Largest Zone-Pushed Bismarckia

[Xenon 2,505]

1 minute ago, Collectorpalms said:

I saw it before 2010. I always had my eye on it. I was surprised it survived 2010-2020 being exposed. But there is a freeway and the area has exploded in growth. When it was planted I considered it a zone 8b area and not zone 9a until beltway 8. But today I’d say most of Katy is a couple degrees warmer. 

It's not hard to find pre-2010 queens in that area though it's definitely not as warm as closer to town and is far colder than 610. Pre-2010 queens really start to disappear west of SH 99 even south of I-10. No older queens in Old Katy, Rosenberg, or Richmond.  On the north side, queens make it to at least Clay Rd but not into the Cypress Area. 

[Xenon 2,505]

39 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

That one on the brick microclimate looks good. That is the color of brick pinkish brick is same color as mine. I just don’t have a wall that high. 
...the tallest bismarckia north into zone 9, I recall were/are on ocean drive in Corpus.
 

Are they being field grown in the Rio Grand Valley?

 

oh RIP Queen 2018. What percentage of Queens lost in Katy? Now that they have landscaped the freeway I can’t see them. 

Maybe a third died in Katy east of SH 99, out west was near total wipeout. There are several big Bismarckia in Houston closer to town and many in Galveston. 

Ocean Drive in Corpus should not be a part of the convo, there are many big royals and foxtails on the properties lining Ocean Drive. Bismarckia lines a big section of freeway in Mission-McAllen-Pharr. Ironically they aren't that popular in hot semi-arid RGV but the more tender royal is all the rage. Here is the RGV palm thread: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/64096-zone-10-palms-in-south-texas/&

Edited October 11, 2020 by Xenon

[Xenon 2,505]

Check out my pics of post-2018 freeze large Bismarckia in Houston (near the Med Center, warmest part of town): https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/56082-houston-bismarckia/&tab=comments#comment-840457

Here is a very old (2011) pic of the biggest Bismarckia in Galveston. 

Ugh I just checked streetview and the big one is Galveston was REMOVED . Was a remnant of a house that used to belong to a palm lover. Yes, that's a Satakentia growing next to the Bizzie in 2008 to give you an idea of how warm Galveston can be. 

While I'm at it, might as well include the Galveston Carpentaria from the "warm 2000s epoch" 

and the big Galveston royal not-at-Moody that was taken out in 2018  

 

 

Sorry way off topic now haha 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Xenon

[Xenon 2,505]

44 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

 

Houston Plant and Garden World that was in Katy on feeder of Interstate 10, must be why there are so many. They would occasionally carry oddball stuff at the time. I guess they are gone??

Ah, yes I remember that nursery very well and they did carry a lot of tropical fruit/ornamentals. It has been gone for many many years, even before 2011 iirc. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Xenon

[Keys6505 386]

Here's a pair in League City that I drive by regularly, but I've only been here for a year so not sure how long they've been there.  I got the street sign in the pic in case someone wanted to look back on google but not sure if it's clear enough.

[Xenon 2,505]

The big one looks recently planted in 2008 streetview. There was a big pygmy date that was removed recently (full recovery after 2018), so these Bizzies have never seen any "real cold" (below 20F). 

[Jeff985 634]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

The big one looks recently planted in 2008 streetview. There was a big pygmy date that was removed recently (full recovery after 2018), so these Bizzies have never seen any "real cold" (below 20F). 

 

 

In order for them to have seen below 20 in League City, they would have to have been there for the 1989 freeze. And they wouldn’t have survived that one. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr 1,188]

12 hours ago, Jeff985 said:

In order for them to have seen below 20 in League City, they would have to have been there for the 1989 freeze. And they wouldn’t have survived that one. 

20° with freezing rain i believe is a pretty big deal. Honestly the fact the bizzies made it past the 2018 freeze has alot to say for there hardiness. Many queens palms did not make it that year. There is a huge Bizzie off of 646 in Whispering lakes that's as tall as a the story house im curios how long its been there. 

[Jeff985 634]

10 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

20° with freezing rain i believe is a pretty big deal. Honestly the fact the bizzies made it past the 2018 freeze has alot to say for there hardiness. Many queens palms did not make it that year. There is a huge Bizzie off of 646 in Whispering lakes that's as tall as a the story house im curios how long its been there. 

I’m not saying I’m not impressed. What they endured in 2018 was horrific. I’m just pointing out the last time that area dropped below 20 was 1989. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr 1,188]

7 hours ago, Jeff985 said:

I’m not saying I’m not impressed. What they endured in 2018 was horrific. I’m just pointing out the last time that area dropped below 20 was 1989. 

I can live with bad freezes only every 30 years haha. Next one 2048 haha 

[Jeff985 634]

2 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

I can live with bad freezes only every 30 years haha. Next one 2048 haha 

Hopefully I’ll be living in Fiji by then. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr 1,188]

3 hours ago, Jeff985 said:

Hopefully I’ll be living in Fiji by then. 

Hmmm Fiji doesn't sound bad. Make sure you have room for company haha 

[KsLouisiana 118]

Hey yall. Theres a huge bismarck growing at Lowe's in webster.  Its right outside the lumber door! Very impressive 

[KsLouisiana 118]

 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr 1,188]

On 11/2/2020 at 12:52 PM, KsLouisiana said:

Hey yall. Theres a huge bismarck growing at Lowe's in webster.  Its right outside the lumber door! Very impressive 

Yes sir, that is a very well known palm in this area =) Your about 6' + im guessing? 

[Meangreen94z 1,761]

Here it is further back 

[climate change virginia 172]

a bismark kind of looks like a short(but glorified) mexican fan palm. 

[necturus 567]

13 minutes ago, climate change virginia said:

a bismark kind of looks like a short(but glorified) mexican fan palm. 

You need to spend more time looking at palms, man. Yes, they're both fan palms.  That's where the similarity ends.  Try to check these out next time you're in Houston!

[Teegurr 440]

On 8/29/2020 at 7:11 AM, Collectorpalms said:

I have one remaining mature Queen and Bismark in College Station. 90 miles NW of Houston. Unprotected at 14.5 degrees.

Sorry for necroing the thread, but I'm gonna try a Bismarck here in College Station as well. I ordered one from plantvine.com. Check it out, they have pretty nice sized ones for 62 bucks. Maybe I spent too much, but it was the best deal I could find online. Got any tips for growing? 

[Collectorpalms 2,100]

Give it full sun close to the house out of the north wind. Temperature varies greatly around here, so I cannot comment on your location. I happen to be in the center of town within a mile of the university and I have a 55 ft Tall hotel on my property line that blocks the northeast wind mostly, except the front corner on my yard where I get gail force gusts as it funnels around the hotel. My largest canary takes the brunt of it. I have grown an almost 35-40 ft tall Phoenix Sylvester on other corner. My soil is horrid. Most everything is in a raised bed. And our water or horrid with sodium so I try to only use rain water. 

[Teegurr 440]

58 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Give it full sun close to the house out of the north wind. Temperature varies greatly around here, so I cannot comment on your location. I happen to be in the center of town within a mile of the university and I have a 55 ft Tall hotel on my property line that blocks the northeast wind mostly, except the front corner on my yard where I get gail force gusts as it funnels around the hotel. My largest canary takes the brunt of it. I have grown an almost 35-40 ft tall Phoenix Sylvester on other corner. My soil is horrid. Most everything is in a raised bed. And our water or horrid with sodium so I try to only use rain water. 

I'm near Southwest Parkway, don't have much room on the south facing side of a wall. Probably could put it close to the house, though. Thank you for your astute observations, really helps to have an experienced palm-grower here.