Bought: Reed Palm and Chinese Fan Palm

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:12 am

Surprised I didn't get pulled over by the Constabulary.
This is interior of my car for a 50-mile trip on highway, ha ha.

At left is Reed or Bamboo Palm, Chamaedora Microspadix (from Bylands in Westbank for $69...ouch), at right is Chinese Fan Palm (Livistonia chinensis) $21 at RONA Kelowna.

The beer is reference to size (ya, really).

ALSO...look at these Palm Pots!
Not cheap even on sale, but thought I'd try em.
According to the tag, they're a patented 4-layer lamination process, light as a feather (might blow over!), with the bottom 1 inch of pot made out of clay. Made in China (isn't everything?)

I'll omit what I paid for the pots
We can eat pork 'n beans for a week.

Barb
Cool stems on the Bamboo Palm (aptly named)

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:55 pm

Very nice Barb! I have been waiting on a Bamboo to show up at lowes or Home Depot for awhile now. Maybe this year.

Wes North Van · Post by **Wes North Van** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:56 pm

Looks good.
Both very healthy looking palms. I want to try a Livistonia chinensis out in the garden. I know I will have to protect it on those coldest nights but I think I can keep it alive outside.

The pots will be perfect for those palms with long tap roots.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:09 pm

I think the bamboo palm will like wet feet.
Hope you don't have to pay as much as I did, Craig.

Wes, they're a nice full looking (because of clustering) palm.
I read somewhere that wind shreds the leaves.
It would look very nice near your Trachys.

Yup, those palm pots will take a lot of soil, good for palm roots.
But wonder what to do when potting up in a few years...

will worry about that later.
Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:46 pm

Barb,
Great Palms & Photos, your Chamaedorea is flowering too

Steve

Okanagan desert-palms · Post by **Okanagan desert-palms** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:56 pm

Barb great find for those. Do they have any bamboo left at Bylands nursery?

John

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:04 pm

John,
Mine was on the top shelf of display...didn't see any others.
They've got a bunch of Wollemia nobilis...small were about $60, larger about $99.
They had a few sagos and some very large Majesty's 10 footers.

Maybe give them a call and see if I missed a second one.
Barb

Dean W. · Post by **Dean W.** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:41 am

Nice buy, Barb!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:37 am

Thanks Steve and Dean!

John, RONA Kelowna had a "Chamaedora Cataractarum".
I should've bought it but the car was full.

I looked it up; internet said "perfect houseplant palm".

Barbhttp://www.plantapalm.com/Vpe/photos/Sp ... ctarum.htm

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:28 pm

How could I resist a palm that's listed as "perfect houseplant palm"?

Good size, there are 5 or 6 left today. Also some nice Spindles.
The C.cataractarum's pot will stand in a plastic bucket with 2 or 3 inches of water (in habitat it grows in rivers!)

In the middle of January, RONA Kelowna's GH is wonderful. Here are some pics:

Barb

Okanagan desert-palms · Post by **Okanagan desert-palms** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:25 pm

Barb well now you`ve done it. I must to go to Rona and buy more palms but only two, or maybe three ,or well if there is a sale on what`s a couple more while I`m there. I can stop palms anytime I want. LOL

John

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:39 pm

Ha ha, John, misery loves company

Let's see what you bought...

Husband said today: "Ya, but what if someone rings the doorbell?"

No room in the barely-heated building...it's full of palms too!

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:10 am

Brought home a week ago, growing like crazy, especially the Bamboo Palm:
Warm house and lots of misting, near a bright window.
Inflorescences, juvenile and mature leaves more developed.

Barb

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:13 pm

They sure are growing.

Allen

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:22 pm

Everything looks happy & healthy under your care!

Steve

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:44 pm

The nursery has some nice green looking palms,they look like they do a nice job,of keeping everything looking good and they keep the place looking nice and clean also,I wish my cat would get tall,3 years now and it's nice and full and green,but never gets any height to it,has flowered on several occasions.
Don

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:14 pm

Thanks everybody.

Don, that nursery does do a good job.
In our town 25 miles north, we have the same store, not one green plant in there!
Guess it depends on management's philosophy! so I drive south when I wanted something.

Sounds like your Cat is very healthy to be 3 yrs old and flowered several times...
Maybe it has SO MUCH sunlight that it doesn't NEED to get tall?
I've heard low light conditions make palms S T R E T C H petioles and fronds...something the industry thinks is ugly.
I think they look great.

Maybe yours is just afraid to stick its head up in case Spike gets it!

Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:56 pm

I should have posted I'd had it for 3 yrs,I'm sure it's double that or more.
Well it's in the southeast window in the sunroom,gets plenty of light,and about the same position outside in the summer,where it was flowering just about all summer long.
I wish we had a nursery as dedicated as the one south of you!!!!
And at the great prices that you have!!!!
Nurseries here are having a real tough time competing with Lowes,Home Depot,and Walmart.
3 large nurseries have gone under the last couple years,because of the box stores.
We have a new one,well under 5 yrs now,that sells tropicals,but he's only open from April until 1st of July.
They make these huge center piece baskets out of grapevines and coconut fiber,and being retired florist designers they add all kinds of tropicals to them,I'm talking baskets 3to 5 ft in diameter,takes 2 people to lift them,they make about 3oo of them,mainly sell to the rich,and of course they have there location in the upscale housing addition,almost the outskirts of town.My sister gets one every spring,but there too pricey for me!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:12 pm

Sounds like your Cat palm couldn't be happier. Perfect for it.

Those pics were from a big box store called RONA (the Vernon RONA has no plants).
You're right...big box stores usually bring prices down UNTIL they've put out of business local nurseries.
Then I suppose there's nobody to keep the price from going up again.

We also have Walmart Home Depot and all the other dept stores like The Bay (now American-owned...and he's doing a great job compared to the crap they used to stock in the Vernon store previously!)

A couple of Ontario forum posters said they have Lowes there...
I haven't seen one yet out West.

I'm really really sorry to hear of those large nurseries that went belly-up. Very sad.

Since your new nursery is only open for four or five months a year, they'd better have good prices to encourage people to buy all their stock. They'd still have to go in there the other 7 or 8 months to look after plants.
Sounds like they've got a real niche market with those baskets.
Now you just have to convince them to stay open year round...there's lots of Holiday business especially if they've got a background in floral!

But before you know it, all those fancy houses have owners who have killed palms in October and November, and need a new one. the nursery will be open 12 months of the year!
Selling lots of palms...all to the same people, ha ha
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:31 pm

This retired couple who started this business just to offset the retirement income,start making these baskets first of February.
So there actually working 7 months out of the year,and they sell everything,they don't winter over any plants,they get truckloads in after the first of the year,and start in February making the center piece baskets,and start selling them to the public usually around easter,and close when everything is sold,now they sell plants too,besides the baskets,mainly annuals .
But always closed by July.
There greenhouse is probably 120ftx120ft, feet,plus a garden room,half that size.
Your right I bet a lot of returned customers!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:11 pm

They seem to have found a good niche for their business, and what a huge GH.
I can't see big box stores competing with those centerpiece baskets!
I hope they make a go of it.
Much nicer to have a business like that in a community...

Barb

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