are red at this point but when mature will be powdery white.  Expect a plant size in California of fifteen to twenty feet.  Trunks are thin.  This is a dividing species, somewhat like D. decipiens.  But, the stems are much thinner.  When mature, it still holds on to some of the red stem color. This is a great species for those who want to try something new.  Reports so far is that it is a quick growing species that is an easy and beautiful addition to the garden.  I apologize for the lack of mature plant photos, but they are not available.
		A different 2g plant showing red color

DYPSIS AFFINIS WHITE CROWN SHAFTED PALM Presented here is a rare palm species that enthusiasts really like.  It is Dypsis affinis.  Interestingly, when you check Paul Craft's or John Dransfield's books on palms, you will not find this one mentioned.  Yet, among enthusiasts, many will know the exact palm you are talking about when you mention Dypsis affinis.  It is a suckering palm of small to medium stature, trunk diameter of several inches, pinnate leaves and a prominently white crown shaft.  We have small plants of this available.  Growing one is worth the wait.  Shown here are some larger domestic garden plants with close ups of the crown shaft and one plant in seed in Southern California.  The last photo shows how very white the stems are.  Of note, some would consider this a sub-variety of Dypsis onilahensis.   Along the coast it tolerates sun.  In far inland areas give it filtered light.  Cold tolerance should prove to be in the mid-twenties F.

ROYSTONEA BORINQUENA TALL AND TROPICAL APPEARING PALM TREE PERHAPS MORE COLD HARDY THAN THE CUBAN ROYAL I've talked about this species before but want to remind you about reports after our terrible 2007 freeze here in Southern California.  Growers at that time told me that the R. borinquena seemed to display more cold hardiness than the R. regia (Cuban Royal).  Some said plants made their way through 24 degrees F.  Native to various Caribbean Islands including Puerto Rico, this is a tall palm with heights to fifty feet and a long green crown shaft.  Different form the Cuban, it gets its bulge more in the center of a tall trunk.  Shown here are several 15g plants.  They are seven feet tall or more.  I only have limited numbers of this species and might have some smaller plants as well.  If you love Royal Palms but have concerns for cold, consider this one.
		Double R. borinquena growing in So Cal

SABAL BLACKBURNIANA AKA SABAL DOMINGUENSIS LARGE TRUNK FAN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This large trunked Caribbean fan palm is native to Dominican Republic and Haiti (Hispaniola).  It can reach heights of sixty feet with a two foot thick trunk.  Most authorities feel that S. dominguensis is the same species.  Its leaves are blue green on a rather long petiole.  Leaf size is four to five feet across.  The trunk is light colored, sort of a gray.  Shown here is a 5g plant.  We also have a few 15g I think as well as smaller.  These are full sun plants that have a cold tolerance into the teens F.  I can easily ship this 5g size. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $45 Just mention this Blog Special to get your discount.
		Photo by Justen Dobbs, PACSOA

WEDNESDAY, 12 AUGUST, 2015

CYCAS THOUARSII CYCAD FROM MADAGASCAR MEDIUM SIZED MATURE MINIMAL ARMOR ON STEMS VARIOUS SIZES AVAILABLE This user friendly cycad is native to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.  It is medium sized when mature.  Anticipate a height of no taller than 15 feet in many decades.  Along the coast it takes full sun but would appreciate part sun or filtered light far inland.  Trunk diameter can get up to a foot.  This species does sucker.  Leaves are about five feet long and have minimal spines.  The leaflets are soft to the touch. Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F. Shown here is a large boxed specimen, 15g and 5g size.  Also shown are some field grown plants that will be dug some day and put into nursery containers.  Our smallest size now is the 5g as shown below.  These plants are easy to ship when 15g or smaller.
		5g size
plants for nursery stock in the ground, waiting to be dug some day and boxed

DIOON SPECIES "DIOON MEROLAE BLUE" AN INTERESTING 15G PLANT On Monday I presented a sale on Dioon merolae.  This species is normally green in color or a gray green.  We have this plant shown today in inventory that is different.  The color is a definite blue green.  But, there are other differences.  The leaflets are straight and a bit separated.  The leaflets of a regular merolae are curved slightly up towards the apex and somewhat more crowded or overlapping.  We just have this one plant presently that one could safely call a "Blue D. merolae".  It's greenhouse grown so the blue may become more prominent outdoors in sun.  Could this be just a result of variation in habitat locality?  Sure.  But, such differences excite cycad enthusiasts.

SOMETIMES THE CITRUS POT SIZE IS THE WAY TO GO EXAMPLE: ENCEPHALARTOS ALTENSTEINII AS LARGE AS A 15G BUT MUCH CHEAPER TO SHIP AND BUY! We love it when customers buy cycads in the 5g or citrus pot size.  Citrus pots are like a 5g but a bit more narrow and three inches deeper.  Cycads love them.  And, when you let a plant keep growing in these pots, they get pretty nice sized over time.  Shown here is such an example.  This citrus pot Encephalartos altensteinii has almost a four inch caudex.  It's holding about eight leaves and gorgeous.  It is very comparable to most other nurseries' 15g size.  But, because it fits into a thinner box, is very affordable to ship.  And, you pay less for the plant.  A plant like this from our nursery can easily be eight to ten years old.  We think this size is a good way to go.  If interested, just give us a call.

ZAMIA ANGUSTIFOLIA THIN LEAFLETS, PETITE SORT OF SCRAPPY FEMALE PLANT IN CONE This is a very small cycad with thin leaflets and overall height typically not over 3 to 4 feet.  Note how the leaflets are very narrow.  It is native to the Bahamas, Cuba and perhaps one or two other Caribbean islands.  Caudex size is rarely over six inches.  But, plants will sucker and clump, giving the appearance of a wider and larger plant.  Leaf length is about 30 inches.  This is a species that takes coastal sun or strong filtered light far inland. I'm showing a ten year old cittpot here with a female cone.   The cone is quite attractive and larger than you'd anticipate. pot here with a female cone.   The cone is quite attractive and larger than you'd anticipate.  It makes the adjacent leaf stems look very small.  Overall appearance is often a bit "scrappy" as the leaves are often swirled or twisted.  Also shown is a smaller band sized plant.  All are easy to ship.  cold hardiness is down to the mid-twenties F.

DIOON CALIFANOI MEXICAN CYCAD WITH STIFF KEELED LEAVES This attractive Mexican cycad is found in the areas of Oaxaca and Pueblo.  It is a medium sized plant with stems up to about ten feet.  The leaves are not particularly long, typically about four feet.  The most notable thing about this species are the strongly keeled leaves with thin leaflets.  By "keeled" I mean that the leaf, in cross section, looks like the keel of a boat.  The photos here show this quite well.  The color is green or gray-green.  The leaflets are tightly spaced.  I have shown here an assortment of nursery plants from 15g down to seedlings.  The garden specimens show off the beauty of this species. It is a full sun plant and cold tolerant easily into the low 20's F.  We only have a few of the 15g left but do have affordable seedlings for sale.  It is a rare species to find at nurseries.

ARCHONTOPHOENIX "TERACARPA" THE BEST KING PALM EVER! AVAILABLE NOW! First of all, for all you budding palm taxonomists, I should mention that the name above is a fictitious common name.  We came up with this name because the derivation of "tera" is "monster" and "carpa" refers to body.  And, this perfectly describes the palm I'm discussing here this morning. In my own garden in San Diego, I have one Archontophoenix palm that is distinctly different from another others I have grown.  I do not recall the original seed source for this palm and didn't appreciate it until it displayed its amazing traits.  Here are some of its characteristics: 1.  It is much taller than Archontophoenix cunninghamiana.  It towers overhead adjacent King Palms. 2.  It has an extremely thick trunk diameter, 2 to 3 times thicker than the average King Palm. 3.  Impressively, there is a  LACK OF BROWN TIPPING TO THE LEAVES in full sun.  In my garden, other King species in full sun have brown tipped leaflets. 4.  It has a large and elongated yellow-blue crown shaft, different than another other Archontophoenix I've grown. 5.  It produces larger seeds than regular King Palms but smaller than A. purpurea.  They are red in color. 6.  There is a slight silver color to the back of the leaves.  7.  In full sun, the leaves are DARKER GREEN in color than regular King Palms. 8.  It has an extremely fast growth rate We have long considered this to be am Archontophoenix maxima.  I've mentioned this ad this Blog.  But, it's not identical to A. maxima we've grown at our nursery from reliable seed sources in Australia. So, we simply call it Archonotophoenix "teracarpa".  We have 2 and 5g sizes available.  I'm showing a 5g double plant here.  Photos of the large tree here are of the actual tree in my garden that has produced the "teracarpa" seeds.  At present, I'd estimate its height at forty to fifty feet.  If you like King Palms, you can't do better than this one.
Note that it towers over adjacent other  King Palms, darker green in color, no brown tipping or yellowing

TREE FERNS AVAILABLE ASSORTED SIZES, SPECIES Our nursery does not specialize in ferns.  But, for some reason, we have accumulated a nice selection of good sized Tree Ferns in 5g, 15g and 25 gallon size.  Some of these have up to four feet of trunk.  These include Cyathea cooperi. and other species.  My favorite has always been the Brentwood Tree Fern.  It has no known native habitat.  I've used it in my garden and now have trunks about forty feet tall.  Check out the pictures below of this variety.  We'll have this variety available from time to time with some new spores growing now. Tree ferns, in general, are considered water-loving, filtered light plants.  But, some species can tolerate full coastal sun.  Some species tolerate temperatures well into the twenties F. and there's lots of tree ferns growing up  in northern California.  Remember, many species come from cool areas of New Zealand and southern Australia.  Blended in with palms and other tropicals, I think they look great and give a nice effect.  Their only downside is the "itchy" fibers from the leaves that fall when you clean off dead leaves.  But, overall, they are worth it because of their very cool appearance.
	Brentwood Tree Fern in foreground near Howea	photo by Wikipedia Website

CHAMAEDOREA METALLICA UNDERSTORY DWARF PALM CUTE AND SMALL This typically small, dwarf type of single trunk palm is native to one locality in Mexico where it is threatened and near extinction.  It has small and simple leaves (not pinnate as most Chamaedorea).  These apically bifed leaves are about six to eight inches long and have a metallic sheen to them; thus the name of the species.  Trunks are thin, about a half an inch or so.  Height is typically four feet, although very old plants can get taller. This species looks it's best in the garden when planted as a small colony.  They are a shade loving species.  They can also be used as a small interior palm.  Cold hardiness is perhaps into the low 20's F.  Colonies looks the best so you can avoid the "leaves on a stick" appearance you get with an old single plant. Such colony plantings are full and lush appearing. Shown here are our 1 or 1.5 gallon plants.  I am also showing a colony in a larger pot.  This is a very desirable species.  I called it "cute" above because that's what it is.

TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST, 2015

CHAMAEDOREA MICROSPADIX SMALL STATURE, THIN TRUNKS SUCKERING VERY COLD HARDY ASSORTED SIZES AVAILABLE Although not well known, this is an ideal form of the Bamboo Palm.  The latter term means a suckering palm that resembles a Bamboo.  Chamaedorea microspadix has many advantages over the more commonly seen Chamaedorea seifritzii.  The microspadix gets to a height of about eight feet, is cold hardy into the upper teens F.  and doesn't get the fungal problems that seifrizii gets.  I've shown here an assortment of plants, various sizes from seedlings to fruiting plants.  All sizes are available.  This species also makes a great interior palm.  It prefers filtered light although some may try half day sun.  It has very thin trunks, red fruits (on females) and shorter, fat leaflets.	This and next four pictures are 15g size
This and next picture 5g size
Note small red seeds on nursery plant		young seedlings

MONDAY, 10 AUGUST, 2015

PANDOREA JASMINOIDES "ROSEA" CLIMBING VINE, COLD HARDY, EVERGREEN, LARGE FLOWERS LARGE 5G PLANTS ON TEN DAY SPECIAL This climbing vine is native to Australia and will trellis up a fence or pole or climb up the trunk of a tree.  This variety is hard to find and has large, white, trumpet shaped flowers that have a deep red throat.  There are other color varieties including pure white which we also can offer.  It grows in the shade or sun but flowers better with sun.  It is very cold hardy with reports of it surviving temperatures into the teens F.  These 5g plants are huge for there pot and ready to be planted or moved into 15g pots. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $45 Just mention this Blog Special to get this discount at the time of purchase.

CEROXYLON AMAZONICUM TOLERATES MORE HEAT THAN OTHERS IN THE GENUS TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE In case you hadn't noticed, it's very difficult to find any Ceroxylon around.  We are selling our limited number of 5g C. amazonicum at a discount.  They are native to the lower Andean slopes in Equador.  Yet, this is still over one mile in elevation.  The trunk is thin.  Expect a mature height of over 35 feet.  Cold tolerance is unknown, probably into the lower 20's F. REGULAR PRICE 5G $75 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $55 Just mention this Blog Special to get this discount at the time of purchase.
	nursery 15g, no longer available	photo by TS RPS

DIOON MEROLAE SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED CYCAD TEN DAY SPECIAL ANY SIZE! This extremely rare and slow growing cycad comes from southern Mexico, has a smaller crown diameter (more compact) and slowly over many decades will put on vertical trunk.   Leaves are about 4 feet long, leaflets crowded and sometimes over lapping.  The trunk is rarely over 12 inches thick.  Therefore, it doesn't take up much garden space and will most likely be short for ones lifetime.  This is a full sun species in almost all areas and likes heat.  It is cold hardy at least to the low 20's F. TEN DAY SPECIAL:  20% OFF ANY SIZE, SMALL TO BIG Of note we have plants from one gallon on up to one hundred year old boxed specimens.  But, remember to mention this Blog Only Special at the time of purchase for your discount.	This and next 3 pictures 15g size
		Very old boxed specimen
another boxed plant		coning sized nursery plant

CERATOZAMIA LATIFOLIA BROWN-RED EMERGENT LEAVES WHAT A GORGEOUS PLANT! It's a treat when you get a cycad throwing red leaves.  And, not that many do it.  This is an example of an older Ceratozamia latifolia.  It has a nine in caudex and is beginning to put out two heads of leaves.  It's difficult to note this, but close inspection shows two points of leaf emergence.  The striking thing is the leaf color.  This color will fade to green in several weeks.  But, for now it's quite stunning.  Every year will provide this treat to whomever gets this plant.  Part day sun would be good, or even bright filtered light.   Cold hardiness is into the very upper teens F.  BTW, photos taken today.  Native habitat is in Mexico.

ZAMIA FURFURACEA THE CARDBOARD CYCAD TEN DAY SPECIAL NICE 15G SIZE This small cycad species is native to Mexico.  It is known as the "Cardboard Palm" although it's not a palm at all.  The "Cardboard Cycad" is a much better name.  It has thick hard leaves, thus the name "cardboard".  It is a small cycad, rarely over four to five feet tall.  It suckers freely.  Along the coast it tolerates full sun but needs filtered light far inland.  Leaflets are essentially unarmed with no spines.  Color is green to yellow green depending on light exposure.  Cold tolerance is about 22 to 25 degrees F.  We recently got in some nice 15g plants that are coning size and full.  Some already have cones on them.  Some are single caudex, others have multiple stems. REGULAR PRICE 15G SIZE $200 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $150 You must mention this Blog Only Special to get this price.  These plants are easy to ship.  I think this is an excellent price for these nice plants.  Note, limited supplies.

PARAJUBAEA TORALLYI THE SOUTH AMERICAN COCONUT TEN DAY SPECIAL BOX SIZE This tall South American palm can get up to forty feet tall.  It is so easy to grow that most enthusiast say "no matter what I do, it just grows".  This is a good report.  It does have a husky trunk averaging 18 inches.  Leaves are flat with a bit of silver on the underside.  Trunks end up being clean after a fibrous stage.  Leaflets hang toward the ground a bit.  It tolerates full sun in most localities and has a cold tolerance into the teens. These boxes are sun grown, about eight to ten feet tall, and husky.  They are ready to be planted. REGULAR PRICE THIS SPECIES/SIZE $475 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $375 Just mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase to get this discount.  Limited quantities available.
	by PlantaPalm web site

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE SUCKERING AND SINGLE TRUNK FORMS TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G PLANTS This filtered light-loving species is from Mexico and typically has a single trunk.  It has a prominently ringed truck, wide leaflets, about five foot long leaves and a trunk diameter of about 2 inches.  Heights are about fifteen feet on an average.  It does not tolerate full sun without leaf burn.  It is a fast growing species and produces lots of black seeds when you have both sexes. However, there is a form of this species that produces suckers and makes a plant with multiple stems.  I am showing both the single trunk form here as well as the suckering form.  Note the suckers on the third picture that are coming off the stem to the left.  In my experience, the trunks are thinner on the suckering form.  Otherwise, the plants are pretty much the same.  The first three photos here are the suckering form.  The next three photos are the single trunk form BUT with two plants in the same pot.  Don't be fooled because you see two trunks.  The last photo shows the single trunk form in the garden.   Cold tolerance is into the low twenties F. but not into the teens.  On final comment:  Sometimes you may see roots coming off the base of the stem and going into the ground.  These are adventitious roots that tripod from the base of the trunk.  But, most would feel this species does not qualify as a "stilt root" palm. We're offering the few 15g we have on ten day special.  We have limited numbers of both forms and they'll sell out quickly. REGULAR PRICE THESE 15G PLANTS $195 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE $165 (note: supplies limited on both forms) To get this discount, you must mention this Blog only special at the time of purchase.	Suckering Chamaedorea tepejilote	Suckering Chamaedorea tepejilote
Suckering Chamaedorea tepejilote		Single trunk variety but with two plants in one pot

HELICONIA SCHIEDIANA TEN DAY SPECIAL ON 5g SIZE All of our Heliconia are grown from rhizomes from existing and flowering plants in Southern California.  This results in large, very strong growing plants as shown here.  Heliconia schiediana can take sun or part sun, gets to a height of sever to eight feet, and flowers freely in the summer.  It is very cold hardy.  Even if a hard freeze knocks down the leaves, plants usually come back vigorously in the spring.  Flowers are red/yellow or orange/yellow.  We have two varieties available.  Sizes available are 5g and maybe some bigger but they've been flying out with the arrival of spring.  . We also have from time to time several other species available. REGULAR PRICE HELICONIA SCHIEDIANA 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $50 Just mention this blog posting when purchasing to get the discount.  Limited numbers available.  Other discount coupons do not apply with these plants.		15 GALLON SIZE
		5 GALLON SIZE ON SALE
photo by TS at RPS

SABAL MAURITIFORMIS A TROPICAL APPEARING SABAL TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G  SIZE This rather tall New World fan palm comes from Mexico and Central America.  It can get to over sixty feet tall.  It has a thin trunk for its height.  An interesting thing is the blue back to the leaflets and the near complete, circular presence of the leaf segments.  It likes sun along the coast but can tolerate filtered light where it is a darker green.  Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F.  REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE THIS SPECIES $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $50 You must mention this Blog only sale when purchasing.

BLECHNUM GIBBUM FERN THE MINIATURE TREE FERN LOOKS LIKE A CYCAD TEN DAY SPECIAL 5 GALLON SIZE When I first saw one of these I thought "how cute is that?"  And, they are very cute.  They stay small, typically not getting over five to six feet tall in twenty years.  The leaves are upright, green in color, two feet long and reminiscent of a cycad.  The trunk is narrow, typically three to four inches.  And, the crown of leaves is very compact and tidy.  It is very easy to trim and maintain and works very well as a companion plant in the garden floor.  It is native to South Pacific Islands including New Caledonia, Hawaii and Fiji.  It is a filtered light plant and likes plenty of water.  If you have problems growing it during the growing season, it's always because of those things: not enough water or too much fertilizer. REGULAR PRICE 5G $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $50 To get this discount, mention this Blog Special when ordering.  BTW, this plant is also known as the "Silver Fern" or the "Silver Lady Fern".  These are a piece of cake to mail order.
	mature specimen from Growingontheedge website	photo c/o Cal Hort Soc Website

SUNDAY, 9 AUGUST, 2015

SCHIZILOBIUM PARAHYBA BRAZILIAN FERN TREE BRAZILIAN FIRE TREE 5G SIZE AVAILABLE This attractive canopy forming tree is sought after by enthusiasts because it gets overhead twenty feet or more, has very horizontal branches with small leaflets and gives a rather light shade below.  In other words, it does not produce dark shade.  Other plants get enough sun to do quite well below the Fern Tree.  Its native habitat extends from Central America to southern Brazil.  It is fast growing.  It (in our area) drops its leaves for a month during winter.  But, they are quick to come back.  It has a relatively thin trunk that, when young, takes on a snakeskin appearance.  It will blossom at maturity and can get to fifty feet tall.  But, somehow it seems never to be overbearing.  The 5g plant shown here is what we have for sale presently.  Cold hardiness is the mid to perhaps low 20's F. and it wants sun.
	photo by biogeodb.stri.si.edu

ENCEPHALARTOS DOLOMITICUS NICE ALMOST SEVEN INCH CAUDEX PLANT OFFERED THROUGH OUR NURSERY I wanted to tell you about and show you a nice Encephalartos dolomiticus that we obtained from a private collection two days ago.  We dug the plant out of its home and put it into a 15g pot.  This species is one of the hardest of the South African cycads to obtain.  It comes from the Transvaal area of northern R.S.A.  It has a blue color with upright leaves that tend to twist somewhat.  This plant had about a 6.75 inch caudex.  As such a plant is quite expensive and super rare, it sold within a few hours after we dug it.  If there's a rare species you seek, just let us know and we can put you on a "wish list" which we keep on customers.	Plant being discussed in its home garden	same
Plant above after digging and putting into a 15g pot.  Next three pictures same.
	a different nursery plant from 9 months ago	a garden specimen

CHAMBEYRONIA MACROCARPA THE FLAME THROWER PALM 15G PLANTS WITH NEW RED LEAVES This post is to show you three different 15g nursery plants of Chambeyronia macrocarpa, all with new red leaves.  This species is native to New Caledonia and most known for the newly emergent red leaf.  Leaf color at this stage varies from pink to dark burgundy red.  Sometimes it's even purple black in color.  About 19 out of 20 nursery purchased Flame Throwers end up having a new red leaf.   But there is that 5% chance that a plant you buy may throw green - and never throw red.  So, there's a slight gamble when you buy one.  But, if it's red when you buy it, you know you're not one of those unlucky buyers.  Mature height is about 25 feet.  Along the coast they take full sun and require part sun inland.  Cold hardiness is into the low 20's F.  And, they make fantastic interior palms.  We also have smaller and larger plants for sale.

FRIDAY, 7 AUGUST, 2015

CHAMAEDOREA MICROSPADIX NEW SEEDLINGS AVAILABLE TEN DAY SPECIAL SEEDLINGS This shade loving species is sought after for several reasons: It doesn't get too tall, rarely over 8 feet tall It suckers and forms a nice clump It has good cold tolerance into the upper teens F. Leaves are sometimes iridescent and a blue color on their under side It is a type of Bamboo Palm.  Trunks are very thin, sometimes just a quarter of an inch.  Leaves are short, usually 2 to 3 feet. We are presently offering seedlings on special. REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $30 TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $25 OR, THREE FOR $60 Just mention this special when purchasing to get this price.  These little guys are easy to ship and do make a great houseplant.
5g size at nursery, not on sale	attractive red fruit of this species

PARAJUBAEA TORALLYI VAR TORALLYI BOLIVIAN MOUNTAIN COCONUT TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This species is native to super high elevation localities in Bolivia.  Some colonies live at elevations reportedly up to 8000 feet.  It is tall with trunks of forty feet.  It loves heat and sun.  The photo below by Gaston Torres shows how gorgeous this palm can look.  In locality it's not called a "coconut" and this is a marketing tool by nurseries.  It seems to have stuck.  But, I suspect, someone picked this trade name because the seeds of this species are very large, about 2 inches long.  Cold tolerance is into the low 20's for sure and perhaps the upper teens F.  I'm offering our 5g size on a ten day special.  We have a limited supply of this rare palm.  They are nice size for a 5g plant.  Although not a cheap pal m(seeds cost one to two dollars each), I'm offering an appealing price on this size. REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $95 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $60 Just mention this Blog Special when ordering to get this price.  The first 3 pictures show the 5g size.
	15g size, not on sale right now	a nice 25g plant with age, not on sale right now
photo by Gaston Torres, PACSOA	Juvenile plant in So Cal garden

PTYCHOSPERMA ELEGANS THE SOLITAIRE PALM MEDIUM HEIGHT, THIN TRUNK, CROWN SHAFT PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G SIZE This is a single trunk, pinnate, crown shafted palm tree from Australia.  Some refer to it as the "Alexander Palm", but this is a poor choice of names because of confusion with Archontophoenix alexandrae.  It is fairly cold hardy and tolerates temperatures well below a freeze.  I recommend starting it in part day sun or strong filtered light and allowing it to work its way up through the canopy.  Growth rate is about average.  Most prominent about this palm is its elegant appearance with a thin trunk, usually about four to five inches in diameter.  Mature height in this locality is usually under thirty feet.  The crown shaft is silver.  the leaflet tips are premorse and jagged at their ends (fifth photo).  This is one of the defining characteristics of this species.   .  Shown first here are several 5g plants followed by a 15g.  Also shown are a few specimens.  Many have found this to be an ideal palm in Southern California.  Inland areas would require some sun protection whereas it'll grow in full sun along the coast.  We have limited numbers of these for sale. REGULAR PRICE 5g $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G $50 Just mention this Blog Special when ordering to get this price.	First five photos are 5g size

ARENGA ENGLERI DWARF SUGAR PALM COLD HARDY, SUCKERING, FRAGRANT FLOWERS This suckering pinnate palm from the Japanese island of Ryukyu and Taiwan is quite remarkable for many reasons.  I'll list some below. Variable heights from six to ten feet Cold tolerant to about 18 degrees F. Can tolerate full sun along the coast Has leaflets resembling a Caryota Leaflet back sides are silver Has very fragrant flowers, as nice as Gardenia Seeds contain irritant in their fruit Great plant for filtered light location Tolerates summer high humidity Makes a nice potted specimen Slow growing but easy to grow For all these reasons, this is a superb species to grow.  Shown here are several sizes. Note suckering habit below and silver on back side of the leaves.  We have multiple sizes for sale including bands, 5g, 15g and occasionally larger sizes. .

ARCHONTOPHOENIX PURPUREA THE PURPLE CROWN SHAFT KING PALM NURSERY PLANTS AND FACTS YOU MAY NOT KNOW This species of single trunk, crown shafted  palm tree comes from the Mount Lewis range in Queensland, Australia.  My son and I visited this habitat and saw plants in the wild.  I've talked about this species before (below, mostly about the color of the crown shaft), but thought I'd summarize a few interesting things you might not know: • In habitat, it is not the predominant palm species of the locality.  There appeared to be far more Oraniopsis apendiculata, another single trunk species. • The crown shaft color is never intense purple.  If you Google photos and see this, it's probably been color altered.  The purple is present, but a bit muted. •As a younger plant, you'll see a yellowish color to the stem and inner crown.  This is a good way to spot it in a nursery plant where the purple crown shaft hasn't developed. • The purple color will most likely to develop over time after planting and is often not apparent in a nursery plant. •There is variability in the intensity of the purple color from plant to plant.  Some are more "purple" than others. • This species and A. cunninghamiana are the only King Palms that have ramenta on the back of the leaflets (see photo).  These are dark hair like structures and you need to look carefully to see them.  But, if you do and the underside of the leaflets are silver, it is A. purpurea • The underside of the leaflets is quite silver, even more than other species of Archontophoenix • Cold tolerance of this species is pretty good, about 25 to 26 degrees F., but a little less than other King Palm species.  At one time is was felt to be the most cold hardy King Palm because of its high native habitat.  This is not the case. •Seeds are among the largest seeds of the King Palm family. • Growth rate is medium to fast.  Along the coast full sun is tolerated but far inland would do better with part day sun. Shown here are a 15 gallon plant and other photos.  We have an excellent selection of this species for sale.
	Close up photo showing ramenta, hair like structures on underside of the leaflets

CYCAS PANZHIHUAENSIS ONE OF THE MOST COLD HARDY CYCADS   I thought I'd mention one of the most cold hardy cycads for those who live in a colder area.  Cycas panzihuaensis is from high elevation mountainous areas of southern China.  It comes from elevations above 6000 feet and can tolerate snow.  It is quite attractive and has many advantages over the Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta.  First, it is a smaller plant with stems usually three to six feet tall.  Secondly, it has a smaller spread of the leaves, which are an interesting green with a blue sheen to them.  Also, it doesn't have quite the proclivity to make a massive clump.  Finally, the leaves are softer than the Sago and cold hardiness may be even better.  The hardest thing to remember about "Cycas panzhihuaensis" is how to spell the name.  As of yet, it has no common name.  Perhaps the "Chinese Sago" would work.  Cycas revoluta originates in Japan.    Leaf length is typically about 3 to 5 feet.  Stem diameter is about 6 to 8 inches, much thinner than the 18 - 24 inch Sago.  It is fairly rare to see in nurseries because of limited numbers of seeds being available.  It tolerates coastal full sun and can take strong filtered light or part day sun.  Cold tolerance is into the upper teens F.  It is known to survive areas of the United Kingdom.  Over time, we feel this species has the potential to replace the common Sago palm because of all of its desirable characteristics.

DIOON HOLMGRENII RARE MEXICAN DIOON CYCAD LARGE 15G AND 25G PLANTS TEN DAY SPECIAL THESE TWO SIZES Among cycad enthusiasts, this species is known as one of the more rare Mexican cycads to find.  But, finding good sized Dioon holmgrenii right now on the market is almost impossible.  Shown here are some plants we just got in.  They are both at least ten years old and in 15g and 25g pots.  The larger ones have caudex sizes of about nine inches.  You never see plants like this on sale. This species loves hot sun.  It has a cold tolerance down to about 20 to 22 degrees F.  It grows at a medium rate.  It is known for the fact that it has long and upright leaves.  Leaf color is blue green. REGULAR PRICE 15G $600 TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE $300 REGULAR PRICE 25G $750 TEN DAY SPECIAL 25G SIZE $375 THIS IS 50% OFF!!! I only have a few of these.  You must mention this special when purchasing to get these prices.  And, you'll note these prices are a bit lower than last time I got these beauties in.	25 gallon size
15 gallon size

CAVENDISH FRUITING BANANAS DWARF SPECIES, COLD HARDY TEN DAY SPECIAL 5G PLANTS I am not really a fruit tree grower and don't pretend to be an expert on this subject.  But, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer on sale a very cool fruit producing banana species.  These Cavendish Bananas are a dwarf species.  They really don't get overhead.  And, they easily make ample amounts of small banana fruit.  They like sun and have a nice cold hardiness to at least 25 degrees or colder. REGULAR PRICE 5G SIZE $65 TEN DAY SPECIAL $45 Just mention this special when purchasing to get this price.

ZAMIA ANGUSTIFOLIA DWARF CUBAN/CARIBBEN CYCAD SPECIES TEN DAY SPECIAL VERY OLD BAND SIZED PLANTS This dwarf Zamia species is quite rare and has leaves that are typically about two feet long.  A plant in the garden is rarely over three feet tall.  Trunks get up to about 8 inches with most of the trunk being subterranean.  Leaflets are very narrow.  New leaves emerge a reddish-brown color and are very soft.  There are some spines on the petioles but not on the leaflets.  The crown is wispy and somewhat open.  The band sizes we have are at least ten years old.  Many have coned right in this small container.  Remember, this is a dwarf species.  They tolerate part day or full day coastal sun but would need bright filtered light inland.  Maybe they'd even work as a house plant. REGULAR PRICE THIS SIZE PLANT $85 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $55 Just mention this Blog special when ordering to get this discount.  Mail order: piece of cake.

CHAMAEDOREA BENZEI SINGLE TRUNK, GETS TO EIGHT FEET TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE This is a very sought after palm for multiple reasons.  It resembles a Chamaedorea radicalis but is stronger, taller, has a thicker trunk and is more vigorous.  Mature height is eight feet or a bit more.  Some trunk will form.  It also tolerates a fair amount of sun along the coast.  And, it is quite durable with thick leaflets.  It can also take filtered light.  Cold tolerance is into the low 20's F.  Shown here on sale are band size seedlings.  Some are multiples.  REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE $25 Limited numbers.  You must mention this Blog Special when ordering to get this price.
	Older 15g nursery plant	Older 15g pot, two plants in one container

WEDNESDAY, 5 AUGUST, 2015

DIOON RZEDOWSKII RARE CYCAD FROM SOUTHERN MEXICO This medium to large cycad comes from an elevation of 2100 to 2800 ft. in mountainous regions of the Sierra de Oaxaca.  It most closely resembles Dioon spinulosum that comes from lower elevations under 1000 feet.  It is also similar to Dioon mejiae from Honduras.  It would not be difficult to confuse these three species as they are all somewhat similar appearing.  Of these three species, Dioon rzedowskii is by far the most rare. Trunk height can reach fifteen feet.  This species usually does not branch but does recline with age.  Trunk diameter is under 16 inches.  Leaves are leathery, glossy green and about five feet long.  When emerging, they are quite tomentous (hairy) and after maturation the leaves are flat.  Leaf color is green, but not quite as shiny as Dioon spinulosum.  Leaf margins when young have quite prominent spines which are more prominent compared to spinulosum and a bit more of a yellow color than the latter (see photo #7 below).  When the plants mature, most of these spines are lost, but a few may remain (first photo, last row below).  The last photo shows a seedling that germinated in habitat.  Along the coast here this species does best with part day sun or strong filtered light.  It can tolerate full sun but tends to be more lime green with full sun exposure.  Inland areas would demand filtered light.  Shown here is an assortment of nursery plants in various sizes.  The habitat photos of mature plants here were all donated by a friend and cycad enthusiast John Otto.  Cold tolerance is into the mid to low-twenties F.  Of note, this species has extremely large seeds.

CYCAS CURRANII EXOTIC SPECIES, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES This tropical appearing green cycad produces a tall stem up to thirty feet or more, one to two feet in diameter. It is reported that this species attains a size and stature similar to surrounding trees in habitat.  Leaves are six to eight feet with armed, long petioles.  Leaf width is about two feet.  Leaves are flat, slightly flexing toward the ground and occasionally a bit undulating.  To the touch, the leaves are rather soft and inviting.  Seeds are quite large with raised edges on the sclerotesta (hard inner layer of the seed below the fruit).  Cycas wadei is the only other Cycas species with ridged sclerotesta but it comes from the island of Wadei and the seeds are much smaller.  This makes an attractive landscape specimen cycad.  I have been growing this species for about ten years and found that it does quite well in Southern California.  I have a few gorgeous 15g plants for sale.  They would prefer part day sun or strong filtered light.  Cold tolerance appears to be into the mid-twenties F.
	From PACSOA by George Yao	From PACSOA by George Yao

CHAMAEDOREA TEPEJILOTE THE PACAYA PALM SOME THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW This single trunk palm is from Mexico and Central America and gets to a height of about fifteen feet.  Cold tolerance is into the mid to low 20/s F  Today I thought I would describe a few things that you may not know and that I've learned about this attractive species. 1.  It has a dark green trunk with prominent rings.  Diameter is usually about 1.5, sometimes 2 inches. 2.  There are male and female plants.  Shown here is a male plant.  These flowers produce an amazing amount of pollen.  When ready, a simple flick of the finger releases a cloud of pollen.  If there is a receptive female nearby, you are almost guaranteed of getting seeds. When gold or yellow, the males are ready.   With age, they turn brown as seen n the third photo 3.  Flower bracts can get quite large, almost ear of corn sized, and are eaten in native localities. 4.  A way to recognize this plant is to look for the yellow stripe on the underside of the leaf stem, as shown in two photos here. 5.  This is a shade demanding species.  In my experience, a plant that starts in shade and then grows into the sun will burn and may die.  Give it a damp and shady locality in the garden. 6.  This plant can do well as a houseplant as long as it has adequate humidity.  7.  They look better when planted as multiples in the same pot or garden location.  8.  Although not a true "stilt root forming" species, Chamaedorea tepejilote gives it a try and sometimes will show small stilt roots. 8.  There is a suckering form of this species.  I've shown a close-up of a suckering plant so you can see the suckering stem coming off the main trunk.  This are rare and hard to find. 10.  Seeds on a female tree are initially green as shown below and then turn pure black, at which time they are ready to harvest. 11.  Plants need cleaning of old leaf bases to help prevent insects (especially mealy bug) infestations.  But, pulling off a leaf base prematurely may lead to permanent scarring of the trunk as seen in the last photo.
older spent male blossom to right	male flower about to produce pollen	multiple immature flower spikes coming
yellow stripe on the underside of the stem	although not true still roots, plants try to form them
		two plants in one pot is more attractive
Another look at the yellow stripe on stem	suckering form with additional stem forming	immature green seeds.  These will turn black.
	small colony, photo by TS at RPS	base of colony, photo by Ian Edwards PACSOA
	leaflets are wide and long	prominent rings on the stem.  Note stem scar.

ZAMIA PORTORICENSIS This is a dwarf cycad from Puerto Rico that has very small caudexes, rarely over four inches, with sort leaves, typically under 3 feet.  They cluster freely.  The leaves are green and either flat or with a minimal amount of keeling.  Compared to similar Zamia species, these are unique in that the leaflets are longer and have minimal or no spines. They can tolerate coastal sun but require sun protection far inland.  Cold tolerance is thought to be in the mid-twenties F.  (little cold tolerance data).  This is a good cycad where there is very limited space available.  It can be grown as a patio potted cycad.

TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNEI THE CHINESE WINDMILL PALM  This species, sometimes referred to as just the "Windmill Palm", is from China and one of the most cold hardy of all palm species.  There are enthusiasts from areas such as Ohio and parts of New York that are keeping them alive outdoors during the winter.  It is a single trunk palm with a furry trunk.  In time, this trunk's mat and hair will fall off to produce a cleaner trunk.  The crown is small, especially in hot intense sun.  It stretches out in strong filtered light or part day sun.  But, too much shade may kill this species.  It's leaves are about three feet across.  Leaf shape in nearly circular with divided segments.  Trunk height depends on the age of the tree.  This species is usually under twenty feet tall, but very old specimens (see below) can reach heights of over 30 feet.  Shown here are several good sized boxed plants and a 5g plant.  Most of our mail order customers prefer the 5g size for shipping.  Leaf stems are minimally armed with very small barbs.  Overall, it is quite a user-friendly species and is great for smaller gardens.  We do sell all sizes of this very easy-to-grow species.

FOUR EASY TO SHIP, GREEN SOUTH AFRICAN CYCADS
Below are four plants we photographed yesterday.  All are rare Encephalartos from Africa.  All are in citrus pot containers, which makes
shipping quite affordable.  We ship plants in their pot, soil and all.  This avoids the immediate losses and almost guaranteed one year set
back seen with bare root plants.  Few nurseries ship plants with their soil, but we can do it because we are a CA Certified Nursery with agricultural
permits for all states with the U.S.  Most customers rave about our plant quality and shipping technique.  Please read our reviews at this website.

ENCEPHALARTOS AEMULANS This cycad is sometimes difficult to find and is threatened in habitat.  it is a green, medium sized species that prefers sun and has excellent cold tolerance.  Leaves get to six feet and trunks to ten feet.  It prefers sun.
ENCEPHALARTOS ALTENSTEINII This species is a fast growing green cycad that has leaves six feet long and a stout trunk.  It can get a trunk well over ten feet and has a large crown of many leaves.  It makes a large, centerpiece type of cycad that needs room.  It likes sun and is cold tolerant to at least 22 degrees F.
ENCEPHALARTOS BUBALINUS This species is Central African and very rare.  Leaflet color is a bit of gray green and mature leaflets have little armor, something nice for some collectors.  It makes a good size plant and can tolerate full sun in most areas.  Cold tolerance is not quite as good as the South African cycads, but well into the mid, perhaps a bit lower 20's F.
ENCEPHALARTOS PIET RETIEF This is a medium sized green species that has now been classified as a variety of E. lebomboensis.  It is a good grower, can get a trunk up to ten feet in many decades, and has a medium sized crown.  Cold tolerance low 20's F.  Sun plant.

RECYCLE YOUR PLASTIC POTS NURSERY CREDIT FOR USED PLASTIC CONTAINERS I like to remind plant enthusiasts to recycle their plastic containers.  We will take them and give you a credit toward any purchase at the nursery.  Or, if you just don't know what to do with them and are conservative minded, drop them off at our nursery location.  We'll put them to good use.  We've been doing this for decades and think it's the right thing to do for the environment.  We are especially looking for larger pots, 15g and bigger.  We also really appreciate 7g pots and citrus pots.  So, don't give them to the garbage man for your local landfill.  Bring them to our nursery.

DIOON CALIFANOI MEXICAN CYCAD WITH STIFF KEELED LEAVES This attractive Mexican cycad is found in the areas of Oaxaca and Pueblo.  It is a medium sized plant with stems up to about ten feet.  The leaves are not particularly long, typically about four feet.  The most notable thing about this species are the strongly keeled leaves with thin leaflets.  By "keeled" I mean that the leaf, in cross section, looks like the keel of a boat.  The photos here show this quite well.  The color is green or gray-green.  The leaflets are tightly spaced.  I have shown here an assortment of nursery plants from 15g down to seedlings.  The garden specimens show off the beauty of this species. It is a full sun plant and cold tolerant easily into the low 20's F.  We only have a few of the 15g left but do have affordable seedlings for sale.  It is a rare species to find at nurseries.

HYOPHORBE VERSCHAFELTII THE SPINDLE PALM SHORT PALM WITH SWOLLEN TRUNK The genus of Hyophorbe comes from the Mascarene Islands.  From a collector's point of view, there are only three species available.  None are tall.  All are exotic and bizarre appearing. 1.  H. lagenicaulis, the Bottle Palm.  Swollen at the base of the trunk.  NOT cold hardy. 2.  H. verschafeltii, middle of trunk swollen, somewhat cold hardy 3.  H. indica, most cold hardy of the group, taller than the previous two palms, irregular trunk but not bulged. Hyophorbe verschafeltii has more of a yellow color to the petioles and leaf veins.  You can see this in the photos here.  The Bottle Palm demonstrates more red colors.  Cold hardiness is down to about a freeze.  Some plants have taken colder than this in Southern California.  In So Cal, usually the Bottle Palms die with our winter weather.  For this reason, the Spindle Palm is a better choice.  Hyophorbe verschafeltii loves heat and sun.  It will get up to a height of about fifteen feet in 30 years.  It can show winter stress on the leaves.  Shown here are a 5g and 15g plant.  Note on the mature plant how the bulge is in the middle of the trunk, thus giving it the name of "Spindle" Palm.  If your garden doesn't freeze and you have a warm, sunny spot, this palm is for you.

SUNDAY, 2 AUGUST, 2015

FICUS DAMMAROPSIS JUST ARRIVED YESTERDAY THREE HUGE, OLD 15G PLANTS THIS SIZE NEVER AVAILABLE! Yesterday we got in from a private collection three very old and huge (for their container) 15g Ficus dammaropsis.  The plants shown here, in their pots, are 8 to 9 feet tall, some branching.  As you may know, this plant is almost impossible to find.  These plants being offered here have been outdoor grown and seen coastal sun.  This species is known for its huge leaves (often with red veins), it's pleated surface, it's small stature (rarely over twelve to fourteen feet tall in So Cal) and it's smaller trunk.  Roots don't seem to be invasive.  I've never offered this species this large.  And, my previous supplier/propagator of smaller plants has gone out of business.  So, these three huge plants will be gone quickly!  These specimens would be ideal for an upscale private or botanical garden.

CARYOTA URENS SINGLE TRUNK FISHTAIL TALL AND QUICK GROWING TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G SIZE This fast growing, canopy-forming Fishtail Palm is from northern Thailand and often referred to as the Cold Hardy Mountain Fishtail.  You can distinguish it from Caryota gigas by the leaflet appearance and the white trunk below the leaves - gigas is dark green to black when juvenile.  Mature height ranges from forty to seventy feet.  Trunk diameter is about 16 to 18 inches.  Cold hardiness is the upper teens F. Remember, all Caryota palms are monocarpic - they die after flowering.  This species is taller than and has a thinner trunk than C. gigas. REGULAR PRICE 15G $185 (tall plants) TEN DAY SPECIAL 15G $150 Just mention this Special when purchasing to get your discount.  These are too big to ship without usage of pallets and independent truckers.

PRITCHARDIA, THE HAWAIIAN PALM ABOUT SIX SPECIES AVAILABLE BIGGEST AND BEST 15G AROUND OUTDOOR GROWN, SEEN SUN AND COLD TEN DAY SPECIAL HUGE 15G PLANTS Pritchardia are a tropical fan palm that typically get heights of fifteen to twenty-five feet.  They have lush green leaves that are flat or a bit wavy.  Often species have a lot of white tomentum on the leaf stems.  We call it the Hawaiian Palm because it's the only palm that is native to Hawaii.  Before men introduced other species, there were only Pritchardias on these islands. For those of you who have read this Blog for a while, you'll remember that several years ago I bought out the private plant material of a nursery that was going out of business.  The species we got were all from true Hawaiian species only.  This included several hundred Pritchardias that were huge at that time in 15g plants, had been grown outdoors and seen full sun.  We put these plants in our outside growing grounds and kept up with their care.  They are now even bigger, easily the size of a boxed Pritchardia.  Sizes on some are eight feet in their pots with very thick trunks.  And, they are sun ready - instant planting material.  We have about five or six different species. These plants take full coastal sun or part day sun inland.  Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F. or perhaps a bit lower.  They've seen all the cold we've had in the past three years. REGULAR PRICE THESE 15G PLANTS $250 TEN DAY SPECIAL $175 THIS SIZE But, remember to mention this Blog Special to get this price at the time of purchase.  All photos shown here are of these plants.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT EVEN LARGER PRITCHARDIA HUGE BOXED SPECIMENS VARIOUS SPECIES TEN DAY SPECIAL The 15g described above are very large.  But, we have even larger plants in boxes that people can lift and move.  These are 24 inch boxed plants.  We have outdoor grown specimens as shown here, quite a few of them.  Many we've been growing for about twelve years. REG. PRICE 24 INCH BOXED PRITCHARDIAS $500 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE  $375 Just mention this Blog Special at the time of purchase to get your discount.

BRAHEA DULCIS MEDIUM SIZED ATTRACTIVE FAN PALM TEN DAY SPECIAL BAND SIZE This good looking fan palm comes from southern Mexico as well as various countries in Central America.  There is variability in this species: Some plants are green, others blue.  Some specimens get to twenty feet, others remain shorter. And, some even sucker to make multiple trunks.  But, all are attractive.  Over time, leaf bases fall away to give a smooth trunk.  We're offering our band size on these at a good discount.  Easy to ship.  The one shown is a double, not suckering.  This species likes part sun or full sun along the coast and is cold hardy to about 20 degrees F. REGULAR PRICE BAND SIZE THIS SPECIES $35 TEN DAY SPECIAL THIS SIZE $25 OR THREE FOR $60 You must mention this special to get this price.
		photo by Angelos Porcelli PACSOA

COCCOTHRINAX ARGENTATA MEDIUM SIZED BLUE-GREEN FAN PALM 15G AND 5G AVAILABLE LOVES SUN AND HEAT This smaller and very cute fan palm is native to areas of Florida, Mexico and into the Caribbean.  It has a blue green leaf color with more prominent silver on the underside of the leaf.  Mature height is rarely to twenty feet.  Leaves are about three to four feet across and prominently divided into segments.  It likes heat and sun.  It might also do well in desert areas.  Cold hardiness is into the mid-twenties F.  We have available 5g and some 15g plants.  It is ideal for people who want shorter but attractive sun tolerant palms.  But, particularly in pots, it is slow growing.  Our 15g plants are ten years old.

HOWEA FORSTERIANA HUGE BOXED SPECIMENS LARGE SELECTION TO CHOOSE FROM TEN DAY SPECIAL An associate of mine has extremely large Howea forsteriana with up to almost 25 feet of trunk.  They are in 36 to 48 inch boxes and are crane material.  He has singles and multiples.  All were field grown in sun and were boxed several years ago.  He has a huge selection.  Normally he sells these for $250 per trunk foot.  But, I convinced him to offer a ten day special on them.  They are ready to go. So, he has reduced them $175 per trunk foot.  Contact me if interested or for more information.  Also, he can deliver himself or arrange delivery to your location. TEN DAY SPECIAL AS ABOVE

END OF POSTS FOR AUGUST

TO SEE EARLIER POSTS FROM JULY, 2015, CLICK HERE

A LOOK AT THE FRONT OF THE NURSERY PERSONAL PHOTOGAPHIC TOUR ALMA AND THE PLANTS Yesterday was a drizzling day, sort of gray and gloomy.  Regardless, we were quite busy with customers at the nursery.  Somehow Alma found the time to take pictures of the front entrance to our nursery.  These pictures show the unique combination of palms, cycads and succulents that we're offering.  You can see how nicely they all blend together.  I hope the gorgeous blue Encephalartos show well in these pictures.  They are huge and unique.

PLANT BROKER VERSUS NURSERYMAN WHAT SOME SELLERS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW TO TELL WHICH IS WHICH There's a dirty little secret among people who sell plants.  That secret is that some people don't "grow plants" but merely buy someone else's plants, try to sell them to you and make it appear that they propagate plants.  And, unfortunately, they are often brokering plants grown elsewhere, in more tropical areas that won't do as well as locally grown plants.  Why would this be a secret?  Because they don't want you to go looking for their sources.  Otherwise, you wouldn't buy from them. How do you tell who is who?  How do you know if a "nursery" is growing their own plant material or just brokering?  It's quite simple.  Look inside the nursery for evidence of germination.  Look for small plants in addition to large ones.  Look for plants of the same species in many sizes.  If you see none of these things, perhaps just one size of a given plant, you're almost guaranteed that that person is just selling other nursery's material. Yes, Jungle Music does bring in plants from other sources.  But, it's most often young seedlings when we do.  And we then grow them up for years to the large palms your know us for.  I've found that I can't germinate everything.  We need some help.  So, we've had decades of history with reliable germinators who sometimes germinate seeds for us.  And, when we do find larger and super desirable things, we may bring them in.  But, 99% of our material we've grown ourselves.  Just looking at the our nursery, you realize this.  We've got a quarter million plants. So, don't get fooled.  Deal with someone who really knows the plants and has been growing them himself.  The pictures here show you some of the two miles of tables we put our plants on.  You'll see plants of all sizes - from new seedlings to 5g, 15g and larger plants.  I've shown a lot of seedlings here and flats of small plants.  I thought you'd like to know this.

SUMMER SPECIAL: FILL A PALLET
FOR SHIPPING OR DELIVERY
AND SAVE 15% OFF REGULAR PLANT PRICES!

ALLAGOPTERA ARENARIA THE SEASHORE PALM CLUSTERING, DWARF PALM This pinnate palm rarely gets over six feet tall, is native to coastal Brazil and has fluffy leaves (plumose).  It's a sun species with a cold hardiness into the upper teens F.
ARENGA ENGLERI THE DWARF SUGAR PALM SUCKERING, NOT TOO TALL This suckering Asian species doesn't get over about ten feet tall and has silver color to the back of the leaflets.  The leaflets have chopped ends.  It'll take coastal sun and part day sun inland.  Cold tolerance about 18 degrees F.
BLUE BUTIA CAPITATA THE BLUE PINDO PALM MEDIUM HEIGHT - YES, BLUE COLOR! This variety of the South American Pindo Palm is super color because of its unusual blue color.  It gets to a height of about fifteen feet in three decades and is single trunk.  It loves full sun and is cold hardy to 15 degrees F.
		photo by Paul Craft
BRAHEA CLARA BLUE SINGLE TRUNK MEXICAN PALM SUPER COLD HARDY This palm is quite similar to the more common Brahea armata.  It loves sun, takes cold to 15 degrees and is blue in color.  It gets to a height of no more than 20 feet.  Compared to the common Mexican Blue Fan Palm, it has longer petioles and is faster growing.  Another curious difference we've discovered is the stem armor.  Rather than simple, uniform curved spines, the armor is more like a bad set of shark's teeth as shown here.
BRAHEA DECUMBENS BLUE, DWARF AND SUCKERING EXCELLENT COLD HARDY SMALLER PALM This suckering species of fan palm develops a blue color with age and sun.  Shown is a 5g.  We never can keep them in stock to get them to 15g.  They love hot sun, get to a height of no more than six feet and sucker.  this is an ideal palm where views are a concern.  They are very slow growing.
BUTIA X SYAGRUS THE MULE PALM HYBRID THAT LOOKS LIKE NEITHER PARENT This surprisingly very cold hardy palm is being grown in areas that routinely see bad weather.  When Queen Palms die in Tucson, AZ, this one survives.  It gets to 25 feet and loves hot sun.  Some say that, when mature, they look a little bit like a Coconut.  It's also a very good growing hybrid with lots of vigor.  It likes sun and is cold hardy to about 16 or 17 degrees.
	photo by MH
COPERNICIA ALBA TALL THIN TRUNK SINGLE STEM FAN PALM Copernicia is a rare genus of fan palms mostly native to Caribbean Islands such as Cuba.  This species has a thin trunk and gets over 40 feet tall.  For an exotic genus, it's surprisingly cold hardy perhaps into the upper teens F.  It loves sun and heat.
JUBAEA CHILENSIS CHILEAN WINE PALM FATTEST TRUNK OF ANY PALM This thick trunked pinnate palm is slow growing but manages to get a trunk fatter than any other palm.  Native to Chile, it can reach a height of 40 feet and trunk diameter of 4 feet.  It loves hot sun and is cold hardy to 16 degrees.  The 15g plant shown here is 10 years old.  This is why this species is more costly than other palms.  The trunk is also smooth as shown here with no attached leaf bases.
LIVISTONA CHINENSIS THE CHINESE FAN PALM SINGLE TRUNK, MEDIUM SIZE This Asian species never really gets to a height much above 25 feet.  It's so slow growing that anything over ten feet seems to take an eternity.  It has a twelve inch thick trunk and flat green leaves.  In most areas it takes full sun but also tolerates filtered light.  Cold hardiness is about 18 degrees F.
LIVISTONA DECIPIENS AKA LIVISTONA DECORA MEDIUM TO TALL HEIGHT, THIN TRUNK This Australian fan palm can get over 40 feet tall, has a thin trunk and droopy leaflets.   Because of the latter fact it's known as the Ribbon Palm.  Leaflets hang toward the ground.  It likes full sun and is cold hardy into the upper teens F.  It's quite handsome.
PHOENIX RECLINATA THE SENEGAL DATE PALM CLUMPING SPECIES MEDIUM SIZE This is a type of Date Palm that clusters.  It gets its name from the fact that trunks recline (lean) with age and height.  It has a variable height.  But, you can count on at least 15 feet.  Some clumps get taller.  It loves sun and is cold hardy into the upper teens F.
	clumping palm to the right
PHOENIX THEOPHRASTI THE CRETAN DATE PALM BUSHY AND NOT TOO TALL This Date Palm is native to the island of Crete, southern Greece and some nearby islands.  It is a suckering palm and not quite as tall as the Phoenix dactylifera.  Its dates are not edible.  Leaf color is typically lime green.  Height can get up to thirty feet.  Leaves are quite plumose.  Cold tolerance is about 17 degrees or lower and it loves full and hot sun.
SABAL CAUSIARUM TALL FAN PALM THICK CONCRETE LIKE TRUNKS This Caribbean fan palm can get rather tall, up to fifty feet.  Its remarkable characteristic are the thick, concrete colored and appearing trunks.  They are really impressive and get up to two feet thick.  Leaf color is blue green.  This palm loves sun and is cold hardy into the mid to upper teens F.
SABAL MINOR THE SMALLEST SABAL DWARF PALM - SIX FEET TALL This fan palm is native to the southeastern part of the U.S.  It rarely gets over six feet tall.  It puts out blossoms that are taller than the leaves, producing many small black seeds.  Leaves are sort of large compared to its dwarf height.  It can take sun or shade and is cold hardy to 15 degrees.
TRACHYCARPUS WAGNERIANUS SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE SUPER COLD HARDY SMALL, CUTE LEAVES This Asian species of Windmill Palm is quite difficult to find.  That's because it's very slow growing.  The 15g plant shown here is about 8 years old.  They typically don't get tall.  In a few decades, a ten foot palm could be expected.  They love full sun and are cold hardy to 15 degrees F.  Leaves are quite small and flat as shown here.
SYAGRUS SCHIZOPHYLLA X ROMANZOFFIANA THE COCONUT QUEEN BEAUTIFUL HYBRID PALM YET COLD HARDY We don't know as of yet the cold hardiness of this very handsome hybrid palm developed in Thailand.  It's quite a new thing.  It is prettier than both parents.  Anticipated height is 30 feet, so it's shorter than a standard Queen Palm.  It likes full sun and appears to be cold hardy down to about 20 degrees F.
TRITHRINAX ACANTHICOMA AKA TRITHRINAS BRASILIENSIS MEDIUM HEIGHT, SPINEY TRUNK This South American, single trunk fan palm is unlike some of its suckering kin below.  This plant gets to a height of about 20 feet and has a random pattern of long spines protruding from the trunk.  Leaves are green, medium sized.  It likes sun and is cold hardy well into the upper teens F.  The trunk is indeed different - liked by some, hated by others.
TRITHRINAX CAMPESTRIS SUCKERING BLUE FAN PALM MEDIUM HEIGHT This South American species is nothing like T. acanthicoma above.  It suckers, has a prominent blue color and has sharp points on the end of its leaf segments.  But, it is attractive and cold hardy to about 17 degrees F.  Expect a mature height of ten to twenty feet.

THIS IS THE END OF OUR AUGUST POSTS.  TO SEE EARLIER JULY POSTS, CLICK HERE

JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU OUR COLORFUL COMPANION PLANTS
Availability changes with the season but we are getting in new items all the time

FLOWERING ANTHURIUM RED, PINK, WHITE AND OTHERS Flowering Anthurium are low profile plants that rarely get over 18 inches tall.  They like filtered light and have a surprisingly long flowering season.  In fact, some will continue to put out flowers until fall.  Flower sizes vary from about 2 inches up to 4 inches across.  An individual flower may last well over a month.  Plants are also quite durable with thick, prominently veined leaves.
COLEUS, LOTS OF COLORS LARGE, FULL PLANTS Coleus is a type of plant that will get quite big and full.  They can grow in partial sun but filtered light enhances their colors.  They need a bit of trimming of ends of stems to keep them from getting too large.   These plants are already two by two feet in size.  Blossoms should be pinched off as well.  Colors are stunning.  They are a bit cold sensitive but with some protection, many folks get them to winter over.  They make a stunning plant for a patio container.
COLORFUL GERANIUMS FANCY HYBRID PLANTS NOT THE ONES YOU MOM USED TO GROW! Geraniums will take more sun than most of the other plants here.  The ones shown now are fancy hybrids with large, two-toned flowers.  And, the flowers are huge for this species.  They are just starting their blooming cycle now.  Geranium are reasonably cold hardy.  We hope to continually be getting in new exciting colors.
PINSTRIPE GINGER DWARF SPECIES NOT OVER THREE FEET TALL THIN WHITE STRIPES ON GREEN LEAVES RED AND WHITE UPRIGHT BLOSSOMS We've been carrying the Pinstripe Ginger for about a year.  People love that it's a dwarf species, will take some sun and has really attractive foliage.  Blossoms are medium size, upright, white in color with red throats as shown here.  We've usually carried 15g size but can now offer 5g plants as shown here.  Filtered light is best for these plants.
		photo c/o Southeastgarden Website
KALANCHOE, ASSORTED TYPES MANY COLORS OF THE RAINBOW THICK GREEN LEAVES Kalanchoe are a type of tropical succulent with florid blossoms of many colors of the rainbow.  Flowers are long lived.  Plants are usually about 2 feet tall at maturity and like filtered light.  Surprisingly, the leaves are remarkably thick and fleshy.  The plants we have in a good sized for what's on the market.  We'll be getting in new colors every few weeks.
CALENDIVA JUST COMING INTO FLOWER LARGE FLOWERS IN RED, PINK AND WHITE FABULOUS PLANTS These plants are similar to Kalanchoe but have bigger, more impressive flowers.  They have similar thick, succulent like fleshy green leaves.  They like filtered light and don't get too big.  These plants are good size and just in buds now.  You can see they are about to open and will be in full flower in a week or two.
		Photo c/o Bunnings Website, AU
CROTONS COLORFUL RED, BLACK GREEN AND YELLOW MAKE LARGER PLANTS WILL TAKE SOME SUN Crotons are a tropical and colorful plants that will, over time, get some size.  They tolerate part day sun here and full sun in the tropics.  Colors are stunning.  They are not super cold hardy but often winter over for folks.  One may need to prune them to maintain a smaller size.  We get in various types over the season.
FICUS DAMMAROPSIS LARGE 5G PLANTS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND This unique species of tropical tree is known for it's huge leaves that are pleated, reach up to three feet long and have red veins.  It is one of the most collectible trees in the world.  It is very difficult to propagate and rarely seen for sale.  The plants we have now came from a special propagating company and will be gone quickly.  And, you can save.  Google this plant, look at it and you'll "have to have one".  I've got one 15 feet tall in my garden. It's survived San Diego weather for three decades.  Although not inexpensive, it's a "must have" species.
VARIEGATE DWARF GINGER NEW SPECIES FOR US SUPER ATTRACTIVE AND SHORT This is a new Ginger variety for us.  We've not had it before.  I've been told it makes a smaller plant for strong filtered light and has upright blossoms.  The variegated pattern is quite attractive.  Otherwise, I can't say a lot about it.  Limited availability.
BLECHNUM GIBBUM MINIATURE TREE FERN GETS FOUR FEET TALL This species of fern never gets over four to five feet tall.  It likes filtered light and plenty of water.  But, it's super cute appearing and very popular.  Some may know of it as a "Silver Fern".  Trunk diameter is about 3 inches.  Leaves are 2 to 2.5 feet long.  The plants we have are high quality 5g plants.
ALOE BLUE ELF SMALL SUCCULENT IN FLOWER NICE 2G PLANTS SMALL, COMPACT -  FULL SUN This smaller succulent is from South Africa, reaches 18 inches in height and has an orange-red flower as shown here.  Plants like full sun and heat and are tolerant of cold down to about 20 degrees F.  They have just gone into flower now.  This would be a good species next to a pathway or garden border near people.  It's very attractive.  Foliage is blue.
LIGULARIA TUSSILANGINEA LILY-LIKE, FLAT GREEN LEAVES YELLOW BLOSSOMS IN FALL TAKES SUN - LIKES WATER This is an interesting plant we propagate ourselves from seeds of existing plants.  They form small clusters of shiny green leaf plants that don't get over 18 inches.  Flowers come in the fall are yellow, daisy-like and medium sized.  This species enjoys water and will droop over with too little water.  Then, when given water, they bounce right back.  It's a good "indicator plant" for how well you are watering the garden.  They'll take sun in many areas or part day sun.  Available 1g, 2g and some 5g plants.
		Ligularia auburn.edu website

ALOCASIA CAL-ODORA THE MINIATURE ELEPHANT EAR NEVER OVER ABOUT THREE FEET TALL Customers often shy away from the Elephant Ear Alocasia because of their potential size.  There is even one species that gets super tall and almost takes over the garden.  But, what I'm showing you here is a true dwarf with plants that never get much above your knees.  The leaves are a foot wide and color is green.  They are an ideal plant where you want a low profile companion plant to cover the garden floor. This species can take full coastal sun or part day sun and filtered light in all areas.  They do like and respond to water.  We sell a ton of these but do have limited supplies.  When people see how they perform they often come back for more.

CAVENDISH FRUITING BANANAS DWARF SPECIES, COLD HARDY ONLY FRUITING BANANA THAT DOES GREAT IN SOUTHERN CA I am not really a fruit tree grower and don't pretend to be an expert on this subject.  But, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer a very cool fruit producing banana species.  These Cavendish Bananas are a dwarf species.  They really don't get overhead.  And, they easily make ample amounts of small banana fruit.  They like sun and have a nice cold hardiness to at least 25 degrees or colder.
		+  photo c/o Wikipedia
AGAVE ATTENUATA SEMI-MINIATURE SUCCULENT BLUE GREEN COLOR This species gets a mature height of about six feet.  They have thick, fleshy leaves without any spines.  Trunks get to about 3 inches thick.  They can sucker from the base.  They like full sun and have a cold tolerance to the low 20's F.  We have 5g and 15g available.

MEET OUR JUNGLE MUSIC STAFF PHOTOS AND BRIEF COMMENTS Many of you who have called us or received emails over the years have communicated with one of our staff.  But, you may know nothing about them.  So, we thought we'd post a webpage that shows who they are and mentions a few points.  Just click on the banner to the left to read about our staff.

Click on the banner above to meet our Staff

 

RECYCLE YOUR PLASTIC CONTAINERS NURSERY CREDIT FOR USED PLASTIC POTS I like to remind plant enthusiasts to recycle their plastic containers.  We will take them and give you a credit toward any purchase at the nursery.  Or, if you just don't know what to do with them and are conservative minded, drop them off at our nursery location.  We'll put them to good use.  We've been doing this for decades and think it's the right thing to do for the environment.  We are especially looking for larger pots, 15g and bigger.  We also really appreciate 7g pots and citrus pots.  So, don't give them to the garbage man for your local landfill.  Bring them to our nursery.  We thank you in advance!

  

THIS PALM, CYCAD AND TROPICAL PLANT BLOG WHY DID I CREATE IT?  WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE? HOW DO I WRITE MY POSTS AND SELECT TOPICS? PRESENTLY GOING ON FOUR YEARS, THOUSANDS OF POSTS. For those of you who know our Website, you are aware of the fact that this site offers a tremendous amount of information on the palms, cycads and an assortment of tropical plants.  I started this website over twenty years ago.  It was one of the first websites in the world on palms and cycads.  And, it is presently one of the largest for sure.  Yes, we are a nursery and, to survive and support this Site, we must sell our plants.  But, as I looked at internet sites over time, I found it quite disappointing that, with most plant sites, it is apparent that the only motive of sites was to sell their products.  Little information was shared.  But, in my opinion, the point of the Internet was to share information.   So, our website from its inception had the mission of offering free information for the reader to learn about the plants, their culture and educate them on species they could grow.  To accomplish this I've written and posted about a hundred articles on plants and species.  Doing this was made easier by the fact that I've been studying, growing and learning about palms and cycads now for almost forty years.  I've been involved with and learned from many plant organizations and am the past President of the International Palm Society and the Palm Society of Southern California.  And, I've traveled the world multiple times studying plants in gardens and habitats.  This allowed me to accumulate literally tens of thousands of photographs over the years.  And, as Jungle Music began in 1977, I've had decades of experience with growing the plants and learning their culture.  The nursery has also been a great source of feedback from customers.  I've learned the successes and losses they've had and how any given species grew for them.  The latter has been in invaluable part of gaining knowledge about the plants.  One can read forever, but actually growing, observing and caring for the plants is, in my opinion, the best source of learning.  Plant reference books tend to be very scientific.  They are written typically by taxonomists who use terms and phrases that few can understand.  Some are not this way, but the majority are.  And, practical cultural information is rarely present, especially not for different growing areas.  People want to know "Can I grow it?".  My goal at this Site has been to share information that people could understand and use, especially in the selection of the right species for their gardens.  Years ago I spent large amounts of time making contributions to discussion sites and groups on the Internet.  But, it became apparent that all this information is lost within a month or two.  Old posts on servers are literally just deleted.  And, they tend to be a difficult way to gather good information.  And, discussion groups are notorious for not being available to search engines.  So, I abandoned discussion groups and started this Blog four years ago with the goal of making a resource point for plant information that would persist over time.  Presently there are thousands of posts on the threads of this Blog.  My next project is to make information from the years of this Blog to be presented in an easily searchable format, organized by species, groups or cultural areas.  Hopefully this will be available in the next twelve months.  With a daily schedule like a farmer, I tend to get up very early in the morning.  It's quiet before the sun comes up and there's few distractions.  And, as I sit down at my computer, I have no idea what I'm going to write about any given morning nor what I will put on one of our Ten Day Specials.  I just think of a subject and do it right then and there.  I might have an idea from the day before or remember a confusion people have on a subject that I'd like to clarify.  I learn at the nursery the most common things that people don't understand.   I am convinced that, if one read this blog on a repetitive basis for a year or so, that person would become very knowledgeable and a lot more comfortable with growing rare species..  Outside my office window I can see into my garden for inspiration.  The garden at dawn is just magical.  And, this is what I've done this morning.  Every time I post on this Blog, it takes me several hours.  I try to add interesting anecdotes, stories and cultural tips.  Hopefully I've got some good and recent photographs the reader hasn't seen.  I try to explain terms that might stump the reader.  Some "experts" may not agree with everything I put here, but posts are my viewpoint on the subject.  I mostly utilize my own photos, but will credit those from friends or acquaintances when used.   I invite anyone with pictures or information about cool species to contact me.  I may add it to this Blog.  And, I always give credit for any donated photographs.  Hopefully, as I travel, visit more gardens and faraway parts of the world, I can share more with you over time.  It does amaze me when I come across a species or topic that I've never discussed on the Blog.  But, it happens all the time.  My promise to you is I will continue this Blog for as long as I can and continually try to improve it and make it interesting.  Thank you for reading. Note to readers: On review, this is a long winded post.  If you read to this point, as a reward to you for your perseverance, email me and I'll send you a 15% off coupon.

Phil Bergman on left, and on right, past president IPS, Horace Hobbs.  photo taken at IPS Biennial in Thailand at Nong Nook Gardens, year 1998. photographing old Ficus trunk at Selby Garden, FL View outside my office window at dawn

Phil Bergman at a private cycad garden this past summer 2014, Southern California

 

 

Jungle Music Palm Trees, Cycads &Tropical Plants

PLANT PICKS OF THE WEEK

We're now up to our fifth video on "Plant Picks of the Week".  This week features Parajubaea torallyi and Dioon merolae.  

Click here to see this short Video.

 

JUNGLE MUSIC AND SOCIAL MEDIA THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS TO CHECK OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AT THE NURSERY. For some time, our nursery has had a real presence on social media venues such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.  We've vastly expanded this in recent times.  So, if you're on the go only with your smart phone, it's easy to see what's happening at the Nursery.  I've included a few links below.  We'd love to have many of you follow us, especially at Facebook.  Check it out.  These medias are fun.  Click on Icons Below to Follow Us.

 

JUNGLE MUSIC PALMS, CYCADS AND TROPICAL PLANTS RANDOM PHOTOS OF OUR ENTRANCE Recently we shot an assortment of photos of what the front of our nursery looks like.  I think you'd have to agree that we are loaded with tons of beautiful plants.  Please give us a visit.  We're 25 minutes north of San Diego, 90 minutes south of Los Angeles and just off Freeway 5.  There's a directions button at the top of our Home Page.

MORE ASSORTED PHOTOS OF  PLANTS OUTDOORS AT THE NURSERY About half of our nursery plants are grown outdoors at the nursery.  The other half are inside our greenhouses.  We have twelve greenhouses.  In general, the outdoor plants are acclimated better to our weather or sun and tend to be larger and more mature in size. For those of you who haven't visited us, our street front is about three hundred feet long in a residential neighborhood.  We chose such a neighborhood on purpose because our city is known for its nurseries and green attitude.  Nurseries are nestled among homes.  It's quite inviting to visit nurseries here.  We have several acres overall dedicated to the plants.  This includes shaded or shade cloth areas, hot sun areas, a display garden area and a large propagation and growing grounds.  We also host an educational center and lecture hall.  We are just minutes off the major freeway (Fwy 5) in our town of Encinitas, California.  So, it's an easy trip.  Please drop in a visit us.

 

TO CONTINUE READING EARLIER POSTS FROM JULY, 2015, CLICK HERE

 

ALTHOUGH NOT PLANTS FOR SALE, THE INFORMATIONAL POSTS BELOW
WILL BE USEFUL OR INFORMATIVE TO MOST WEBSITE VISITORS

 

GREAT NEW PALM REFERENCE BOOK THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CULTIVATED PALMS For those of you who may be seeking out a good palm book that is easy to read and very educational, I highly recommend this publication.  As you know I rarely recommend a particular book. In 2003, Paul Craft and Robert Lee Riffle published their first edition of this book.  It was felt by most at that time to be the best palm publication around.  But, as time went by, more palm species were discovered and Paul Craft wanted to improve on his first book.  Robert Lee Riffle unfortunately passed away, but Paul teamed up with noted botanist and author, Scott Zona, formerly of Fairchild Tropical Gardens and a few months ago published the second edition of this fine book.  It deals with about 900 species of palms and has about 1000 photographs.  It is particularly good for those of you trying to make sense of the many Dypsis species. I have been a friend of all three authors mentioned above, but have had a long term comradery with Paul Craft and his wife Patty.  Thirty-five years ago, Paul and I were the only growers in the United States that had nurseries specializing in palms.  So, we became close friends and have communicated over these many years.  I can tell you that his work on this book is superb. And, he's offering a special price (need to verify still being offered) to you of $47.95 (normally $59.95 retail price).  Maybe you can get him to send you a signed copy!  And, shipping within the U.S. is included with this price.  It's a real bargain for such a fine book.  If interested, just click here to order this great palm book.  You'll not be disappointed. Of note, I am just promoting this book because of its merits and have no fiscal relationship with this publication.

 

SHIPPING LARGER NUMBERS OF BIG PLANTS BY INDEPENDENT TRUCKERS SECURING PLANTS ON PALLETS Our usual technique of shipping plants is to utilize Federal Express ground service.  The customer calls us, places his order, and usually the same day plants are put into boxes in their containers, soil and all, taken down to the Federal Express shipping center and are on their way.  The customer receives his plants several days later looking exactly like they did at our nursery.  This shipping method is good for plants up to about 15g size.  And, we can piggyback smaller plants with bigger plants to shave shipping costs.  It's even possible to get four or five plants in the same box by putting smaller ones in with the main plant.  But, other times people want larger plants (too tall and heavy for Fed Exp to delivery) or a larger number of plants where it would require twenty-five or more boxes.  For this type of order, it's much more affordable to use an independent trucking service.  Sometimes, if space is available, we merely slide free standing plants into the truck and they are delivered without packaging them together or putting them on a pallet.  Other times we will put plants onto a 4 foot wooden pallet, add reinforcing wood sides to the pallet and wrap the whole bundle in shrink wrap plastic.  Which technique is used depends mostly on the requirements of the trucking company and whether the plants will be moved from one truck to another en route.  Inside the pallets we piggyback all sorts of smaller plants from band size to even double-stacked 15g.allo plants.  On one pallet it's quite possible to get twelve to fourteen larger plants along with a whole bunch of smaller ones.  This method works on plants up to about 8 feet tall.  Taller than this won't fit under the truck roof and must be individually laid down.  Such tall plants cannot be put on a pallet.  . The photos shown here were an order of 38 plants that went to a botanical garden on the east coast a few days ago.  They demonstrate what the pallets look like once they are completed.  Each pallet weighs 750 to 1000 pounds.  The palletized plants are being put onto a lift gate of a a bobtail truck.  This truck goes up to Los Angeles and from there are moved into a 53 foot semi truck that goes across the country.  Delivery time is 3 to 4 days and the plants easily tolerate the trip.  And, from a cost point of view, shipping this way is much less expensive than shipping one plant at a time by Federal Express .

ANNOUNCING: NEW VIDEO ON JUNGLE MUSIC NURSERY PALM TREES, CYCADS AND TROPICAL PLANTS Recently staff members have created and published a ten to twelve minute video that shows you our recent nursery expansion projects, our various growing areas of our 2.5 acre nursery, lots of unusual species of plants and our new educational center where we delivery lectures and films.  We think it's fun and you'll enjoy it and that it's worth your time.  Please watch it and email us feedback.  Or, like us on Facebook or Tweeter.  Thank you. TO SEE THE JUNGLE MUSIC NURSERY VIDEO, CLICK HERE

 

GREAT PALM TREES FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Below are pictures of about thirty five palm species that all do well in Southern California.  I am leaving this post and the one after it on my current Blog because people tell me that's it's very useful to them.  In the group of palms below,  I left off the most common species that, it seems, everyone knows about.  So, there are no Queen Palms and Mexican Fan Palms below.  But, this group includes species that may be a bit unusual and more interesting.  This is not a complete list.  For instance, within any given genus, there may be dozens other species that do well here.  If I showed every species that you can grow, it would be too overwhelming.  So, I've kept it simple and show representative pictures.  I think, for a starting point, this will suffice.  I have chosen to show mature plants in gardens.  I tried to use mostly pictures from gardens in Southern California to show examples.  Some are from elsewhere.  This provides a quick view of species that you may want to try.  Some are for sun, others for shade.  Some are more difficult to grow than others.  I'm not commenting on each species presently.  But, throughout my Blog, there are comments on almost all of these.  If you don't live here in Southern California, realize that many of these species may live in your area as well.    I hope you enjoy this.  We, of course, have most or all of these palms for sale at the nursery in an assortment of sizes.  And, for your enthusiasts, we probably have several hundred other cool species for you to try.

 

      

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana	Bismarckia nobiis	Brahea armata	Caryota gigas	Chambeyronia macrocarpa
Chamaedorea costaricana	Coccothrinax species	Copernicia baileyana	Cryosophila species	Cyphophoenix species'
Dypsis decaryi	Dypsis decipiens (habitat)	Dypsis leptocheilos	Dypsis onilahensis	Euterpe edulis
Hedyscepe canterburyana	Howea forsteriana	Howea belmoreana	Jubaea chilensis	Kentiopsis oliviformis
Livistona decipiens	Parajubaea torallyi	Phoenix rupicola	Pinanga coronata	Pritchardia species
Pritchardia species	Ravenea glauca	Ravenea species	Rhapis humilus	Rhopalostylis sapida
Roystonea borinquena	Sabal causiarum	Syagrus pseudococos	Veitchia arecina	Wodyetia bifurcata

On all the genera above there may be many more species within the same genus that also grow well for us here.  I apologize if I haven't
included your favorite species in this group, but this is meant to be a brief introduction and I wanted to keep it simple.  I have utilized these
species in a brief article summarizing Palms for Southern California elsewhere at this website.

PLANT CONTAINER SIZE

For growers here on the West Coast, there are black plastic containers that most of us use on our plants.  Surprisingly, there are differences between the pots used
on the West Coast and East Coast of the U.S.  Here we refer to most containers by "gallon size"  On the East Coast pots are referred to by "diameter in inches".  So,
back East you might find a plant in a "14 inch pot".  Here is might be called a "15 gallon pot".  If you visit our price and availability catalog, plants are shown by their
pot size.  I'm hoping that this Blog post this morning will help clarify what individual pots look like.

 

CONTAINER SIZE	PHOTO EMPTY CONTAINER	PHOTO OF PLANTS IN THIS CONTAINER
BAND SIZE CONTAINER This pot is 3 x 3 x 9 inches, square in shape.  It is used for seedling plants.  For most growers, it has replaced the one gallon pot.  It is a bit deeper and easier to place in carrying trays.  It also conserves space on benches because these can be placed close together.  You can get a pretty nice plant in a band container, sometimes up to 30 inches tall.
ONE GALLON POT This is a very common pot used, especially by flower growers and those producing small shrubs.  It's a typical first step after germinating a seedling.  We prefer using the band containers above as they conserve table and bench space more efficiently and are deeper.  Diameter of this pot is six inches but it's only about seven inches deep.
TWO GALLON POT This pot is 7 to 8 inches wide and about 8 inches deep.  It is a nice size to move a band plant into.  But, it is not particularly deep, so you have to make sure the roots fit into the container. This pot will produce an average plant that is about 2 feet tall. We grow a lot of palms in these pots.
FIVE GALLON POT This pot is 10 inches wide and about 10 inches deep.  It produces a plant that is one of the most common sized palms that we sell.  It is popular because it's not too heavy to lift and plants are typically three to five feet tall, depending on the species.
SEVEN GALLON POT We really like this container because it produces a good sized plant but isn't as heavy to carry as a 15g.  But, for some manufacturing reason, this pot costs twice as much as a 15g.  Therefore, most growers aren't buying this sized pot very much nowadays.  It is 12 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep.
FIFTEEN GALLON POT This is the most popular sized purchased by people who want a landscape or near-landscape ready size of plant.  This container typically supports a palm from four to eight feet size.  Weight of this size of container with soil and plant is usually sixty to ninety pounds.  It's size is 15 to 16 inches wide and 16 inches deep.  Note how this size pot usually has a nice carrying lip at the top of the pot.
TWENTY/TWENTY-FIVE GALLON POTS This is the next size up from a 15g.  These pots are typically about 18 to 20 inches wide and 16 to 18 inches deep.  They weight anywhere from 125 to 150 pounds with their soil.  They can produce a plant larger than the 15g, typically 8 to 10 feet. They usually have a flat lip on the top as shown. The pot shown here is actually a 25g pot.  20 g are a bit smaller.
24 INCH BOX CONTAINER This box is 24 inches wide, square in shape and about 22 to 24 inches deep.  The weight of this container depends on the mix, but is anywhere from 175 to 300 pounds (this heavier weight is if one is using a very heavy soil).  It takes two men to lift one of these.  We prefer plastic boxes as shown here, but they are much more expensive than wooden box.  They last a very long time.

ALL POT SIZES IN A ROW This pot shows all the sizes lined up in a row.  In order, left to right are: band size one gallon two gallon five gallon seven gallon fifteen gallon 25 gallon 24 inch box There are a few more pots that we use and I haven't discussed here.  These include: Citrus pots:  these are 8 x 8 x 14 inches, a tall pot for the diameter and good for cycads Deep bands:  These bands are about twice the size of a normal band Thirty gallon pots:  These are a step up from the 25 gallon size and pretty heavy Thirty inch boxes:  These are very heavy, hard to lift, so we rarely use them

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Phil Bergman

Owner, Jungle Music Palms and Cycads  

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