The following was received via email: Hi .... I'm new to this site & it is just fabulous. I have a question about T. Fortunae palms in containers on my apt. balcony in Richmond, BC.The spot faces west & is well protected from north & easterly winter cold & has a roof above it , which means the plant recieves no rain & has to be watered manually. My questions are:(1) just how wet should these palms be kept during the 3 "bad" months (Dec, Jan, Feb) to keep them from freezing. If I were to let them dry out as I do with my Yucca's , would these palms survive? (2). I would be gratefull to anyone out there who could pass onto us Apt. people , any good tips as to how to treat Trachy's in containers in the winter...without having to bury them in a pile of sawdust for 3 months...which looks like hell ( ha ha.) Would anyone have any great ideas?? Would love to here from you on this, & thanks greatly in advance. HERE'S SOME INFO & a BIT OF HISTORY ON TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNAE in the Vancouver BC area.... I found this info 35 yrs ago in the Van. Public Library when Windmill palms were 1st being introduced into this area. The plant was discovered by a group of British Botanists who were exploring the Mt. areas somewhere in China in the late 1920's . I don't recall if the exact area was mentioned , but the group had reached the snow line or slightly above that when one of the members noticed some "greenery" sticking up thru the snow...after brushing off the snow they were amazed to find that it was a PALM & a few more were later found in the nearby areas. This bit of info SEEMS to suggest that that particular species had adapted to germinating & taking root in that particular climate zone....... just thought I'd pass that along . Yuccnut in sunny Richmond BC.
