People, Plants & Paradise !

[Moose]

Here are some photos of Rick's (TikiRick) garden tour. I opened my photos to find to my horror that many were out of focus. I had the camera on Auto???

I am going with the premise that a fuzzy photo is better than no photo. Anyone who took photos of the event, please feel free to add to this thread. None of my photos captured the true beauty and magnitude of Rick's exquisite paradise.

Some fuzzy shots of the auction plants ...

 

[Moose]

Some more fuzzy auction plant shots ...

 

[Moose]

The last of the fuzzy auction plants ...

 

[Moose]

There were plenty of specimen palms there. I asked our auctioneer Jeff to pose next to this palm for scale. Jeff was certain that this palm is Chambeyronia macrocarpa var. Houailou. We checked with Rick and he said that he got it as a plain ole Chambeyronia macrocarpa way back in the day when this was a very rare palm. It appears that Rick through serendipity scored one of the first "Houailou" in South Florida. The crownshaft of a typical Chambeyronia macrocarpa is a much darker green. Rick told us that it has been seeding for years.

 

[TikiRick]

Ron, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and what a better celebration than with other croton and palm fools?? Hope you enjoyed your special day!

 

[Moose]

Damn, another out of focus shot. It took the Chambeyronia photo fine?

This is Neoveitchia storckii. another Rick specimen palm. Jeff and Chris volunteered to pose for scale.

 

[Moose]

Holy cow, this is amazing!!! This is Coco nucifera sp. 'Macapuno'. This is the rarest of all coconuts. Randy, Jeff and Mike Harris' palm senses were definitely tingling seeing all these unusual specimen palms.

According to David H. Romney in Growing Coconuts In South Florida: "The Macapuno tall, found in the Philippines, has nuts full of a soft sweet material like ice-cream; unfortunately, the gene for the macapuno character is recessive; furthermore, the endosperm produces a hormone which prevents the embryo from germinating, hence they are being reproduced by culture of embryos in the laboratory."

Mr. Romney's comments were directed towards commercial production. Actually germination does occur on rare occasion. Typically if one could collect 200 Macapuno nuts and plant them, only one to two nuts would sprout.Thus this is a very rare cultivar. I only know of one other palm enthusiast in South Florida that has one. The cost of a Macapuno is very dear.

This variety of nut is reportedly much sought after in the Body Building community. It is enriched with many unique natural amino acids that are not found in other foods. Rick keeps all the inflorescence to his palm trimmed. Towering over his metal "100 year roof", falling 12 lb. nuts from such a height would not be a good thing. This may be the largest Macapuno coconut in South Florida.

 

[Moose]

How about a well protected and beautifully thriving Licuala peltata var. sumawongii. These leaves are immense and 7 ft + in diameter. This photo does not do this palm the justice it deserves.

Nearby was a monster flowering Pelagodoxa henryana. It was situated where I could not get back far enough to fit it into the frame. That is the largest "Pely" I've seen in a private garden in the ground in South Florida.

 

[Moose]

Some random garden photos ...

 

[Moose]

The Tiki god delivered nearly perfect weather. It was a bit warm at 11:30 am with bright sunshine at poolside and the croton auction area. Dark clouds formed and passed over Rick’s garden with only a few droplets briefly. The cooling effect was just what the doctor ordered as the spread of victuals was being arranged.

There were many Tiki gods strategically placed around the garden. These were all handcrafted by Rick, another passionate talent of his.

 

[Moose]

more random garden shots ...

 

[Moose]

and more ...

 

[Moose]

The food offerings were simply remarkable. Plenty of the attendees contributed a specialty dish and/or desert. You could sense the extraordinary efforts that many had put into their food creations. I felt as if I was at a $55 pp waterside brunch buffet.

The delectable cornucopia was configured along the balcony overlooking the pool.

 

[Moose]

Hi Rina! There's my buddy Rina with a loaded scrumptious plate. Making her way to the large capacity poolside dining table.

Monarch that Rick got at Jeff's October Extravaganza. There was only one of this cultivar offered and Rick's croton radar managed to locate it during the early morning croton dash.

 

[Moose]

You would be hard pressed to come across any area lacking in color. Rick has an eye for combining shapes, hues and textures that compliment each other.

Here are the lushly landscaped steps leading down to the waterside decking. Hey there is our frequent croton forum contributor Phil Stager striding by. Hey Phil!

The towering Coccothrinax miraguama (I think Rick said was var. havanensis) has to be one of Rick's first installed palms. Just beneath it is a very happy bottle palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) Further down is a reddish tinted almost entire leaf belonging to an Areca vestiaria that had a brilliantly colored orange crown shaft. In the background we see the fronds of a Coco nucifera that looks to be a 'Malayan Gold'. It elegantly leaned over the waterside decking adding a truly tropical appeal. To the left is the croton Fishbone.

 

[Moose]

Many elected to dine while "sitting on the dock of the bay". This area is seperated from the rear garden area by a wide wall of collector plant offerings providing seclusion. The serene panoramic views of the waterway were soothing.

This easterly located dock extension has an intimate seating for two. Aimed towards the west to provide sweeping views of fabulous South Florida sunsets. Looks like another of Rick's Tiki gods is patiently waiting for the sun to set.

 

[Moose]

more random garden shots ...