Dioon edule, variety palma sola cycad in full flush, Phoenix, Arizona

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One of the most beautiful plants here at The Tropical Paradise is the Dioon edule. It's a type of cycad, similar to a "sago palm", but it's bluer, as you can see, and it does much better here in the desert. But before you rush out and get one, I have a suggestion that you get a particular variety, called a "palma sola". But there is a trick to getting one.

Sorry, gotta talk a little Latin here. If you've been gardening for a while, you know that you have to be very specific about what you want when you buy it, and the best way is to learn the Latin name. This is a Dioon edule. And all Dioon edules do fine here in Phoenix, but the palma sola variety has a bit of an edge. First of all, they can sit in the "fires of hell" like this one is, and shrug it off. They are not harmed by frost. And best of all, their new growth is a beautiful light green. The new growth on a regular Dioon edule is an unfortunate bronzy color, which, although it turns green, starts out looking as if it were sunburned. Worried me a few times. And the regular edules aren't quite as resistant to sunburn.

The first Dioon edule that I planted here was an ordinary Dioon edule. To differentiate, these are called Dioon edule, var. edule. Stay with me on this - it's worth the trouble! Then I got a Dioon edule, var. palma sola, which is the one in the picture. And then I got more. And they have out-performed any other cycad in the garden, including ordinary sago palms.

But you don't need to memorize all of this stuff. If you visit my friend Rodney, who sells these in Phoenix, just ask for a Palma Sola. And get the biggest one that you can afford, these plants grow very slowly, this one has been in the ground for almost a decade and is still only a couple of feet tall.

Oh yeah, and plant it like a cactus, up on a slope in free-draining soil. Give it some regular water in the summer, but none in the winter.

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