Palms in Colorado?

[Alex High]

Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you knew of or are growing some palms in Southwest Colorado. It should be mild enough for Trachycarpus and other cold-hardy species to survive with minimal to no winter protection, yet when looked up palms in SW Colorado, very few results came up. The only Trachycarpus that I know of in Southwest Colorado is a T. wagnerianus at North 8th St. and Rood Ave. in Grand Junction, CO, which I will put a picture of below. Apparently it has been there for well over 15 years. There must be other palms growing in Grand Junction and elsewhere in Southwest Colorado, and I would love to see them! Thank you!

 

PalmsUSA

Trachycarpus wagnerianus at 8th Street and Rood Ave. in Grand Junction, CO

[doubravsky]

Haven’t seen any in the four corners area... probably a little too high in elevation. 

[climate change virginia]

2 hours ago, PalmsUSA said:

Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you knew of or are growing some palms in Southwest Colorado. It should be mild enough for Trachycarpus and other cold-hardy species to survive with minimal to no winter protection, yet when looked up palms in SW Colorado, very few results came up. The only Trachycarpus that I know of in Southwest Colorado is a T. wagnerianus at North 8th St. and Rood Ave. in Grand Junction, CO, which I will put a picture of below. Apparently it has been there for well over 15 years. There must be other palms growing in Grand Junction and elsewhere in Southwest Colorado, and I would love to see them! Thank you!

 

PalmsUSA

Trachycarpus wagnerianus at 8th Street and Rood Ave. in Grand Junction, CO

is that a trachy if it is it should have protection during the winter

[Chester B]

I've been through most of Colorado and the vegetation was very "northern" looking to me, I don't ever recall seeing anything that looked at all interesting.  That coupled with the huge swings in temps from day to day I don't think there is really a suitable climate for anything or than maybe needles or minors.  I've had the misfortune of experiencing one day sunny and in the 80's followed by a cold front that brought feet of snow the very next morning and below freezing temps.  Alberta, Montana, Colorado and any areas just east of the rockies seem prone to these incredible weather changes that only the hardiest plants can seem to handle.

[Alex High]

5 hours ago, climate change virginia said:

is that a trachy if it is it should have protection during the winter

Yes, that is a Trachycarpus wagnerianus (or T. fortunei cultivar wagnerianus). I don't think it has ever received winter protection, but I may be wrong.

[Alex High]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

I've been through most of Colorado and the vegetation was very "northern" looking to me, I don't ever recall seeing anything that looked at all interesting.  That coupled with the huge swings in temps from day to day I don't think there is really a suitable climate for anything or than maybe needles or minors.  I've had the misfortune of experiencing one day sunny and in the 80's followed by a cold front that brought feet of snow the very next morning and below freezing temps.  Alberta, Montana, Colorado and any areas just east of the rockies seem prone to these incredible weather changes that only the hardiest plants can seem to handle.

That is a good point. I know SW Colorado receives frequent snowfall in the winter months, so you are probably right about there being a limited number of palm species that can grow there.

Edited October 27, 2020 by PalmsUSA

[Alex High]

6 hours ago, doubravsky said:

Haven’t seen any in the four corners area... probably a little too high in elevation. 

There are a few palms scattered throughout the Four Corners region but they are mostly Trachycarpus and needle palms.