Hi all... I've been scouring the net trying to find any information about growing R. hystrix and S. minor in the Pacific Northwest (even the Sunset magazine website doesn't have info on them!). I know cold hardiness shouldn't be a problem (S. minor and R. hystrix have survived well into the -20s) but these plants require a lot of summer heat from what I can tell. But what I am wondering is how does too little heat affect plant growth with these species... do the plants just wither and die after a year with less heat or do they do alright but grow extremely slowly. If anyone has any information about growing these species in the Pacific Northwest or equivalent climate (such as Europe etc.) ..it would be great. When I finally do get my own garden (soon I hope!), I definitely want to try these.
Deneb if you are meaning Rhapidophyllum hystrix for R. hystrix then http://www.floridata.com/ref/r/rhapido.cfm lists it as a zone 8-10 plant not exactly hardy for Vancouver unless you protect as for S minor it would help if you put the full botanical name. it could be sorbus, salix sedum or about 12-13 palm genera can you help with the full names? just putting the initial is like saying can you find J. Smith in the phone book!
Pierrot..That website you sent was very informative... I think I've seen it before... It says that there is a Needle Palm growing in Washington DC which has lower absolute minimum temperatures than Vancouver and about the same average winter temperatures.... I've also read reports that Sabal Minor and Rhapidophyllum Hystrix can be grown outside unprotected as far north as New York City and even Cape Cod in Massachusetts........ of course the only difference was the summer heat question for these species which I have been trying to research but to no avail
I know the University of Miami in Ohio has been experimenting with Needle Palm and others since 1998 : http://www.cas.muohio.edu/coldhardypalms/index.html And here is another site for assessing your Palm Planting : http://hardiestpalms.com/ I recently purchased a 3' to 4' HT x 4' w. specimen to plant outside in 2010 . Happy Growing !!
The 2007 edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book does have needle palm on page 582. They indicate it being able to grow in almost every western climate, Sunset 2-24, say it is hardy to "well below 0F/-18C", and that it tolerates "a wide range of soils".
Neither is grown successfully in Britain, but our summers are even cooler than yours. Unripened summer growth + winter wet, rots them.
Both are scarce and are generally sourced through collectors or at the PNWPEPS plant sale in spring. Rhapidophyllum hystrix is quite hardy as mentioned previously. Here's a Sabal growing for at least 10 years unprotected on Salt Spring Island. Very slow growing. Cheers, LPN.
My needles and Sabals are doing amazing here in Philadelphia. Planted in 2003, they just get bigger every year. The needles are almost 6 feet high, producing seed and babies, and the Sabals are also about 5 or 6 feet high, and producing offspring like crazy. Southern exposure, with only a little burlap to block wind, and some leaves around base in Winter.
LPN, I do not sell seeds, but I give them.(needles and S. minor) I'd be glad to send you some. Just remind me in Spring. In about a year or two, maybe three, the sabal minor's offspring will producing seed too, way up here in Philly(I pray). They're over two feet high already. Now that's a seed you'll want. My pics are a few years old. I'll post some new ones in the upcoming season. Here's one from Thanksgiving 2006. The burlap is 3 feet high, and the tallest leaves were approaching at least four or five feet then. I left a seed spear for my pet mockingbird to enjoy over the winter. ~ Al
