Here's another picture:

Artictropical-
Looks Awesome, congratulations!

there's really only 1 word.

WOW!

Congrats I know you must be happy

Hi Kevin, That looks so cool!!! I'm jealous it is not in my yard!Linda

Very good Kevin! I'll bet you're the only person doing what you're doing in zone 4.

Jay

Wow, they look great! Do your fonds make it though the winter, or do they grow back that fast?

This year I'm going to try to overwinter two needles and two butias, since they're both very slow growing I was hoping that there was a way of overwintering them whilst keeping the fonds... :)

Thanks fr8train. I have 4 palms that I cover with styrofoam boxes in the winter. I have 2-3 flourescent light bulbs in each box for a little heat. I have 2 Mediterranean Fan palms that have been outside for over 10 years now. They are very slow growing and are about 6 feet high now. They also bloom every year. My smallest palm is a butia which has been outside for three years now, but it is also doing great. Good luck with your palms!

artictropical,

How do your palms fare due to the lack of light being covered with opaque boxes? Also, what about being air tight, does that promote fungus, etc? I'm thinking of building something to enclose my sago palm and mexican fan palm that I planted this summer. I just want to keep it 35-40F in there all winter.

I love it, good job

I have one 4' - 5' trachy growing in the ground in our zone 4 backyard. It made it through what I considered an agonizingly long Minnesota winter last winter. I don't know how old it is - would anyone know from this size about how old it would be? (I've had it for two years now.)

Anyway, Arctictropical, you said that the tree has started growing quickly. Do you know about at what age it started to take off? Also, the flowering trees really make a nice backdrop.

BTW - are those birdhouses on that power pole? I used to work for electric utilities, they really don't like that. (Maybe you own the pole.) I can't tell for sure, it looks like the pole is a guy pole. I also can't tell how close it is to your palm. The utilities I worked at had a methodical program to test poles and replace them when they've rotted too much in the interior. I don't know the practices of your utility, I hope they're customer-focused. The utilities I worked at would be careful to work with the customer in a case like this - except in an emergency! - to try not to disturb valuable plantings if at all possible. Sometimes, though, they just could not do the job without ruining someone's plantings.

fr8train, I forgot to mention that the fronds make it through the winter with no problem. Occasionally I lose two or three fronds. My guess is from moisture condensation which then freezes on the fronds. (I pull the fronds together and wrap the crown with a green colored treated burlap tree wrap before putting the box on in the Fall.) It is always the outer, older fronds that I loose. All of the newer interior fronds stay perfectly green. With the Mediterranean palms that I cover and have survived for 11-12 years outside, all of the fronds survive and stay green, except for the newest one or two fronds, which die, probably from cold temperatures. The older fronds withstand the cold temperatures better than the newest ones.

dln949, the palm is about 20 feet from the power pole. The power pole supports my power line to the home, is in the middle of my yard, and has been there for over 35 years. No one has ever said a thing about putting bird houses on the pole. Good luck on your 4-5' palm! How do you protect it? I would guess it must be 8-9 years old. When I bought my trachy, it was in a 1 gallon pot and probably 3 years old. I Planted it out two years later. It has steadly grown very fast each year and has been outside about 9-10 years, so my 9' palm must be about 14-15 years old.

arctictropical, last winter was the first winter the palm was outside. I erected a temporary greenhouse over it, and had an electric space heater inside it. It worked - with a few irritating glitches - but it was expensive.

From some of your other posts I thought that you simply put the box over the palm each fall. But I see from your response to fr8train that you first wrap the fronds. If you don't mind, I'm interested in all the steps you go through each fall. (What is the reason for wrapping the fronds?) Many thanks in advance.

dln949, I only wrap the fronds of the Trachy to fit it in the box, because it is to large to fit under the 4 X 4 width of the box without pulling the fronds together. This was actually the first year I used it. In the past I pulled the fronds together with plastic baling twine to fit under the box, but the burlap wrap does a better job. I still use plastic twine on the Mediterranean Fan Palms. The Pindo palm is not big enough to use anything on it. So once I pull the fronds together to fit under the box, I simply put the box on, plug in the flourescent lights, and secure the box with eye bolts, twine, and tent pegs. Then I throw some dirt up around the sides to seal the bottom off from cold air, and leave them till Spring. Last year I put the boxes on in October and pulled them off in May. Since the fluorescent bulbs don't draw a lot of energy, my electric bill isn't that bad. I have a total of twelve lights. Three in the boxes that are 6-8 feet high, two in the boxes that are 4 feet high, and one in the small banana boxes. I use the bulbs that put off the same light as a 100 watt incadescent bulb. I believe they are about 24 watts each. If it helps, I can take some pictures of the inside of boxes and post them in this forum.

Good luck!

Kevin

How do you reinforce the styrofoam to protect against wind and snow load? Again, you are an inspiration to all the zone pushers out here.

Hi nuuci60! Thanks for your comments. When I started growing palms outside about 12 years ago, I thought I must be the only one crazy enough to try such a thing. It's great knowing there are many out there trying to do the same. I build the boxes out of 1" X 3" pine and 1" inch pine. By the time I'm done, they are quite sturdy and can hold all of the snow you can pile on top. I found out that the only way to hold the boxes down in the wind are with eye screws, plastic twine and tent pegs. Here are a four more pictures. The first one is the box that covers the tall Trachy, as well as some smaller banana boxes. The second one is an old 11 year old box I refurbished and added another two feet, since the Mediterranean Fan Palm was outgrowing the original box. The third picture is of the male Mediterranean Palm. The fourth is of the female Med. Palm. I also have a younger butia that has been in the ground for three years now, but have not taken any pictures of it yet.

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All your palms are so healthy looking, it looks like they're growing in their native climates. No burnt or bent up leaves. And the fact the your Trachycarpus is blooming, wow.

I have one last question about your method of protection, with the florescent bulbs. How do you mount them on the inside? I appreciate your getting back to me with my other questions. :)

And I would really like to see your butias if you ever get the chance!

fr8train, regarding the flourescent bulbs, I just buy some inexpensive ceramic or plastic light fixtures that cost a couple dollars each, screw them to one of the boards at the top of the boxes, and then wire them to a plug. I just use common exterior extension cords to reach the palm boxes. Since the boxes cover the plug, no moisture gets into the electrical connections. I think I will take some pictures of the inside and post later. The butia is small, but very green and healthy, and is sending out new fronds as we speak. I will also take a picture of the butia.

Kevin

One important additional comment. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but in case you build some styrofoam boxes, make sure to paint them, caulk them good on the inside and out, and cover them with clear plastic to keep the weather off of the boxes. They will last many years if you do this. I have refurbished and improved the original two boxes I built about 12 years ago and expect to keep them 12 more years by adding extensions as the palms grow taller. It's a hassle, I know, but I think the payoff is worth it. Thanks.

Kevin

What about the palms not getting light all winter? And what about other people's suggestions on cutting all the fronds off each fall?

arctictropical, I really appreciate you taking the time to write all this info up. I'm going to give this a shot this fall and I'll keep everyone on here posted.

wxman81, I don't think the palms need any more light than the flourescent bulbs give them (the Trachy does not get much light anyway since the fronds are pulled together and tied up with burlap tree wrap). I believe they go somewhat dormant and don't actively grow, so don't need the light. The amazing thing is that they never get sunburned after pulling the boxes off after 5-6 months! I can't imagine cutting off the fronds each fall. That would be like cutting off my arms and legs! Why do it?

fr8train, I don't see why you won't be totally successful. Good luck!

wxman81 - Nobody said anything about cutting all the fronds off a trachy. Your talking about your other post where I mentioned cutting the fronds off your washingtonia robusta. Two totally different things.

Jay

great trees I have several trachys here in CT ,, I pull the leaves together with twine and wrap very loosely with burlap and then wrap one of those rubber backed non-slip floor rugs around them ,, they make it thru the winter without a problem ,,,, I have several rapidophyllums , including a large clump about 7" across too .. I just put 4 dowels in the ground and then drape one of those same mats ( from Home Depot ) over the top and pile soil around the bottom to keep out drafts ,, easy and quick ,,, I never used lights underneath and they have gone thru our winters just fine ,, I live in North Stamford, away from the water where it is colder than along the coast .. I planted another 7 more trachys this summer in 2 gallons pots ,,,,

I can post photos but forgot the procedure .. please advise.

Thanks Mike. I wish I had zone 6 temperatures in the winter. I'd try something like you have tried. The easiest way to post pictures is go to "photobucket.com", upload your pictures to their site, and then you can attach your photos to the forum from there. I'd love to see your pictures.

Kevin