European Fan Palm

European Fan Palm, Chamaerops humilisDrawing by Desmond Muirhead, 1961

The only palm native to Europe and found in Spain, Italy, on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily as well as in the North African countries of Algeria and Morocco; it is considered a relic of a former tropical flora. In Australia it is less commonly seen, unlike the Canary Island Date palm which is almost considered weedy, though the reason for this is that this fan palm is dioecious having separate male and female trees and therefore subject to dodgy pollination.It is also extremely slow growing making only about 10cm. growth per year ,more, if given special attention to soil and fertilizer requirements. Eventually it will form a clump of several trunks to about 5 metres,
In Australia we are spoilt for choice as far as the variety of palms we can grow so it not surprising to read David Jones comments on this one in Palms in Australia. He calls it 'strongly spined and rather unfriendly' though very suitable for cold climates. American writer Desmond Muirhead in his book Palms is kinder and gives a good rap as to why it appealed to landscape architects such as the great Thomas Church.

Sleek modernism using the European Fan Palm
Stuart Company Building
Pasadena, California
Landscape Architect:Thomas Church

Muirhead was writing at a time when landscape architects were starting to demand mature specimens of plants (hang the expense!) for immediate impact, a practice which is more common today.

He enthuses over it saying:'As a landscape subject, the Mediterranean fan palm is unsurpassed, with its fine form and character and a presence which demands attention. This palm is especially effective with interesting backgrounds like grilles, plain walls or murals, and foregrounds of yuccas, aloes, or large blue agaves and in fact all types of succulents and cacti.' He also recommends the use of lighter foliaged trees like Jacaranda or Albizzia julibrissin to compliment the picture. It is always a joy to read about how a plant can be placed in a landscape and not just a horticultural description as to how it will grow.

Botanic Garden of Padua, Italy

Goethe's Palm House 1585L'Orto Botanico dell'Universita di Padova, Italy

This weekend I have been reading about the great German writer, poet and scientist Johannes Goethe who lived from 1749 -1832. Following his famous and inspiring (to a new generation of German men) Italian Journey (Italienische Reise) of 1786-1788 he wrote his theory of plant evolution called Metamorphosis of Plants which was published in 1790. While in Italy he visited the Botanic Garden of Padua which had been established in 1545. He is remembered there for the Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis var arborescens) which had been planted in 1585. I came across a very interesting "virtual tour" of the garden which I have included below. See how many familiar plants are growing in this fascinating garden.

Goethe in the Roman Campagna 1787
by Johann Tischbein 1751-1829

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Piccabeen Palm

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Piccabeen Palm

The first topic of conversation amongst gardeners is invariably the weather and this week was no exception. It has been very muggy with not a breath of wind and the horizon has that brown smudge of pollution which only a good sou' wester is going to shift. Up north there is way too much rain again but here the clouds build up in the afternoon, followed by a few thunder claps and then nothing. I want rain before planting some carrot seed and the brassica plants need a good kick along which only a gentle shower can give them.
This palm in flower caught my eye this week as the curtain of flowers looked wonderful set against blue black thunder clouds. It gets called Bangalow palm as well as Piccabeen palm. The common name is derived from the aboriginal word Pikki which refers to the expanded leaf base which was used to carry water. It is a hardy and attractive 'self-cleaning' palm.

Cool & green: the heatwave solution

Browsing the weather forecast for the rest of the week, it looks like the mercury is going to go sky high and we are in for a real heatwave. I love to find a cool spot amongst lush shady plantings of palms, ferns and foliage plants such as bromeliads. The so called self cleaning palms always leave an interesting pattern of stripes on their trunks as the old fronds are shed. Planting strap leaf or vertical plants nearby makes for a wonderful contrast of form and pattern.

Phoenix roebelenii, Dwarf Date Palm

A low maintenance landscape of Dwarf Date Palm, (rear) Cycas revoluta, Sago Palm in front and rosettes of Agave attenuata to the left.

This is one of my favourite palms as it is will grow in sun or shade, live happily in a container and is tolerant of dry conditions one established.  It forms a well shaped graceful specimen of about 2.5 metres. If grown in partial shade it will lean towards the sun but this does not detract from its overall appearance. The only drawback to growing it is that the leaf fronds have long spines where they join the trunk which can spike you when pruning off old leaves. Exposing the trunk in this way means you can attach orchids or bromeliads which can take advantage of the textured bark to establish themselves. Mature specimens are sometimes available for sale and it is worth paying a big price to achieve instant impact in a landscaping project.
It is native to tropical Laos but is adaptable to more temperate climates and will grow well indoors. There are few problems in growing this Palm but mealy bug may be an issue if growing it indoors. Misting the leaves with a foliar fertilizer to keep it in good order and a yearly dressing of a slow release plant food suitable for palms helps keep it looking good.

Roystonea regia, Royal Palm

Botanical Garden Rio de Janeiro, Avenue of Imperial Palms

Jardim Botanico: Alameda das Palmeiras Imperiais

William Bell's Stereograph taken on the 1882 Transit of Venus Expedition

The Imperial or Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) is a tall stately species with a crown of feathery fronds. The species is native to Cuba and is found in most tropical regions of the world but will grow in cooler climates even as far south as Sydney. Growth can be slow in cool climates and seed may take up to 5 months to germinate

The Botanical Garden of Rio was founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal and opened to the public in 1822 It is one of the world's greatest tropical gardens having a collection of more than 7000 species of plants. For reference I visited the World Digital Library http://www.wdl.org/