Already having 2 mutli-trunk Robelinnis in the yard, instead of a 3rd one I was thinking about an alternative. I really like the Robelinni but I wouldn't be opposed to try something else. Something with the similar footprint and height. Will be placed in between Coconut Palms in full sun. Ideas?

Some I have in mind are the Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata), European Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis) or Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). Or maybe some type of Cycad.

Here's a fan palm I spotted many of around my area that I like:

The designer came by last week and of-course they didn't really provide the service I was looking for. They do all-in-one service, 3D design, plants and labor. Luckily the designer was nice enough to give me some advice for free so not a bad deal. She choose lots of the more common but affordable stuff which I need.

Going on her advice and that from this forum I decided and picked up most of what I need for my backyard. Triple Dypsis Cabadea to help screen utility pole, 4 Samoan Dwarf Coconut Palms, 2 Robelinnis (triple and quad), Alocasia Cali, Licuala Sumawangii, Licuala Grandis, quad Chamaerops Humilis - silver, 3 Banana trees and Papaya.

The designer suggested a pair of Travelers Palms for some privacy screening on the righthand side (east) fence line. I'm not sold on using those. I'm still undecided on the left hand (West) fence line for privacy screening. Clusia hedge looks nice but can't be mechanically trimmed. Maybe Cocoplum hedge, I don't know yet.

Not to exact scale

Seams like you got a good plan

Yeah, I think so too. Lots of Coco palms but I got a big family that all like coconuts and I really love the look of Coco palms. This setup didn't brake the bank either.

What are your thoughts on Traveler Palms or White BOP for privacy screening along a chain-link fence? Too messy, large or too much maintenance?

There is a forum right here on GardenWeb. Landscape Design.

You should post your layout there and ask advice. There are some excellent landscape designers there who will give you good advice for free.

Two of the designers are in Florida and know plants.

Give it a go. It is one of the forums I enjoy and have posted to many times. They are very helpful.

Jane

Landscape Design Forum

Already did. Got a few good ideas. Didn't get nearly as much feedback as I did with this thread though.

The Samoan coconut plants got rejected during quarantine today. The seller is gonna have to clean them up and try again. Good grief it's a hassle getting these things.

I wonder what they had,its a good thing so you don't get a sick tree. I've never had that happen.

He said he thinks it might have had some insects.

I really wish I had another source for these coconuts. Hard to believe sellers are so scarce.

I have a few dwarf Malayans and they are fantastic. They seem to be very similar. What is the difference? Dwarf Malayans are readily available all over South Florida.

The main difference I think is that the Dwarf Samoans are true dwarfs. They don't reach the height of the Malayans. They are said to be more/very resistant to LYD as well. The nuts are also larger but that's not as important to me.

If these problems persist getting the Samoans I'll have to go with local Malayans though I'll try to find a reliable source of the LYD resistant variety.

I was very fortunate today to get help from some family members to remove the Brazilian Pepper hedge from the left side fence-line of my yard. Now that the dreaded thing is gone I need to plant something new for privacy. The neighbor didn't seem too thrilled about it being gone but I don't care.

So I need some idea's that aren't costly, not very needy with maintenance and will work into the space and tropical theme as best possible. If it's a hedge it'll need to be reach about 5-6 ft where I could trim it. Will be about 25 ft or so long.

First thing that comes to my mind is Cocoplums. My wife is partial to them since she eats the fruit. Ixora's are another one. Clusia's look pleasing to me but they require hand trimming. Travelers Palms or BOP's are an idea though every single one I've seen in my area are a rats nest due to lack of maintenance so maybe they are too needy.

Any other choices that would work? Gotta get this planted soon.

Thx

I'd go with Ixoras. They grow with no care at all. They are thick and dense. Plus they flower. Not sure how tall they grow.

I like them. I had some years ago. I can't remember how fast they grew. Hopefully not as fast as Bougainvillea which need almost weekly trimming.

The Ixora Coccinia should be able to do the height.

I would use dwarf everbearing mulberry it grows fast and produces a great berry. They also can be propergated from cutting very easy.

Can the dwarf everbearing mulberry be used as a hedge? Being a fast grower means lots of trimming. It seems to also be tree like and capable of getting pretty large. Removing the brazilian peeper trees growths from inside the fences chain links was a PITA, id like to avoid that happening again.

I couldn't find much info on using the dwarf everbearing mulberry as a compact privacy screen or hedge.

Some other options I've found are Lakeview Jasmine, Viburnum O, Podocarpus, Simpson Stopper, Hibiscus (said to be pest prone and needy). Some recommend Bamboo but I've seen those get out of control and after having just cleaned a huge mess of out-of-control Areca palms I'd be very reluctant for any plant that propagates in a similar fashion as a hedge.

I'm still leaning towards Ixora since I already know them though the Jasmine sounds interesting.

Not Lakeview Jasmine. It's gorgeous and I absolutely love it, but it's a vector for citrus greening so you aren't supposed to plant it anymore and you will have a very hard time finding any for sale. Pity, but there it is.

I happened to see some Nightblooming Jasmine at the nursery just now but not the Lakeview. Anyways, I went with the Nora Grant Ixora's. I'll plant them throughout the week.

I also hit the Brazilian Peeper stumps with Bayer Brush Killer. I want that thing DEAD.

Maybe next week I'll get some Cocoplums for the left-side (east) fence-line.

I added a couple of double Christmas Palms to the left side (east) fence line. Got them dirt cheap. $10 for doubles that out grew 15 gal containers. They're about 6 ft tall planted but need a little TLC to get back in top shape. Just need a few cocoplums and I'll be almost complete with this phase of the project. Still waiting on word of my coconuts.

Supposedly my cocos shipped. Waiting on tracking#. Fingers crossed.

Wife and I cleaned up the Arecas last week. Was looking at them now and found many of the trim/cuts we made are already re-sprouting, WTH? I gotta say I'm no fan of this plant. It's TOO vigorous of a grower. This is what we were left with after reducing a massive cluster-@#$% of a mess.

This plant is what keeps me away from other sucker producing plants. If it weren't so difficult, i'd pull these completely out and plant something else.

We dropped the Monstera swiss-cheese vines in there so it might fill out the trunks a bit, more screening.

Orlando, I'm with you. I'm fighting a battle with ginger right now - same concept as your Arecas. I planted them under some maple trees years ago... maple trees have thick, fibrous, dense roots that it is nearly impossible to get between. I'll never get out all those gingers... that keep multiplying...

Carol in Jacksonville

Wow. What a bummer Carol. I have a Maple too and those roots are thick.

Ginger was another plant recommended to me. So beat to stay away I guess.

You could try treating the ginger with a root killer like Bayer or concentrated roundup. It'll kill all of it though.

BTW,. Just received my dwarf Samoan coconut seedlings. Gonna plant them in a container tomorrow.

Thats great cant wait to see them when they get bigger

Wound-up planting the seedlings directly in the ground. Hopefully these suckers will blast off in growth once the rains start.

Keep them very well watered in this dry season.

Definitely. I've been watering everything I've planted daily. They will thirst for nothing. Hope rains come soon cause it's sure been dry.

Would you mind telling me where you ordered the Dwarf Samoans? I've got some blank space and would love some more coco palms. I just removed some mature ixoras, They got really leggy and lost it's screening ability on the lower half. It was woody and leafless on the bottom and was an eyesore to me. It will take a while for that to happen though. Podocarpus is such a great screener, dense and evergreen. I have it hiding my pool pump and hoses. It's not very tropical looking though, but sleek and neat. I do love the look of cocoplum. My 2 cents!

halfwaythere1,

I purchased them from Gaia Yoga Nursery: http://www.gaiayoga.org/nursery/prices_hawaii.html

The individual I dealt with was Ano. email is nursery@gaiayoga.org

You need to email them directly to inquire about purchases and have some patience because they aren't exactly quick about anything.

Thats sad to hear about the ixoras getting leggy. Were they in full sun?

Thanks so much!

Any clues on a fertilizer for my Cocoplum bush? I'd like to speed up the growth and help it produce fruits when the time comes.

10-10-10 will work fine

I have some 14-14-14 on hand. Is that ok?

Go lite on it there fresh in ground and give them epsom salt that will help it root in.

My Dypsis Cabadae has a small gash in the trunk. The tree is growing quite well. Is there maybe a treatment or fill I can use to plug that gash?

I never really paid it any attention and it's probably fine but since we had about 8 hrs of non-stop rain yesterday, the gash appears tender though it's probably from all the moisture.

I use the wax from the little cheese wheels can't remember what there called but it works well for that kind of stuff.

I patched up that gash with the cheese wax, thx for the tip.

I got so tired of hand watering all my new plantings that I installed a sprinkler system. That was quite a chore but so worth it. Only need to add one more small zone to complete the west-side coverage for the backyard.

My planted coconut seedlings seem to be stagnant with their growth. I don't know if maybe it's still too soon since the transport and planting. I still haven't noticed any new shoots out of them. Some existing shoots dried up on a couple of them but the overall stems and older fronds are still green. I'm hoping they take to new growth soon because folks always brag about how fast coconut palms grow. Been watering daily and planted in soil/black cow mix. Plenty of sun.

My Banana trees on the other hand are growing quite well. Fast growers. Everything else seems to be doing well but I can tell they still haven't really completed their rooting yet. When that happens I expect growth to accelerate.

Still waiting on our rainy season to begin, maybe in month or so.

Sounds like you got everything under control.

Orlando, You've made so much progress! I'd love to see pictures whenever you think it's ready to show off.

Carol

Hopefully at the end of this rainy season I'll have some pics. The stuff really needs to get a little growing in first.

Couple of weeks since I planted the coconut seedlings. I see little to no growth and browning on a couple of them. Has me worried if some may perish.

I've added a few pineapple plants, about 3 in-ground, 2 still in containers and another on the way. I was looking for the Pernambuco, Natal Queen or Black Antigua variety but impossible to find. I got most of the other popular types.

It appears that 3 of the 4 Samoan seedlings sprouts are making some progress with new growth. Don't know why but the 4th one of them seems to be near death, almost completely browned out. :(

I've read the strong sun/heat can crack the husk too much and cause the plant to have a reduced resistance to the environment. Maybe sunburn, overwatering, underwatering? Maybe 100% success rate is asking too much.

If it dies, I think I'm going to replace it with a Satakentia liukiuensis rather than another coconut palm.

I never get 100% on those and they need lots of water.

Glenn Jones

"I never get 100% on those and they need lots of water."

Now I don't feel so bad.

I've been trying to water them 2 or 3 times a day. Maybe if we had more rain and higher humidity it would help.

If I lose 1 or even 2 of the cocos, it wouldn't be all bad.. It gives me the opportunity to go with different palms. I can go choices I like such as Satakentia, Phoenix Rupicola, Teddy Bear or Beccariuophoenix alfredii. Anyways, I'll cross that bridge when/if it comes.

Well now I'm brainstorming an additional idea. The thought of having a couple of palms to provide shade to the benches from the mid/late day southerly sun would be nice. These palms would be placed about 4-5 ft from the sunroom as illustrated below. A palm that has a good shade canopy maybe?

Palms that aren't too costly would be a plus. My budget is thin by now. Maybe Foxtails? I have a source for dirt-cheap Christmas palms too. Other option is wait till budget recovers.

My progress/layout as of now:

Nothing that fruits! You will be plucking them out of the grass forever.

I hear ya. I'd like something with slender trunks like Dypsis palms but not crazy about a suckering/clumping species. I don't want an aggressive spreader like Areca's. Dypsis Pembana maybe?

Foxtails Dypsis Christmas all good and cheap