Parlor Palm (Kentia) in Phoenix, Arizona

-
I just got a new Kentia (Parlor Palm, Sentry Palm, Howea forsteriana). At first the idea was to put it in the far corner of my dining room, but after consideration, I have given it "star billing" next to the piano.

For whatever reason, even though I enjoy gardening outdoors, I have not had a single living thing (unless you include Macintosh, the good little wiener dog) in the house for many years. My conclusion, of course, is that the air is too dry because of the air conditioning, which is an absolute necessity here in the Phoenix, Arizona area from April until October. But Kevin, who lives and breathes Kentia Palms, and has spent a lifetime becoming an expert on them, assures me that they will do fine. In fact, the information sheet that he gave me specifically states that they will do fine with air conditioning. I sure hope so!

As you can see (and I will need to add a bit of moss to hide the fact), the plant is still in the original black pot that it grew in, and the pot around it is just for decoration. According to Kevin, this is the best thing to do for this plant. How easy is that? It really sounds too good to be true.

Kevin Williams, who lives here in the Valley, assures me that it would be OK if you would like to contact him. Be prepared to learn a lot about Kentia palms! His telephone number is 480-370-2525 (yes, he answers it himself) or you can email him at kevin@valleypalmcompany.com

Or you can just read his book Seed to Elegance, which I am reading right now. It is making me think of Tropical Places, Mutiny on the Bounty, all that sort of thing. Palms trees do that kind'a stuff to me.

I think I am going to like living with the new Kentia Palm! I will let you know how it goes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to tell if your cycad (sago palm) is alive or dead

-
Image
Cycads are strange plants. They're beautiful, and look like small palm trees, or large ferns. They grow very slowly, and can be very expensive, even common ones like "sago palms". But sago palms, in spite of their common name, aren't palms at all. They belong to a group of plants called cycads. They are wonderfully weird, and grow in strange ways. And sometimes they lose all of their leaves. Of course, if it were a palm tree that lost all of its leaves, you would know that the plant was dead. But it's not true of cycads. So don't dig that cycad up and throw it away! Not yet. If you've recently transplanted a cycad, and the leaves have all faded away, hang on. Take a look at the top center of the plant, at what I call "the pucker". There you will see some stubby, soft fronds, no more than an half-inch or so. At least that's what you should see. That means that the plant is still alive, and has dropped its leaves to focus on building r...
Read more

Rooting sago palm pups for more plants

-
Image
Once a sago palm ( cycas revoluta ) reaches a certain level of maturity, it starts to create pups. Like agaves, these are little plants that are exactly the same as the parent plant, only smaller. And yes, you can trim them off and grow them into new plants. This is how to do it. Cut them off from the parent plant with a sharp knife. If there are any roots at the bottom, try to save them, but chances are there won't be any. That's not a problem. The next step is rooting them. Douse the cut part and the bottom of the plant with some garden sulfur and some rooting hormone powder. Rooting hormone powder is pretty easy to find at your local Home Depot. I had to go to a real nursery to get garden sulfur. Anyway, the idea is to keep the little plant from rotting while giving it time to grow its own roots. Sago palm pups being rooted Bury them fairly deep in some free-draining mix. It should include volcanic pumice, if you can find it, and if not, you can use perlite. I ...
Read more

Growing sunflowers from Pennsylvania in Arizona

-
Image
It's October 21st, and I just received some sunflower seeds from a friend in Pennsylvania. Their season is ending and the season for planting here in Arizona is just beginning, and I'm kinda wondering if the seeds are wondering what's going on? It's spring again already? If you're new to the Phoenix, Arizona area, and are from back east it must seem kinda strange that fall and winter is our flower season, but it is. By springtime it will start to get so hot here that the flowers will die, and of course back east the season is just beginning.  Sunflowers growing in Peoria, Arizona, about a mile from where I live I've seen sunflowers blooming around my neighborhood of Glendale, which is a suburb of Phoenix, in the winter, and although I've never grown them I understand that they're easy to grow. I guess I'll find out - I learn best by doing! The seeds arrived safely, and it's my understanding that they were still connected to the spent flower (I do...
Read more