Hey everyone, You may all think I'm crazy but I'm growing two palms in pots in Edmonton, Alberta right now. They are prospering outside currently and as the title says they are a windmill and jelly palm. I'll post a few pictures soon. I'm beginning to find out that Windmill palms really don't like the wind. I am taking them inside for the winter until they are a little older but I'll push em along and see how they do every year without killing them off and eventually I'll plant them. Edmonton is about a zone 4 and a website on growing palms in Colorado was a great inspiration for what I'm trying. I don't care if I fail, I am just experimenting and because of the "global warming" effect going on nowadays we only had one day colder then -25 last winter. That basically puts us into zone 5. Our last winter had very few days where we were below freezing during the day. If this experiment works and we continue to pollute our planet (joke) then I will be one happy psycho whose envied by all Edmontonian palm lovers. Secondly I'm looking to buy a yucca rostrata and wanna know if there's anyone in bc that can sell me one over the internet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Nate
Being a newcomer to Edmonton, and recently employed by a greenhouse up here, I thought I would throw in my two cents... I also recently enjoyed the *warm* winter... But since working at the greenhouse and coming across many disgruntled perennial growers complaining how many didn't survive the season, I would throw in what I have picked up on the way, which was that even though the season was apparently warm by normal standards (I am originally from southern Ontario, heh) the complete lack of snowfall had the ground completely vulnerable (ie not insulated) which killed many plants, even hardy ones... Just thought I would mention that before you started digging in the dirt! Other than that, let me know how it goes... I will keep my eyes peeled across Edmonton for some slightly out of place palm trees!
Well its worth a try and like I said, I'm babying these things through the winters, I'm not keeping them in the cold and letting them die their first winter here, that would be devastation. These palms are basically being planted to prove a point that they will work if they have been trained over time to handle colder weather....better known as acclimitization (don't know if i spelt that correctly). But thanks for the input and I will give you the down-lo on how they're doing. I guess a needle palm or sabal minor would probably be a little easier to grow, but I don't enjoy them quite as much.
Yeah I guess I should assume that anyone on this site is a bit of a plant nerd and would not willingly sacrifice any plants! *grin* Are you 'self teaching' or pursuing plant nerdery at college/university??? I have to say I don't know the in's and out's of palms... At least not too far beyond the obvious - parlor, ponytail, kentian, fan palms etc) I'd like to consider myself perhaps an indoor fern nerd in training :o) Though I have yet to identify a few at work - oh the challenge! So is there any scientific logic to the acclimatization? Is it just directly handling a decrease in temperature? For I know many people are complaining about the increase in humidity recently, which I would believe would have just as detrimental effects on top of lowered temperature... Not to mention perhaps stress due to lack of sunlight as well??? *shrugs* Yeah... I know I am a nerd... And I know I think too much!!! :o) Curious......
...or you could move to the SW corner of BC and grow those palms without any trouble. The down side of course is that to plant those palms, property doesn't come cheap. CHeers, LPN.
I guess I could say I'm self-teaching. Ever since I started my landscaping job for the summer I've been really interested in plants. My palm obsession started a long time ago though and that led me to research everything I could on them. As for acclimatization, the dictionary explains it as the physiological adaptation of an animal or plant to changes in climate or environment, such as light, temperature, or altitude. The most basic form I came across for scientific knowledge on this is when the human body adapts to high altitudes when mount everest is climbed. Climate is just another form of adaptation and humans were able to overcome Edmonton's nasty winters so I think palms can also after some training. Just think of how hard a person from Florida would have adapting to Edmonton's winters in the first couple years, but after awhile their body becomes used to it and they can handle being in the cold much longer. If my palms can learn to adapt themselves to our weather over time to survive then I will be ultimately satisfied. I know it takes alot of time and effort to pursue this goal, but I figure I got nothing to lose. When people thought palms couldn't be grown in Vancouver, they were proven wrong, its time for Edmonton to do the same. I know its not an identical situation, but its a step in the right direction. I'm optimistic about the future of palms in sub-zero temperature.
and in response to lpn.....I would have much more satisfaction in proving the once thought impossible then taking the easy but expensive way out. I probably will end up somewhere warm though after my many years of post-secondary and plant palms with no problem.
Well I wish you luck, but many have gone before you (in milder climates) and failed. You can't "train" a palm to be hardier than it's genetically programmed to be, certainly within our or many future generations. That adaptaion requires many millenium and specific requirements or conditions to be met. But if you're willing to erect greenhouse type framework and heat, well you might be on to something. You can grow pretty much anything you want as long as your willing to protect it. Cheers, LPN. PS ... sorry about the Oilers losing. The Huricanes pushed hard and got the job done.
Hi, I'm in Edmonton and have tried the Windmill Palm thing. It grew nicely for a couple of years with us taking it in for the winter. Then we tried to see how long we could leave it out without damage. It died after a short frost in the fall. I don't think there is any chance of the tree making the winter. I wouldn't mind driving by and seeing your palms though if you want to PM me. The reason I found this site was that I wanted to try this again. There is a place outside of Vancouver (going east) that has Windmill palms in about a 2 gallon bucket for a nice price.
Tracycarpus Fortunei palms (windmill are almost common place in the ground on Vancouver Island, they are easy enough to find at almost any larger nursery.
