How old are the trees you are seeing? And what kind are they?

If they are growing more than 10 years in the same place, I'd call them hardy.

Chinese windmill palms, Trachycarpus fortunei. Can reach 15 feet with about a 6 foot spread. Need to plant these as specimens as a cold winter will wipe them out. They need full sun, but will tolerate some very light shade. Rich soil essential....plenty of compost, moderate watering. Sheltered location best as they dry and rip in wind. Some at UNM and around town. City experimented with them, but plantings are always in open, exposed areas and fail. Best for Las Cruces, Deming, not Albuquerque. If you must have one, first good luck finding them. Then plant in sheltered location and have way to protect them from severe cold we will again have one of these winters.....maybe Christmas tree lights (the warm type if they still exist)up on the growing point.

There are some older trachycarpus fortunei and sabal minors at the Zoo. The very hardiest palms will probably survive Alb., except maybe the worst winters (1971). Some brave souls are trying some less hardy ones you might see here in LC; survival for those kinds in Alb depends on what part of town and the microclimate.

oooooo, Forgot about the sabal minors. Thanks for reminding me. Time to get back to the zoo.

Yes, another 1971 isn't out of the cards. I had minus 13 here in valley in early 80's. Wasn't here for 1971, but rather in Colo. mtn. valley community that slipped to minus 40 for that storm. My mind was dreaming of palms.........

I found some palm tree websites and there seem to be some hardy ones that might survive the south valley winters. I might try one, they look really beautiful. Crumpet, Where are the ones at UNM? I work there and could drop by to see them.

Try these:
Oklahoma Hardy Palms Index
Growing Hardy Palms
The Hardiest Palms

hope they're helpful.

Thanks, frostfree! I'm inspired to do some spring palm planting on the southside of my house!

with all the construction at UNM, I'm not sure what's still around. Check near the biology building and greenhouse.

The palm trees I spotted in a yard are up on Comanche, I think I'll stop and ask what kind they are. I think they're Mexican fan, but not sure.

The palms at UNM are in a small, well-protected courtyard on the west side of the Sociology Bldg (directly north of Zimmerman Library). I haven't seen them for several years now, but they certainly amazed me when I worked at UNM during the '90's. They were not only growing beautifully but also fruiting. There were also a bunch of half-dead-looking small and stunted Trachycarpus in the open on the east side of the same bldg right by the Anderson Schools.

The palms at the zoo are Windmill palms as indicated previously. They are located around the grounds and have been doing well there in a valley location for over ten years. The ones in the Reptile Building courtyard have even produced seed and seedlings at their bases. The trees on Comanche are also windmill palms.

I don't get around town much any more but I do remember seeing a nice fan palm on Layton in the NE Heights. South-west facing exposure. Also I believe I've seen some in Glenwood Hills area......so, if we stay away from those sub zero temps, and have a nice microclimate, they would be worth a try. Landscape architect Baker Morrow is really high on these plants so if you find his work, you'll probably see a palm.

It'd be interesting to find out how old the various palms in Albuquerque are. I came here in 1990 to Los Lunas, and at Christmas of that year we had four consecutive nights of subzero F. temps (to -10F one night). It must have been nearly as cold in some parts of Albuquerque. I have a big old fig bush that bears beautifully to this day, and was told it came through the record -25F in 1971 with very little damage. Perhaps a well-established Trachycarpus may handle temps colder than we think.

Hey, Riccio, thanks - I'll stroll over and see if I can find them - I'm in the UNM hospital, so not far at all!

Thanks, Cactuskid for the heads up on the species on Comanche. They don't look like they're thriving, though.

Crumpet, where's Layton? And Glenwood Hills? I'm not a NE Hgts expert, just know where the shopping and good food is -:)

Yes, I get subzero temps occasionally, too. Once in a blue moon an arctic storm makes it down here and we might as well be in the Yukon during those!

Ciao, everyone. Have a great Autumnal New Mexican weekend!

Saw the funniest thing on Coors - there's a business with two palm trees and they've wrapped the bottoms up in insulation and black plastic bags. Hey, whatever works!

I live on the west coast of Canada and we have several varieties of palms which grow in Vancouver, such as Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Butias Capitata, and some people are experimenting with Jubaea Chilensis, the Chilean Wine Palm. But, we cannot grow Washingtonias very well, which do not do well here, because of excessive winter rain.

But, one palm which should flourish in Albuquerque is the Rhapidophyllum Hystrix(Needle Palm)which is probably the hardiest palm. However, they only grow about 7 to 8 feet in height and about the same in diameter. But, one of the reasons we don't grow them in Vancouver, is because they need high summer temperatures to grow well. However, I think the Trachycarpus Fortunei might be the best for Albuquerque, providing you can provide them a sheltered area to protect them from cold, dry winds and provide them with sufficient moisture. If you want any further information about cold hardy palms, you might want to check-out the website of the Northwest Palm and Exotic Plant Society. They also have a quarterly journal called THE HARDY PALM. I hope you find this helpful.

Aren't there also some Mazari palms (Nannorrhops ritchiana) at the Botanical Garden? Several years ago, before the garden opened, the curator (who had come over from The Living Desert in California) expressed his intention to obtain some. I also believe that they were experimenting with them in Denver as well.

The Mazari is an interesting and attractive plant, much like Chamaerops (which genus it was once considered part of) but essentially trunkless. It's armed, but rather gently and much less so than other cold-tolerant clumpers such as Rhapidophyllum, Trithrinax and Serenoa; to my eye it is also more attractive.

The species forms large clustery masses of tough silver-gray fronds and, depending on provenance, can survive occasional drops to zero degrees F!

I must stress, though, that provenance is really important...what was once a genus with three species--ranging from Saudi Arabia to the Himalayas--is now considered to have just one highly variable species in it. Not only does the Mazari occur across a wide geographical area, either; it also spans altitudes from sea level to just over 5000 feet.

Mazari palm seems to fill the environmental niche in its environment that the datil yucca (and other clumping members of the Agavaceae and/or Liliaceae) fill in the American SW; see the habitat photo in the link below.

Because the species occurs in mountainous regions of complex geological origin at exactly the latitude of Albuquerque, it should be possible to get seed of plants from *exactly* the same environment (latitude, elevation, rainfall, soil) differing only in longitude!

Len

P.S. I'm growing some Mazari from seed, but they're very slow to sprout, and very slow to grow...at least for me. For landscape purposes it would be worth getting gallon-size (or larger) plants through the mail from one of several growers who offer it and other cold-hardy palms. My seeds were of unknown provenance, which is OK since my garden will never get cold enough to threaten a Mazari palm. What I *am* interested is seeds of plants with intensely silver leaves...if anyone knows of a source for such, let me know!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mazari Palm Photos - In Habitat & In Cultivation

Ima little late- but here goes- THE ABSOLUTE BEST PALM FOR ALBUQUERQUE IN MY OPINION IS WASHINGTONIA FILIFERA! I HAVE A PICTURE OF A BIG ONE THAT WAS STARTED FROM SEED ON WEBSHOTS, IF YOU DO A SEARCH FOR "ALBUQUERQUE PALM TREES" YOU WILL SEE IT. ALSO A 14 FOOT ESTABLISHED SAGUARO IN THE SOUTH VALLEY. THERE ARE SEVERAL PALMS THAT DO WELL HERE IN TOWN, THAT I ALSO STAND BY. I JUST LIKE BIG FAT PALM TREES AND FILIFERA IS THE BEST WAY TO GO!!

SORRY ABOUT ALL THE SHOUTING!

Well, lo and behold, the one who started this post has some news - some new folks moved in two doors down (S. Valley, Alb), and they moved in with a palm! I'm gonna see what kind it is and if it survives, I'm gonna get one, too!

did they plant it now? do you know what kind?

No Way a Saguaro is going to survive even an average Albuquerque winter!!! I live in Phoenix and you stop seeing Saguaros when going much above 3500 feet-and that's 3500 feet in the Sonoran desert. True, they can take frost at night, but if they are in an area that does not go above 32 during the daytime they can die!!!-it only takes one day. The prolonged freezing temps cause the water inside them to freeze-and their filled with water. This causes them to rot and then die of disease within months. Having a Saguaro in Albuquerque is like having one in places like Sedona-can't happen!!

Hi Amigo! Never say never! IÂve yet to find the large ABQ saguaro that is posted on Webshots, but I have found one about 4 feet tall in the North Valley of ABQ. ItÂs planted in the ground against a south facing adobe wall. It looks very healthy. Granted, our high elevation climate isnÂt ideal for saguaros, but there are a few in landscapes in NM. IÂve seen a large one in a backyard in Truth or Consequences, and a really big one with arms in the front yard of a house in Las Cruces. Those towns are about 1000 feet lower in elevation than ABQ, but the winters get pretty cold there too. Take care!

Well, If you can grow things like Saguaros up there can you grow any of the following trees, I'm curious....
Olive, Aleppo Pine, Eucalyptus, hardy types of citrus, Shammel or Arizona Ash, date palms? If you can grow something like a saguaro up there then you should be able to grow these trees as well.

Most of the palms here are Trachycarpus fortunei, but there are a few W. robustas and W. filiferas as well. Believe it or not, there is a date palm (about 6 feet tall) in a neighborhood close to the University of New Mexico. IÂve also found a couple of sago palms, a P. canariensis, oleander, Echinocactus grusonii and Echinopsis (Trichocereus) terscheckii. I havenÂt seen a lot of Eucalyptus, but E. microtheca is supposedly hardy here. I havenÂt seen the other plants youÂve mentioned either, but ABQ is pretty spread out, so I wouldnÂt think it impossible to find some of those plants in protected microclimates somewhere in town. There is a gentleman that posts here by the name of AlbuquerquePalmGuy who says he has had success with Eucalyptus in his yard, as well as Butia capitata. I really wish we had a mild enough climate to have the amazing variety of plants that you have in Phoenix. Anyway, take care!

Well, I must say I'm suprised at what you can grow over there in a climate that I thought was too cold to grow much. Of course, whether these plants are long-term landscape plants is another matter. Having a small bush that is frost tender is one thing, but having a tree or large cactus in the middle of your yard being killed by a freeze is another thing. Many people around Phoenix have small Royal Palms, Flamboyant Trees and Coconut-yes, that's what I said, Coconut palms in sheltered parts of their yard. People have fun with these types of plants, but they arent' using them as main focal points. Based upon the trees your mentioned I would be suprised not to see a few olive trees around town. They are extremely tough, gorgeous shapes and live for hundreds of years.

I'm new to this area, and planted three windmill palms in the fall last year. They are about 4 ft high, a good size and quite "showy". Not realizing just how windy this area can be, needless to say they took quite a beating over the winter. Does anyone have any experience with pruning them or any thoughts regarding trimming them back. Now that spring is upon us id like to try to nurse them back to health.

Hey, AlbPalmGuy,
Yeah, it's in the ground, doesn't look too good. Don't know what kind it is.

Moonsinger, here, and I told you all in Feb that some folks moved in with a palm. Well, there are TWO palms, and I thought all through winter and early spring they were dead. Not so, healthy looking green leaves are sprouting, even though the trunk looks pretty sorry. I'll keep you posteed on how they do.

Last summer I bought from Plant Delights Nursery a Sabal minor palm called "McCurtain' Sabal because it was found in a natural stand in McCurtain County in southeastern Oklahoma. It came with three 4 to 5 inch wide, pleated leaves about 12 inches long each. It was planted in a 12 inch plastic pot and left outdoors all winter (we had down to 5F several times and also that rarity of rarities in the Rio Grande Valley, a couple of days when the temp didn't get above 32F, so the thing spent considerable time frozen in the pot). The palm lost all but about 3 inches from the leaves, but they are now growing again. I'm thinking that this summer I'll dig the adobe clay out of a big bushel-sized hole in a semi-shady spot, fill it with pure compost and plant the Sabal. And keep it moist all winter, too. If nothing else, an interesting experiment.

Lo and behold, on my way to lunch, driving down Monroe NE, I saw yet another palm in someone's back yard. It was sheltered by a block wall, but it looked darn good!

Hey guys, thanks for all the info on the trees. I'm planning on planting some Trachycarpus Fortuneis soon. I was at Winrock mall today and noticed Palms by Borders and Dillards and Talbotts etc. Does anyone know what kind of palms these are???

I recently purchased two Washingtonia Robustas (Mexican fan) palms and they are about 36 inches tall. I know that they will die if I leave them outside for our winters here in ALbuquerque. So I think I will bring them into the house for the fall and winter months. But I wondering if anyone had any tips for better growing here in out 7a - 7b zone or if any New Mexicans out here in the 505 had any experiance with these here in the Land of Enchantment. And also I've heard that these palms are fast growing, buy how fast exactly are they? how much trunk will they put on a year? and should they always have full sun? Thanks so much
Scott
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Scott-

I've heard that if you plant Mexican Fan Palm in a good microclimate, and add some winter protection during the coldest months, they should be fine. You might want to plant them next to a south- or west-facing wall where they will receive the most sunlight and warmth in winter. The wall will radiate heat after the sun goes down. Wrapping the trunks with some kind of insulation is also a good idea. The fronds will probably freeze in Dec/Jan, but as long as the trunk doesn't freeze, you'd be amazed at how quickly new fronds sprout in spring. Check out Rudy's BBQ on Coors near Alameda. They have a beautiful Mexican Fan Palm in front of the restaurant. It's been there for several years, and although it looks dead every January, it always recovers by Spring. If you like Washingtonias, try W. filifera (California Fan Palm). It's more tolerant of cold, and is probably a better choice for ABQ. The best palm for ABQ is Trachycarpus fortunei, or Windmill Palm. They are absolutely cold-hardy and I wish there were more here in town.

Good luck.

Thanks a lot cactus dude... are you growing anything fun here in albuquerque?

Here in Phoenix, the ideal growing area of Mexican fans, we can get 3 to 4 feet of trunk growth a year. They are very, very, very tough palms and can withstand growing in rocky, hard, clay aweful soil with natural rainfall once established and grow like weeds in full sun where it is 110 degrees for three-four months. In a normal year we get about 7" of rain.

Picked up a Canary Island Date Palm today at lowes...looks like hes pretty healthy.. in a pot.. ill see what happens

Saw some more California fan palms today, Over at about Paseo Del Norte and Eubank, Ill try to stop by and get some pics then post em, wish me luck
PEACE
scott
Albuquerque, NM

Anyone willing go try round 2 of planting new palms in Albuquerque after this past cold winter -14f? I have bought a Tamaulipas Sabal, Bismarkia Nobilis, Washingtonia filiferia, Texas Sabal, Mediterenian Fan Palm and Parajubaea torallyi( Bolivian Mountain Coconut Palm) Let me know if you're interested in seeing pictures and how they do this winter.

I planted a Washingtonia Robusta 2 years ago (May '09). This past winter was brutal here in town (ABQ). I clipped the dead (brown) branches off about a month or so back but I've seen zero growth recovery. I realize that it just began getting hot here in town but I guess I'm wondering how to decipher if my tree has survived or not?! As mentioned, so far...nothing has sprouted out of the middle yet. Do I cut even the middle part out of the tree? It is still brown as well. How long do I give it before giving up and consider planting a new one? Believe it hit about -5F at my house...but I did have it wrapped in about 3-4 blankets during this timeframe this past early February. Any help would be appreciated.

Interesting to read that they grow that far north. This past Feb. freaky freeze killed many palms here in Alamogordo, Las Cruces and El Paso.

Hello there. There are about six or seven healthy trachycarpus-fortunei (Chinese windmill palms) in the front yard, of a south facing home at 12401 Coronado N. E. A couple of them look at least fifteen feet tall.

I grew a Trachycarpus fortunei at my house near the County Line restaurant for more than 10 years (even through the big snow and the -5F temps) until I moved. Leaves froze off at -5 but grew back that spring.

2010:

Also 2010, now as tall as the roof.

2011:

I happened to drive by a couple of weeks ago, and it looks like it is still alive.

That's great! I wish I could grow some of my own. Supposed to take quite a bit colder temps than ABQ has when mature, although the one I tried here in Santa Fe kicked the bucket its first winter (don't remember the coldest temp that winter). There are lots of cool palms at the Zoo I've noticed, mostly trachies but quite a few Sabals as well. I really love the Washingtonias, and I know there are plenty of them in town too, but even the ones down in Hatch look pretty bad by the end of the winter...

Does anyone have any locations where there are palm trees?

You pretty much have to go through that other palm thread and mine it for locations, then check them out. I don't live there and am not good at recording the locations of the plants I see (unless they are tasty edibles!).

Out of curiosity, are you wanting to see them for proof they can survive, or just for enjoyment? I can certainly confirm their survival, and there are many species, but few that give the full tropical effect of the large ones in warmer climates.

To see if they can survive possibly. Now thanks to La Niña, more plants of all sorts will survive longer this winter. (Or not) I feel as though robustas give more of the desert oasis feel than a tropical paradise feel.

Here's what I will toss out. I did some research in Alamogordo and there was a cold snap as you can see in the first picture. The airport is maybe 5 miles from most of Alamogordo.

If you go to www.wunderground.com you can view archived weather history on "view calendar forecast" on the local station's page, e.g. type in Alamogordo it allows you to see weather history. I just wanted to point out -13 F was recorded at the Alamogordo airport in early Feb. 2011 and lots of palms made it through that winter. Several days of negative degree nights and not a whole heck of a lot of recovery during the day. Most that died were Washington Robusta (Mexican fan palms) as they were seen dead all over Alamogordo, Las Cruces and El Paso.

Mexican fan palms aren't a good choice in this area unless they're a Cali/Mex hybrid because the snaps in New Mexico are just too cold for them. You would be lucky if you got 20 years before they succumb to the cold. I would bet any Washington Robusta in Albuquerque would probably be toast in a few years. A better choice might be the Washington Filfera which is the California fan palm. They have been seen to survive -20 F and pretty sure they would be able to survive anything Albuquerque could throw at it. The Washington Filfera rarely get leaf full leaf burn until it drops below 13 F

Very few canary island date palms seemed to have died down in southern NM which was interesting. They are proving to be almost as hardy as the California fan palms. In 1962 there was a -7 snap in El Paso and there are many date palms that are 60+ years old many planted before the snap and are still alive today. However it looks like the few Canary Island dates planted in Alamogordo made it through the winter there in a south facing exposed location in temps as low as -13 which if this is true this might be a new cold hardiness record for these palms which shows how remarkable they are. There's not a lot of information about them in this area because they haven't really caught on in popularity until recently. Most of the newer neighborhoods are stocking the canary island date palms in Las Cruces and they seem to be doing fine. The trick might be that you need to grow them from seed put them in a pot and leave them outside until about 10F then bring them into the garage on nights any colder than that, put them outside in the day when young. After they outgrow the pot in a couple of years plant them outside and your tree will be adapted and used to the cold. I think that's why some of these palms are doing ok even despite the incredibly cold snaps. Even the exposed palms seemed to have made it down in southern NM. Anyways if you check out the image of Alamogordo street view if you look carefully in the top left corner of the street view picture shows a date of 2013 which is after the big 2011 freeze.

They look a little ratty as some single digit nights were recorded in 2013 as well. These palms were there before the freeze as well and I'm guessing they're almost 30 years old so they've probably seen some incredibly cold nights over the years. I wouldn't be completely sure a date palm would make it in Albuquerque long term because the snaps in Albuquerque tend to have slightly colder day time recovery, maybe with some mild winter protection like with Christmas lights (non LED type, but the incandescent type) you could have a small one tucked up against your warmest south facing wall with some black gravel rocks beneath it (which absorb heat) and a few large black rocks positioned near the palm to re-radiate heat at night to the tree in the winter you could get one to survive at least until a big freeze maybe 20 years or so.

I would imagine it might just survive the cold snaps Albuquerque based on the cold snap data from Alamogordo in a good sheltered location and maybe with a small amount of protection could make it. If a crazy cold winter came up you might need to do some bagging or have a fold out greenhouse to put over it just to be safe. There is a rule of thumb in areas that are on a slope but not too high in elevation but maybe a few hundred feet above the bottom of the valley floor you might see 3-4 degrees in warmer temps on the coldest nights which is going to give you an advantage.

In southern New Mexico all the palms in sheltered locations like against a south facing wall seem to get very little leaf burn during the winter despite the very cold nights at times where as the ones out in the open seem to be totally burnt which is telling me that the sheltered location makes all the difference. There are many nights that fall into the single digits every couple of years in Las Cruces and that you're possibly looking at +5-10 F degree micro-climate increase.

As far as palms go in Albuquerque I would give it a go and maybe if you are aware of a super unbelievably cold night bust out a small radiator or parabola heater to direct heat at it or get some heat tap to wrap the bud and top of the tree to raise the air a couple of degrees which would likely be just enough to make it through the cold nights or another trick is depending on how your house is built put it near a south facing bathroom exhaust vent. If the vents are on the side of the house then at night just turn on your bathroom vent that blows toward the palm and that would probably help too although not as much as heat tape.

This is a good video for showing the freeze damage in palms in Las Cruces which recorded a -5 night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81fxNatT2lQ