Category: Past Events
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SFPS/ TFTS Joint Holiday Party, December 1, 2025
By Lenny Goldstein The month of December got off to a notable start on the 1st with the annual holiday party of the South Florida Palm Society. For the third straight year, we were joined by the Tropical Flowering Tree Society for an enjoyable evening.Once again Peter Ostrowsky of TFTS did yeoman’s work in setting…
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SFPS General Meeting, Oct 6, 2025: Guest Speaker, Dr. M. Patrick Griffith, “In Search of the World’s Largest Coconut on the Palmyra Atoll”
In Search of the World’s Largest Coconut on the Palmyra Atoll (Meeting Summary by Lenny Goldstein) A large crowd ignored rainy weather to attend the South Florida Palm Society’s fifth meeting of the year. The featured speaker was Dr. Patrick Griffith, who described a mission last November to expand knowledge of the Palmyra coconut palm.…
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SFPS General Meeting, August 4, Curating the Plants of Fairchild, Why We Grow What We Grow, by Fairchild’s Director of Horticulture, Brett Jestrow
SFPS General Meeting, August 4, Curating the Plants of Fairchild, Why We Grow What We Grow, by FBG Director, Brett Jestrow (Summarized by Lenny Goldstein) A good botanical garden isn’t just an aggregation of plants, thrown together haphazardly. Thanks to Dr. Brett Jestrow, those who attended the August general meeting of the SFPS learned how…
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June 14, 2025, University of Miami Palm Planting Day
Volunteers (L-R) Mia Davis, Lenny Goldstein, Xavier Purroy, John Cozza, Clyde de Quesada (behind John), Steve Pearson, Julio Alvarez (behind Steve), Benyah Andressohn and Horace Hobbs. UM Palm Planting Day, June 14, 2025 Last year, following a successful Spring Palm Show and Sale at UM, the South Florida Palm Society asked UM if we could…
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SFPS General Meeting, April 7, Peru from a Palm Perspective, by Chip Jones, Owner of Jones Landscaping
In his program for the SFPS meeting on April 7, Chip Jones gave a roomful of appreciative folks a broad tour of Peru, a botanically captivating country. He’s certainly qualified, having been there eight times in the past two years! Via both word and photo, Chip hammered home the point that Peru is not simply…
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SFPS Palm Show and Sale at University of Miami, March 8 and 9, 2025
SFPS Palm Show and Sale at University of Miami, March 8 and 9, 2025 Our Spring sale was a great success as our growers had an excellent selection of palms and cycads to offer our visitors. I am especially appreciative to our organizers, volunteers at the sale and tour guides, Steve Pearson, Julio Alvarez, Karen…
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SFPS General Meeting, Feb 3, 2025 Seed Collection Expedition to Acre, Brazil
SFPS General Meeting, Feb 3, 2025 Seed Collection Expedition to Acre, Brazil By Lenny Goldstein. On February 3, 43 hardy souls were transported to Acre, the remotest of Brazil’s 26 states, on an expedition to collect palm seeds. In truth, they made the trip in the comfort of the Garden House at Fairchild Garden during…
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SFPS General Meeting, Feb 3, 2025
On February 3, 43 hardy souls were transported to Acre, the remotest of Brazil’s 26 states, on an expedition to collect palm seeds. In truth, they made the trip in the comfort of the Garden House at Fairchild Garden during the first SFPS meeting of 2025. The adventure was led by Dr. Joanna Tucker Lima,…
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Photos from Acre, Brazil
Courtesy of Montgomery Botanical Center Attalea butyracea Attalea tessmannii Iriatella stenocarpa Leaf measuring in Acre Stuck in the mud
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SFPS: The Year in Review by Outgoing President Julio Alvarez
We’ve just waved farewell to 2024, a year that was good to the SFPS in so many ways. First and foremost, we in southern Florida were spared the vicious hurricanes that shredded many communities upstate. Our gardens are intact; sometimes it just pays to be lucky. We had some fine programs in 2024. Dr. Patrick…