Idea on the Newport Beach coco.

[LJG]

What is also funny is that Bo planted one "token" Samoan dwarf coco palm in his garden, I don't think Marcus has one (and if he does, it is probably only one for a specific reason or species), I don't think Bill Austin has any, I don't have any - and so on.

If they did grow well, and were all over the place, people would be complaining about the nuts falling , and having to constantly trim them. Try being in a grove of tall coco palms during a nice wind storm - you would run for your life.

Many years ago I was in a house during a tropical storm that was surrounded by coco palms. All through the night it sounded like a war zone outside. Not only did the sound of a wind driven nut hitting the metal roof sound like a bomb, it also left dozens of nice dents. You could have died outside that night.

Dean I made two trips to SE Asia. In both trips hotels I was staying at were chopping down coconuts. They are liabilities now days because lawyers are now no longer just in the first world. Most other resorts they climb up and cut flowers before fruit can develop.

Oh and don't get me wrong. I was happy as hell to see such really nice (for SoCal standards) coconuts growing here. It is an impressive sight and someday I will have to stop by and see in person. It's all the other stuff that comes with it I find annoying. Same reason I avoided the Newport coconut threads.

 

[Stan]

Well,I have my Rosary Beads and right now I'm planning a trip to Palm Desert. Lets see if the Holy Coconut heals my never ending tropical plant habit.
All hail the Holy Coconut..lol.

 

[LJG]

Well,I have my Rosary Beads and right now I'm planning a trip to Palm Desert. Lets see if the Holy Coconut heals my never ending tropical plant habit.
All hail the Holy Coconut..lol.

Why would you want to be healed from such a curse?

 

[Stan]

I ran out of room!
That cure better happen soon,I feel a specialty nursery ($) visit building in me...

 

[Moose]

I can no longer go to that ridiculous thread on PT. The OP playing games and even quoting himself is so childish it is annoying. Glad to see others finally were annoyed enough to comment to get that thread back on track. The amazing interest in it with long-winded opinions on why it is growing is annoying too. Almost every person with the opinions doesn't even live here. But that aside these desert coconut palms will just get people to waste their time trying here in SoCal all over again. I would imagine 1000s try every few years. Home Depot sells out of their coconuts here. They get shipments of about 50 at my local store. They are gone in a few weeks. I asked a lady in the gardening department about this and she said they always sell. I am sure more will be found over the years, but the odds are so low why would someone want to waste such limited time to grow a turd? Just to check a box?

I know the people wanting to try will use the "well how do you know unless you actually try? We didn't know Dypsis prestoniaia would grow here". Big difference. Coconut palms have been tried for over a century here. The Hotel Del brought them in with all there other plants way back when. People have been bringing them across the border and home from trips for ever. It isn't trying to establish if some new plant not grown here before is viable, it is trying to grow something that has been tried and tried. Not the same thing. I don't even consider it "zone pushing". Heck, most the time those telling someone to try is in an area that has no chance for one. It is the old time growers in SoCal that tell people to not waste their time.

Like Gary said, I have seen stuff growing in the deserts that can not grow in SoCal outside that small dessert band. I love palms and am happy to see such trees look good, but I never understood planting something to have it grow like crap just to say you have something. The street views from three years ago show typical winter ugliness. The two mellowest winters ever have helped but reality will set in at some stage again. It might live but it will suffer and look seasonally bad. Just not my thing. I rip out all plants that don't adapt or look good here after a few winter.

Who knows? Maybe I am just turning into that guy that yells "get off my lawn"

Not much of a lawn here Len, but I have had to shag folks out of my mango tree.

A very valid point you make, Dypsis prestoniana vs. a shabby looking Coconut - I don't comprehend why one would waste space, fertilizer, water and time on a lackluster looking Coconut.