I picked these two palms up in good health downtown Vancouver they stood on the lawn at a friend's building the manager of the building wanted them gone. I guess they came from someone's moving from a condo and were indoor plants. I adopted them and shlepped per car to our garden. They did very well all summer long. I looked around and saw many growing all over the place in ground in pots. So during the winter not having enough indoor space I put them on a table under the covered patio and watered them only once a month on the warmest time possible only one cup of water. Comes the end of the winter now I want to move them now they top simply fell off on both. The fan palm stood next to them no problem already shooting a leaf. WHAT CAN I DO to save them or are they dead for good? Sorry, I don't know the name. We had a long and cold winter but stood under cover behind a nylon curtain to cut the direct wind. DO cut them back? Rip off any leaves that survived? Please, I need advice, really would love to nurse them back to life. They did not ROT the pot have holes and they have limited water THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Vicarious, these are not actually palms, although sometimes people call them that. What they are exactly I don't know, but the pattern of growth is not that of any palm. First guess would be Dracaena marginata. It could have been cold that was too much for the newest growth and made it rot. Check the lower cane. Whether it's a Dracaena spp. or possibly a Yucca spp. the cane should be firm to the grip, no slippage of the outer layers unless they are remnants of old leaves. Your canes look a little rough but still firm. Cut the tops off below any soft brown areas at a shallow angle and see if they send up sprouts from other places on the cane. If they are Dracaenas, they want rather more water. The Yuccas that I know should not have been bothered by any light freeze or the reduced watering.
