Tulsa palm garden of John Lodes on YouTube

[TerdalFarm]

Back in the Summer, I shared on this forum a link to an episode on the "Oklahoma Gardening" public TV show about our native Sabal minor, posted on YouTube.
Just today, Oklahoma Gardner posted on YouTube a segment (~8 minutes) they filmed last month in the garden of John Lodes, Tulsa's premier palm gardener. If you have Francko's book, you've seen some plates from his palm garden.
This video shows how his palms look now, after our worst winter since he began growing palms here 20 years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWXrnWZMK2s

All I can say is, wow! I hope mine look half that good in 20 years!
--Erik

[hardyjim]

Very nice

Those plants look very healthy too!

I still say those 2 like each other though,they are so adorable,
love to see them on there first date-not knowing how long it's o.k. to
keep talking about plants.

[TimMAz6]

great video......too bad they didn't show John's HUGE Sabal 'Birmingham'..............that palm makes the needle palm and S. minor look like seedlings!!

Tim MA z6

[DesertZone]

great video......too bad they didn't show John's HUGE Sabal 'Birmingham'..............that palm makes the needle palm and S. minor look like seedlings!!

Tim MA z6

I was hoping they would show that one also.

[TerdalFarm]

I'll try to ask John if I can set up a meeting.
My GUESS is that they wanted to focus on plants in the nursery trade, which ordinary viewers might have a chance of finding for sale and keeping alive. Sabal "Birmingham" isn't exactly easy to find.

I've heard back from the folks at Oklahoma Gardening about Sabal minor "McCurtain" for sale. They directed me to a nursery I had not heard of, Bustani Plant Farm (http://www.bustaniplantfarm.com/), run by a former host of this TV show. They offer 1-gallon Sabal minor "McCurtain county" for US$25. I'll be in that part of Oklahoma for a horse show next month and I'll visit.
--Erik

[hardyjim]

Plant delights carries them too-your place sounds like maybe a better deal.

I may try and plant one of mine next year-they are just babies/seedlings

[TerdalFarm]

Jim,
here is the direct link:
http://www.bustaniplantfarm.com/sabal-minor.html
You can ask if they'll ship it to you; if not, maybe I can get some for you.
--Erik

[hardyjim]

I may try and plant one of mine next year-they are just babies/seedlings

[lucky1]

Erik, thanks for that video link.
Nice looking palms, wish we could have seen more of the rest of the garden.
And of course the "Birmingham".

Nice to also see that big Trachy doing so well.

You're on the road to success with your Sabals...probably more exposed than the video location but they'll make it with your good care.

Barb

[TerdalFarm]

Barb,
glad you liked it.
According to the video, his Sabal and needle are on the East side of his house, and he lives right in the city of Tulsa. So, his microclimate is vastly better than mine. I figure I'll be protecting my Sabal minor and Rhapidophylum at least somewhat for quite a few years. His Trachy seems to be in a yard with high fences and lots of trees to cut wind. Again, he is much smarter than I am.
--Erik

[lucky1]

I'm laughing as I read your reply, Erik.

'Coz while I was watching the video, and they stated "East (= morning sun), protected from North and West (= winter winds)", I thought to myself "Hope Erik heard that part." i.e. Trachies love the same treatment! hint hint.


He's not smarter, just lives in a subdivision
You'll do a good job of protection this winter, I know you will.

Barb

[ScottyON]

Hey Erik.. Thanks for posting the vid. It's so cool to see them growing in the wild like that. It's also cool that they grow in your state! Have you been down to that part to have a look yourself??

[TerdalFarm]

Scotty,
I assume you are referring to the previous "Oklahoma Gardening" video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoRCjQdQEBc
that showed Sabal minor "McCurtain" in the wild.
No, I haven't been there. I'm afraid to admit most Okies are scared of McCurtain Co. as we think the woods are full of meth. cookers. I'm hoping John Lodes will take me along on his next expedition. It is about a five hour drive on bad roads, so it is not a casual jaunt in the country. Oklahoma also has Alligator in the same habitat, which I would like to see.

Barb,
I admit, I selected the worst possible microclimate to grow palms. I really could not have done worse if I had tried. Francko said, "Palms won't grow here"; I think he would take one look at my garden and say, "no myth."
--Erik

[lucky1]

Oh, so Scotty's was correct that they're growing wild in the video is out in the country?
Don't know why I thought it was in a subdivision

the worst possible microclimate to grow palms.

I think your decision was made based on the view you wanted to create from the residence windows...versus having to walk 100 feet from the house to look back at the palms planted, say, on the east side against the wall where there's less work protecting them.

We've all done that.
Barb

[BILL MA]

Great watch, thanks for posting! I really need a video camera, to video stuff down south. I wonder if my Iphone would be sufficient.

Thanks again Erik.

Bill

[TerdalFarm]

Bill,
your iPhone would work great. While my digital camera has a video mode (they all do), I use my phone (Evo) to take garden videos as I can upload to YouTube right from the phone without having to use the computer. Your iPhone will do that, too. My house WiFi reaches my palm garden, which speeds the upload and also doesn't use cell phone data package.
Barb,
actually, the main reason I put my tropical-themed garden where I did was that the swimming pool was already there in the backyard (west side) courtesy of the previous owners and I wanted to create a tropical feel around the pool. The beach I made is part of that design. When W and I go to Belize, we lay on the beach, swim, and ride horses. Now we can do all that from home. Just think of how much money this garden has saved us
As a bonus, we can see the sunset. All year we sit on the "beach" and watch the sun go down over the forest 300 meters to the west.
Secondarily, when we moved in five years ago we divided up garden space. W wanted the front yard (East). Her design scheme is a very modest fruit and vegetable garden there. We have an old truck and firewood in front of the old double-wide we live in. Thus, the "curb appeal" is deliberately minimal (can you say, "poor rural Southern white ____ ") which makes the backyard all the more surprising to visitors. Coming around back they definitely do not expect an in-ground pool with palm trees and bananas!

--Erik

[TerdalFarm]

Scotty, Barb:
I'll be the first to admit my education on Canadian geography is poor. My guess is you didn't learn the counties of Oklahoma in your school, either.
Here is a map of Oklahoma that shows Tulsa county (where I live) and McCurtain county (where Sabal minor lives). --Erik

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7W ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_r-MvN4jW1sE/TJ8rX ... %20map.JPG" /></a>

[hardyjim]

Even though they seem far apart,there probably isn't much difference in extreme cold
as much as the duration being slightly longer-where you live.
If you put some seeds inside a bird(or other animal)and bring it north(say your area)
and plant them it counts-"naturalized"!:D

Move the "natural" range north and be a star!


Now if you move that far north-from my house- in Iowa you get into an area
where snow can(has) stayed on the ground all winter,that's about the distance-
Tulsa Co. to Bixby(guessing) as from here to Waterloo Iowa.

I have seen it in the low 50s here and still well below freezing in Waterloo
as they still have 12"+ snow on the ground!

What a difference a 150 miles can make!

[TerdalFarm]

Jim,
over breakfast I searched the weather history for the Idabel Oklahoma airport on wunderground. I selected January 2010.
Here is the link:
http://www.wunderground.com/history/air ... story.html
Idabel is the closest airport to the native Sabal minor in McCurtain county. It is just a few miles NW of the Oachita National forest where the dwarf palmettos are found.
In brief, it was better down there than up here, ~150 miles away. Their lowest was 10 oF (vs. my 3 oF); also, there was only one day in January where the high did not get above freezing (30 oF on January .
As for naturalizing, it might be possible. The Tulsa Zoo is just north of Tulsa and so out of the urban heat island. They have at least 20 large Sabal minor on the grounds that do great despite no winter protection. They flower and set seed each year, and at their base are numerous seedlings coming up despite no special care.
Reminds me: I need to ask their horticulturalist if I can have some....
--Erik

[hardyjim]

What about the dead bodies