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"A feast and company fit for
a King," is what a bystander might have said
about the Victoria PSST meeting. Jim and Kay McHaney family provided
a
complete meal with all the trimmings for twenty-five palm enthusiasts.
The
tour started in the historical district of Victoria at the Scott
McHaney
family home. Majestic Sabal texanas and numerous
Washingtonia graced the
historic home.
Jana Meiser and Ed Ladd quickly
jump into the chow line, where the food was fit for a King or
Queen. |
The infructescence of Livistona
chinensis |
The tour guide through the palms of historic
Victoria was third-generation
landscaper, James "Jim" Hill. The Hill family has been
a primary landscaper
in and around Victoria since 1922. As Jim led the walking tour
through
quaint and historic Victoria, Jim indicated that many of the
mature palms
and other plants on the tour were brought there in 1938 by his
family
business. Indeed, many of the Sabal texanas were
noted to be well over 50'
tall and over 100 years old! The tour included the home of Mr.
and Mrs.
Bobby Hewitt. Being told that the Hewitt home was "one of
the most
outstandingly beautiful and well landscaped homes in Old Victoria,"
prepared
one little for the beauty encountered. The home was magnificently
adorned
with hundreds of palms plus many subtropical and tropical plants.
In order
to plant many of the larger palms, tall cranes and dozens of
workers were
required.
Local landscaper, James "Jim"
Hill has many interesting stories regarding the many gardens
his family company has designed and built. Notice the beautiful
Bambusa oldhamii. |
Could these possibly be Sabal
'Victoria'? |
Along with the tour, Jim Hill shared "tricks of the trade"
that landscapers
use to dig, transplant, care, trim and winterize palms. Jim also
described
numerous successful methods used to protect palms from the rigors
of winter.
Jim Hill explained that a biologist had been called out to examine
a Sabal
palm that appeared to have field characteristics that differentiated
itself
from Sabal mexicana and Sabal palmetto.
Mr. Hill said that the biologist saw
enough significant differences to label the palm Sabal
Victoria. Noted PSST
experts indicated that this palm may be related to Sabal
Brazoria, Sabal
xtexensis, or may even be a cultivar of Sabal mexicana.
A wholehearted thanks goes to McHaneys, Jim Hill and the beautiful
City of
Victoria for making this meeting one of the nicest and most memorable
on
record!
Peter admires a beautiful
Brahea armata at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby
Hewitt |
The group as a whole was
very impressed with the palms and gardens in Victoria especially
the Hewitt's garden. A beautiful Butia capitata
looms in the back ground. |
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