Gardening in Northeast Florida. Let’s Talk About Palm Trees Baby!!!

Before I start, I just want to put it out there, that I’m not an expert on gardening or landscaping. I’ve never taken any classes on landscaping or any other formal training. What I share in these posts, is what I’ve played around with in my own yard. You should always do your own research and confirm whatever I tell you. So, that means if you try something I did, and it dies a horrible death, don’t come after me. I mean, share with me what happened, I just don’t want to wake up one morning with some dead plant thrown on my doorstep. 🙂

When we bought our first house, there was no landscaping except for one tiny little bush. I was excited, cause that meant that I had a clean slate and could do whatever I wanted!! Woohoo!! I was so excited! Since I had just moved from the VA/WVA area, naturally I wanted palm trees in my yard. Yes, palm trees, meaning plural. We ended up planting 7. Ha! The first thing I did was buy the book, Florida Gardener’s Guide by Tom MacCubbin and Georgia B. Tasker. What a great book it has been! They breakdown the types of plants, shrubs, trees, etc and give two page details on the plants, like for example, which zone the plant bests thrive in. Which yeah, we are in Florida, but here in Northeast Florida, we see frost during the winter, where Miami does not. So, some plants in Miami would not survive the winter here and not come back at all.

Let’s talk about the Butia Palm, also know as the Pindo palm and jelly palm. I always called mine jelly palms, which by the way produce jellies. I was never brave enough to try some. I know, wuss.

That’s me (sorry for startling you) and my adorable kids, who by the way are now 13, and almost 18! Goodness time flies! That’s a jelly palm and is probably my favorite palm tree. It’s a slow grower, so it will cost more than a fast grower. Such a low maintenance palm tree. Let me tell you, frost is no match for them. They don’t get ugly in the winter, the frost just doesn’t bother them. I wish I could remember where I read this, but I read that you could plant them as far north as Washington DC. Wouldn’t that be a sight!

Back to the slow growing part, go take a ride down into Riverside and Avondale area of Jacksonville. You will come across jelly palms that are double and probably triple the size of the one in my picture. Those babies are old.

I probably should have shown this pic first, since it is showing when I first planted it. Excuse the picture quality, it is a scanned version with the original version being taken from a disposable camera. 🙂 This palm tree was planted in March of 2000. The picture before with the kids and I crouching in front, is from 2003, so you can see a slight difference.

An even bigger difference in this picture, which was taken in 2008, basically 8 years after I planted it. The palm tree on the right of the driveway is also a jelly palm, and was planted at the same time as the one on the left. My two favorites. 🙂

That’s it for today, but check back for more of my gardening adventures in the future. Also, feel free to share your palm trees too.