Dioon spinulosum cycad in Southern California

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Southern California is a wonderful place for cycads. From Santa Barbara to San Diego, the climate is as close to ideal as it can be for people - and cycads.

Cycads are primitive palm-like plants that have been on this planet since before the time of the dinosaurs. In fact, if you want to create a "Jurassic Park" look, planting cycads is the way to go. But there are a few things that you need to take into consideration.

• Cycads grow very slowly. I've had cycads in my garden for almost twenty years and while they are strong and healthy, they don't grow much. I consider this an advantage as opposed to palm trees which grow very fast and turn into "telephone poles" in your yard. And because cycads grow so slowly, as compared to palm trees, they are much more expensive to buy.

• Cycads can be killed by overwatering. They are very tough plants, but too much water can make their roots rot. When you plant them, give them good drainage. Once they're established, like this one in Santa Monica, they need no additional water. In Phoenix, where I live, they do need additional water in the summer, but none in the winter.

• Collecting cycads can be addictive. I started with a simple "sago palm" (cycas revoluta) and then moved on to more exotic species. If you found this blog post by Googling "dioon spinulosum", you have probably got the cycad collecting fever. It's an addiction I've had for a long time, and trust me, it's a pretty sizable group of people, oddly enough, mostly middle-aged guys like me.

Most people have never heard of cycads, and will walk past these magnificent specimens without giving them a second look. Once you learn a bit, you will see more and more cycads, especially in Southern California, and you will be amazed.

The biggest cycads in the United States. Yes, there are twins.

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