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 On October 9th, 1999, PSST
members traveled near and far to Beeville where we were graciously received by our hosts
Jo and Teal Adkins and co-hosts Mary and Sidney Ford of Weslaco. The Adkins
garden is 30 years old and filled with intrigue. Pathways meander throughout the
garden, creating a balance between design and wild abandon. Jo likes a
"wild" look and dismisses any pretense of a manicured look. One palm seed
sprouted right next to the back door years ago, and Jo let it grow right in that very
spot. It literally gets "in your face" every time the back door is used,
but Jo lets things grow where the wind and the rain put them. The result is a
"jungly" look, and at times a brambly look, and altogether a magnificent
backyard maze of natural delights. Birds and butterflies are happy visitors in the
Adkins garden, and PSST members that day were enthralled to see yet another garden so
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| The festivities began with a fabulous potluck. The Adkins barbecued a fabulous brisket for all to enjoy. Members from Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Santa Rosa (Rio Grande Valley), Rockport, Ingleside, Seguin, Hobson, and Corpus Christi were all in attendance. Afterwards, a contest to see who could accurately count the number of palms in the ground (with more than two feet of trunk) was conducted. We certainly needed no additional incentive to wander through the garden, but members began combing the garden with a sharpened attention to detail. The winner was Ellen Fehrenkamp who guessed 63 palms and was awarded a Luby's gift certificate. Varieties of palms in the garden included Sabal, Brahea, Chamaerops, Livistona, Rhapidophyllum, Rhapis, Washingtonia. |  |
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Following the palm-counting contest, a quantity of seeds donated by
various members were auctioned for a financial booster shot in the arm. Frank and
Frankie Ketchum donated Sabal minor seeds and Sabal louisiana seeds from palms in their
yard. Mike Burnett donated Serenoa repens seeds (green and silver
varieties).
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| Following the seed auction, Chairman Bill Baker began the official
meeting. He encouraged members to find public plantings of palms and submit written
descriptions (and photos if possible) to Richard Travis for the PSST bulletin. To
take the promotion of palms in landscapes one step further, he encouraged members to write
to government officials and thank them anytime a new planting of palms is made on public
property. Founder Bill Bittle suggested the same approach be applied to
private property owners as well. Spreading the word about our group will result in
even more palm trees being planted around Texas, and perhaps some ailing palm trees will
be saved if our outreach efforts are successful. A newly planted palm that begins to
suffer might be saved if the owner is made aware that a vast pool of knowledge about palms
is available through PSST. We also discussed the dues for next year and an increase is unavoidable. Next year the dues will be $25, but as an incentive to renew early, the old rate of $20 will apply to all payments received before December 31st. The online membership application has been updated for you to print and send with your payment if you wish to use it. Renew early and be sure to let our new editor Richard Travis know about new plantings of palms that you see in your area. |
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Meeting summary by Jana Meiser. Photos by Ed Ladd, Mike Burnett, Gary and Jana Meiser
Where's the next meeting? Click here to find out Join PSST or get a PSST t-shirt This page created and hosted by Have questions about palms and gardening? Check out these message boards:
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Thad Magyar had a limited quantity of Carpenteria
seeds and an even more limited quantity of Hyphaene thebaica (Gingerbread
palm) seeds, both varieties collected from palms growing in the Rio Grande Valley.
Bob Harris conducted swift and prosperous bidding, which brought $70 to the PSST
coffers. 
