Dwarf Sugar Palm #2

Those dwarf sugar palms are beautiful! I really like that species and I wish they were more available online! Keep us updated on their cold tolerance! They should be good in a zone 9.
-Alex

Thanks Alex! I got them in the ground already. 1 under an oak, the other out in the open full sun so it should be interesting how each performs. I hear they look more dark green if shaded but grow slower than those in more sun.

Hi. Seems like the real trick is to have palm plants large enough to withstand a cold dip. I had a small multiple roebellini and Queen palm die from 2 nights at 17F. If you can plant palms with about 5" of trunk or more, all the better. You might want to look into Brahea armata. I planted one last Summer and it was untouched by the cold. It has about 8" of trunk but is costly at that size. Chamerops humilis does very well in the desert too. I have a massive Canary Island Date in my front yard and it covers half of the yard. They do pretty well in the desert as well.

Thanks Bob. I like Brahea Armata but I do not think they like FL humidity. They grow extremely slow here and have some troubles. Pheonix palms grow well here and the European Fan Palm is on my list, I may give it a try.

Hi. OK well I thought you might be living in Southern California. Ya I am limited to palms that basically can tolerate the dry desert air here. I am amazed how the palms that grow well here can survive on such a small amount of water. I recently planted a Pindo palm here and they seem to have a different growth habit here than in the South. The leaflets have a droopy habit rather than the re-curved habit. A lot like a Kentia or a Mule palm. Here is the pic of mine:

Sweet Pindo. Many here in FL have differences but they "usually" have the re-curved look. Maybe yours was grown in a green house or has some hybrid in it?

Hi. From what I have seen, there are nurseries in Arizona that grow palms and are bought by the local stores and sold to the public. I would suspect the less common species are being sent here from Florida. Last year I saw a large boxed Pindo at Lowes that had droopy leaves and was also starting to fruit.

Seventhlegend, Date palms are among my favorite feather palms. You might want to try a canariensis--though if successful, they are massive. They seem to have good tolerances to higher humidity. I grew all my canariensis from seed. I also have Silver Date (nice color but quite prickly), P. reclinata, True Date, and of course, Roebellini. I do not have one, but the Cretan Date is said to be cold hardiest among dates--though prickly, and don't know how it would tolerate Florida humidity.

This post was edited by njoasis on Fri, Mar 29, 13 at 18:24