Cold Winter In Oregon

[Ryland]

Now that there has been some time for damage to manifest in my palm garden in Oregon, I'm going to share what made it and what didn't. Almost all of my palms were very young, many of them still with strap leaves, since I had only built the garden a year and a half ago on a very small budget. This being said, my palms were probably not quite as hardy as would be expected of the same plants at a more mature stage. However, all of the palms were protected with a layer of leaves around their bases. The winter was the coldest in S. Oregon since 1990, with a low in the valley reaching 8F. I recorded 12F for the low at the garden.

What survived:

Trachycarpus fortunei - no damage

Trachycarpus wagnerianus - no damage

Trachycarpus takil - some damage

Trachycarpus nanus - heavy damage

Chamaerops humilis - spear leaf is heavily damaged. The rest is a light green. This one needs more time to determine if it will make it.

Sabal palmetto - young with strap leaves, moderate damage

Butia capitata - those that survived sustained heavy damage

Sabal xtexensis "Brazoria" - light damage

Washingtonia robusta - heavy damage, but alive. This is the big surprise. Tough plant. It is against the south side of the house, which may have helped.

What was lost:

Washingtonia filifera - I had 2 of these, both just planted in summer. I think with a few more years in the ground they would have made it.

Butia capitata - most survived, but I lost a few

Brahea armata - very small (less than 8") plants

Chamaerops humilis - totally gone. I don't understand why this would happen to a chamaerops

Phoenix canariensis - all gone

Phoenix theophrastii - gone

Sabal "Riverside"

[Ryland]

On a side note, I am planning on replacing the ones I lost with Sabals, Chamaerops, and maybe some more Trachycarpus. Does anyone have any experince growing Jubaea in cold climates? Could it take 17-20 in a typical winter? 12F on very rare occasions?

[Zeeth]

I've heard that Jubaea is about the same hardiness as Butia, maybe just a little hardier.

[epicure3]

On a side note, I am planning on replacing the ones I lost with Sabals, Chamaerops, and maybe some more Trachycarpus. Does anyone have any experince growing Jubaea in cold climates? Could it take 17-20 in a typical winter? 12F on very rare occasions?

My guess is that if Sabal 'Riverside' and Phoenix canariensis didn't make it, you will have a tough time with Jubaea. But? You never know. I am surprised at the amount of damage. My guess is that larger sizes would have fared much better. Are you in SLO or Oregon? Your tag says SLO.

[Ryland]

I'm in SLO. I lived in Oregon until this past summer. I planted my palms in my mom's garden there, so I can still come back and visit them

And yes, it was an unwelcome amount of damage, but most of the palms were very young... I agree they would have had a better chance had they been larger.

[JasonD]

I'm in SLO. I lived in Oregon until this past summer. I planted my palms in my mom's garden there, so I can still come back and visit them

And yes, it was an unwelcome amount of damage, but most of the palms were very young... I agree they would have had a better chance had they been larger.

Jubaea supposedly endured 10F in the 1990 freeze at the Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, California (Sonoma County, 65 miles from San Francisco), with very little damage. That freeze was advective, characterized by a week of very cold, windy temperatures, some days' highs not exceeding freezing.

[Erik]

When you replace your mother's palms, consider buying them from Cistus, out on Sauvies Island near Portland. They sell palms suited for Oregon's climate. I bought a Jubaea when I lived out there.

It could not handle Oklahoma's hot, dry summers when I moved here.