Possible Most Northern East Coast CIDP plus tough OBX Phoenix Survivor

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

Most of us know that the most northern climate on the east coast for Canary Island Palms to grow long term is Charleston.  some of the ones there are 50ft tall and 70+ years old.  However CIDP are still seen on the coast north of there.  Places like Myrtle beach and Ocean Isle Beach NC have a few trunked ones that have been there for at least 12 years (streetview) and pull through bad winters .   I had the privilege of going to Cape Hatteras North Carolina last September and I was surprised to see some healthy CIDP around the Island.   

This one was behind the Grocery store in the Buxton part of Hatteras.   The first 4 big ones are confirmed to have been planted over 12 years ago using Google Streetview.

On the west side of Cape Hatteras, in a small development called "Hatteras Landing" near the Ocracoke Ferry Launch were three even bigger Canary Island Date Palms.  Also over 12 yers since planting.  

This one was the most protected from the Pamlico Sound. 

The biggest one was very viewable from the Ferry launch and has a lot of exposure to winds from the sound.  It still looks great especially considering the Location.

This one has direct exposure to winds off the sound.   Clearly more battered from salt spray, It still has a lot of green.  

Another crazy find was the one straggler left from a group of Phoenix palms planted in direct sand with exposure to the Atlantic Ocean on the road from Buxton to Avon . 

This 2007 Streetview shows the clear outline of the original planting of scattered Phoenix palms . 

 https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2670283,-75.5192028,3a,24.4y,314.36h,85.78t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_Of2ZSwZgxq4P7DDFk7NMA!2e0!5s20071201T000000!7i3328!8i1664

In 2019 one of these palms still lives despite the harsh climate and lack of care.   12 years later, it hasn't really gotten any bigger but shows how tough Phoenix can be.

Lots of newer growth since the 2017/2018 bad winter.

Another CIDP in Hatteras.  

I was very surprised to find any surviving Phoenix especially being as old and looking as good as some of the ones I saw in Hatteras.  But I came across one even more north . A guy on facebook told me about this one in Virginia Beach.  He said it usually gets wrapped in plastic in the winter but no other protection.  I wish I knew about this one when I was in VB.   

Notice the Washy and sagos too 

Streetview

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.9081015,-75.992864,3a,28.8y,22.64h,85.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssZIMqXuQc5i1ZuMDfWc2ow!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Anyone know of any other Phoenix stragglers along the east coast?

[Brad Mondel]

Mutiny bay golf in North Myrtle Beach has the largest I've seen but they may not have survived last winters harsh weather. 

[DAVEinMB]

There are still some decent looking ones at mutiny bay. The best looking one on their property is in their courtyard at the entrance of the course. It's well sheltered from wind and receives a good amount of supplemental heat from all the brick around it. (First pic below) 

North Myrtle has a handful of pretty healthy looking ones. None of them are very tall but they at least seem happy. 

[kinzyjr]

Looks like a few made it and started regrowing their crowns: Mutiny Bay Street View

[DAVEinMB]

1 minute ago, kinzyjr said:

Looks like a few made it and started regrowing their crowns: Mutiny Bay Stree View

In the far right of that image there's one that's as tall as the light pole beside it. Doesn't look like a canary, or a dactylifera.... maybe hybrid?

[kinzyjr]

5 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

In the far right of that image there's one that's as tall as the light pole beside it. Doesn't look like a canary, or a dactylifera.... maybe hybrid?

My guess would have been a dactylifera with a severely damaged crown putting out stunted fronds, but a hybrid wouldn't be out of the question.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

1 hour ago, DAVEinMB said:

There are still some decent looking ones at mutiny bay. The best looking one on their property is in their courtyard at the entrance of the course. It's well sheltered from wind and receives a good amount of supplemental heat from all the brick around it. (First pic below) 

North Myrtle has a handful of pretty healthy looking ones. None of them are very tall but they at least seem happy. 

That first one is surprisingly big for that area. Good find!

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

1 hour ago, Brad Mondel said:

Mutiny bay golf in North Myrtle Beach has the largest I've seen but they may not have survived last winters harsh weather. 

Id assume most of these made it as the ones I posted in Hatteras survived and look great now. 

[PalmTreeDude]

Aren't Canary Island Date Palms slightly hardier than Washingtonia robusta? 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

Just now, PalmTreeDude said:

Aren't Canary Island Date Palms slightly hardier than Washingtonia robusta? 

Yes. Id say a CIDP is about the same as a Filibusta in the humid southeast.  Only issue is a surviving washingtonia will put out 20 fronds after a bad year while CIDP are much slower which can lead to an eventual death after several bad winters in a row. 

[PalmTreeDude]

Just now, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Yes. Id say a CIDP is about the same as a Filibusta in the humid southeast.  Only issue is a surviving washingtonia will put out 20 fronds after a bad year while CIDP are much slower which can lead to an eventual death after several bad winters in a row. 

That's what I was wondering. I thought I recalled someone saying they were hardier in a thread a long time ago. This palm is on my to grow list from seed for sure. I think they look awesome, especially the pure ones that get massive trunks. I saw a lot of fat healthy ones on Hilton Head. 

[RJ]

I've started to see them popping up around Columbia, SC. 

[NC_Palms]

In my experience of watching CIDPs in North Carolina, I have this theory that they are hardier than what they are given credit for. In the 2018 freeze, tons of Butia were killed off in the zone 8b/9a beach towns of Southeastern NC but several CIDPs defoliated and returned with a full crown by July.  You may be thinking that a microclimate is to blame for this phenomenon but some of the Butia that died were growing right next to CIDPs that survived. 

CIDPs don't seem to be commonly grown until you reach coastal South Carolina but I wish they were tried more often in North Carolina.