Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Crete Palms? What Can Be Grown?


PalmTreeDude

Recommended Posts

I am curious about what can be grown on Crete, Greece. My understanding is that it is a 10a/b climate for the most part? Anyone have any pictures? 

PalmTreeDude

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you tried a "streetview" style search to see what palms are growing in and around the popular tourist resorts?

 

Regards Neil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the valleys it is 10B hands down. But 10B temperate not subtropical, if you get me.  You will not find  big variety of palms, in fact the variety is quite poor. However you can see Howea, Triangle, Archontophoenix thriving along with many Plumeria cultivars and Pachypodia.  And Avocado orchards are kept in a commercial scale. 

Are you going to settle down in Crete? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello there,

I had the privilege to visit Crete exactly 20 years ago to join a friend`s wedding ceremony - 

I am still very thankful for that opportunity - and I took some photos. Since I wasn`t in palms at that

time I cannot really offer a solid documentation but something else, not unimportant to question asked 

in this threat:

(my apologies ahead for the poor quality, old photos scanned in almost 15 years ago on a hurry before departing

to Japan)

01x.JPG.43ab3ba9cf0f58c0853f3fbe9a492afb

the south coast, facing northern Africa

03x.JPG.16726424a42cceee83832b8540445432

another shot at the south coast (with kind of spartan restaurants while offering awesome food - at least at that time)

04x.JPG.e08b5e12eeb38d02dd31f0ef67a1a020

this one taken while getting a free ride on a pick up truck - of course not inside the cabin - while searching desperately for 

an ATM (having cards but not a single coin not to mention any bills in your pockets while traveling was a quite interesting experience)

finally...

05x.JPG.a4f2f48796336d8feaa34661b05fcbb7

a final photo taken in Heraklion, Crete`s capital (or main city) where you can see some CIDPs.

What I tried to show was: Crete is as dry as a bone, sun through the whole year, hot and almost no rain -

so very few palms. But one thing I have learned for sure - even if this forum is not the right place 

to mention it: Forget everything what you know about olive oil - nothing, I repeat, NOTHING beats

Crete`s olive oil, it is a class apart! 

Oh, and one more thing: What the locals over there just call "wine" - dwarfs stuff like Jack D`s or

similar easily (if you know what I mean)! So, be careful! ;) 

best regards

Lars

 

 

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I visited the island a couple of times and I was suprised of some tropical findings here and there, but compared to other european mediterranean countries the variety of tropical plants is poor. As I know that the greeks don't care much about tropical plants (especially not about tropical palms), I went to crete without high expectations concerning the flora. However, I found a relatively large variety of plants (for greek standards). There were a couple of Archontophoenix, Syagrus Romanzoffiana, Plumeria, Shefflera, lots of CIDP and Washies all over the island. In the Botanical Park of Crete there were a lot of other tropical plants, including papayas, mango trees, coffee trees and lots of citrus trees and many other.

I know about Roystoneas in Crete, but I don't have any own pictures of them. Here is one example I recently found by coincidence on the net: https://www.holidaycheck.de/hm/bilder-videos-hotel-kosta-mare-palace/1b23d470-9c79-31d5-abce-f569203e96bc/-/m/picture/mediaId/423938cc-f248-4101-9219-53cccff16b77

Have a look at my post from 2014 http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/43901-crete-greece-2014/

I don't know if the pictures of that old post still work. here is a link to my library on photobucket http://s229.photobucket.com/user/Janni82/slideshow/Crete%20Botanics%202014

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, palmfriend said:

Hello there,

I had the privilege to visit Crete exactly 20 years ago to join a friend`s wedding ceremony - 

I am still very thankful for that opportunity - and I took some photos. Since I wasn`t in palms at that

time I cannot really offer a solid documentation but something else, not unimportant to question asked 

in this threat:

(my apologies ahead for the poor quality, old photos scanned in almost 15 years ago on a hurry before departing

to Japan)

01x.JPG.43ab3ba9cf0f58c0853f3fbe9a492afb

the south coast, facing northern Africa

03x.JPG.16726424a42cceee83832b8540445432

another shot at the south coast (with kind of spartan restaurants while offering awesome food - at least at that time)

04x.JPG.e08b5e12eeb38d02dd31f0ef67a1a020

this one taken while getting a free ride on a pick up truck - of course not inside the cabin - while searching desperately for 

an ATM (having cards but not a single coin not to mention any bills in your pockets while traveling was a quite interesting experience)

finally...

05x.JPG.a4f2f48796336d8feaa34661b05fcbb7

a final photo taken in Heraklion, Crete`s capital (or main city) where you can see some CIDPs.

What I tried to show was: Crete is as dry as a bone, sun through the whole year, hot and almost no rain -

so very few palms. But one thing I have learned for sure - even if this forum is not the right place 

to mention it: Forget everything what you know about olive oil - nothing, I repeat, NOTHING beats

Crete`s olive oil, it is a class apart! 

Oh, and one more thing: What the locals over there just call "wine" - dwarfs stuff like Jack D`s or

similar easily (if you know what I mean)! So, be careful! ;) 

best regards

Lars

 

 

By 'wine' you probably mean home made raki, and you are quite right with over 80% alcohol! I strongly recomend never smoke cigarettes  when drinking this kind of stuff, which is highly inflamable.

About the oil imo everything is overestimated in this island as it is highly promoted in the touristic market. One can find even better oil quality from Messenia and Lakonia, but again best oil quality is reserved for local use only. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, definitely phoenix theophrasti ;)

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

Well, definitely phoenix theophrasti ;)

well if its in zone 10B and the winters are warm why cant coconuts grow there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because climate is warm temperate and not subtropical, meaning that winter lacks an average of above 20 C. It is the same ongoing debate around the climate in SoCa, which is also 10b and thus technically subtropical but most attempts of growing a coconut tree usually fail. And mind that SoCa is a couple latitudes to the south of Crete...

Edited by Phoenikakias
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Anybody knows any locations with "wild" Theophrasty grove?

Edited by dalmatiansoap
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Anybody knows any locations with "wild" Theophrasty grove?

Preveli Beach and Vai according to Palmpedia: https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Phoenix_theophrasti

  • Like 1

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was only able to find Phoenix and Washingtonia, about it. The the rural areas seemed to have more than inner city areas. As said above, it is extremely dry, all you have to do is look at the surroundings in street view to tell. 

Palms - 4 S. romanzoffiana, 1 W. bifurcata, 2 W. robusta, 1 R. rivularis, 1 B. odorata, 1 B. nobilis, 2 S. palmetto, 1 A. merillii, 1 P. canariensis, 1 BxJ, 1 BxJxBxS, 1 BxS, 3 P. roebelenii, 1 H. lagenicaulis, 1 H. verschaffeltii, 9 T. fortunei, 1 C. humilis, 2 C. macrocarpa, 1 L. chinensis, 1 R. excelsa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen many W. robusta and Ph. canariensis, seldom Ch. humilis an d Sabal. It's strange but native Ph. theophrastii is neglected (beautiful very drought hardy smaller copy of dactylifera). As for me I'd perform in Greece/Crete whole country program of propagation of this unique "national" palm, e.g. free seeds or seedlings for all who wants to grow it, divide between all puplis, planting in streets, gardens and squares... There're millions of seeds each year river blows to the sea in Preveli.

Edited by Antti
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in Rhodes. I have found Palmpedia's survivability index quite useful:

http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/MEDITERRANEAN_SURVIVABILITY_INDEX

Rhodes falls in line quite well in the "Foxtail Zone". Crete is warmer and should have no issues with all in that list and below.

 

 

 

Lardos, Greece ( Island of Rhodes ) 10B

1.9 km from Mediterannean Sea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It all depends on your sprinkler system and irrigation. That and what the local nurseries are selling. If you have the irrigation you can give your Palms all the water they need and there are dozens of palms you can grow.

Im 50 miles inland in Socal and I grow: Roystonea, 6 types of Archontophoenix, Chambeyronia, Clinostigma, Dypsis, Phoenix, Kentiopsis, Carpoxlon, Chamaedorea, Wodyetia, and Ravenna to name a few.

Edited by James B
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...