I was wondering if anyone has any experience growing Washingtonias Filifera or Robusta in Vancouver or Victoria. I know Filiferas are more cold hardy, but Robustas are more rain tolerant, so I was thinking it would be a good idea to plant Filiferas in the ground and place a metal or plastic layer around the palm to prevent too much rainwater from seeping into the soil around the roots. I want to grow these lovely palms because of their massive fans and height, but I don't want them dying in the winter.
Hi, I presented to the Pacific Northwest Palm and Exotic Plant Society last night, and I asked around about your question (how's that for service?!) The short, secondhand, answer: yes, there are some people who have had some success with growing these locally -- a hybrid between the two species was ground-grown for ~15 years until it succumbed to root rot a couple years ago. The gentleman who grew them is Charlie Warburton; if you can find a way to get your hands on the May 2010 issue of Hardy Palm International, he has an article about them: PNWPEPS: Hardy Palm International (you could also attend a PNWPEPS meeting, Charlie was there and he's a great fellow to chat with)
I wonder how you could prevent root rot. Do you know where this palm grew and if there are any pictures?
I think you may need to make the effort to chat with Charlie directly (by contacting the PNWPEPS). He specifically mentioned that many pictures were taken of it, and I think he's going to be trying to grow it again.
