Here's a pic of Butia capitata (Pindo palm) growing quite happily here at our Vancouver Island (Canada) location. Few people equate Canada and palms in the same sentence, but here it's mild enough to grow several types of palms. Full southern exposure and superior drainage are key with the Pindo palm in our Pacific Northwest climate. Cheers, LPN.
oscar, The coldest this palm has endured was -10.3 Celcius (13.5 F) in early January 2004. During that cold snap I pushed burlap in and around the growth spear as an insulator, removing it as soon as the weather broke. No damage to any of the leaves whatsoever. Cheers, LPN.
People have grown bananas in bc too. Most of the palms ive seen there are windmill palms but like you said more can be planted. a shame they use the same ones.
Windmill palm is the common one because it is the only one suitable for general planting here. Feather palms in particular, such as one shown do not like the prevailing coolness here. Note yellow tint of specimen shown, this is typical here--new fronds coming out early in season especially apt to be discolored. Many grow for some years but perhaps seldom really thrive, definitely seldom persist for long periods (decades) without being watched over by an enthusiast, who will do things like stuff burlap around it. Palms generally are associated with heat, moisture and fertility, even date palms in the African desert indicate the presence of an oasis. Windmill palms cultivated here improve markedly in growth and appearance when watered and topdressed or fertilized, the paleness and shabbiness of so many is due to a deficiency of these. Since windmill palms do well enough here to fruit, sometimes even reseed propagation material is available enough to enable west coast nurseries to produce this species in sufficient quantity and cheaply enough to supply the general market. Other comparatively cold-tolerant species will be limited to the gardens of palm nuts because of smaller supply and higher prices, even if a few of them might have potential for growing as well here.
Sept. -06 Update. This palm has really settled in and is getting comfortable in it's Southwestern exposure. It's now standing 7'-6" tall & 18" wide in the trunk. Cheers, LPN.
if you go on rarepalseeds.com you can see what they have to offer if your interested in starting from seed. They also have lots of information on germinating them and where they can be planted
From seed I've been a customer of RPS for many years. I've grown quite a few things of theirs from seed. Fresh seed almost always has the best gerination rates. It's hard to know for sure how long seed has sat around in storage unless the supplier discloses that info. Some seed I've ordered have started no problem, others that should be easy to germinate, failed. Cheers, LPN.
if you look at the cold hardy seed sampler theres 5 very nice species of palms even a date plam that will/ should be hardy in bc. especially of your on vancouver island
Any Phoenix species is borderline at best. The noted hardiest is Phoenix theophrastii (Cretean Date Palm) and is only experimental. I have quite a few of them that have made 4 winters under cover. I did plant one out this year but I don't hold out a lot of hope for it. It needs a dry winter which we don't get here. Cheers, LPN.
Thats true man.... i still think that you should take a look on the rps site and read some stuff....... they have lots of information and suprisingly there are quite a few.. not lots.. but quite a few species tha can survive up there. Also i thik you might want to start thinking about microclimates... i fyou make the right microclimate you can raise the temurature up to 20 degrees sometimes therefore you can grow different species then you thought you couldnt
I've seen the text and I understand your enthusiasm. I've been at this for 25 years now and I understand that while true in certain curcumstances, many claims are rooted in sales figures. I've compared notes on many instances with people all over the world. I've tried to grow "hardy to zone 8" palms many times over. Truth is, our selection is quite limited based on our climate rather than minimum temps. Zone 8 Texas is a lot different than zone 8 coastal BC. Cheers, LPN.
yes i understand.. it isnt even the dry summer its mroe the bery very wet winter.... theres alwats selections though thats the good part!.. i jstu seen a few pics of a wine palm in bc thats been therefor a few years apperantly.. i also found this.. http://rarepalmseeds.com/shop/TriCam.shtml a type on needle palm
Many plants, including palms from areas south of here but hardy to minimums like we have don't make it anyway because they do not get PROLONGED cold that freezes up the soil where they are native. A few frigid nights followed immediately by a return to summerlike conditions that then persist for an extended period is a completely different situation than a typical northern winter with perhaps weeks of frost and snow during an Arctic front.
Ron B is right. Also, many of the hardy palms require prolonged or extended periods of summer heat (90f +). Temps like that never linger here and rarely is it uncomfortable at night. Carefull siting and drainage plays a big part in a "leg up" for certain palms reported to be hardy. Sometimes planting 15' in the wrong direction can be enough to make or break. Cheers, LPN.
An argument? No argument here, we've just brought up a few pointers to set the record straight about the challenges we face with "hardy" palms here in the PNW. Cheers, LPN.
hey its all good man you learn somethig new everyday... i dotn live anywher near bc.. actually i live right smack dab in the middle of the country ( zone 4 a or b ). Im yjsut trying to help the other people on here.
Here's my 3 year old Butia, just starting to show it's feathers...3 feet tall and more of a cuty than a beauty like LPN's. She's sited in full sun, southern exposure in my enclosed back yard. Not much wind gets in back there. I have not used any added winter protection thus far. I have another of similar size in my front yard. It does show a bit of browning from the north winter winds, but has still toughed it out unassisted and is growing, but a little slower. The tiny palm in the foreground is a newly added Rhapidophyllum hystrix (needle palm). So far so good...
palmera, One day ... and in the not to distant future, that Butia is going to look stately. A great addition to your garden! Cheers, LPN.
