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This is a perfect time at latitude 26.71°(north of the Old Monkey Jungle) to chime in on this subject! This area of SE Florida is definitely not within the tropics (23° latitude) and we just experienced a cold event that it is necessary to travel back thirty-seven (37) years to find a cold event more severe. However, I would argue from the perspective of what grows and the overall warmth of the climate, that in many manners, it can be considered tropical-like. I detailed at the very bottom of the thread titled "Historic East Florida Freeze, February Screenshots" the climate data experienced during this cold event. At PBIA, on February 1, and February 2 of this month, low temperatures of 31°F were recorded for a total of three hours below freezing. This certainly does not dovetail into an easy discussion of a tropical like climate. That stated, I also detailed how the end of the month tally for the month of February 2026 at PBIA was a cumulative median temperature of 64.84°F. This eclipses the 64.4°F required in all months for a technical tropical connotation under Koeppen/Trewarthia. January 2026 had a cumulative median temperature of 67.01°F.. December 2025 had a cumulative median temperature of 71.84°F. All of these temperatures were recorded at PBIA. Parenthetically, even in our coldest event in 37 years, we met the tropical criteria for Koeppen/Trewartha. That was not the case during the December 1989 freeze. During that cold event, the cumulative median temperature for December 1989 was 57.48°F. The cumulative median temperature for January 1990 was 66.37°F. The cumulative median temperature for February 1990 was 70.04°F. All of these temperatures were recorded at. PBIA. In my other post above described, I detailed with specificity the weather underground station in Palm Beach referred to as Device One-KFLPALMB 251. During the February 2026 cold event, this device recorded an ultimate low temperature of 38.3°F with a cumulative median temperature of 67.8°F. That taps into another theory that I have based upon observations regarding a micro climate experienced in this area because of proximity to the.Gulfstream/Florida Current. I will not open that door in this conversation. More to the point, the obvious question becomes what grows? I have posted pictures in various threads of the tropical vegetation and palms in this area and how they have been affected. Ultimately, what can be grown in an area, particularly after a cold event, should lend some perspective regarding the tropical character of a place. Anne Norton Sculpture Gardens is adjacent to the Intracoastal and my knowledgeable friend Felix, who is the real man on the ground taking care of the palms, testified to me that AN did not experience a freeze. Please find some recently photographed specimens at AN: Neoveitchia storkii, which is indigenous to the Fiji Islands:

Thanks. Wishing you well too. My coconut although growing has oozed out in a few places on the trunk. Like a dime size. I've read that can be ok as long as it is growing. Ugh, not feeling good about it tbh. I lost both plumerias...trunks are turning black. My autograph plant I'm leaving alone for now but saw some oozing for the first time today. So frustrating, all from one night.

The damage on some palms and cycads seems wildly inconsistent. It's really strange: Dioon Merolae has 8 or 9 totally torched fronds, and one untouched solid green one! Zamia Vasquezii on the N side of an Alfredii is 100% burnt to a crisp, and an identical one 6 feet away looks nearly perfect. More normal is the behavior of some Encephalartos Ferox in the open (exposed to wind) 100% torched, others with some windbreak are lightly damaged. I did pull one spear from a small B. Alfredii today. It is about 3 feet tall, so it is still super skinny near the bud. I haven't tried pulling on many spears yet. I am sure of 100% mortality on all Burretiokentia and Cyphophoenix species, along with several Dypsis/Chysalidocarpus Lanceolata and Pembana. The Lutescens will probably regrow from the roots. A bunch of others probably have bud death and I just won't know for a couple of months. Some stuff I am just going to "edit" out now instead of trying to fix them.

A few more from Pearland. Everything palmwise survived. The Queens fronds look great for 22-24°F. Bismarckia nobilis Medemia argun Butia , Copernicia alba, and Livistona nitida Phoenix theophrastii ‘Golkoy’ Copernicia alba #2 Butia x Parajubaea var. torallyi Mule palm Livistona decora Ravenea rivularis and King palm Queen, seed supposedly sourced from a hardy parent. Beaucarnea recurvata starting to form a thick caudex Acrocomia, possible totai Sabal uresana Beccariophoenix alfredii

The aftermath of 22.5F is pretty brutal. The Butia and Jubaea hybrids look like nothing even happened. Here's my JxB, surrounded by torched Alfredii and Encephalartos: And the BxJ surrounded by more torched palms, Livistona Speciosa on the left, Archontophoenix Tuckeri behind, and Crysosophila Warscewiczii in the foreground right: And one of the two BxLytoWedd poking up above a remarkably good looking Encephalartos Ferox, with some likely dead Foxtails on the upper right: And the burnt to a crisp "Coco Queen" Romanzoffiana x Schizophylla, fortunately still green on the inner fronds:

After several revisions, I’m excited to share my ongoing PDF guide to cold hardy palms. This has been a long-term project and will continue to evolve as I learn more and gather new experiences. Feel free to share it anywhere by posting the link to the document — that will always point to the latest version for when I update. I am still working on some more pages in time. I truly appreciate all the support, knowledge, and friendships from this forum over the years. My goal has always been simple, help others enjoy and succeed in this hobby as much as I have. Hopefully this information will especially help others new to the hobby. While the design is AI assisted, all photos and text dictation are from my experiences. While I am aware there are a few errors still, let me know what you think TNTropics Cold Hardy Palm Guide https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w9-43MjGhgyQyqgVeQoWXU69GvRGLpdU/view?usp=sharing

As I sit on rock in the garden looking at what I have created iam amazed. The garden goes from a jungle canopy understory to a very dry hot intolerable in summer heat garden. Yet it all seems to work and grow in harmony with Mother Nature. You can create a garden of your taste to reflect your personality, it just takes time. All you see was basically carved out of the Australian bush, and we’re not talking about tropical cairns or Hawaii where you throw a plant over your shoulder and grows by just looking at them. Its hard country to garden in just add water! IMG_9785.mov

If you’re interested in observing some very tall Windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) in the Sand Hills ecoregion, check out Gullys Nursery in Southern Pines, NC. Some of the ones there were 25ft + and looked really well.

More Dendrobium speciosum ssp Pendiculatum in bloom. The garden is very fragrant with them in full bloom.

I want a center piece tree. Here’s my vision a pindo palm as the anchor. A burgundy cordyline australis, red and orange dipladenias, calla lillies, to the side of the pindo birds of paradise, at the base soft tip agave, burnt burgundy agave. Something like this, this is survives well in my climate. A mixture of tropical and Mediterranean. Im not an experienced palm grower, I would love a royal palm, but I don’t have the confidence that it would survive or look good. I definitely want to grow some more tropical palms in the backyard where I can experiment. Do you guys recommend buying small ones online? That way if they die its not a huge financial burden.

I can't speak to the difference between male and female inflorescence of Ravenea julietiae because I only have a male and have never seen females. With regards to Ravenea glauca, I have both sexes. The female Ravenea glauca inflorescence opens up wider than the more narrow males.

I agree!🌴

This is why these forums are awesome. I have never thought of this palm. I think it looks very nice. General nurseries don’t carry these, they’re not really palm geeks in my area. I’ve asked multiple people here where to go, but no one responds. I wish there was a list of preferred nurseries. That would make things easy. I think I’m gonna go with the Pindo. Its hardy, survives my climate well and looks good.

Current model guidance suggest a cold front sweeping thru the south in the March 12th to 14th time frame. How cold it gets is yet to be determined, but it looks like a low probability at least at this time of dropping below 40F in the Panhandle. This can certainly change though, so I'll continue to monitor. As of right now though, I'm not gonna waste any bit of the growing season if this truly is the beginning of it. Starting to focus more attention on any severe weather threats that may try to manifest over the next couple of weeks.

You and my wife ARE absolutely correct. I did my research after I realized she wasn't going to let it go. My Queen was in sad shape when we moved in, and I spent 5 years nursing her back to health, only to give it the axe, I was pretty heavyhearted about that. I just thought it was ironic that we removed the only palm in our arsenal suited for the "2026 Fatal Florida Freeze" I'm an old guy so I have a limited amount of time to make the back yard into something that doesn't make me sad every time I go outside. After spending a small fortune creating the first iteration, #2 will be something completely different, light on the cash outlay, but still "tropical looking". I like the look of young queen palms and I won't get attached to my palms ever again, if they begin to present an issue, then off with their heads! Anyway, as you rightly suggest, they will be out in the yard, away from the house and the neighbor's homes. Hopefully Fusarium oxysporum won't get 'em. There are NUMEROUS Syagrus in my immediate vicinity and only one or two seem affected by that disease. Interesting story about how that came to be. Apparently, in days gone by, their lived a "Johnny Queen Palm" in our neighborhood. He dispersed Queens freely to neighbors, even planting them himself, according to a couple older neighbors. He's long gone, but his legacy lives on, at least for now. In yet another twist of irony, another of my plantings did not blink as a result of the freeze, my Eugenia hedge. Unfortunately I was beginning to remove them because of "Branch dieback" and "Guava rust". I'm just a lucky guy. Better to laugh then cry.

Bargain at that price, a lot of palm for a small investment!

I’ve had the same decision to make. In general my thinking has been that if I only have a male of one species and a female of another, then why not try. Essentially it will be hybrids palms produced or nothing. There’s not really any cost to doing it if it doesn’t replace pure species. For example, I have a lonely Chamaedorea woodsoniana male. I have a Chamaedorea costaricana, oblongata and hooperiana females but no males of those species. I’ve been hand pollinating just to learn what works with what. I have 3 male Chamaedorea klotzschiana and a female so I don’t include these in any experiments and instead focus on isolating to produce pure seed. Perhaps if any of the species in consideration were critically endangered then maybe there’s a deeper debate, especially if the endangered palm is female and it’s worth trying to source male pollen somehow even internationally to continue the pure genetics. But in this case R glauca Isalo are spread around the globe fairly well and in no immediate danger so I don’t see what harm its doing by trying. Ravenea have been known to hybridise so you might end up with something interesting that inspires new collectors who ultimately contribute to palm conservation. I’m thinking of Tribears, Mules etc being introductory palms for people who then go on to become serious collectors and conservationists. That’s just my 2 cents on the topic but I’m happy to hear everyone else thought as it is a controversial topic for which I’ve heard arguments on both sides.

Hybrid palms is a good ethical debate. Myself personally iam against the hybridisation of palms or any other plant. It’s a debate that has the for and against it, Mother Nature does create hybrids but that’s for her to do and who are we to muck with Mother Nature. We know what happens when we do. With land clearing at an alarming rate and forest destruction of native palm habitats we are losing a battle we can all see what’s happening. We all know if it’s lost in habitat we can rely on botanical gardens and gardens around the globe to save a species of palm from extinction. Humankind has a lot to answer for in the destruction of the planet 300 to 500 years what will we leave. This is just my personal view on the subject and I will say iam against hybrids. Let others disagree, everyone has a right to be heard and have a say in this world 🌎

Yes it’s a Chameadorea elegans. And it’s got a bit of age about it, looks like you have repotted it, but the raised mound of soil is a bit incorrect, it should be level with the top of the roots.

Yes. That looks like a Phoenix dactylifera. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

You feel old now don’t you!

They do clump up but nothing like the good old golden cane. They are a beautiful palm! Richard

I have gotten viable dypsis minuta seeds, still waiting to see if the louvelli are going seed up. And it’s the first time the poiveana have flowered so if track records are correct with most palms it will take a few years of flowering before I see any results, along with climatic conditions determining some results, but worth the wait!

I’m so happy theyve both taken. Well done guys.

I bought 2 one died and one is still fighting but would not call it a success yet!’n

Oh man, had I seen you trying to give that away I surely would've jumped on it!!!! But, glad to here it's doing well in its current spot. My only Patric hybrid I purchased from him died after a spear pull episode, I believe it was Jubaea x purpurascens. However, I have been working with @swolf with his mature Jubaea x Butia from Patric to produce seedlings, as they have been flowering and setting seed for the last two years now.

One thing lost in this discussion about tropical palms and foliage in cold events is the amount of heat in the particular climate. Notwithstanding this February 2026 cold event, the average February temperature at PBIA was 64.82 degrees Fahrenheit for this admittedly cold event. Of course, the Koppen/Trewartha classification for tropical is an average temperature during the entire year of not less than 64.4°F. This is the PBIA weather underground site for the month of February: https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/us/fl/west-palm-beach/KPBI/date/2026-2 The average temperatures for the months of January 2026 and December 2025 were 67.01°F and 71°.84°F, respectively on the weather underground site for PBIA. The average temperature in the month of December 1989 at PBIA on the weather underground site during that cataclysmic event was 57° 48. F. The following months in January and February 1990 averaged 66.37°F and 70.04°F, respectively. It warmed up quickly after the devastating 1989 event. https://www.wunderground.com/history/monthly/us/fl/west-palm-beach/KPBI/date/1989-12 The closest and most reliable weather underground station in Palm Beach is Device One-KFLPALMB 251. During February 2026, it registered an average temperature of 67.8 F. with an ultimate low of 38°.3 F for the month of February 2026. https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KFLPALMB251/table/2026-02-28/2026-02-28/monthly

The borhidiana is probably my favorite Coccothrinax species due to its compact growing nature and extreme hardiness. Lately, I've been growing more of these from seed to add to the collection. 🌴 aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Hi Jack away I say!!! I get labels lost or mixed up, you do a tray of seedlings with only 5 of certain species and the one you put the label in does and you thought I will know which one it is, by looking at the same seedlings in that group. Argh but I put another group of seedlings with that tray. So your lost in the memory of time and it goes pear shaped. Rookie mistake we all do. But good on Dave for sending those seeds. One way to tell is have a look at the seed you can sort of guess that way. Richard

81F at 10:26AM ..headed for somewhere in the low / lower mid -90s later ..Warmer if high clouds don't interrupt peak insolation. Thanks to said clouds rolling in during the mid afternoon, each day, PHX only managed to match the monthly record high of 92F over the final few days of February. This month, the high will have to reach / surpass 100F to top the monthly record. Would be wild if we managed to flirt w/ that today but, ..We'll see. Wild enough that we'll be in the ballpark right out of the gate though. That said, the first 100F readings of 2026 did pop up in various neighborhoods around the valley on Friday. Lets see if we see any more today. If not, we might not have to wait long to take another shot. More on that later.... Weren't the only century mark readings noted across the region either. While i'd thought this round of heat might be confined mainly to the deserts, turns out a good chunk of S.Cal, west of the deserts, was experiencing similar conditions, w/ several spots reaching 100F in / near Los Angeles on Fri. Even on the neighborhood level, while reaching 100F, at the end of Feb. is pretty impressive here, it is more impressive, imo, to see 100F readings popping up west of the deserts in S. Cal at the same time. As for FEB ..and " Winter " 25 -26?... ...stats speak for themselves. Pretty impressive numbers, esp. how much we topped the previous " warm winter " numbers. We'll see how long it is until this year is challenged. Tucson's monthly / seasonal stats wrap up hasn't been posted yet.. Looking into the first week of the month ahead?? While most folks would be hard pressed calling upper 70s to the mid 80s a " cool down ", looking like temps pull back ..a little.. after another likely 90 /90+ tomorrow. How much temps back off later will depend on what the overall pattern across the west decides to do as we move thru next week.. Model thoughts, esp those from the GFS, have been all over the place the last few days.. Some runs suggesting a bigger cooldown ..with maybe a storm or two bringing some deg. of precip. chances back to the area ..others offering up a " cool " break between early season heat waves with the next, potentially significant ( regionally ) heat wave arriving somewhere near the 15th - 17th. As always, devil is in the details so we'll have to watch what happens. Looking over the last several years, March itself can offer up a bit of everything... ...extended stretches of days in the upper 90s / reaching 100, or a few final mornings in the upper 30s.. Wouldn't be shocked to see us reach 100F before the end of the month, nor would a morning barely touching 39 be a surprise either. For reference, since 2017, sub - 40F lows in March have only been recorded 3 times here with 37F being the lowest, Recorded in 2019.. ***** FYI: for the extra -early risers, the last Lunar Eclipse visible in the U.S. ..until ~approx. 2029 of so, will occur early Tuesday morning.. Should be much nicer viewing weather this time around compared to the raw / chilly conditions during the last March event a couple years ago. Start of the month SST check from SOTO.. ** Of note: the overall SOTO website will be retired / absorbed into NASA's broader EARTHDATA website starting this month** No matter where you look, pretty warm across the N. Pac. atm, esp off Cen. / S. Cal, Baja / West coast of MEX. Generally speaking, With the sun angle increasing rapidly as we head through the month, SST averages only start heading upward across the basin from here forward so.. ....+ 2-3+C anomalies off CA atm? = Pretty impressive way to start off the season this year. This is how you bring Tropical game Fish into near shore waters off S. Cal. No matter how you look at it, Winter 25 -26 is in the bag. We'll see what surprises await us as we head into / through Spring 2026..

What i have learned over the last 5 years. Coconuts do way way way better than anyone gives them credit for. I uave yet to lose a coconut due to cold. I have lost tons of 9b safe palms. Kentia, teddy bear, dreadlock palm, flamethrower etc Royals foxtails kings coconuts all fry but don't die ever no matter what. Ive learned that if it grows well in California in 9b it will probably won't in florida 9b.

I lived near phoenix arizona for 10 years, so arid I do understand. 110F+ 32 days a year and 6% humidity in the 105-110 degree range in spring. I understand the arid question, and roytals will do better than kentias and kings in that kind of arid. That said royals need water to be happy, plenty of water in an arid climate. Kings(cunninghamiana) dont like direct sun in florida either, they look unhappy in direct half day sun here. Majesty are slow growers, so if you want a 25' tree in less than 10 years its not a majesty. the size of the open area above ground matters, some of these like a royal will get wide and drop big leaves. Looks like you want an accent tree, not shade. I suggest you take some of the palms that are recommended and look at some pics to decide what you like. In that climate in a smallish spot I might pick a braea clara, thought hey are not crownshafted, the leaves of a blue one are gorgeous and they get white inflorescences plus they are very desert compatible. They do grow more slowly, almost like a majesty.

@TracyI am waiting for my Livistona glauca to expand three flower stalks for the first time. Interestingly and intriguingly two other specimens in Valencia Spain, which bloom too are both female like yours. So I know three out of three cases of female specimens, which makes me wonder, whether climate influences sex during adulthood of the individuals. Out of curiosity do spadices of Ravenea have a sex dimorphism like those of Phoenix roebelenii? (i.e. female longer and slender, male shorter and wider)

The potted one, trachy and the worst washy are trunk cut candidates, you can practice on the potted one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ9zPxk5EjY

Added note to the above - the other negative side of hybridisation is perhaps the case of Chrysalidocarpus. We have a genus with many palms endangered in habitat or even extinct in the wild unable to be found again. Then we have many mystery species and/or hybrids in cultivation. It kind of blurs the lines with some of the hybrids out there and makes everything that bit more confusing. On the flip side, most of the hybrids in that genus are pretty interesting and some, if not most, end up sterile so often the genetic line ends with them (unless cross pollinated with another…and the confusion continues 🤣).

I added this one 3 years ago as a test for a microclimate not planted before. It is a stunning palm taken care of entirely by nature. No human has even checked on this one in 9 months until last week. The previous owner said she probably only climbed down to this spot once or twice during the years she owned the property. Now we have dozens of palms in this area and added two comfortable (Big Box $17.88 each) chairs this visit. They and the PVC pipes with orange flagging tape and aluminum labels are the only signs of humankind here as far as you can see for 365 degrees. The birds and frogs are the only sounds. It may be my favorite spot on the farm. Directions are easy: turn left down the main path from the house by the Metroxylon salomonense that is my avatar. Hold on to the torch gingers for a steep, but short stroll (easy unless it's muddy) and follow the PVC pipes until you're there.... No traffic lights or noise pollution. Can you tell I miss our farm already and I've been back in Virginia less than 24 hours?

They do clump up but nothing like the good old golden cane. They are a beautiful palm! Richard

They look terrible. I reckon it’s some sort of pathogen affecting the roots. Could very well be Fusarium. I’ve seen similar looking ones in my area and they don’t recover. They take years to totally die.

You should plant it.

I have BxJ, JxB, and BxLytoWedd from Patrick. The BxJ and JxB are similar in size to your photo. The BxLytoWedd are taller and thinner, and fairly quick growing. I also planted a "Coco Queen" Romanzoffiana x Schizophylla a couple of years ago. It is fast, but not quite Queen fast. I'll try to remember to take some photos tomorrow.

Indeed a (possibly) once in a lifetime buy here on the West Coast! Thank you again for helping me snag THREE of them! One sadly didn’t make it, but the other two are doing great. 🎉

I somehow missed this thread . There is a huge Brahea edulis in San Antonio that survived 8-11°F and probably 3-4 days below freezing in 2021. It has seen teens since then in atleast a couple winters, and may have existed in the 1989 freeze. Here it is recovering in 2024.

Agree - That would be a fantastic deal on the west coast! Location, location, location. 😊 4 years ago, we had a local Arizona nursery import 2 pallets of 7 gallon old mans, (18 trees) priced at $250 each. They literally sold out in less than a month! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, here, as rare palms are almost never available locally with any size to them. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

thank you PalmMod. i figured it was a scam, $45 for a partic Schaffer generated hybrid, are both individuals scammers or is the person who suggested I reach out just a situational victim? i have been purchasing from Patric for the last 15 years. I just did not know who or how to report the issue here. I did not want someone else to fall into this trap here as peoples budgets are tight enough, thanks Craig

pups on porch

Fresh seeds usually start germinating while being soaked in warm water. I collected the seeds myself, cleaned them, I even took fibres off some seeds just to experiment. Soaked them for 3 days in warm water. I could see the roots popping out on the fibreless ones already. Then -> ziplock bag with moist vermiculite and onto the heating mat. Germination rate 100% and it took up to 1 month. Good luck :)!

I'll keep an eye out for seed. Mine should be due again soon. Palms can be fickle though. Steve

Reinhardtias are cute little palms for small, intimate places, like right next to your elegantly-decorated doorway, to greet your elegantly attired visitors as they walk so elegantly up your front walkway. There's one large species that isn't so small, but I haven't been able to find them . . .