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PalmTreeDude

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I had a thread with a bunch of things about VA Beach Sabal palmettos, with pictures and streetview links, but just could not find it. Anyway, here is a nice Sabal palmetto in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Notice how it is inland. Also, apparently there is a street called "Palmetto Avenue" in Virginia Beach just down the street from this nice palmetto.  The palmetto is the pin on the map, the other pin shows Palmetto Avenue. I did not expect palmetto to be in the name of anything north of North Carolina, so that's neat. 

Screenshot_20181205-212507_Maps.jpg

SmartSelect_20181205-212602_Maps.jpg

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PalmTreeDude

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Also, I believe the circled area in the screenshot below (a big peninsula that is inland from the actual beach) has the best climate for growing palms in Virginia Beach. 

20181205_213707.jpg

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PalmTreeDude

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I agree with you, Sabal palmettos seem to do better inland in Virginia Beach. The ones growing adjacent to the ocean look so sad and neglected.

Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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It's flowering, so that is a good sign for naturalization.

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

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Yep. There area A LOT of very nice, flowering S. Palmettos in Va Beach.  They always do far better once you get 1-2 blocks from the ocean.  They are a fairly reliable palm there, and windmills are bulletproof. S. Minor do awesome there as well as do R. Hystrix.  I have even seen some large, taller B. Capitata. there as well.  The windmills I've seen there range from small ones on up to 30 feet tall.    Once you go several miles inland yous see them less and S. Palmetto begin to struggle a little more and more the further you go.  Once you're around Norfolk and west you're restricted to mostly windmills, S. Minor, R. Hystrix.   That said, I did see 3 S. Palmetto around a pool in Smithfield VA, and they were there for a good 8 years.  About 20 feet tall, with nice crowns. They looked fairly crappy by the end of winter but usually recovered well.  The last I saw them in 2017 the looked badly damaged and only held a few ragged fronds each so it appears that the were in slow decline.  I do not know if they are there anymore as I move to FL in August of 2017 and have not visited VA Beach since.  

 

In short, the immediate VA Beach area is a pretty darn good area for  about 5 or so of the hardiest palms.  Not too bad for that far north. 

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@DCA_Palm_Fan Miss reading your reports from up that way, but I'm sure you are much happier in one of the most pleasant climates in Central FL.

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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

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13 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

@DCA_Palm_Fan Miss reading your reports from up that way, but I'm sure you are much happier in one of the most pleasant climates in Central FL.

Awe, Thank you!!!    I AM!!!   Its heaven here.  I find that at times I'm slightly less enthusiastic about palms  now because I'm surrounded by them every day and see them constantly. As I sit here typing this, Im sitting here looking out over southern Tampa Bay with no more than 8 tall Palm Trees in direct view.   But then again, who am I kidding, I have more palms of my own now than I have ever had in my life! LOL!  The best part of that aside from the gorgeous views and the weather here, is that I can leave my palms and tropicals outdoors year round!  LOL.    Side note:  Most of us here in St. Pete (maybe even Tampa as well, but def St. Pete/ Pinellas county, do not idenfiy with Central FL.  Central FL is Orlando to us, even polk county and lakeland.   We mainly identify here as  northern SouthWest FL, AKA, The Suncoast. 

 

Thanks for the kind words!  Just for that I will make another post with photos in this thread from my last two trips to Va Beach! 

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To add to this post and the fairly correct summation that S. Palmetto, (all palms really)  Do far better somewhat inland, rather than on the beach in Va Beach.  Yes some survive, even some tall B. Capitata on the beach side of buildings survive sometimes and even look good.  (LOTS OF PICS)

 

First up, Oceanside Palms right up on the beach.   These photos were taken in February of 2017, and in June 2017.  The day I went out there in Feb, it was sunny and 70.  In June it was 86F, and it was my birthday.  Spent the say drinking at a beautiful outdoor bar loaded with palms and it felt like Florida.   As you can see some survive winters on the beach, while others get battered and die.  Its hit or miss, a crapshoot at best, but there are some long lived older / tall ones that have been there for many years just off the beach.   Even windmills suffer right at ocean front here.   Another varying factor is the winter itself.  IF its harsh and very cold with lots of storms with high winds, more palms area damaged or die at ocean front.  The ones that survive are left in place and continue to grow.  My thought is that, right on the ocean front itself, they get 1 to 5 year lifespan out of the palms, Possibly more on occasion.  Even just off the ocean but still at the beach front, they can survive much much longer and grow very tall, esp on the south sides of buildings and / or protected from battering ocean storm winds.  All palms in these photos are either directly on the oceanfront, or on that same block of land before the first street running north/ south which is Atlantic Avenue.

Feb 2017:

PalmsVaBeachOceanside1.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside2.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside3.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside4.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside5.jpeg

 

June 2017

PalmsVaBeachOceanside6.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside7.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside8.jpeg

 

Feb 2017

PalmsVaBeachOceanside9.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland7.jpeg

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Next up:  Inland Va Beach Palms.   For the purpose of this post I am classifying "inland" as 1 block  or more, away from Atlantic Avenue which is the the last block before the boardwalk / oceanfront / beach.   All of these palms are in areas the next block in, or more, some were a good 10 blocks or more in.  You will not how much Healthier they look.  Typically, none of these inland palms die, and often will grow fairly tall and last 20 plus years or more.  These palms are flowering, producing fruit & seed, and the seeds are growing on their own, IE - Naturlaising.   I know someone there that has grown S. Palmetto, B. Capitata, Windmills, and S. Minor for 25 years and she has some truly EPIC sized palms that look like south central FL.  She lives on tidal water, away from the coast, and even has brought spanish moss to her yard and it has grown and spread.  Anyway, here are the inland palms.

 

 

 

PalmsVaBeachInland1.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland2.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland3.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland4.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland5.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland6.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland8.jpeg

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12 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

To add to this post and the fairly correct summation that S. Palmetto, (all palms really)  Do far better somewhat inland, rather than on the beach in Va Beach.  Yes some survive, even some tall B. Capitata on the beach side of buildings survive sometimes and even look good.  (LOTS OF PICS)

 

First up, Oceanside Palms right up on the beach.   These photos were taken in February of 2017, and in June 2017.  The day I went out there in Feb, it was sunny and 70.  In June it was 86F, and it was my birthday.  Spent the say drinking at a beautiful outdoor bar loaded with palms and it felt like Florida.   As you can see some survive winters on the beach, while others get battered and die.  Its hit or miss, a crapshoot at best, but there are some long lived older / tall ones that have been there for many years just off the beach.   Even windmills suffer right at ocean front here.   Another varying factor is the winter itself.  IF its harsh and very cold with lots of storms with high winds, more palms area damaged or die at ocean front.  The ones that survive are left in place and continue to grow.  My thought is that, right on the ocean front itself, they get 1 to 5 year lifespan out of the palms, Possibly more on occasion.  Even just off the ocean but still at the beach front, they can survive much much longer and grow very tall, esp on the south sides of buildings and / or protected from battering ocean storm winds.  All palms in these photos are either directly on the oceanfront, or on that same block of land before the first street running north/ south which is Atlantic Avenue.

Feb 2017:

PalmsVaBeachOceanside1.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside2.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside3.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside4.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside5.jpeg

 

June 2017

PalmsVaBeachOceanside6.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside7.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachOceanside8.jpeg

 

Feb 2017

PalmsVaBeachOceanside9.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland7.jpeg

that last one has been there for a while, a 2007 streetview showed it and it looked established then!

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6 minutes ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

that last one has been there for a while, a 2007 streetview showed it and it looked established then!

5 minutes ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

that last one has been there for a while, a 2007 streetview showed it and it looked established then!

 It has!  As have the other to very tall ones between the buildings on the south side of the taller buildings.  You can tell the old ones by the beach because they are the only ones with tall trunks, clear of boots at least a good part of the way up, and often will have old flower/ fruit rachis.    Funny thing, I actually found a ziplock bag full of about 25 seeds from one of those tall Va Beach palms, that I collected back in June of 2017.  I wonder if they would still germinate over a year later here in FL?  

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1 minute ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

 It has!  As have the other to very tall ones between the buildings on the south side of the taller buildings.  You can tell the old ones by the beach because they are the only ones with tall trunks, clear of boots at least a good part of the way up, and often will have old flower/ fruit rachis.    Funny thing, I actually found a ziplock bag full of about 25 seeds from one of those tall Va Beach palms, that I collected back in June of 2017.  I wonder if they would still germinate over a year later here in FL?  

I'd say give them the benefit of the doubt and see if any come up.  You can guarantee that they are from a cold-hardy stock.

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

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30 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

 It has!  As have the other to very tall ones between the buildings on the south side of the taller buildings.  You can tell the old ones by the beach because they are the only ones with tall trunks, clear of boots at least a good part of the way up, and often will have old flower/ fruit rachis.    Funny thing, I actually found a ziplock bag full of about 25 seeds from one of those tall Va Beach palms, that I collected back in June of 2017.  I wonder if they would still germinate over a year later here in FL?  

Maybe soak them for a day or two in water? Awesome pictures also, thank you! 

Edited by PalmTreeDude

PalmTreeDude

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5 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

I agree with you, Sabal palmettos seem to do better inland in Virginia Beach. The ones growing adjacent to the ocean look so sad and neglected.

 

I think thats a mix of the atlantic winds being HARSH and beach communities not caring about landscaping as they will just replace in the spring. Seems common with most beach towns I visit. 

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LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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4 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

 

I think thats a mix of the atlantic winds being HARSH and beach communities not caring about landscaping as they will just replace in the spring. Seems common with most beach towns I visit. 

Yeah, this issue isn't just reserved to the Outer Banks and VA Beach. Almost every coconut I see at the resorts in Florida never look as good as the ones being grown inland.

 

7 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Next up:  Inland Va Beach Palms.   For the purpose of this post I am classifying "inland" as 1 block  or more, away from Atlantic Avenue which is the the last block before the boardwalk / oceanfront / beach.   All of these palms are in areas the next block in, or more, some were a good 10 blocks or more in.  You will not how much Healthier they look.  Typically, none of these inland palms die, and often will grow fairly tall and last 20 plus years or more.  These palms are flowering, producing fruit & seed, and the seeds are growing on their own, IE - Naturlaising.   I know someone there that has grown S. Palmetto, B. Capitata, Windmills, and S. Minor for 25 years and she has some truly EPIC sized palms that look like south central FL.  She lives on tidal water, away from the coast, and even has brought spanish moss to her yard and it has grown and spread.  Anyway, here are the inland palms.

 

 

 

PalmsVaBeachInland1.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland2.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland3.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland4.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland5.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland6.jpeg

PalmsVaBeachInland8.jpeg

When were these photos taken? I know the palms took a beating there from last January. I would be surprised (and happy) to know if any butia are thriving up there. 

Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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12 minutes ago, NC_Palms said:

 

 

When were these photos taken? I know the palms took a beating there from last January. I would be surprised (and happy) to know if any butia are thriving up there. 

They're butia is some of the pics above...

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Just now, RJ said:

They're butia is some of the pics above...

Yeah I know, I just didn't know if the photos were taken before January 2018. 

Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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Just now, NC_Palms said:

Yeah I know, I just didn't know if the photos were taken before January 2018. 

Gotchya... Unless those were planted large it looks like they have endured cold winters prior to last. Do you seen pindo's in greenville? I don't ever remember seeing them in Raleigh when I lived there, but I certainly wasn't into palms back then, 

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2 minutes ago, RJ said:

Gotchya... Unless those were planted large it looks like they have endured cold winters prior to last. Do you seen pindo's in greenville? I don't ever remember seeing them in Raleigh when I lived there, but I certainly wasn't into palms back then, 

Yep we have a few pindos in Greenville, but most of the palms here are trachycarpus and Sabals. People also seem to be trying Washingtonias and Phoenix Canariensis here, but I don't think any are left from last winter. For Raleigh, I have seen a few pindos there as well. They seem to be increasing in numbers in the Triangle. 

Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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I have seen some surviving pindos in neighborhoods around Virginia Beach in July that I saw before the winter of 2017/18 that were still alive. They were smaller, I think that tallest had about four feet of trunk. 

PalmTreeDude

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22 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

Yeah, this issue isn't just reserved to the Outer Banks and VA Beach. Almost every coconut I see at the resorts in Florida never look as good as the ones being grown inland.

 

When were these photos taken? I know the palms took a beating there from last January. I would be surprised (and happy) to know if any butia are thriving up there. 

I thought I had dated the pics.  All of the photos were taken either in February 2017, or June of 2017.   That said, I know for certain that there are some adult Pindo in interior sections of VA Beach that have been there long term that are big, bloom, and produce fruit / seed.  My friend even made jelly from one of her crops of fruit a several years back.   I know some can and do  do well in Va beach.  Just not typically along the coast. 

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There are some YouTube users that post videos of palms in the DelMarVA + NJ/NY areas.  This user hasn't posted anything new in a while, but has a lot of videos up: https://www.youtube.com/user/HardyPalmFreak/videos

I'm into the whole growing cold hardy palms in new states thing, so I find it interesting to watch these videos and check back after a particularly rough winter to see what all makes it.

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

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Yeah growing palms is taboo around here. Every gardener laughs(rudely) or gives you that "you dumbBLEEP" look when you say you grow them. Folks around here know me as the palm guy affectionately but honestly they all wonder when I'm going to stop being silly. That's one of the reasons why palms aren't tried in the DMV very often outside of rhapidophyllum. Delmarva could be covered in trachycarpus and even has some spots where palmettos could do OK. But instead everyone gets coconuts and all you'll see are dead palms for 2 to 4 months before they are replaced.

 

Hoping I can help change all that but I doubt it will.

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LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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1 hour ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

Yeah growing palms is taboo around here. Every gardener laughs(rudely) or gives you that "you dumbBLEEP" look when you say you grow them. Folks around here know me as the palm guy affectionately but honestly they all wonder when I'm going to stop being silly. That's one of the reasons why palms aren't tried in the DMV very often outside of rhapidophyllum. Delmarva could be covered in trachycarpus and even has some spots where palmettos could do OK. But instead everyone gets coconuts and all you'll see are dead palms for 2 to 4 months before they are replaced.

 

Hoping I can help change all that but I doubt it will.

The line between insanity and genius is a thin one, indeed ;)

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

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45 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

The line between insanity and genius is a thin one, indeed ;)

download.jpg.b546879988292a6d387df13d2a2

 

Edited by mdsonofthesouth
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LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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15 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

That jungle golf place is famous up there. Everyone knows it not only because its fun, but its palms too.    I was talking to a worker for a company that contracts with Va Beach to do the plants on the boardwalk and other public areas and she told me they replace about  between 30-75% of the ones in the beach / boardwalk areas each year. It just depends on how harsh the winters are, and how well established the palms get before winter sets in.   She did mention that there is a guy up there that they use thats local and he has been supplying the palms for ages.  The Jungle Golf owner uses the same guy, but they lose far less palms each year because they are not on the beach. 

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3 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

Yeah growing palms is taboo around here. Every gardener laughs(rudely) or gives you that "you dumbBLEEP" look when you say you grow them. Folks around here know me as the palm guy affectionately but honestly they all wonder when I'm going to stop being silly. That's one of the reasons why palms aren't tried in the DMV very often outside of rhapidophyllum. Delmarva could be covered in trachycarpus and even has some spots where palmettos could do OK. But instead everyone gets coconuts and all you'll see are dead palms for 2 to 4 months before they are replaced.

 

Hoping I can help change all that but I doubt it will.

Not sure where you are, but in the DC area they are kind of a thing, so not taboo at all.  I knew quite a few gardeners up there that had them and loved palms.  Quite a few homes around have at least a needle palm.  (not common but still alot more than you would think).  THere was a home in Alexandria VA that had loads of Palms including several large / tall windmill palms, and lots of needles and S. Minor all around the property along with hardy bananas, and other tropicals/ subtropicals.  There was a pindo there as well.   THere was an other man, I Believe in Montgomery county MD closer in to DC who Grew a Washingtonia Robusta in his yard for something like 15 years or more. He heavily protected it each year and it did fine.  He finally got too old and the tree got too tall to protect (I think it got to 20 feet plus) and he left it unprotected and of course it died.

If you get a chance, There are lots of palms on the independence avenue side of the National Air & Space museum in DC.  At least one TALL windmill and loads and loads of needles and S. minor.  All produce seed, and babies come up all over.

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25 minutes ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Not sure where you are, but in the DC area they are kind of a thing, so not taboo at all.  I knew quite a few gardeners up there that had them and loved palms.  Quite a few homes around have at least a needle palm.  (not common but still alot more than you would think).  THere was a home in Alexandria VA that had loads of Palms including several large / tall windmill palms, and lots of needles and S. Minor all around the property along with hardy bananas, and other tropicals/ subtropicals.  There was a pindo there as well.   THere was an other man, I Believe in Montgomery county MD closer in to DC who Grew a Washingtonia Robusta in his yard for something like 15 years or more. He heavily protected it each year and it did fine.  He finally got too old and the tree got too tall to protect (I think it got to 20 feet plus) and he left it unprotected and of course it died.

If you get a chance, There are lots of palms on the independence avenue side of the National Air & Space museum in DC.  At least one TALL windmill and loads and loads of needles and S. minor.  All produce seed, and babies come up all over.

I still remember how surprised I was a few years back when I was up in Northern Virginia driving to Pennsylvania to meet family and I saw a big beefy Sabal minor in front of a house along a country road. 

PalmTreeDude

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2 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

download.jpg.b546879988292a6d387df13d2a2

And here I was leaning toward genius LOL

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

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5 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Not sure where you are, but in the DC area they are kind of a thing, so not taboo at all.  I knew quite a few gardeners up there that had them and loved palms.  Quite a few homes around have at least a needle palm.  (not common but still alot more than you would think).  THere was a home in Alexandria VA that had loads of Palms including several large / tall windmill palms, and lots of needles and S. Minor all around the property along with hardy bananas, and other tropicals/ subtropicals.  There was a pindo there as well.   THere was an other man, I Believe in Montgomery county MD closer in to DC who Grew a Washingtonia Robusta in his yard for something like 15 years or more. He heavily protected it each year and it did fine.  He finally got too old and the tree got too tall to protect (I think it got to 20 feet plus) and he left it unprotected and of course it died.

If you get a chance, There are lots of palms on the independence avenue side of the National Air & Space museum in DC.  At least one TALL windmill and loads and loads of needles and S. minor.  All produce seed, and babies come up all over.

 

I am confident with the right trachycarpus and chamaerops in the right placing can thrive in a DMV zone 7 with little to no protection especially when older. I have been debating and will be changing my setup come spring and give the best spots to palms I feel will be more long term. I know delmarva could be palm tree heaven with their winters if folks only knew. 

 

But Id love to check some of these out as the DC climate is particularly mild in the winter. 

 

4 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

And here I was leaning toward genius LOL

 

lol

 

5 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I still remember how surprised I was a few years back when I was up in Northern Virginia driving to Pennsylvania to meet family and I saw a big beefy Sabal minor in front of a house along a country road. 

 

I feel like sabal minor should be more readily available in the DMV, but I have yet to see one in a nursery. I can find all the trachycarpus, chamaerops, butia capitata, majesty, livistona chinensis, and even rhapidophyllum (sometimes) that Ill ever want.

Edited by mdsonofthesouth

LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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15 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

Yeah growing palms is taboo around here. Every gardener laughs(rudely) or gives you that "you dumbBLEEP" look when you say you grow them. Folks around here know me as the palm guy affectionately but honestly they all wonder when I'm going to stop being silly. That's one of the reasons why palms aren't tried in the DMV very often outside of rhapidophyllum. Delmarva could be covered in trachycarpus and even has some spots where palmettos could do OK. But instead everyone gets coconuts and all you'll see are dead palms for 2 to 4 months before they are replaced.

 

Hoping I can help change all that but I doubt it will.

I heard via a facebook group that the  queens planted as annuals are still alive and green in those Delaware and Maryland beach towns. 

12 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Not sure where you are, but in the DC area they are kind of a thing, so not taboo at all.  I knew quite a few gardeners up there that had them and loved palms.  Quite a few homes around have at least a needle palm.  (not common but still alot more than you would think).  THere was a home in Alexandria VA that had loads of Palms including several large / tall windmill palms, and lots of needles and S. Minor all around the property along with hardy bananas, and other tropicals/ subtropicals.  There was a pindo there as well.   THere was an other man, I Believe in Montgomery county MD closer in to DC who Grew a Washingtonia Robusta in his yard for something like 15 years or more. He heavily protected it each year and it did fine.  He finally got too old and the tree got too tall to protect (I think it got to 20 feet plus) and he left it unprotected and of course it died.

If you get a chance, There are lots of palms on the independence avenue side of the National Air & Space museum in DC.  At least one TALL windmill and loads and loads of needles and S. minor.  All produce seed, and babies come up all over.

Last time I was in D.C I took a trip around the city to look at all the palms. It reminded me a lot of Raleigh, but without all the politicians lol

Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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Sometimes they make it to the next season but look rough and thus get ripped out. It really is amazing how mild delmarva winters are and experiencing as often as I have it's no surprise about Va beach.

Edited by mdsonofthesouth

LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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On 12/5/2018, 9:34:11, PalmTreeDude said:

I had a thread with a bunch of things about VA Beach Sabal palmettos, with pictures and streetview links, but just could not find it. Anyway, here is a nice Sabal palmetto in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Notice how it is inland. Also, apparently there is a street called "Palmetto Avenue" in Virginia Beach just down the street from this nice palmetto.  The palmetto is the pin on the map, the other pin shows Palmetto Avenue. I did not expect palmetto to be in the name of anything north of North Carolina, so that's neat.

There’s actually a Palmetto Street in NYC, running from Brooklyn to Queens. It’s laughable, especially given the lack of greenery in that area, but to our credit, “dwarf palmetto” (Sabal minor) is fully hardy here.

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5 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

Sometimes they make it to the next season but look rough and thus get ripped out. It really is amazing how mild delmarva winters are and experiencing as often as I have it's no surprise about Va beach.

Yeah, I’m definitely jealous of the climate there, it’s just mild enough to open the floodgates for (long term) palms.

On Long Island I saw a 15 foot Washingtonia robusta barely make it through a zone 8 winter, it eventually rotted and the crown collapsed once temperatures warmed up in the spring/summer, it was replaced with an ugly plastic Washy. I wish more businesses went with hardy palms over palms with a 1% chance of survival.

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On 12/15/2018, 6:27:13, mdsonofthesouth said:

 

I am confident with the right trachycarpus and chamaerops in the right placing can thrive in a DMV zone 7 with little to no protection especially when older. I have been debating and will be changing my setup come spring and give the best spots to palms I feel will be more long term. I know delmarva could be palm tree heaven with their winters if folks only knew. 

 

But Id love to check some of these out as the DC climate is particularly mild in the winter. 

 

 

lol

 

 

I feel like sabal minor should be more readily available in the DMV, but I have yet to see one in a nursery. I can find all the trachycarpus, chamaerops, butia capitata, majesty, livistona chinensis, and even rhapidophyllum (sometimes) that Ill ever want.

I saw a Sabal minor for sale in a 7 gallon pot at a nursery here for $200, no joke. I really don't like just buying Sabal minor as "Sabal minor," I would like to get one that originates from a colder part of its range. I wish they would all have a location label from where the seed was collected, like Sabal minor 'McCurtain' or Sabal minor 'Dallas.' You never know where they could be from, and how hardy they can be. 

Edited by PalmTreeDude

PalmTreeDude

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2 minutes ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I saw a Sabal minor for sale in a 7 gallon pot at a nursery here for $200, no joke. I really don't like just buying Sabal minor as "Sabal minor," I would like to get one that originates from a colder part of its range. I wish they would all have a location label from where the seed was collected, like Sabal minor 'McCurtain' or Sabal minor 'Dallas.' You never know where they could be from, and how hardy they can be. 

 

Yeah that can be misleading for sure. I am not a fan of the arbitrary names some of these nurseries give them.

LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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4 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I saw a Sabal minor for sale in a 7 gallon pot at a nursery here for $200, no joke. I really don't like just buying Sabal minor as "Sabal minor," I would like to get one that originates from a colder part of its range. I wish they would all have a location label from where the seed was collected, like Sabal minor 'McCurtain' or Sabal minor 'Dallas.' You never know where they could be from, and how hardy they can be. 

High chance that it was from Florida. I got all my Sabal minors originally from North Florida but now I have pledged to get all my Sabal palmettos and minors from NC stock. 

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Zone 8a/8b Greenville, NC 

Zone 9a/9b Bluffton, SC

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  • 1 month later...

When I lived in Chesapeake, I used to admire this guys house when I would drive buy (he may even be a Palm Talker):

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7180624,-76.1856793,3a,75y,106.19h,93.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB_xoZl_ERi2sfzEfrmgBtg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Looks like some of his palms took a hit during recent winters, but this yard still has a more "tropical" look compared to its surroundings.

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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