cold hardy blue palms

[sonoranfans]

Shirley,

you have a nice start there, the bizzie has some nice blue in that pic. The clara icy blue will blue up for you as it gets bigger, just don't over water, these palms don't need it and they tend to go a little green with too much water or shade. Nice selection of "blues" with ravenea glauca, pseudophoenix, and sabal uresana as well. I will let you in on a viewing secret: all blue palms will photograph(and view) with more blue with the sun at your back. this is because light transmitted through leaflets will always tend to more green as chlorophyll does that. And light reflected will tend to more blue as the wax dominates the color. Overhead or mid day light will be a mixed bag of both.

Roger,

I love those blue capitata, they have a wonderful color that mesmerizes.

[sergiskan]

beauty pics!!, my xerophila is very slooooow!!

...here the armata grows faster than clara...

[Palm crazy]

What is the Chamaerops x Argentina? Never heard of it before, very interesting!

I wanted to use the new name, but could remember how to spell it so I when with Argentina, LOL! Correct name after looking up…chamaerops humilus var. argentea.

[Shirleypalmpaws]

Tom, you are a great wealth of information! In reality my growing zone is probably not weird, but it sure is weird to me, so all your help, tips, and advice, is very appreciated, and I love how helpful you are for taking pictures of palms! lIt's just wonderful info, thank you.

It's funny (in the good way) that you mentioned Ravenea glauca, because I've been interested in finding out more about them, maybe even purchasing one but have been unable to find one here. Not wanting to knock this thread off topic....it just seems like a 'sign' to me that it was mentioned. lol.

[Exotic Life]

Got only one blue palm in the garden but it's a lovely sight between all that green.

[Phoenikakias]

Not exactly yearly around and with a bit of humour another cold hardy 'silver' palm might be in a mediterranean climate with hot and dry summer the Trithrinax brasiliensis. What, you are not believing me? Here's the proof

[Phoenikakias]

... and of course on the adaxial leaf side also...

[Palm crazy]

Last of the blue palms.

One more Blue Capitata.

A few more Chamys.

[Palm crazy]

And more,

Nice pics everyone, and thanks for the comments.

[njoasis]

My bluest palms woud have to be Sabal bermudana, Butia, and Phoenix sylvestris.

[sonoranfans]

Hi Richard!

Im originally from NJ(vineland), you are pushing the edge a bit there, LOL! How many palms do you grow?

[ghar41]

This was one of the first palms I planted when I first started palm gardening around 1993. We transplanted this palm as seedling that was found under a nice B armata. The current owner of the house trims it too much, but I'm glad to see it's still there.

As the years have gone by though, it looks more and more like it may have Brahea edulis in it. The leaves have a greenish hue and the leaf bases are unique. There are many B edulis in our neighborhoods.

[Dan in Vallejo]

This was one of the first palms I planted when I first started palm gardening around 1993. We transplanted this palm as seedling that was found under a nice B armata. The current owner of the house trims it too much, but I'm glad to see it's still there.

As the years have gone by though, it looks more and more like it may have Brahea edulis in it. The leaves have a greenish hue and the leaf bases are unique. There are many B edulis in our neighborhoods.

B armata.jpg

That's a beautiful brahea.. I knew there was a reason I went out of my way to take a pic of one of Vallejo's flowering B. Armata.. I hope I will be able to collect some seeds from it soon!

This is one of 3 or 4 Brahea planted at a hotel by I-80

[TonyDFW]

In this image is a blue C. Humilis "cerifera" and to the right a blue s.uresana

They were planted as seedlings and have always been quite blue. They are 8 years old in part sun.

[TonyDFW]

My Brahea mooreii, has been kissed by frost in coloring only in this picture.

[TonyDFW]

My Brahea armata.

[TonyDFW]

Representing blue

C, humilis "cerifera " , B. mooreii, and B. capitata.

[TonyDFW]

How to make all your palms appear blue.

[sergiskan]

beautiful pics!!

brahea moorei is awesome!

[sonoranfans]

Gorgeous adult armata Dan! And tony, the texas blues in your yard are always a highlight in our forum! Looking forward to seeing more in the future!

[_Keith]

Yeah I do remember a title like "got the blues" or something. In order to search it, it will be necessary to guess close to the title. In this thread I though it would be interesting to see how many blue colored palms were good to 9a. Surprisingly, most blue palms except blue latan, bismarckia, and copernicia hospita are fine in 9a.

You will find searching this way, rather than the built in search a little more flexible. Go to google and put in like this "search term site:palmtalk.org"

For instance, this "blues palms site:palmtalk.org" brought this result.

https://www.google.com/search?q=blues+palms+site%3Apalmtalk.org&oq=blues+palms+site%3Apalmtalk.org&aqs=chrome..69i57.9088j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[Shirleypalmpaws]

Keith, thanks! If ever I find it, I'm gonna post a direct link thingy to it. I kinda remember reading at the Orlando Sentinel (or a similar) website but clicking through the cached-feature on google to read the article so I could get educated on Blue palms for Central Florida. I'm combing WayBack, too. But I prob'ly read it here at PalmTalk! lol.

TonyDFW, wow! What's a bigger better word than beautiful? That's what your photos are.

[ghar41]

Trachcarpus nanus, blue form.

[ghar41]

Brahea mooreii

[sonoranfans]

Butia yatay is a gorgeous blue palm, at least the one I got from jungle music shows some great blue color. Here it is planted out after purchasing as a 5 gallon and upsizing the container to 10 gallon prior this summer. this one has fine leaflets, moreso than the "capitates" Ive seen.

[sonoranfans]

here is the yatay, not sure what problems Im having with this uploader, or with my new windowns 8 touch pad computer grrrrrrr.

[Phoenikakias]

Is there any safer method than the tag for telling apart at this age between capitata, eriospatha and yatai?

[sonoranfans]

Is there any safer method than the tag for telling apart at this age between capitata, eriospatha and yatai?

Konstantinos,

When I visited jungle music and bought this palm Phil Bergmen noted some differences and I directly compared the small yatay's to his blue "capitatas", which were also a gorgeous blue. the capitatas had small throrns on the petiole, while the yatay was smooth at the same size. Phil showed me 3-4 small palms of each species and they all followed this pattern. Also the leaflets of the capitata were notably more broad and more curved. Aside from these differences, they did look similar. I don't know if you can be very definitive with the thorns on the petioles, but my understanding is that at this size they are consistently different, and the leaflets were very notably more thin on yatay.

[Mandrew968]

Nannorrhops has been darn near impossible here. Ive tried several and they they just get smaller rather than growing larger until they finally die.

Nannorrhops is a desert palm like brahea armata and washingtonia filifera, its not surprising that it hates florida humidity.

Mine is fine. It's very silver and if you put it in enough sun and heat, there is no worries.

[tank]

Trachcarpus nanus, blue form.

image.jpg

You sure you didn't photoshop this one ? This is the "Bluest" blue T. nanus that I've seen. Very striking. Please give us a little history on this plant. I have three T. nanus planted out that I grew from seed purchased from Rare Palm Seeds and all are very green, although I've always heard that blue forms existed.

Thanks!

[sonoranfans]

Nannorrhops has been darn near impossible here. Ive tried several and they they just get smaller rather than growing larger until they finally die.

Nannorrhops is a desert palm like brahea armata and washingtonia filifera, its not surprising that it hates florida humidity.

Mine is fine. It's very silver and if you put it in enough sun and heat, there is no worries.

Im open to assertions that the Nannhorrops can do well in humid florida. There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Got a pic?

[tank]

Post number 29 of this thread has a picture of my little guy. Slow but steady. Note, the seed was bought from RPS as "Kashmir".

[sonoranfans]

Looks good Jason! I wonder if anyone out there has a large one? When I was in Arizona, I recall Rod Anderson had a large one that he had to remove as it kept spreading, it was going to eat his side yard, and the other palms. Apparently it grew to a monster more than 12' wide and nearly as tall in less than 10 years from seed. I not sure but someone may be growing a big one in Orlando area...

[tank]

Merrill Wilcox has a large one that has been fruiting for some time at his house here in town. He speculated that the reason it was successful was because it was growing under the slab of the house. Possibly because there are less nematodes under the slab? I have tried 4 of the standard N. ritchianas and they are either dead or slowly dying. I have one other strap leafed Kashmir in the back yard and it is growing great, and a few more in pots that I plan on planting out soon.

[sonoranfans]

Merrill Wilcox has a large one that has been fruiting for some time at his house here in town. He speculated that the reason it was successful was because it was growing under the slab of the house. Possibly because there are less nematodes under the slab? I have tried 4 of the standard N. ritchianas and they are either dead or slowly dying. I have one other strap leafed Kashmir in the back yard and it is growing great, and a few more in pots that I plan on planting out soon.

Always loved the pics of merrills hybrids, his palms got me interested in the cocoid hybrids. I hope he is doing well.

[Phoenikakias]

I also have a Nannorrhops ritchieana in the ground in very porous soil but unfortunately on a slope and shallowly planted and this may very well inhibit it from spreading. It is not seed grown but rather a result from trunk division, as it has a trunk part but still is to small for this size of trunk. All new offshoots grown on this trunk and are entirely aerial die back except the main stem, which is well burried. It does not grow fast at all in my place and in fact it prefered growing in the winter than during summer. Only exception this year, when I added some water retention gel in to surrounding soil. Main plant has been growing during summer not only more vigorously, but it turned also from grey-green to very silver. Pics a.s.a.p.!

Edited September 21, 2013 by Phoenikakias

[Fallacia]

What is the Chamaerops x Argentina? Never heard of it before, very interesting!

Maybe he had to say chamaerops humilis x chamaerops argentea, not Argentina!!!

Edited September 22, 2013 by Fallacia

[Phoenikakias]

I also have a Nannorrhops ritchieana in the ground in very porous soil but unfortunately on a slope and shallowly planted and this may very well inhibit it from spreading. It is not seed grown but rather a result from trunk division, as it has a trunk part but still is to small for this size of trunk. All new offshoots grown on this trunk and are entirely aerial die back except the main stem, which is well burried. It does not grow fast at all in my place and in fact it prefered growing in the winter than during summer. Only exception this year, when I added some water retention gel in to surrounding soil. Main plant has been growing during summer not only more vigorously, but it turned also from grey-green to very silver. Pics a.s.a.p.!