Northwest Palms

California

Well I definately got my palm fix in southern California, but it sure is nice to be back. I like the climate and the palms and that's about it. The air down there is so friggen dirty it's not even funny. You can see the smog. We are fortunate to live in the PNW. Last time I was down there was 1981 and I took a ton of palm pics. then, but I was more observant this time. W.robusta are weeds! In every garden I looked at there were self seeded Washies. I still wish we could grow them the way they do. Lots of Trachies down there too, bt they don't look nearly as nice as our PNW T.fortunei. Also at the Disneyland resort hotel they had a real PNW type of landscape and it looked terrible. The Coast Redwoods were browning and full of spider mites. To warm and dry I presume. I took a short vid. clip of some Jubaea type palms when I was in Costa Mesa and I believe they were a Jubaea hybrid. They were beautiful and although the fronds were just like a Jubaea the trunks were more slender, but still had the same Juabea appearance. I had a blast down there I still look forward to Hawaii much more, it's more relaxing I find.

The following thread was started by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 12:22 am PST

I would like to state for the record, that the air quality in Southern California, particularly Los Angeles and San Diego has been going down consecutively for over 20 years now.

To most uninformed visitors too, over half of the particulates in the air are water vapor due to an effect called

May gray

and

June gloom

(which for some reason are extending throughout the summer here this year).

The fog rolls in in the morning, and burns off by noon leaving the air full of water vapor which is like a second fog. Along with the particulates at are in the air, it give the air a hazy look. Most of May, June, and parts of July are like this, but this year has been unseasonably cool, and the ocean temps have not warmed up to the average that they should this year. This leads to high evaporation rates and very little warming of the ocean surface thus creating lots of hazy and fog.

Now, some may say that I am in denial about it, eh. Yeah, I see the smog that is created sometimes, but it is NEVER as bad as visitors always paint the picture.

Besides, when it's 75F on January 1st...

...look me up.

The above followup was added by Kenton - San Diego on August 27, 2008 at 2:15 pm PST.

I believe San Diego has alot better air quality than Los Angeles, I've been to both places and I much prefer San Diego. In La I can see the brown smog, looks like the stuff I see when I take a trip over to the mainland east of Vancouver, but worse. I'll take 75 F. on any winter day, that I like. The climate is perfect down there to grow all sorts of cool plants. You really could create a jungle quite easily. Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 2:58 pm PST.

I had read that the Los Angeles basin even in prehistorical time's had smog. Just a natural result of the air flow being stagnant.
Okay,not like modern times and what's mixed in,but L.A. will always have tinted skys.

The above followup was added by stan on August 27, 2008 at 4:35 pm PST.

I also noticed that every morning it was cloudy / foggy and it would burn off around 11 am. The blue skies and warm sunshine was great every day, I miss that. I didn't bother grabbing any seeds from the palms because most of the palms that grow there are a big waste of time here, sigh. The highlight of my trip down there was buying more stuff I didn't need at the Harley shop in Hollywood. The palms were great too! Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 5:59 pm PST.

Much of the Willamette Valley gets a June Gloom effect, where clouds roll in very late at night and it stays cloudy until about noon. I'm not sure if it happens up on SSI though. Down here the effect is so strong that June is drier but cloudier than May on average.

And then we have the tule fog season which can come and go anytime from October (sometimes late September) up through February, even March some years.

The above followup was added by Eric, Eugene on August 27, 2008 at 7:58 pm PST.

We don't get alot of fog here on SSI. June here can often be a wetter month from my observations.

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 8:57 pm PST.

A few years ago I was in L.A. on Martin Luther King's day. Thanks to the weather, which was unusually cool and rainy (for them) and a relatively low traffic the air was crystal clear. Early morning I went running into the hills in Pasadena and quickly overheated, taking off my shirt and running just in my shorts. I went by runners and bikers, dressed up in long pants, some wearing toques and gloves, all looking at me as if I was in need of sobering up. I don't have to have 75F to make me happy in the middle of a winter like we had last year. 60F and a few palms I can't grow here puts a smile on my face. Batteries recharged, I was back in BC ready to take on the rest of the doom and gloom.

Looks like you had a great time, Joe. Too bad the summer's over in PNW - lol.

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on August 27, 2008 at 9:15 pm PST.

When I was at Disneyland one of the gals working at Space Mountain told me she really wants to visit our area to see some Polar Bears, lol. I had to laugh, then I handed her my business card with Palms and Bananas on it and walked away.

The above followup was added by Joe, Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 9:38 pm PST.

There was a big peace conference in San Francisco that weekend. I remember being out near the beaches on the west side at SFSU, in 68-degree weather where I had to find some shade to be comfortable so I could take a nap.

I think I would find 70F to be a little uncomfortable in January if I was coming from a place with 40-45F weather. 55F and brilliant sunshine would be just perfect for winter. Gotta start hitting up the central Oregon coast during the winter dry spells!

The above followup was added by Eric, Eugene on August 27, 2008 at 10:11 pm PST.

One of my favourite places to visit. I love the entire coast, especially Seaside, Florence and Brookings.

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 27, 2008 at 10:47 pm PST.

hey, im mostly a lurker here, but just wanted to point out that the air quality in the central valley of California is much worse than that of the Los Angeles basin. A lot of pollution is produced locally, but we also get pollution that drifts in from the San Francisco Bay area.

The above followup was added by Jdiaz on August 27, 2008 at 11:21 pm PST.

At least up here in the bay area the air quality is fairly good most of the time from the persistant sea breezes which blow it away. Supposed to be 100F here in the San Jose today and without a sea breeze the air quality will definitely go down. As Jdiaz says our pollution blows into the central valley contributing to their poor air quality. Not that there aren't a few cities in the valley that produce some of the pollution themselves, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield but the valley traps that pollution in giving some really poor air quality.

Joe: hope you enjoyed your trip down south. I was at Disneyland with my wife back in February during a heat wave where temps were in the upper 80s. Very nice temps to come to in February. I will be going to Hawaii in a couple weeks. I can't wait!

The above followup was added by Eric, San Jose CA on August 28, 2008 at 7:01 am PST.

toques?

your Canadian is showing...

The above followup was added by Kenton on August 28, 2008 at 7:49 am PST.

I bought me a nice Harley Toque when I was in Hollywood and I even saw a few skateboarders wearing toques when I was in Southern California. They almost looked out of place with all the Palm trees and the warm weather, lol

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 28, 2008 at 9:06 am PST.

I'm envious, Hawaii in a couple of weeks hey? You lucky bum! I'll be there this time next year and even though it is some time from now, I'm still counting each day. We usually like to go in late August or early Sep. for our Anniversary. Have fun. Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 28, 2008 at 9:09 am PST.

It sure has felt like fall as of late. Two nights ago I went down to 6.8C. It doesn't mesh with the calendar. I assume we are still seeing the affects of La Nina?

The above followup was added by Jeff, Victoria, 8b on August 28, 2008 at 10:17 am PST.

Canadian, eh? Although there are times and places on this side of the border when or where you are better off (warmer) with one of those Alpaca types with earmuffs.

Don't forget to post some pics. Especially during the period between November and March. Gets me motivated to dress up and work outside in the muck.

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on August 28, 2008 at 10:47 am PST.

Two nights ago my lowest temp. was 9.3 C. My garden sure appreciated this tad bit of rain we recieved. I look at this way, it could always be worse. We really don't have it that bad. I was born and raised here so I live with what we have and try not to complain about it. Makes me enjoy my Hawaiian vacations that much more. I'm sure if I did live in a place like Hawaii or Southern Cal. I would end up taking the climate for granted and not appreciating it as much. Just as locals do here. Easterners move here and they are all of a sudden in gardeners heaven. It is all a matter of perspective I guess, just like our climates. Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 28, 2008 at 10:54 am PST.

We should get together one of these Saturdays and check the progress at Grace Point. Both Bob and Bruce have been busy and there is a lot interesting stuff. BTW, that date palm that we thought was toast by the board walk has recovered and they planted two more.

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on August 28, 2008 at 11:06 am PST.

I was looking at the Phoenix along the boardwalk just before I left and it's definately pushing out lots of green. I see that he added two more Phoenix along the main pathway. Hopefully they do well. Grace Point always looks so nice.

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 28, 2008 at 1:27 pm PST.

Joe, you said, "W.robusta are weeds! In every garden I looked at there were self seeded Washies."

Welcome to my world in Las Vegas.

By the way, what is a "toque?"

The above followup was added by Las Vegas Martin on August 28, 2008 at 8:55 pm PST.

It's usually a wool knit hat that people wear in the Winter although these days alot of skate boarders wear them year round. Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe , Salt Spring Island on August 28, 2008 at 10:12 pm PST.