Moving back to SW Nova Scotia from Montreal and am looking forward to a more forgiving gardening zone (6a or old map 6b). I am looking for a couple hardy palms to try in a south facing garden against the foundation. It is a very warm microclimate and has full sun all day so it really heats up. Any advise on best bets - I know it won't be easy... Also, where to purchase in Canada? Most places are of course in BC but not sure the BC species are the best for NS. Thanks for the help, John
s. minor and needle palm Both have been tried at zone 6b with some success but both require heat to grow at a decent rate. Something that Nova Scotia or Vancouver does not get. We can grow these species here but with our cooler summers they are very slow growers. Our mainstay for palms are the trachycarpus species but at zone 6 you are really pushing the limits of these trees. T.takil or t. fortunei may survive but with protection and lots of it in a bad winter. They probably will defoliate but grow new fronds starting in spring. It is a gamble but they do not require the heat that s. minor and the needle palm do. You should by a book called Palms won't grow here and other myths by Dr. Franko. He is living in a zone 6 area and he has been able to grow palms but with protection. I have the book and it explains how to protect the palms in great detail. Good Luck
Cold hardy palms for NS... I think you will have a lot of trouble growing any palms in your area. Any Trachy is worth a try, but I can tell you Rhapidophyllum hystrix and Sabal minor require a lot of heat and humidity. I live in southern Illinois, United States(USDA zone 7a). I successfully grow Needle Palms and Dwarf Palmetto here, but we have extremely hot and humid summers with highs greater than 90F(31+C), with lows between 65-75F(22-24C). Yes, an average minimum low in winter is between 0 to 5F, similiar to the coast of NS, but Canada just doesn't have the heat of the sun and temperatures added with high humidity.
hi, I can grown a needle and a s.minor here in my wonderful zone 5a. plus much other hardy palms, bananas and other tropical plants. i think you won't have any problems
I've got plenty of Sabal Minor seed if you want some... Don't know if they'll really survive there for you, but you can at least grow them in the house for a good long while. I don't think you'll have a problem all the way up through the five or seven gallon size. I have had several growing in the yard since I left them when they first sprouted ten years ago, and they'd still be manageable in a decent-sized living or dining room. If you're growing them indoors, I'd say we'll be in at least 2020 before you'd even have to worry about moving them outdoors.
As for where to buy the plants, I bought mine from Broadway Gardens based out of St.Cathrines Ont. Last year I bought both Needle and Sabal minor palms and they were healthy good plants that I recieved. I know that they would ship it out to you.... here is the link : http://www.broadwaygardens.com/products/tropicals.html hope that helps Sudbury
