New palms from UK saved seed

[GREVILLE]

Who has managed to grow new palms from their own home-grown specimens?

There should be plenty from Trachycarpus but has anyone made up a hybrid, for example? Dave has reproduced Chamaedorea radicalis. You can also include anything tropical from palms grown inside.

[Rob S]

There are several people on the EPS forums who have seedlings from the Phoenix Canariensis growing in Southsea! I have recently heard of one person who claims to have had success with Butia although there are friends of mine in both Essex and Middlesex who have had plants produce fruit regularly but unfortunately have not been viable! Also i have yet to hear of any Washingtonia's in the UK even flowering even though there are some large specimens around!

[Nigel]

Rob I germinated a butia seed produced in the UK. It was from Jon Kenahans Butia in sussex, and it was the year we had the long hot summer, 2002? I had 1 kg of seeds, most were not mature but 1 germinated.
As far as I know it remains the only UK produced Butia.

[Adrian]

Thousands of Trachys as they self sow here.
I always cross a waggie x fort in the front garden with a waggie x fort in the back garden.
Crossing the other Trachys is a no no as I have to get rid of the damned seed then strim the seedlings.

Ive had Butia flower but no seed.

Ive had seed on Chamaerops humilis but never bothered with them.

I always wanted to cross my Lytocaryum weddellianum with my big Butia capitata but couldnt get them in flower at the same time, now the big Butia is a goner.

[Rob S]

Rob I germinated a butia seed produced in the UK. It was from Jon Kenahans Butia in sussex, and it was the year we had the long hot summer, 2002? I had 1 kg of seeds, most were not mature but 1 germinated.
As far as I know it remains the only UK produced Butia.

Yes Nigel, John Kenahan was also the source of the other plant! Peter Jenkins big old Butia(now deceased,the Butia not Peter) produced lots of fruit every year but nothing germinated!

[Nigel]

Rob I germinated a butia seed produced in the UK. It was from Jon Kenahans Butia in sussex, and it was the year we had the long hot summer, 2002? I had 1 kg of seeds, most were not mature but 1 germinated.
As far as I know it remains the only UK produced Butia.

Yes Nigel, John Kenahan was also the source of the other plant! Peter Jenkins big old Butia(now deceased,the Butia not Peter) produced lots of fruit every year but nothing germinated!

Yes I had seed from Peters Butia that same year. It looked just like Jons but it must have been a week or two behind it.

[Rob S]

So the seeds you had from Peters Butia didn't germinate for you either Nigel? My Butia has been planted out for around 15yrs now but not flowered yet, i keep on hoping...maybe next year!

[Axel]

Rob I germinated a butia seed produced in the UK. It was from Jon Kenahans Butia in sussex, and it was the year we had the long hot summer, 2002? I had 1 kg of seeds, most were not mature but 1 germinated.
As far as I know it remains the only UK produced Butia.

Yes Nigel, John Kenahan was also the source of the other plant! Peter Jenkins big old Butia(now deceased,the Butia not Peter) produced lots of fruit every year but nothing germinated!

Rob, do you know why Peter's butia died? I remember a picture of it, it was planted in the backgarden a bit further down the garden than the washy which is close to the house. It couldnt have been killed by cold could it?

And on the subject of John Kenahan, have you by chance heard anything from the large syagrus he seemed to have had some years ago?

Axel

[GREVILLE]

An EPS member in Kent also has a Butia from Jon Kenahan's plant

[GREVILLE]

My only T. fortunei is a male but this pollinates a female in my neighbours front garden and there is plenty of seed on that. I've never taken any seed to grow on but seedlings have grown in the gutter and even been washed downhill to root and germinate on broken tarmac around the drain outside the front of my house. The seedling could look up and say: "Hi, Dad!" '

Waggie and Takil have never flowered but Chamaerops does without viable seed.

My one oddity in this arrangement is the Livistona Australis I bought twenty years ago. This is planted out but came from a batch of viable seed from the specimen that grows inside at Kew Gardens around the late 1980's.

[Rob S]

Rob, do you know why Peter's butia died? I remember a picture of it, it was planted in the backgarden a bit further down the garden than the washy which is close to the house. It couldnt have been killed by cold could it?

Axel

Axel, Peter has no idea why his Butia died and it certainly had nothing to do with the weather, apparently it started putting out stunted, mishapen fronds for quite a long time and eventually died, this was at a time when we were having a succesion of mild winters, probably about four years ago! Peter wondered if it had just run its course being around thirty years old but i hope not! Very strange and slightly concerning!

Grev, do you have a picture of your Livistona, it's rare to hear of them growing outside in the UK?

[GREVILLE]

Grev, do you have a picture of your Livistona, it's rare to hear of them growing outside in the UK?

It's buried towards the back of what I call my 'rain forest' border and the crowding here makes it difficult to photograph. I think I have one on a new camera acquired in the summer but I haven't been able to file any pics for viewing as yet.

I'm surprised it has done as well as it has. Never been damaged by any of the recent winters and it gets warmed water through the summer to promote growth. Not bad when you consider the provenance on this is frost-free

[Nathan]

I have grown Chamaerops humilis from home grown seed before (from my Mum's garden) & locally collected Trachycarpus seeds (as well as from the Southsea Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's)...

The only palms I have had flower in my own garden so far have been Chamaerops humilis, Chamaedorea radicalis, Chamaedorea microspadix & Phoenix roebellenii, but none produced any fruits...

[Troppoz]

You have roebellinii in your garden Nathan? Is it planted out?

[Rob S]

You have roebellinii in your garden Nathan? Is it planted out?

Unlikely i imagine!