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 Griffith, Executive Director of Montgomery Botanical Center, sent us off to a flying start in February with his presentation about two interesting West Indian palm species — Sabal antillensis and Sabal lougheediana. The former has been recovering from predation since 1979, but the latter, endemic to Bonaire and described only in 2019, is critically-endangered.
At our April meeting, for the first time in a dozen years, we assembled a team of experts to answer questions about palm culture. The well-respected pros were Ellis Brown, Rick Johnson, Vickie Murphy, Jeff Searle, and Mike Tevelonis. Folks in attendance came away from the meeting much better-prepared to improve the performance of their palms, in both the short and the long term.
Our June speaker was Andrew Street, Palm Curator at Montgomery Botanical Center and former SFPS board member. In “Feeding Your Palms and Your Soil,” he addressed the challenges of getting the most out of our miserable native soils. Andrew described his program as “a discussion on fertilizer and soil and the middlemen we don’t often think about — fungi.”
In August, Daniel Tucker, a doctoral student at Florida International University and a fellow at Montgomery Botanical Center, presented a program titled “The Search for Sabal miamiensis: New Discoveries.” Daniel offered solid proof of the persistence of our newest and most elusive native Florida palm species and put to rest the controversy that had lingered for over 40 years.
In October, SFPS board member Dr. Laz Priegues treated us to another beautiful photo essay, this time reliving his trip with IPS members to the Indian Ocean Island of La Reunion, the source of a number of the most popular species grown in our region. We’re fortunate that Laz not only loves to travel, but is happy to create and share a visual record of his visits.
In addition to the general meetings, which are open to the public, the SFPS conducted well-received members-only Saturday tours in the spring and fall. In May we visited Toi Mansen’s Everything Green Nursery, located on a site blessed with marl soil, followed by a stop at his beautifully-landscaped home. We then concluded the day with a picnic at the palm-draped home of Mike Street.
In October, SFPS members and guests were treated to a tour of the two locations of Signature Trees & Palms. Beautiful specimens were seen everywhere, and the stunning 3.75-acre shadehouse wowed the visitors. To wrap up the tour, Signature owner Keith Lane generously treated the crowd to a fine barbecue lunch.
The SFPS also held two successful sales in 2024. In April, we were hosted, for the first time, by the University of Miami. In addition to the plant sale, we offered tours of both the Gifford Arboretum and the Palmetum on both days. In November, our host was Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the venue for many, many of our sales since 1979. As usual, the Palmetum teemed with a great selection of well-grown palms for sale, along with a free seed distribution that comprised some two dozen species.
Last, but not least, in early December we celebrated the year with a lively holiday party. For the second year in a row, we held the event jointly with the Tropical Flowering Tree Society. After TFTS gave away dazzling poinsettia cultivars, we conducted our traditional silent and live auctions.
I’m pleased to announce that our board of directors remains largely intact for next year, but there is one very notable loss: Rick Johnson, longtime board member and past president, will be leaving the Miami area soon and chose not to run for reelection. We’re grateful for his service to the South Florida Palm Society, and we wish him and his wife, Jodi, the best of luck in their new home.
Palm Society members voted in a new director, David Lord, at the holiday party, and reelected Linda Apriletti, Ellis Brown, Lenny Goldstein, and Mike Tevelonis. In turn, the new board elected the following officers for 2025: President – David Lord, Vice-President – Julio Alvarez, Recording Secretary – Linda Apriletti, Corresponding Secretary – Horace Hobbs, and Treasurer – Karen Bradley.
I speak for the Board of Directors in hoping that you enjoyed the programs and events we offered in 2024. We look forward to another interesting year in 2025.
Sincerely,
Julio Alvarez
Outgoing President
South Florida Palm Society
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