Hi everyone, I was reading online about the Mediterranean Fan Palm and I was wondering if it would be hardy in the Lower Mainland. I read that it can withstand temperatures to -12C. I guess the only question I have is whether there is too much moisture here for it to survive. Let me know any info you can. Thanks
There are plenty in Seattle at the moment. Record winters will kill it back, but most years it is OK.
I've been playing around with this species for years now and this is what I can tell you from my experience. In the late 1980's I purchased a few nice size 15 gallons specimens. I planted two of them in the ground and left one in a large planter. At that time I lived in South Langley on the mainland which I considered to be zone 8a. The Summers were warm, but the Winters could be nasty at times, especially with those terrible eatery outflow winds that would freeze dry marginal broadleaf evergreens. (That's why I live here now!) Anyway to make a long story short all three C. humilis survived what I considered to be some nasty cold temps. On the south side of my house I had planted one of them in a nice sandy well drained soil in a raised bed. I provided the palm with a plexi glass roof and a card board wind screen. That one breezed through the min. temp. of -14.8 Celsius with only frost burn to some of the frond tips. One of the others planted in a exposed windy area of my front garden was completely defoliated by those cold temps. and the main trunk killed. In the Spring lots of suckers regrew to form a nice bushy little palm over time. The third Chamaerops I had in the planter tucked up against my home under an overhang was also 100% defoliated and looking quite dead. However to my suprise the one foot trunk sent out a new batch of fronds in the Spring. Here on Salt Spring Island they really don't seem to be a challenge at all and I have never protected any. Most of mine I grew from seed and planted them out as seedlings 10 years ago. There are some large specimens here on the island and if you go to this site you should be able to see one of them plus alot of other exotic plants that grow here. I thank Denis of Victoria for taking such good pics. www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/11071.html , Cheers, Banana Joe
Although my experiences are not as old as Joe's, I have one that has been in the ground for three years here in lower North Vancouver . It has survived -9C last winter and -7C this winter with just an umbrella over top of it. It looks better than my trachycarpus fortunei's after the winter temps. Mine was a good sized 15 gallon when I bought it three years ago. See attached pic of my largest chamaerops humilis
Wes, that looks like a greenhouse in the background. Canadian Tire is selling similar. Is it worth it?
Ryan, Yes it is from Canadian Tire. I have two of them. I keep my seedlings in there during the winter. When it gets down to -5 or -6C I put a 100 watt light bulb in them and it keeps the temp above freezing. It works great.
I have a question about the mediterranean fan palm...mine got dry from the cold winter and now I don't know how to make it green again...can anyone help please? :-)
Probably best to just wait for it to green-up on it's own. Almost anything you try might make it worse. You could trim off all the clearly dead material to lessen the eyesore. HTH Chris
Thanks Chris...I was told to fertilize it...should I do that or just water it like I have been twice a day?
Twice a day has got to be too much for any plant. Much less a Mediterranean drought tolerant palm tree. I assume this is in a container? If so it only needs water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Then water well and allow all the water to drain away. No saucer under the pot. No fertilizer until you see healthy new growth during warm weather. HTH Chris
I'm seeing some burned up ones around Seattle after the last winter, which wasn't all that harsh. Those "terrible eatery outflow winds" that Joe mentions must be pretty unpleasant.
Here's Chamaerops humilis in the wild in Morocco Too right they are pretty unpleasant! The smell from the back of a big m, KY freud chicken, tacky hell . . . yukk!
Yep; listed by Kew as a Moroccan endemic: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail....repSynonym_id=-9998&name_id=37794&status=true Syn. C. h. var. cerifera: http://www.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail....epSynonym_id=-9998&name_id=37795&status=false All the ones I saw in Morocco (hundreds, maybe thousands) were glaucous like this.
I have had several dozen Chamaerops humilis 'Cerifera' easily grown from seed. "Glaucous" leaf color isn't evident until the palms start to develop palmate leaves. All seem quite healthy with miniumal care outdoors. Cheers, LPN.
No it's planted in the groud inbetween some shrubs I have. I give it one good watering early in the morning...and at night just a small once over.
My adivice for this palm : exp.full sun ,good dreinage,no water in winter, if you have a young plant covered in winter.In Italy is easy to propagate by seed ,in Rome bird eat the seed and palm born on the Platanus orientalis near Tevere river!!The show is freakish!!["-"]
