Getting my tropical on!

[Love them palms]

Hello to all I am a new member

 Have a few questions about Palm trees I am going to plant next Spring .

I live in  Puget sound area in mukilteo, Washington supposedly in zone 8b. I never was in the Palm trees until I went to Las Vegas Nevada and Southern California I love the  Look of the palms  So much I decided I wanna them in my yard. Since I could not live down South in those areas I figured I would bring the look up to me,

 Around here most of the  People In this area that  Have Palm trees In their yards Are mostly Chinese windmill palms As do most the nurseries So my options were very limited I wanted to be different from all the other people and push the envelope so after countless hours of searching for Palm trees that are  Recommendedfor the zone 8B - 9A Area  I came up with this choice of trees  Which all of them I had to order online 

Canary date palm

Sylvester palm ( wild indian date palm

Mexican Fan palm

Jelly palm 

Mule palm

White bird of paradise 

Red banana plant

 On top of that I have true date palms that I am starting from seed doing the paper towel method for gemination.

Call me crazy but for being a zone 8b zone the winter temps don't ever seem to reach much below 25 degrees anymore and if they do it don't last for long.

As for the white bird of paradise they will get extra winter TLC along with some agave attenuata that I have in a pot I will also be planting next spring, call me crazy for my choices but I think I will be successful. 

[Love them palms]

[Love them palms]

[Love them palms]

[Love them palms]

[RaleighNC]

Those bird of paradise should do fine. I have had one in the ground for three winters here in 7b (nearly 8a). I throw some pine needles on them when they die back in the fall, and they come back in the spring. This winter was particularly brutal.

[kinzyjr]

Welcome to the forums @Love them palms!  Insanity/craziness means you'll fit right in.  You're near water so you have an advantage.  Canary Island Date Palms (phoenix canariensis), true date palms (phoenix dactylifera), jelly palms (butia odorata), mule palm (x butiagrus) should be fine the vast majority of the years there.  Bananas will probably get burned in the winter and come back.  Not too sure about bird of paradise.  I'm iffy on the mexican fan palm (washingtonia robusta), but they do better out west than they do here, but a California Fan Palm (washingtonia filifera) would probably fair very well.  If all else fails, you still have trachycarpus and chamaerops to fall back on.

Good luck with them!

[Love them palms]

[Love them palms]

I am hoping all will be successful so I can get that look of California or Vegas in my yard , A few of my neighbors are calling me nuts for trying these style of Palm trees But I told them I'm just getting ready for global warming up here ,  Especially during the summertime It has been getting  Ridiculously warm in the  Puget sound area for last few summers and a very rarely freezes during the Winter Anymore

 

 

[matthedlund]

19 minutes ago, Love them palms said:

Hello to all I am a new member

 Have a few questions about Palm trees I am going to plant next Spring .

I live in  Puget sound area in mukilteo, Washington supposedly in zone 8b. I never was in the Palm trees until I went to Las Vegas Nevada and Southern California I love the  Look of the palms  So much I decided I wanna them in my yard. Since I could not live down South in those areas I figured I would bring the look up to me,

 Around here most of the  People In this area that  Have Palm trees In their yards Are mostly Chinese windmill palms As do most the nurseries So my options were very limited I wanted to be different from all the other people and push the envelope so after countless hours of searching for Palm trees that are  Recommendedfor the zone 8B - 9A Area  I came up with this choice of trees  Which all of them I had to order online 

Canary date palm

Sylvester palm ( wild indian date palm

Mexican Fan palm

Jelly palm 

Mule palm

White bird of paradise 

Red banana plant

 On top of that I have true date palms that I am starting from seed doing the paper towel method for gemination.

Call me crazy but for being a zone 8b zone the winter temps don't ever seem to reach much below 25 degrees anymore and if they do it don't last for long.

As for the white bird of paradise they will get extra winter TLC along with some agave attenuata that I have in a pot I will also be planting next spring, call me crazy for my choices but I think I will be successful. 

I live in the Puget sound area and in addition to these I have some sabal species, jubaea, brahea species, and some hybrids. 

[Love them palms]

4 minutes ago, matthedlund said:

I live in the Puget sound area and in addition to these I have some sabal species, jubaea, brahea species, and some hybrids. 

Yes I will be looking into more of those once spring comes again.I also have 20 true date palm seeds that are geminating,and I have 50 syvester palm seeds coming in the mail.I will keep a couple but most I will try to get rid of.

[RJ]

You don't see one of those in palm pictures very often! 

 

Welcome to PT 

[Rickybobby]

41 minutes ago, Love them palms said:

I am hoping all will be successful so I can get that look of California or Vegas in my yard , A few of my neighbors are calling me nuts for trying these style of Palm trees But I told them I'm just getting ready for global warming up here ,  Especially during the summertime It has been getting  Ridiculously warm in the  Puget sound area for last few summers and a very rarely freezes during the Winter Anymore

 

 

I don’t think your nuts at all with your zone you have a ton of options that a lot of don’t have. Welcome and good luck

[Rickybobby]

I also recommend banana joe ssi do a search on your tube. He lives north of you on salt spring island British Columbia and has a ton of videos about sowing seeds and what palms do well in your climate 

[GottmitAlex]

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a 9a and below palm list which can help get you future references for your zone.

Wish you the best!

http://www.trebrown.com//palms_arecaceae.php?z=9a&l=true

Edited September 20, 2018 by GottmitAlex

[Love them palms]

32 minutes ago, RJ said:

You don't see one of those in palm pictures very often! 

 

Welcome to PT 

Lol,funny thing is that as long as I owned it I have never once used it,well maybe once to clean the lawn of doggie stuff. 

[PalmTreeDude]

Welcome to the forum! You could probably grow a Jubaea.

Edited September 20, 2018 by PalmTreeDude

[Love them palms]

4 minutes ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Welcome to the forum! You could probably grow a Jubaea.

There are so many I could grow but space would run out,is the one you mentioned a Jubaea chilensis.its a beautiful tree but isn't it a very slow growing tree

[Love them palms]

34 minutes ago, Rickybobby said:

I also recommend banana joe ssi do a search on your tube. He lives north of you on salt spring island British Columbia and has a ton of videos about sowing seeds and what palms do well in your climate 

I have seen a few of his videos on you tube

[Love them palms]

24 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a 9a and below palm list which can help get you future references for your zone.

Wish you the best!

http://www.trebrown.com//palms_arecaceae.php?z=9a&l=true

So many trees- so little yard space

[Chester B]

Hi and welcome.

I'm in the PNW as well and do have a variety of palms.  The main issue here is not the minimum temperature but the damp and wet in the winter.  Of your list the mule palm and the jelly palm (Butia?) will be fine but unfortunately the rest won't make it long term, so are better off in pots.  Look up Palm crazy on this forum for lots of good info as he has a ton of palms and is located in Olympia.  

From what I know of other palm growers in our area and my own personal experience you can have success with the following:

Trachycarpus fortunei

Trachycarpus wagnerianus

Trachycarpus takil

Butia odorata

Jubea chilenis

Sabal minor

Some people have luck with other Sabal species - lack of heat makes them grow real slow here

Rhapidophylum hystrix

Serenoa repens

Chamerops humilis - green, blue(cerifera) and vulcano varieties

Chamaedoria radicalis

Chamaedoria microspadix

Livistona chinesis - expect die back, it's more of a shrub in our climate

Jubea  x Butia

some other mules

 

Bird of paradise won't make it unless protected and kept dry.  

For bananas look at Musa basjoo, Musella lasiocarpa and Musa sikamensis.  If the red banana you are referring to is Ensete maurelli than you will have to dig it up and stick it in the garage over winter.

If you have any more questions shoot.  Good luck  and enjoy your palms.

[Silas_Sancona]

 Welcome aboard,

Aside from the White Birds, sounds like a pretty good list. Would suggest looking over threads started by / reaching out to Palmcrazy,  by far the most well -versed member for anything Pac. Northwest.. 

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, Love them palms said:

So many trees- so little yard space

Believe me, I know a thing or two about "yard" space..

Whatever you choose, make it count. 

[Palm crazy]

16 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

Welcome to the forum!

Here's a 9a and below palm list which can help get you future references for your zone.

Wish you the best!

http://www.trebrown.com//palms_arecaceae.php?z=9a&l=true

Most of the palms listed here are way off on hardiness. Ad 1/2 a zone to most and then they would be hardy here in the PNW. 

[Palm crazy]

15 hours ago, Chester B said:

Hi and welcome.

I'm in the PNW as well and do have a variety of palms.  The main issue here is not the minimum temperature but the damp and wet in the winter.  Of your list the mule palm and the jelly palm (Butia?) will be fine but unfortunately the rest won't make it long term, so are better off in pots.  Look up Palm crazy on this forum for lots of good info as he has a ton of palms and is located in Olympia.  

From what I know of other palm growers in our area and my own personal experience you can have success with the following:

Trachycarpus fortunei

Trachycarpus wagnerianus

Trachycarpus takil

Butia odorata

Jubea chilenis

Sabal minor

Some people have luck with other Sabal species - lack of heat makes them grow real slow here

Rhapidophylum hystrix

Serenoa repens

Chamerops humilis - green, blue(cerifera) and vulcano varieties

Chamaedoria radicalis

Chamaedoria microspadix

Livistona chinesis - expect die back, it's more of a shrub in our climate

Jubea  x Butia

some other mules

 

Bird of paradise won't make it unless protected and kept dry.  

For bananas look at Musa basjoo, Musella lasiocarpa and Musa sikamensis.  If the red banana you are referring to is Ensete maurelli than you will have to dig it up and stick it in the garage over winter.

If you have any more questions shoot.  Good luck  and enjoy your palms.

Chester list of palms is what will grow here.  

Milke, There's a reason why you don't see Phoenix palm in the PNW... they are not long-term hardy below 9b in the cool PNW. But do try them but in the long run, they will eventually die out. Have you thought about how you will protect the ones in the ground when it does get really cold? Do you get any of the Frazer valley colds spells?

 Just remember 8b hardy palms don't grow in every 8b garden around the US. Mukilteo 8b is totally different from say Dallas, TX 8b. 

Even Olympia z8a is totally different than Mukilteo z8b. Olympia has more heat and humidity and a lot more rain. Mukilteo has much less rain and is overall 5 degrees warmer at night which is a good trade-off. 

Mike welcome to Palm Talk you'll learn a lot here and its fun to see what people from around the world can grow. Good luck with your new palm's!  We are all here to learn and share! 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Palm crazy

[Josue Diaz]

I would suggest you grow the Strelitzia in a pot for some time before you put it in the ground. They grow very slowly in climates that lack heat. Young plants could develop rot after frost damage.

[Chester B]

I killed birds of paradise (orange and white) the first year I lived here, as I was naive and believed what the tags at HomeDepot told me.  They tend to be highly optimistic That first year I did in some Ensete bananas as well.  Our winter wetness is really tough on plants that aren't adapted, I lost a large Butia odorata as well, I think due to poor planting site choice.  This year I bought a Washingtonia from HD too, but it's going to be living it's life in a pot until it gets too big.

 

[PalmatierMeg]

Welcome to PalmTalk. When you fall under the spell of palm fever there is always room for one more palm, esp. rare ones. Grass lawns are highly overrated and wasteful.

[Chester B]

16 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Welcome to PalmTalk. When you fall under the spell of palm fever there is always room for one more palm, esp. rare ones. Grass lawns are highly overrated and wasteful.

Do you have any free time to have a chat with my wife......

[PalmatierMeg]

1 minute ago, Chester B said:

Do you have any free time to have a chat with my wife......

Ha! I bet she doesn't mow the grass. My husband mows ours and over time the grassy areas shrink and mulched areas grow. Just more area for me to plant palms. Palms take storms much better than dicot trees. You don't get hurricanes, I know, but you surely must get winds down from the mountains or across the sea.

[matthedlund]

On 9/19/2018, 4:22:46, Love them palms said:

Yes I will be looking into more of those once spring comes again.I also have 20 true date palm seeds that are geminating,and I have 50 syvester palm seeds coming in the mail.I will keep a couple but most I will try to get rid of.

Well if you sell any Sylvester seedlings, let me know! I'd buy a few. Or I could trade if you're interested in jubaea or butia seedlings.

[Love them palms]

On 9/20/2018 at 9:29 AM, Palm crazy said:

Chester list of palms is what will grow here.  

Milke, There's a reason why you don't see Phoenix palm in the PNW... they are not long-term hardy below 9b in the cool PNW. But do try them but in the long run, they will eventually die out. Have you thought about how you will protect the ones in the ground when it does get really cold? Do you get any of the Frazer valley colds spells?

 Just remember 8b hardy palms don't grow in every 8b garden around the US. Mukilteo 8b is totally different from say Dallas, TX 8b. 

Even Olympia z8a is totally different than Mukilteo z8b. Olympia has more heat and humidity and a lot more rain. Mukilteo has much less rain and is overall 5 degrees warmer at night which is a good trade-off. 

Mike welcome to Palm Talk you'll learn a lot here and its fun to see what people from around the world can grow. Good luck with your new palm's!  We are all here to learn and share! 

its amazing how after input,research,comments I have changed what I have planted in my palm bed and pots.

When I first got into this my choices were way off for my area of the PNW. Both canaries, my bird of paradise and washingtonia robust will forever be pot bound, the Sylvester and jelly palm died. 

I have now switched to trachycarpus fortunei, nova,princeps also super mule palms, sabal Riverside, butia x Jubea along with some cordyline austrailis.I do have zahid date palm seedlings, Phoenix theophrasti seedlings and a couple of washingtonia filibusta  seedlings in pots  that I will zone push for shits and giggles when they are ready to plant.thank you all who gave me the knowledge I need to make my palmy paradise a success.

[Chester B]

On 6/22/2019 at 5:38 PM, Love them palms said:

I have now switched to trachycarpus fortunei, nova,princeps also super mule palms, sabal Riverside, butia x Jubea along with some cordyline austrailis.

All good choices and with the right blend of companion plants you can get that tropical jungle vibe.  In the PNW we can grow some interesting plants that can be a challenge most other places.  Have a look for some Schefflera, these look pretty good with the palms.

[Love them palms]

40 minutes ago, Chester B said:

All good choices and with the right blend of companion plants you can get that tropical jungle vibe.  In the PNW we can grow some interesting plants that can be a challenge most other places.  Have a look for some Schefflera, these look pretty good with the palms.

Yup I can't wait to get the ones (Jubea x yatay, yatay x Jubea, butia x parajubea) from Patric to grow a bit in the pots I put them in so I can get them in the ground .

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

39 minutes ago, Love them palms said:

Yup I can't wait to get the ones (Jubea x yatay, yatay x Jubea, butia x parajubea) from Patric to grow a bit in the pots I put them in so I can get them in the ground .

Both of the Shafer Jubaea hybrids i would love to have 1 day especially the J x S =)