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Help With Heliconias
I am seeking advice on how best to grow Heliconia
plants. I bought Heliconia bihai by mail order some time ago and
its growth rate up until now can only be described as pathetic.
I admit the plant was rather small when it arrived (also a disappointment)
and it was not cheap. I have pampered it since with rich soil, regular
feed and relatively high temperatures and humidity but the leaves
have never got bigger than 6" in length. I expected growth
to be at least equal to that of Canna if not as quick as Musa but
this has certainly not been the case. Is it that the plant is just
too tropical in its requirements or am I doing something wrong?
I would welcome any comments before I eventually discard the plant
as an expensive failure.
John Woodhead - North Yorkshire.
Genera Palmarum
I have a brand new copy of Genera Palmarum (duplicated
gift) for sale. I would like to sell it for £60 or would perhaps
accept a close offer. Please write to me c/o The Palm Centre.
Mark Cooper.
Roman Carnival
On receiving my first copy of Chamaerops I was so
pleased I had to rush and write a letter to congratulate you all
on producing such an interesting magazine. I am also a member of
the International Palm Society, which I find excellent, but being
a European I welcome the fact that we now have our own journal,
which deals with what happens in the climate and growing conditions
on this side of the Atlantic.
I live in Rome, Italy, and had an experience like
David Hutchinson when he discovered a big Phoenix canariensis by
accident. I was jogging past a private residence when I saw a beautiful
and totally unexpected Howea forsteriana just growing there, in
the ground. It was January, it had no protection and it was fine.
Everyone knows that the Kentia is an indoor palm and nobody would
think of planting it outside, but the elderly man (now a good friend
of mine) who owned this one thought to give it a try. He planted
it away from the north wind (the Tramontana) and protected it for
the first winter. Having seen his success encouraged me to try one
also with equally good results, now I feel no Roman garden should
be without one.
The reason I am writing about this palm is that
I feel such information should encourage us to experiment with planting
different palms, and that if one lives in northern Europe where
the choice is much narrower, we should remember that even a common
Trachycarpus or Phoenix is a magnificent sight when it gets large.
Last winter I was in London and visited Kew Gardens.
I was surprised to see Chamaerops humilis growing outdoors and in
good condition. Then I remembered back to 1985 when a very hard
frost fell on Italy. It snowed in Rome and the night temperature
fell to - 10¾C. However, anyone visiting Rome today can still enjoy
the many Chamaerops, Phoenix dactylifera, P. canariensis P. redinata,
Braheas, Washingtonias, Butias, Jubaeas, all old plants which testify
to the hardiness of these palms.
Another palm I would like to mention is the Queen
palm, Syagrus romanzoffiana. It is almost unknown in Rome's public
gardens, but it can be seen in private ones. It is rather fast growing
and thus cheap to buy, and it gives a much more tropical look than
most other palms especially when planted in a group. It's also quite
hardy.
Finally I heard lots of people talk about the edible
fruits of Butia capitata but nobody said what they tasted like.
Recently I had the chance to try them for myself when a friend's
Butia fruited. Take it from me they are delicious! An experience
that everyone should try!
I hope my letter has been interesting and useful.
I am a cabin attendant for Alitalia and thus have the opportunity
to travel the world and to see many palms in habitat. My hobby is
designing gardens and if anyone would like to correspond with me
I would be more than happy to hear from them.
Dario Peso, Clivo delle Case Basse 112, 00126, Rome, Italy.
More Magic Mix
As a relatively new member I would like to thank
all concerned in the publication of Chamaerops. It is always interesting
and has given me plenty of ideas!
I was interested in the comments on the importance
of the right compost in the Editorial of Edition 11. I started out
with a few Washingtonia seeds brought back from Spain a few years
ago and made up my own compost from JI (John Innes) base fertilizer
and about 2 parts peat to one part vermiculite. It was very well
drained and the plants thrived on it. Gradually I potted them on
using different mixtures, but apathy/laziness crept in, I began
to use proprietory composts and the plants did noticeably less well.
In fact some of these 'ready made' mixes seem totally unsuitable
for anything, being very difficult to wet, and not draining when
they are wet!
This summer I re-potted several palms and a 6' Yucca
that I bought as elephantipes (it survived -10¾C in an unheated
greenhouse), in a mix of one part JI no.3 to 3 parts well rotted
horse manure. I am lucky in having a good source of the latter,
and once it rots down a little it seems to become a well draining
planting medium, and is not too strong for palms and yuccas. (However
a Dracaena houseplant did not take to it so well, but one learns
by experience).
I have also learnt the importance of good hygiene;
last winter I lost several plants to various forms of rot or mould
in the greenhouse, so this winter it was thoroughly cleaned with
Jeye's fluid, and all the plants to go in there are being dosed
with Benlate in advance.
Finally, if anyone is keen to go somewhere full
of palms and other exotic plants that might also appeal to non-plant
lovers, may I recommend Euro-Disney? Part of the theme park is planted
out to resemble desert islands, which the Parisian climate makes
difficult, so they rely a great deal on Trachy's, Chamaerops, etc.,
with bamboos and yuccas and the like to fill in. One of the hotels,
the Santa Fe, is based on a desert theme and has yuccas and bamboos
planted all around it. There is also a large (maybe 10 foot tall)
cactus, cocooned in a perspex protector. There must be a story behind
that!
Phil Button - Surrey
I would be interested to hear of other members'
success/failure with different soils and composts, meanwhile I'm
still searching for that plantsman 's dream: a compost that is both
moisture retentive AND free draining! M.G.
Noble Bismarckia
In your book Identifying Palms, which I enjoy very
much, you say about Bismarckia nobilis that "nothing is known
of its cultural requirements indoors." Well, I am happy to
report that I have successfully grown a specimen from seed. It is
five and a half years old and has twelve leaves, plus a spear leaf.
All of the leaves are fans with approximately 10 segments each.
The plant sits in a bay window facing south in my high-rise apartment
here in Chicago, so it gets a lot of full sun. It is a vigorous
grower and has had up to 3 spears at once. I have moved over the
years and have had to settle for less than hight light conditions;
at these times the plant has shed several leaves before adjusting.
It tolerates its soil drying out and doesn't mind cold drafts or
sitting next to a cold window (though I try to keep it warm). The
pot is 22" wide and approximately 11" deep. The soil is
a mixture of all-purpose potting soil, African violet soil, perlite,
aerolite and sand.
The plant is my pride and joy - the most beautiful
palm in my collection - which includes a sprouted coconut from Hawaii,
a Phoenix roebelenii, Latania loddigesii, Phoenix canariensis (also
sprouted from seeds I collected from Dolores Park in San Francisco),
Sabal palmetto (also sprouted from seed) and Licuala grandis.
Unfortunately, the one big problem I have with the
Bismarckia is that it is constantly being attacked by red spider
mites. None of my other palms has had this problem for such a long
period of time. I have tried insecticidal sprays, soil treatments,
misting with water, washing the leaves with regular and insecticidal
soaps and predatory mites. All of these measures have controlled
the mites but have not fully eradicated them. I wonder whether the
fact that the plant cannot have proper ventilation is contributing
to the problem. (The windows in my building are hinged at the bottom
and open inwards, so any drafts from them are upwards). The leaves,
especially the older ones, have sustained a lot of damage as a result
of the mites, and are mottled yellow.
I did also once have a problem with overwatering
it when I was in a darker apartment. The roots began to rot but
I corrected this situation by applying fungicide.
Anyway, I thought you might be interested in my
experiences with this beautiful palm.
Ken Ross Chicago, U.S.A.
Lost En Route?
In an early edition of Chamaerops there was an interesting
article about the palms and gardens along the Via Aurelia in northern
Italy. The author, Tobias Spanner, ended the piece by saying that
a follow-up article about the gardens of the Cote d'Azur and the
French Riviera was in preparation and would appear in a later issue.
Is there reason to be optimistic?
Richard Darlow - Barnsley.
Write On
I'm a new member of the European Palm Society. I
have been growing palms for 3 years, and now my special interest
is the different species of Phoenix. I would like the opportunity
of getting to know some other palm-friends with whom I could exchange
information, or seeds or plants of this genus. Please write!
Jörg Witticke, O.-Grotewohl Str. 33, 06526 Sangerhausen, Germany.
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