Sabal etonia In Virginia? (7a/7b)

[PalmTreeDude]

I know very little about Sabal etonia other than they are native to Florida and are cold hardy. But how cold hardy? Could I possibly grow one in Virginia (7a/7b)? 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

Are they as cold hardy as S. Minor?   If so then I would say yes in 7b in a south facing wall protected micro climate.  You may need to protect it at times.   I planted a S. Minor where I used to live in Alexandria VA near the Potomac river which is a solid 7b close to an 8a.  That was 2010.   It's still there and doing great.  Not getting any protection nor attention AFAIK.  Next time I'm in that hood I will check it out and see how it's doing and snap some photos.  

[Walt]

I definitely think Sabal etonia could grow in Virginia and D.C. around the Potomac River area and in zone 7 overall with occasional winter protection. Since the palm is relatively small (although some can get fairly big overall to make protection more difficult) they can be easily protected on the coldest nights.

With respect to D.C. and Alexandria, Va., area, the Potomac River helps moderate the temperature. This can be readily seen by looking at first and last frost date maps. I once saw a map printed in the Washington Post maybe 30 years ago. I use to work (22 years) at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.,(on east bank of the Potomac River) and can vouch that the river has a thermal influence. I know when I first went to work at the Laboratory there used to be a huge fig tree growing there. Biggest fig tree I ever saw. I thought it was a tropical tree until somebody informed me it was a fig (ficus) tree.

This tree was growing in a south facing court yard surrounded on west, north, and east side by 30 feet high buildings. Inside the court yard were several exposed steam pits that added heat to the area. The terracotta block walls of the buildings also absorbed and reflected heat -- and I surmise why the tree grew to such large proportions. Unfortunately the tree was cut down and the court yard paved to make parking spaces.

Below is a video I just uploaded today to YouTube showing just some of the Sabal etonia palms that grow naturally on my property.

 

[PalmTreeDude]

On 11/3/2016, 10:55:38, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Are they as cold hardy as S. Minor?   If so then I would say yes in 7b in a south facing wall protected micro climate.  You may need to protect it at times.   I planted a S. Minor where I used to live in Alexandria VA near the Potomac river which is a solid 7b close to an 8a.  That was 2010.   It's still there and doing great.  Not getting any protection nor attention AFAIK.  Next time I'm in that hood I will check it out and see how it's doing and snap some photos.  

 

2 hours ago, Walt said:

I definitely think Sabal etonia could grow in Virginia and D.C. around the Potomac River area and in zone 7 overall with occasional winter protection. Since the palm is relatively small (although some can get fairly big overall to make protection more difficult) they can be easily protected on the coldest nights.

With respect to D.C. and Alexandria, Va., area, the Potomac River helps moderate the temperature. This can be readily seen by looking at first and last frost date maps. I once saw a map printed in the Washington Post maybe 30 years ago. I use to work (22 years) at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.,(on east bank of the Potomac River) and can vouch that the river has a thermal influence. I know when I first went to work at the Laboratory there used to be a huge fig tree growing there. Biggest fig tree I ever saw. I thought it was a tropical tree until somebody informed me it was a fig (ficus) tree.

This tree was growing in a south facing court yard surrounded on west, north, and east side by 30 feet high buildings. Inside the court yard were several exposed steam pits that added heat to the area. The terracotta block walls of the buildings also absorbed and reflected heat -- and I surmise why the tree grew to such large proportions. Unfortunately the tree was cut down and the court yard paved to make parking spaces.

Below is a video I just uploaded today to YouTube showing just some of the Sabal etonia palms that grow naturally on my property.

 

I am glad to hear that they might have a chance here! It is a palm that I have always admired, but known little about. Also, nice video Walt! I really enjoyed it. Now, do these palms absolutely need full sun? Or can they be grown well in shade too? I have the summer heat they need (at least a month straight of the temperature during the day being in the night 90s and 80s at nigh, it only truly starts to get cold around here in November, and January is when it is common to frost a lot and temperature goes below 32 degrees F, of course). There is a very sheltered location on the south side of my yard that I want to try to plant it in, it has part shade but the area is sheltered by a tree canopy and a large 6 foot fence. I'll take a picture of the area one day, a Sabal minor is going in the area as well this up coming Spring. 

Edited November 5, 2016 by PalmTreeDude

[Henoh]

I have two in my zone 7 garden in inland Croatia, 20 kilometers east of Zagreb.I believe our climates similar in general terms. Here they are even slower then S.minor and only make two leaves per year. I do protected them during winter with pine straws and flece.

[Henoh]

This plant is planted out tree years ago or to be more precise tree growing season ago (2014).

Edited November 6, 2016 by Henoh

[Walt]

On ‎11‎/‎4‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎55‎:‎02‎, PalmTreeDude said:

 

I am glad to hear that they might have a chance here! It is a palm that I have always admired, but known little about. Also, nice video Walt! I really enjoyed it. Now, do these palms absolutely need full sun? Or can they be grown well in shade too? I have the summer heat they need (at least a month straight of the temperature during the day being in the night 90s and 80s at nigh, it only truly starts to get cold around here in November, and January is when it is common to frost a lot and temperature goes below 32 degrees F, of course). There is a very sheltered location on the south side of my yard that I want to try to plant it in, it has part shade but the area is sheltered by a tree canopy and a large 6 foot fence. I'll take a picture of the area one day, a Sabal minor is going in the area as well this up coming Spring. 

I have naturally growing Sabal etonia growing in at least 50% shade, more like dappled or broken sun over the course of the day. They do not need full sun. But, like virtually all plants, the more shade they get the slower they will grow due to less photosynthesis. They will also probably be longer (stretched), but I find that an attractive thing.

IMO, a Sabal etonia would only require protection once temperatures started to get down into the mid to lower teens. Maybe even down to 10 degrees F for short duration. That's just a guess on my part. But protection wouldn't take much, just enough to keep temperatures above say 15 degrees, not trying to keep the palm toasty warm. Just enough protection to keep the meristem from freezing.

[Walt]

1 hour ago, Henoh said:

This plant is planted out tree years ago or to be more precise tree growing season ago (2014).

If I lived in a zone 7 climate, I would pot grow my Sabal etonia, but plant the entire pot in the ground, then mulch around it to make it appear that it was planted directly in the soil, not pot planted. Then, when the winter cold came where the palm needed protection, I would pull it out of the ground and shelter it indoors (garage, basement, et etc.). Then, if the palm ever got so big where I didn't want to keep digging it up, I would then plant it. Some people over dig the planting hole and fill it partially with mulch, put the pot in the hole, then fill around the pot with mulch. That way the pot isn't really making direct contact with the soil, and any roots growing out of the pot will be less inclined to anchor the pot to where it's harder to pull up in the winter.

I did the above with some species of palms that were too cold tender for my climate. I pot planted them to make them appear like a landscape palm, rather than a palm above ground in a pot. But I would pull them up about every two months during the warmer weather (which is at least a good nine months a year for my area) so as to make sure the roots growing out of the pot drain holes weren't anchoring too firmly in the soil. Because with my long growing season a pot planted palm can start developing roots fairly fast. On the other hand, the palms I did this with grow much faster than Sabal etonia, so Sabal etonia should experience this problem.

[GeorgiaPalms]

I am not too familiar with Sabal Etonia but I do know there is a nursery in the Atlanta area that sells them and has successfully grown them outdoors in zone 7b. 

http://www.nearlynativenursery.com/PlantsDetail.cfm?ID=201

This is a palm species I am interested in trying as well, and may plant one out next spring. Sabal Minors and Birminghams are tough as nails for my area and Sabal Palmettos do grow in the area with ideal siting in a microclimate. I think Sabal Etonia is definitely worth a try in zone 7b.

[PalmatierMeg]

Palmpedia rates S. etonia as an 8b palm - not one of the coldhardier Sabals. It is definitely wimpier than S. minor and palmetto, scarcely hardier than maritiiformis. If you want to try it in zone 7 you probably should be ready to protect it during bitter cold spells. That shouldn't be too hard as it is trunkless and reaches only 6' tall. Good news is that it should rebound nicely during the SE US hot, humid summers. Also, Palmpedia emphatically states it requires full sun at all times and can't tolerate shade. I've tried it in Cape Coral and found it struggles for me - I have only one small one still living. But I live on the coast and it is native to north-central FL. Overall, it appears to be one of the more finicky Sabals.

[Walt]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Palmpedia rates S. etonia as an 8b palm - not one of the coldhardier Sabals. It is definitely wimpier than S. minor and palmetto, scarcely hardier than maritiiformis. If you want to try it in zone 7 you probably should be ready to protect it during bitter cold spells. That shouldn't be too hard as it is trunkless and reaches only 6' tall. Good news is that it should rebound nicely during the SE US hot, humid summers. Also, Palmpedia emphatically states it requires full sun at all times and can't tolerate shade. I've tried it in Cape Coral and found it struggles for me - I have only one small one still living. But I live on the coast and it is native to north-central FL. Overall, it appears to be one of the more finicky Sabals.

Well, whoever wrote that description for Palmpedia (that Sabal etonia requires full sun at all times) needs to visit and walk the woods of my property and get enlightened -- for they are definitely out to lunch (uninformed) with regard to that assertion.

Further, they can check with a Sabal genus authority, Don Hodel (who collected Sabal etonia seed from my 50% shade grown palms) to buttress what I say. I'm talking from 18+ years of empirical observation of the Sabal entonia palms that grow naturally on my property.

I will say I don't find Sabal entonia growing in deep shade, but they can and do grow well in shade up to about 50%. Also, the soil out here on the Lake Wales Ridge is very acidic as opposed to the more alkaline soils near the coast. This could be a factor for Sabal etonia doing more poorly on more alkaline soils.

I've grown many species of sabal from seed, and from my experience Sabal etonia is the more troublesome of them, not to mention the slowest grower.

 

 

[PalmTreeDude]

Sabal etonia always makes me think of a young Sabal palmetto, and I like the look, just the "trunk" looks like that of a Sabal minor. I like the looks of Sabal etonia!

[Walt]

2 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Sabal etonia always makes me think of a young Sabal palmetto, and I like the look, just the "trunk" looks like that of a Sabal minor. I like the looks of Sabal etonia!

When I moved to Florida (Highlands County) I didn't even know what a Sabal etonia was. When my wife and I walked and inspected the property (before we purchased it), I saw all these small palms that looked like juvenile Sabal palmettos. Over the years most of them stayed small, while the true Sabal palmettos grew.  I only learned that my small palms were Sabal etonia when I bought the book Betrock's Guide to Landscape Palms.

[PalmTreeDude]

On 11/7/2016, 5:57:23, Walt said:

When I moved to Florida (Highlands County) I didn't even know what a Sabal etonia was. When my wife and I walked and inspected the property (before we purchased it), I saw all these small palms that looked like juvenile Sabal palmettos. Over the years most of them stayed small, while the true Sabal palmettos grew.  I only learned that my small palms were Sabal etonia when I bought the book Betrock's Guide to Landscape Palms.

I never heard of Sabal etonia until this year after watching a YouTube video on the Florida Scrub land, it is an interesting palm. It has quite a lot of wildlife benefits too. 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

Interesting discussion.  I think they should definitely be given a try in warmer areas of Virginia.

What isnthebfarthest north living one that is known?   I would bet there is one somewhere in va.   

 

Walt thanks for the video.  Nice to watch.   :-) 

[Walt]

34 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Interesting discussion.  I think they should definitely be given a try in warmer areas of Virginia.

What isnthebfarthest north living one that is known?   I would bet there is one somewhere in va.   

 

Walt thanks for the video.  Nice to watch.   :-) 

No doubt I would give them a try in the warmer parts of Virginia, although Fairfax County (where you are located) wouldn't be as warm, say compared to the Tidewater areas near the Chesapeake Bay, along the Virginia side of the Potomac River, like Colonial Beach, down by Norfolk, Virginia Beach, etc. But due to the size of Sabal etonia they should be fairly easy to protect so as to keep temperatures falling below, say 15-20 degrees. That being said, I'm not at all sure how frozen ground might affect them.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

45 minutes ago, Walt said:

No doubt I would give them a try in the warmer parts of Virginia, although Fairfax County (where you are located) wouldn't be as warm, say compared to the Tidewater areas near the Chesapeake Bay, along the Virginia side of the Potomac River, like Colonial Beach, down by Norfolk, Virginia Beach, etc. But due to the size of Sabal etonia they should be fairly easy to protect so as to keep temperatures falling below, say 15-20 degrees. That being said, I'm not at all sure how frozen ground might affect them.

Frozen ground is a thing up here.  Especially away from larger bodies of water and the urban heat island.   I did plant an S. Minor in 2010 in old town Alexandria.  It was in a protected location from winds and in an L shaped nook that faces south and east.  Take the L and flip it upside down ans that's the kind of corner it's in.  It' gets full sun for most of the day.  The ground doesn't feeeze either.   It's still there ans doing gray last i saw a year ago.   It has bloomed in the past as well.   I should go check on it to see how it is doing.   I'm sure that it's just fine.  That thing saw some crazy cold in 2010-11, 11-12, and 13-14.   The last two winters have not been as cold.   

When I go check again I will snap some photos of it.   

[Walt]

6 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Frozen ground is a thing up here.  Especially away from larger bodies of water and the urban heat island.   I did plant an S. Minor in 2010 in old town Alexandria.  It was in a protected location from winds and in an L shaped nook that faces south and east.  Take the L and flip it upside down ans that's the kind of corner it's in.  It' gets full sun for most of the day.  The ground doesn't feeeze either.   It's still there ans doing gray last i saw a year ago.   It has bloomed in the past as well.   I should go check on it to see how it is doing.   I'm sure that it's just fine.  That thing saw some crazy cold in 2010-11, 11-12, and 13-14.   The last two winters have not been as cold.   

When I go check again I will snap some photos of it.   

Being born and raised in PG county Maryland, and having relatives in northern Va., I'm very familiar with the ground freezing. But in a microclimate protected area as you describe definitely would be the most ideal location to plant a Sabal etonia palm. I actually remember when Prince George's Plaza (Hyattsville, Md.) was an uncovered shopping mall back in the early 1960s, they planted some unbooted Sabal palmetto palms outdoors in a raised bed planter. The palms had 10 feet or so of trunk. It was a sight to see, I remember at the time. Unfortunately, they didn't last the winter. I believe seeing these palms started my interest in them.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

1 hour ago, Walt said:

Being born and raised in PG county Maryland, and having relatives in northern Va., I'm very familiar with the ground freezing. But in a microclimate protected area as you describe definitely would be the most ideal location to plant a Sabal etonia palm. I actually remember when Prince George's Plaza (Hyattsville, Md.) was an uncovered shopping mall back in the early 1960s, they planted some unbooted Sabal palmetto palms outdoors in a raised bed planter. The palms had 10 feet or so of trunk. It was a sight to see, I remember at the time. Unfortunately, they didn't last the winter. I believe seeing these palms started my interest in them.

Wow!   I remember PG plaza well.  Wasn't that where Len Bias was shot and killed?   Remember him?   The UMD basketball star?   I was born in PG hospital in cleverly.  I grew op in DC and PG md.   Talk about a small world.    

Never know that about PG plaza and the palms.  Wish I could have seen it.  

There are very good microclimates all over this area that easily push into 8a, and some into 8b territory.   Needles are all over.  Windmills are known to get very tall here (20+ feet) in the right place as well.  Especially in the city and along the Potomac.   I bet correctly sited S minor and Etonia would both donjist fine even outside the beltway.   A while back there were some Sabal palmettos planted at the Scottish rite temple downtown DC . (I think around 09/10. I'm fairly certain those sis. It last either.  

[Walt]

8 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Wow!   I remember PG plaza well.  Wasn't that where Len Bias was shot and killed?   Remember him?   The UMD basketball star?   I was born in PG hospital in cleverly.  I grew op in DC and PG md.   Talk about a small world.    

Never know that about PG plaza and the palms.  Wish I could have seen it.  

There are very good microclimates all over this area that easily push into 8a, and some into 8b territory.   Needles are all over.  Windmills are known to get very tall here (20+ feet) in the right place as well.  Especially in the city and along the Potomac.   I bet correctly sited S minor and Etonia would both donjist fine even outside the beltway.   A while back there were some Sabal palmettos planted at the Scottish rite temple downtown DC . (I think around 09/10. I'm fairly certain those sis. It last either.  

Len Bias O.D.d on cocaine after signing a lucrative contract with the Boston Celtics. Too bad, as he could have, IMO, been as great or better than Michael Jordan (he was two inches taller) -- but Bias made his own bed and suffered the consequences. I played JV and varsity basketball at Northwestern High School in the mid 60s. I saw DeMatha High school of Hyattsville, Md., beat Kareem Abdul Jabbar (than named Lew Alcindor) of Power Memorial High School of New York at the Cole Field House in '65. I still have my ticket stub of that historic game, as DeMatha snapped Power Memorial's winning streak of well over 70 straight games (can't recall now the exact count).

I was also born in Cheverly Hospital, not long after it opened up, and grew up in Hyattsville. Prior to moving to Florida in 1997, my wife and I lived on Old Colombia Pike in Ellicott City, Md. About 10 or more years ago I met a poster on a palm forum (I think at the Hardy Palm and Subtropical forum) who also lived on my former street, and he had a very tall windmill palm. I didn't know him at the time I lived there, but he emailed me photos of his palm and I could confirm he lived there. Yes, it is a small world.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

2 hours ago, Walt said:

Len Bias O.D.d on cocaine after signing a lucrative contract with the Boston Celtics. Too bad, as he could have, IMO, been as great or better than Michael Jordan (he was two inches taller) -- but Bias made his own bed and suffered the consequences. I played JV and varsity basketball at Northwestern High School in the mid 60s. I saw DeMatha High school of Hyattsville, Md., beat Kareem Abdul Jabbar (than named Lew Alcindor) of Power Memorial High School of New York at the Cole Field House in '65. I still have my ticket stub of that historic game, as DeMatha snapped Power Memorial's winning streak of well over 70 straight games (can't recall now the exact count).

I was also born in Cheverly Hospital, not long after it opened up, and grew up in Hyattsville. Prior to moving to Florida in 1997, my wife and I lived on Old Colombia Pike in Ellicott City, Md. About 10 or more years ago I met a poster on a palm forum (I think at the Hardy Palm and Subtropical forum) who also lived on my former street, and he had a very tall windmill palm. I didn't know him at the time I lived there, but he emailed me photos of his palm and I could confirm he lived there. Yes, it is a small world.

That's right.  It is as an OD.  I was young then.  Maybe 8-10.   Memory of something's is fuzzy at times.   I was born in 71.   We lived in DC then west Lanham hills, then Cheverly...    anyway.   Don't want to keep off topic.   Nice to meet another DC native!    

[Walt]

8 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

That's right.  It is as an OD.  I was young then.  Maybe 8-10.   Memory of something's is fuzzy at times.   I was born in 71.   We lived in DC then west Lanham hills, then Cheverly...    anyway.   Don't want to keep off topic.   Nice to meet another DC native!    

I had an aunt and uncle that lived in Lanham on Fowler Lane back in the mid 1950s. I was about 7-8 years old at the time. So that wasn't far from West Lanham Hills. But after 60 years the entire area is almost unrecognizable to me. At one time I lived at 6210 Riverdale Road (now Kenilworth Ave), maybe half mile north of the Riverdale Road/Kenilworth intersection. It was only a single lane road back then. One of our next door neighbors had a chicken coop, and just going north on Riverdale Road it soon started to become rural. Also, there were still old steam engine locomotives running on the B&O railroad, and I have 8mm home movies of it (with me watching the train go by in Berwyn Heights) my grandfather took in 1951. Alas, those days are forever gone. Of course, I'm still here, still healthy -- and enjoying my palms. In fact, I'm currently working on two more palm videos to upload to YouTube.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

4 hours ago, Walt said:

I had an aunt and uncle that lived in Lanham on Fowler Lane back in the mid 1950s. I was about 7-8 years old at the time. So that wasn't far from West Lanham Hills. But after 60 years the entire area is almost unrecognizable to me. At one time I lived at 6210 Riverdale Road (now Kenilworth Ave), maybe half mile north of the Riverdale Road/Kenilworth intersection. It was only a single lane road back then. One of our next door neighbors had a chicken coop, and just going north on Riverdale Road it soon started to become rural. Also, there were still old steam engine locomotives running on the B&O railroad, and I have 8mm home movies of it (with me watching the train go by in Berwyn Heights) my grandfather took in 1951. Alas, those days are forever gone. Of course, I'm still here, still healthy -- and enjoying my palms. In fact, I'm currently working on two more palm videos to upload to YouTube.

Changed is right.  The whole area is unrecognizable from even when o was a child in the 70s.  I live in old reston on lake Anne.  When I was a kid this was a new, tiny town in the middle of no where.  Farms and forests were all that was here.  Now reston has a vibrant downtown with a skyscraper skyline that resembles that of Orlando.   Tyson corner was farms, an intersection with a stop sign, meat packing plant and general store.  Now it looks like downtown Brooklyn with 45 floor skyscrapers, is getting its own zip code, and isn't even half done. There will be 50-60 floor building there soon.   The urban sprawl has moved all the way out to Leesburg and manassas now.  Formerly far far flung tiny rural towns.  Not anymore.     

 

I cant wait to see your new palm vids!  I'll be watching!  

[Walt]

2 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Changed is right.  The whole area is unrecognizable from even when o was a child in the 70s.  I live in old reston on lake Anne.  When I was a kid this was a new, tiny town in the middle of no where.  Farms and forests were all that was here.  Now reston has a vibrant downtown with a skyscraper skyline that resembles that of Orlando.   Tyson corner was farms, an intersection with a stop sign, meat packing plant and general store.  Now it looks like downtown Brooklyn with 45 floor skyscrapers, is getting its own zip code, and isn't even half done. There will be 50-60 floor building there soon.   The urban sprawl has moved all the way out to Leesburg and manassas now.  Formerly far far flung tiny rural towns.  Not anymore.     

 

I cant wait to see your new palm vids!  I'll be watching!  

In 1956 my aunt and uncle who lived on Fowler Lane bought two acres of land in Sterling, Va. (long before Sterling Park was a thought) and built a house on it. It was all country back then. Their property was adjacent to a farm called Peace Plantation. This was also before Dulles Airport. Tysons Corner only had an old steel TV tower standing there. It was country all the way up Rt. 7 to Sterling and beyond. I used to go swimming in Broad Run Lake (off Rt. 7 and Sully Rd.). My aunt and uncle lived on a single asphalt road (W. Church Rd.) with just an old house here and there (now a dual lane road).

This is their house with all the cars around it: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0075258,-77.4198272,3a,73.7y,321.93h,78.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIenE_9SHJIWv25lI_4jjiQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The old Sterling elementary school is still there (I see): https://www.google.com/maps/@39.004132,-77.4332134,3a,75y,179.18h,98.14t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFPnz8g_N8uNyQRa-XNFprg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm just totally flabbergasted at all the growth -- and I recall my uncle telling me back then that one day it would be the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

But I must put things into perspective. This was 60 years ago in 1956. 60 years prior to that would be 1896, so little wonder there was so much change. No way would I care to live in the D.C. metropolitan rat race. That's one reason I  moved to Florida after taking an early retirement. I haven't been back up north since 2002, to visit family and friends, although my wife flies up once a year. The only thing that will get me back up there is to attend a funeral. I consider myself a naturalized Floridian now.

I should be posting my video in a day or two.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

3 hours ago, Walt said:

In 1956 my aunt and uncle who lived on Fowler Lane bought two acres of land in Sterling, Va. (long before Sterling Park was a thought) and built a house on it. It was all country back then. Their property was adjacent to a farm called Peace Plantation. This was also before Dulles Airport. Tysons Corner only had an old steel TV tower standing there. It was country all the way up Rt. 7 to Sterling and beyond. I used to go swimming in Broad Run Lake (off Rt. 7 and Sully Rd.). My aunt and uncle lived on a single asphalt road (W. Church Rd.) with just an old house here and there (now a dual lane road).

This is their house with all the cars around it: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0075258,-77.4198272,3a,73.7y,321.93h,78.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIenE_9SHJIWv25lI_4jjiQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The old Sterling elementary school is still there (I see): https://www.google.com/maps/@39.004132,-77.4332134,3a,75y,179.18h,98.14t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFPnz8g_N8uNyQRa-XNFprg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm just totally flabbergasted at all the growth -- and I recall my uncle telling me back then that one day it would be the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

But I must put things into perspective. This was 60 years ago in 1956. 60 years prior to that would be 1896, so little wonder there was so much change. No way would I care to live in the D.C. metropolitan rat race. That's one reason I  moved to Florida after taking an early retirement. I haven't been back up north since 2002, to visit family and friends, although my wife flies up once a year. The only thing that will get me back up there is to attend a funeral. I consider myself a naturalized Floridian now.

I should be posting my video in a day or two.

Yep.  It's insanity now.  The area is pushing 7m people within 50 miles or less. Places like tysons and reston are now full on cities of 1-200k residents.  That will grow substantially in the coming 5-10 years.  They are their own cities now in their own right. That's happening to many places.   A big city rat race in deed it is.   It even makes Miami / Fort Lauderdale seem small and laid back.    I can't wait until the day I become a full time Floridian.  Hopefully in 1-2 years.  Preferably 1 or less.    I feel healthier down there for many reasons and I can easily feed my love of palms and have some of my own without the constraints of winter and indoors to boot.  

 

Look forward to those videos!  

[PalmatierMeg]

I was born at DC General, lived in Fairlington in Arlington from age 2-5. Then we moved to new development Country Club Hills down the road from the Army Navy Country Club in Fairfax (City). We were so far out my mom had to drive to Seven Corners to grocery shop. If we hankered for ice cream my dad drove down to Fairfax Circle for a hand-dipped pint at the Howard Johnson's. My parents lived in their house until my brother & I moved them to Raleigh after my mom broke here hip. I moved to FL in 1993. My younger son & family live in Rockville so we make periodic trips there. The place is an alien planet.

When I moved to Cape Coral, the population was 70,000, mostly retirees as opposed to working folk like us. Now I am retired, Cape's population is over 160,000, mostly working folk. Time marches on.

[Bigfish]

There are several Sabal etonia growing in zone 7a/7b Chattanooga and Cleveland, TN area.  They have seen single digits on multiple occasions and done very well with little to no damage.  I think they should do well with good siting in VA.