Washingtonia growth rate in southern England at 50-52N

[petiole10]

I bought five Washingtonia from one of the main stores in the UK about five years before I moved to Portugal. They were cheap at £5 each.  They spent their time in pots until they came with me along with my other UK palm selection in October 2020. Actually they went with the removal transporter ahead of me.

They had struggled to do much in pots - gaining a few new fronds each summer and then losing a couple in winter. Suffice to say they are taking off since planted out at my new home here in Portugal last year. I hadn't realised that the two existing Washingtonia skydusters planted a few decades back by a previous owner would be such a seedling factory with the ground littered with tiny sprouting leaves.. There are also a few younger Washys growing around the house. probably planted in the last few years by the people who lived here.  And there was me bringing a palm that is not that common in the UK (as a whole aside from London and the south of england) to somewhere where they literally do grow everywhere on every street up and down the country . Now, with all the UK contingent on top, I have more Washys than I know what to do with..

Here is one of the small UK Washys in the background of another UK imported palm, a Butia bought as a juvenile from a UK palm seller in 2018.

 

 

These are the skydusters at the back of the house

 

 

 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

I’ll be curious to see what London looks like in a couple decades. Washingtonia and CIDP can be borderline invasive species. Would be so cool to see Washingtonia volunteers popping up everywhere. They clearly enjoy the soil there

[UK_Palms]

7 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I’ll be curious to see what London looks like in a couple decades. Washingtonia and CIDP can be borderline invasive species. Would be so cool to see Washingtonia volunteers popping up everywhere. They clearly enjoy the soil there

I am going to go in heavy on a Washingtonia update this evening, as I haven't done any follow up posts in this thread for over a year. The Washingtonia are off the scale now and everywhere, especially on the south coast. Flower stalks on several big specimens. I am observing height gains of 3 foot per year on the Robusta's in London. Absolute rockets. If only the councils would plant the streets with big Robusta's, since we are having to play catch up by planting them small and waiting for them to grow. Anyway, watch this space. Big update coming this evening. 

[UK_Palms]

Right, here is a 2021-22 update, since I haven't really updated anything in this thread for over a year now. Not everything is being updated as I haven't visited every Washingtonia out there and many of the Google street views haven't updated still either. There is no update on the big pool Robusta in Earl's Court. Nonetheless, there are still updates for quite a few.

Starting with all the London ones, here is the big Filibusta on Darlaston Road in Wimbledon. Photo taken in July 2021 after a terrible winter, arguably the worst spring on record and during a lacklustre summer. Consequently the crown isn't as full and vibrant as it was in 2020, but I guarantee it looks way better now, 10 months on from when I took this photo. 

 

Here's the twin Robusta's / Filibusta's on Mortlake Road in Kew. I took this photo in February 2022...

 

Here's the Robusta on Ashburnham Grove in Greenwich. Photo credit to Ryland. 

 

Here's the Filibusta in Mitcham

 

Filibusta on Court Lane in East Dulwich...

 

Another Filibusta on Barnsbury Close in New Malden

 

Hither Green Road Washingtonia...

 

Dave Brown's Robusta/hybrid on the outskirts of east London...

 

Probably Robusta's in St. James Square...

 

Here's the one in Chelsea Physic Garden that I photographed in July.

 

Ilford Washingtonia looking very full and heathy...

 

Robusta/hybrid outside the Wimbledon Hotel...

 

I can't remember whether I already posted this back yard Robusta or not in Sterling Road, Plaistow...

 

Filifera/hybrid on Summerhill Road in Tottenham...

 

Isleworth, London Washingtonia...

 

Battersea Park Filifera's...

 

Here's another London one that I haven't posted yet...

 

Another lurking on the outskirts of London over in Essex...

 

Ramsden Bellhouse Washingtonia are pretty far outside the northern London suburbs so they won't receive any UHI effect. They're doing surprisingly well though...

 

Big Filibusta in Minster-On-Sea, which has grown about 30 foot in 12 years.

 

Here is the big Robusta/hybrid in Francis Avenue down in Southsea...

 

Arguably the most impressive Washingtonia's in the entirety of the UK are located on the Isle of Wight now...

 

Worthing-Hove-Brighton area...

 

Sandsfoot Gardens in Weymouth...

 

Another in Weymouth

 

Here's one in Torquay

 

Here's one in Paignton that I haven't really posted before. Probably a hybrid, although it may be Filifera. It takes a beating on the coast there.

 

The big Tresco Robusta, which is the tallest Washie in the UK at 45-50 foot tall. It's still dwarfed by the enormous, ancient 100 footer CIDP's. I will visit Tresco this summer and do a full photo-documented record of all the exotics, including that big Robusta.

 

This update only covers about 1% of the known UK Washingtonia, but it shows many of the bigger ones. This will have to do for now.

Edited May 30, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Palmfarmer]

On 3/7/2021 at 11:44 AM, UK_Palms said:

I know of many other big Filifera's around London. Most of which are in back yards and not easy to photograph. It's actually surprising how well Filifera does around London and the southeast, although it struggles more in the wetter, cooler southwest. Filifera's don't seem to take any damage really and grow about as fast as the Robusta's do here. So the London skyline is definitely going to look different in the coming decades. And not just because of the Washie's..

Amazing what you can grow in The UK. Will look like Spain one day  

I find it weird that the Robustas and Filiferas grow at the same rate. My Filifera dominant filabustas (looks to be around 80% Filifera.) grows at perhaps 1/4 the speed of my Robusta even though the Filifera is in excelent soil,I fertilize, mulch, water and take good care of them, but the Robustas are still way faster even when I neglect them somewhat. 

only conclusion I could come to is that it is not hot enough in UK to get that really fast growth that occurs at 30c and above in Robustas so the filis and bustas grow at the same speed. 

 

 

[UK_Palms]

On 5/30/2022 at 4:18 AM, Palmfarmer said:

Amazing what you can grow in The UK. Will look like Spain one day  

I find it weird that the Robustas and Filiferas grow at the same rate. My Filifera dominant filabustas (looks to be around 80% Filifera.) grows at perhaps 1/4 the speed of my Robusta even though the Filifera is in excelent soil,I fertilize, mulch, water and take good care of them, but the Robustas are still way faster even when I neglect them somewhat. 

only conclusion I could come to is that it is not hot enough in UK to get that really fast growth that occurs at 30c and above in Robustas so the filis and bustas grow at the same speed. 

 

How much faster would you say the growth is on your Robusta's? The Washingtonia in southern England are no slouches. They seem to go from tiny 1-2 foot palms right up to about 25 foot in a decade or so. Easily 2-3 foot of growth a year in London and coastal regions once they get some size to them.

Here is 10 years of growth (2011 - 2021) on the Robusta/hybrid on Francis Avenue in Southsea...

 

Here is 12 years of growth on the Minster on Sea Robusta/Filibusta from 2009 - 2021.

 

Here are the two Robustas/hybrids in Kew, southwest London. You can see 9 years of growth on them from 2012 - 2021. 

 

Here you can see 12 years of growth analysis (2009 - 2021) on the Ashburnham Grove Robusta in east London. 

 

Here you can see 13 years of growth (2008 - 2021) on the New Malden Filibusta in southwest London...

 

Here's another Filibusta in south London in 2012 and then again in 2021, showing 9 years of growth...

 

Chelsea Physic Gardens Washingtonia in central London shown in 2005 and again in 2021, which is 16 years later.

 

Dave Brown's legendary Robusta/hybrid on the outskirts of east London, showing 15 years of growth. 

 

13 years growth on the East Dulwich Filibusta...

 

Here's the Iford Filibusta growth in east London from 2008 - 2022

 

Chingford Filibusta/Filifera in August 2008 and again in March 2021... showing 12.5 years of growth...

 

Here is the Isle of Dogs Filifera in east London back in May 2018, shortly after the infamous BFTE event, which was our last MAJOR freeze. It probably took -5C / 22F and 36 hours below freezing there in east London. The recovery is unbelievable 

 

Growth comparisons at Ventnor Botanic Garden from 2008 - 2021, which shows 13 years of growth

 

Another from Ventnor showing 13 years of growth...

 

Torquay Filibusta growth from 2009 - 2022

 

The CIDP's are rockets as well in London & south coast of England. These two CIDP's smoked the Trachy's next to them in the 12 years between the two photos. 

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Zeni]

London is so close to my region, yet it is able to grow so much more (8a to 9a zone shift gives you so many more options). Shocking and pleasantly surprised.