THE RISE OF FOXTAIL PALMS IN THE HOUSTON AREA

[tonyp709]

Although Foxtails palms are still somewhat of a rariety here in houston, I can't help but notice the fact that more and more of these beautiful palms are beginning to pop up in both business and residential landscapes around town. I've had my foxtail palm since the begin of March 2013, and have since received a copious number of compliments, and will occassionally catch people staring at my foxtail in complete awe as they slowly drive by. Houston is located in USDA zone 9a, which means that we are all pushing these trees to there limit. This tree has a better chance of survival in areas south of I-10, but I have seen at least 3 foxtails planted in areas far north of I-10, one of which has suffered pretty bad damage in porter, tx zone 8b, but is starting to show signs of recovery. I'm in Cypress, which is considered 9a, but still far north of I-10. Hopefully, mine will survive with little to no damage. I have the tree planted in the front of my house, which faces south and will use neccasary protection if needed during the winter.

Edited July 18, 2013 by tonyp709

[Zeeth]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

[KennyRE317]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

is that considered a pretty thin trunk? almost all the ones I've seen whether in the ground or in buckets at the nursery are about that size. most of the big box hardware stores here have them in 7-10gal containers (about 2' of actual trunk) for very reasonable prices

[sonoranfans]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

I can agree with this, I've seen a few that size croak at 28F with frost in the dec 2010 cold event. This was aggravated by them being planted up against the house in construction clay(they don't like wet feet in winter). the best survivors in my area were planted as multiples(triples). I do concur that in our area the evidence is overwhelming that trunking royals are hardier than trunking foxtails. But I also remember some of our forum members asserting that the foxtails were more hardy in the Orlando area. At any rate, foxtails(and royals) in 9a are going to see a killing cold event in time.

[Zeeth]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

is that considered a pretty thin trunk? almost all the ones I've seen whether in the ground or in buckets at the nursery are about that size. most of the big box hardware stores here have them in 7-10gal containers (about 2' of actual trunk) for very reasonable prices

Here's a pic of what the trunk thickness should ideally be. Those are royal palms on the left (and it's pretty well known how fat royals can get)

[DoomsDave]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

[KennyRE317]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

is that considered a pretty thin trunk? almost all the ones I've seen whether in the ground or in buckets at the nursery are about that size. most of the big box hardware stores here have them in 7-10gal containers (about 2' of actual trunk) for very reasonable prices

Here's a pic of what the trunk thickness should ideally be. Those are royal palms on the left (and it's pretty well known how fat royals can get)

wow, had no clue they got that thick

[PalmatierMeg]

They used to be rare here but about 10-15 years ago they became the latest, greatest landscape palm. Cape Coral planted them everywhere but they require care and feeding that most municipal and private owners are too poor/cheap to provide. So they turn yellow, wither and die. They don't deal with cold spells well, recover slowly if at all and are prone to pests/disease after a winter's battering. We cut our large but penciled foxtail down about 18 months ago after trying everything we could think of to bring it back to health. Discovering it was infested with borers was the last straw. Not an easy by any means.

[Xenon]

I've seen a few foxtail palms in the downtown Houston area. Within the 610 loop is a great microclimate/heat island. Saw a ton of foxtails in South Texas, survived nearly 30 consecutive hours of temps between 28 and 32F in 2011. Looked like nothing had happened when I visited last summer. Based on google maps, it seems like they had about the same amount of damage as royals of the same size. Large royals fared much better.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Xenon

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Haven't tried Royals here in a solid 9b, but my foxtails survived a couple years in my most protected area of my garden.

Died a slow death.

[tonyp709]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

Yes, it was grown in a container I'm assuming for it's entire life, which I could be wrong. The manager at the nursery said that alot of their foxtails came from florida nurseries. I will protect the tree by applying more mulch on the ground and wrapping the tree with christmas lights and burlap or some other well insulated blanket. However, we haven't had very bad cold weather. The coldest temp recorded this past winter was about 29 degrees in my area, which was for a very short time frame. we were mostly in the mid to high 30's on our coldest nights, and in the 40's during the day. it's been pretty good the past two winters, but like you all in Florida, we had a very rare and terrible freeze in 2010, which is not common here. I've seen another foxtail that is planted in someone's back yard about 2-3 miles east of me, and they did not have any damage to their palm this past winter, and I did not see any protection on the tree when I drove by. We had a cold front come through when I first bought the tree, which the lowest temp I recorded in my yard was 32 degrees, and the foxtail had no damage. But rest assure, I WILL be paying close attention this winter, and will wrap my tree if we're projected to be in the 20's...

[tonyp709]

I'd work out plans of winter protection if you want to keep it. From what I've seen in Florida, foxtails are a bit more tender than royals, which makes sense considering their tropical origins. The trunk looks very thin, was it container grown for a long time?

I can agree with this, I've seen a few that size croak at 28F with frost in the dec 2010 cold event. This was aggravated by them being planted up against the house in construction clay(they don't like wet feet in winter). the best survivors in my area were planted as multiples(triples). I do concur that in our area the evidence is overwhelming that trunking royals are hardier than trunking foxtails. But I also remember some of our forum members asserting that the foxtails were more hardy in the Orlando area. At any rate, foxtails(and royals) in 9a are going to see a killing cold event in time.

This is what I was affraid of... Well, I'll just have to roll up my sleeves and do the best that I can to protect it as long as I can. Never the less, I will enjoy this tree while it last... :-(

[tonyp709]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

yes, based on the comments, a premature death, as a result of a hard freeze is imminent... I didn't spend a whole lot on the tree ($60), so when it does die, I think I'll have to put another one in it's place... Although I love the Royals more than I love the Foxtails, I can't imagine going outside and not being able to become mesmerize by those beautiful fronds...

[tonyp709]

They used to be rare here but about 10-15 years ago they became the latest, greatest landscape palm. Cape Coral planted them everywhere but they require care and feeding that most municipal and private owners are too poor/cheap to provide. So they turn yellow, wither and die. They don't deal with cold spells well, recover slowly if at all and are prone to pests/disease after a winter's battering. We cut our large but penciled foxtail down about 18 months ago after trying everything we could think of to bring it back to health. Discovering it was infested with borers was the last straw. Not an easy by any means.

I gave my foxtail a fertilizer with alot of the necessary nutrients. However, seeing that you all have been having trouble with the overall health of the trees in your zone, i'm starting to get very discouraged... I knew that it would be difficult to care for the palm before I bought it, especially since my area is nothing like it's rocky tropical Queensland habitat. But I didn't think it would be too hard to care for...

[DoomsDave]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

yes, based on the comments, a premature death, as a result of a hard freeze is imminent... I didn't spend a whole lot on the tree ($60), so when it does die, I think I'll have to put another one in it's place... Although I love the Royals more than I love the Foxtails, I can't imagine going outside and not being able to become mesmerize by those beautiful fronds...

Dude, you need to come to Florida. Or California.

[tonyp709]

Haven't tried Royals here in a solid 9b, but my foxtails survived a couple years in my most protected area of my garden.

Died a slow death.

Sorry to hear about your lost Jeff.. I would have thought that foxtails would have surely survived for a long time in 9b. i was hoping to get at least a good 6-10 years of enjoyment, but After listening to all of the different post, I will surely have to do everything that I can to protect my palm just to get 2 or 3 years. :-(

[palmsnbananas]

Yeah sorry to burst bubbles but this last winter we had was probably the mildest I've ever experienced and shouldn't be used as a benchmark, you should prepare for at least 25 degrees every winter, and then for 20-18 in a bad winter, and who knows what in a really bad one! It'll look great while it lasts though, I had some ptychosperma that flanked our front door that looked awesome for a year!

[tonyp709]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

yes, based on the comments, a premature death, as a result of a hard freeze is imminent... I didn't spend a whole lot on the tree ($60), so when it does die, I think I'll have to put another one in it's place... Although I love the Royals more than I love the Foxtails, I can't imagine going outside and not being able to become mesmerize by those beautiful fronds...

Dude, you need to come to Florida. Or California.

lol!! believe it or not, I'm originally from Florida, and the thought of moving back has crossed my mind, oh, too many times. :-) However, as much as I miss the Sunshine State, I'm too in love with the low cost of living in Texas, the strong economy, and how much house you can get for your money in comparison to FL or CA. I'll move to FL once I win the lottery, if i ever decide to play it.. lol!! Houston is sub-tropical, which allows me to safely enjoy the Queen, Mexican fan, Pindos, Sabals, Medjool dates, and my beloved Carnary island date palms, as well as a few others. I admit, it does not compare to the tropical beauty of South Florida or southern Cal, but it will do for now...

[tonyp709]

I've seen a few foxtail palms in the downtown Houston area. Within the 610 loop is a great microclimate/heat island. Saw a ton of foxtails in South Texas, survived nearly 30 consecutive hours of temps between 28 and 32F in 2011. Looked like nothing had happened when I visited last summer. Based on google maps, it seems like they had about the same amount of damage as royals of the same size. Large royals fared much better.

You're right, I've seen a few while driving on I-45 inside the loop.This is what encouraged me to get a foxtail in the first place. Well, it was worth a shot, and the only regret I'll have is that the tree lost it's life due to being far out of a zone that is safe for it's survival. I will appreciate this tree even more while i have it, and I'm starting to rethink my earlier post regarding investing in another one once this one dies...

[tonyp709]

Yeah sorry to burst bubbles but this last winter we had was probably the mildest I've ever experienced and shouldn't be used as a benchmark, you should prepare for at least 25 degrees every winter, and then for 20-18 in a bad winter, and who knows what in a really bad one! It'll look great while it lasts though, I had some ptychosperma that flanked our front door that looked awesome for a year!

no need to apologize because my bubbles were burst several post ago.. lol! i'm thinking about renaming this topic to, "The Rise and Fall of Foxtail Palms In The Houston Area". lol!!

[oliver]

Foxtails are pretty tough! We did have a nasty 24hr of 29-30 degrees a couple of years ago and it killed a few small foxtails and royals, but the reason was because we had 1" of freezing rain which adhered to the fronds and broke them off. Also adhered to the crowns. Although most of the big foxtails and royals (of which we now have many with 25ft or more of clear trunk) got almost completely defoliated, they now look healthy as ever. You might have a chance with the foxtails. From my experience, they seem to do better with temps in the mid/low 30's than royals. Don't know about low 20's though!

[aztropic]

I've found that a few hours at 28 degrees will seriously damage if not outright kill a foxtail of your size. I'd recommend getting about 4 strings (100 lights total) of the old C-9 Christmas lights.Carefully run them around the trunk with the base of each light to the trunk.Don't let the light directly touch the trunk as the trunk will be permanently burned.Also tie the lights to the bottoms of the fronds.If the lights touch leaves,they will probably burn a little but those leaves are expendable. No need to wrap anything.This system will keep the palm alive into the lower 20's anyway. Start planning to find those lights before you need them as they are being phased out.Also would recommend getting an extra string for spare lights if available. System only needs to be used when temps are expected below 30.

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Xenon]

I've seen a few foxtail palms in the downtown Houston area. Within the 610 loop is a great microclimate/heat island. Saw a ton of foxtails in South Texas, survived nearly 30 consecutive hours of temps between 28 and 32F in 2011. Looked like nothing had happened when I visited last summer. Based on google maps, it seems like they had about the same amount of damage as royals of the same size. Large royals fared much better.

You're right, I've seen a few while driving on I-45 inside the loop.This is what encouraged me to get a foxtail in the first place. Well, it was worth a shot, and the only regret I'll have is that the tree lost it's life due to being far out of a zone that is safe for it's survival. I will appreciate this tree even more while i have it, and I'm starting to rethink my earlier post regarding investing in another one once this one dies...

Don't be so pessimistic...it's quite possible for us to have a string of very mild winters. Before 2010 there were some pretty nice sized king palms, jatrophas, hibiscus, guavas, plumerias etc. in my area, which gets about the same winter lows as Cypress. At least 25 degrees each winter is a bit extreme imo (Houston Intercontinental remained above 25*F from 2003-2010 with 3 zone 10 winters). Don't forget about our long hot and humid summers!

[sonoranfans]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

yes, based on the comments, a premature death, as a result of a hard freeze is imminent... I didn't spend a whole lot on the tree ($60), so when it does die, I think I'll have to put another one in it's place... Although I love the Royals more than I love the Foxtails, I can't imagine going outside and not being able to become mesmerize by those beautiful fronds...

Dude, you need to come to Florida. Or California.

lol!! believe it or not, I'm originally from Florida, and the thought of moving back has crossed my mind, oh, too many times. :-) However, as much as I miss the Sunshine State, I'm too in love with the low cost of living in Texas, the strong economy, and how much house you can get for your money in comparison to FL or CA. I'll move to FL once I win the lottery, if i ever decide to play it.. lol!! Houston is sub-tropical, which allows me to safely enjoy the Queen, Mexican fan, Pindos, Sabals, Medjool dates, and my beloved Carnary island date palms, as well as a few others. I admit, it does not compare to the tropical beauty of South Florida or southern Cal, but it will do for now...

I can agree on the economy differences between texas and florida, but I don't think you will find the housing difference to be much at all any more, and property taxes are definitely lower in FL. My daughter just bought a 2200sf single level 4/3 block construction house on 15000sf lot in Ruskin. It was built 7 years ago, its in in great shape, with granite/cherry kitchen and tile throughout for 148k, taxes are under 200/month. The problem is jobs in florida, housing values for concrete block constructed house are pretty amazing, at least for now. I did find housing values great in texas, but property taxes were more than double. My homeowners ins is the same as in Arizona, no flood needed as I am 25' above sea level. California where I now work is another matter... Edited July 19, 2013 by sonoranfans

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

tony:

Those are great foxtails.

But, be warned: one day, sooner or later, a blue norther will drop the temps into the teens F, and kill them.

Enjoy them while you can. Don't spend a lot of money on replacements.

yes, based on the comments, a premature death, as a result of a hard freeze is imminent... I didn't spend a whole lot on the tree ($60), so when it does die, I think I'll have to put another one in it's place... Although I love the Royals more than I love the Foxtails, I can't imagine going outside and not being able to become mesmerize by those beautiful fronds...

Dude, you need to come to Florida. Or California.

lol!! believe it or not, I'm originally from Florida, and the thought of moving back has crossed my mind, oh, too many times. :-) However, as much as I miss the Sunshine State, I'm too in love with the low cost of living in Texas, the strong economy, and how much house you can get for your money in comparison to FL or CA. I'll move to FL once I win the lottery, if i ever decide to play it.. lol!! Houston is sub-tropical, which allows me to safely enjoy the Queen, Mexican fan, Pindos, Sabals, Medjool dates, and my beloved Carnary island date palms, as well as a few others. I admit, it does not compare to the tropical beauty of South Florida or southern Cal, but it will do for now...

Tony, I was at Texas A&M 1982-85. By the time I graduated, the Queens had all but been eradicated from GALVESTON ISLAND due to harsh freezes. Many CIDP died in Houston, as did most other Phoenix species. Most S. palmetto and mexicana were defoliated but lived, as did W. filifera (in Houston, but not so much in College Station). W. robusta died en masse. I'm not saying to choose your plants based on the 1980's, but based on my experience, MOST palm species can be frozen to death in Houston. (Clearly things like S. minor, R. hystrix, etc are winter proof there). Please plant palms generously, just make sure to include quite a few freeze proof species too. Are you in a red clay part of town, or the black gunky soil part of town?

FWIW, I'm in central Polk County FL and I don't think our winters are much better than Houston's. My yard will be devastated by a 1980's type event.

[ghar41]

Foxtails are pretty tough! We did have a nasty 24hr of 29-30 degrees a couple of years ago and it killed a few small foxtails and royals, but the reason was because we had 1" of freezing rain which adhered to the fronds and broke them off. Also adhered to the crowns. Although most of the big foxtails and royals (of which we now have many with 25ft or more of clear trunk) got almost completely defoliated, they now look healthy as ever. You might have a chance with the foxtails. From my experience, they seem to do better with temps in the mid/low 30's than royals. Don't know about low 20's though!

Brownsville has an interesting climate. I'd love to see these foxtails, could you post pictures?

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Yeah sorry to burst bubbles but this last winter we had was probably the mildest I've ever experienced and shouldn't be used as a benchmark, you should prepare for at least 25 degrees every winter, and then for 20-18 in a bad winter, and who knows what in a really bad one! It'll look great while it lasts though, I had some ptychosperma that flanked our front door that looked awesome for a year!

no need to apologize because my bubbles were burst several post ago.. lol! i'm thinking about renaming this topic to, "The Rise and Fall of Foxtail Palms In The Houston Area". lol!!

Don't let any of these posts discourage you from trying to grow it. I have at least a dozen species that are most likely slated for sure annihilation in our refrigerator of a climate and plenty of PalmTalkers have warned me. A little added bonus comes along when you can prove them wrong, so it's worth a shot. Try to keep it alive and when it becomes too much work for you to do so, you will know when to call it quits and let it go. But yours is planted close to your house and as long as you give it ample protection with xmas lights on those unusually cold spells, I don't see why you can't keep it going the same way people keep washingtonia alive in horribly cold climates like Kansas and the Netherlands. In fact I think you have it a lot easier than they do.

In San Jose, CA, fellow Palm Society members joke about king palms being pseudo-annuals. They grow well for a few years, then a bad freeze comes along and kills them. Then you just go to home depot and get a new one the same way you get new tomatoes.

As Will Rogers says, The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer. Same goes for palm growers.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Yeah sorry to burst bubbles but this last winter we had was probably the mildest I've ever experienced and shouldn't be used as a benchmark, you should prepare for at least 25 degrees every winter, and then for 20-18 in a bad winter, and who knows what in a really bad one! It'll look great while it lasts though, I had some ptychosperma that flanked our front door that looked awesome for a year!

no need to apologize because my bubbles were burst several post ago.. lol! i'm thinking about renaming this topic to, "The Rise and Fall of Foxtail Palms In The Houston Area". lol!!

Don't let any of these posts discourage you from trying to grow it. I have at least a dozen species that are most likely slated for sure annihilation in our refrigerator of a climate and plenty of PalmTalkers have warned me. A little added bonus comes along when you can prove them wrong, so it's worth a shot. Try to keep it alive and when it becomes too much work for you to do so, you will know when to call it quits and let it go. But yours is planted close to your house and as long as you give it ample protection with xmas lights on those unusually cold spells, I don't see why you can't keep it going the same way people keep washingtonia alive in horribly cold climates like Kansas and the Netherlands. In fact I think you have it a lot easier than they do.

In San Jose, CA, fellow Palm Society members joke about king palms being pseudo-annuals. They grow well for a few years, then a bad freeze comes along and kills them. Then you just go to home depot and get a new one the same way you get new tomatoes.

As Will Rogers says, The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer. Same goes for palm growers.

I fundamentally agree with Axel. Keep planting. I do. Just be mentally prepared for the disappointment from a freeze, and plant enough hardy species that your landscape plan survives even if some of the specimens don't. Unfortunately, we've got a continental climate. Its just as much a reality as Hurricanes.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Yeah sorry to burst bubbles but this last winter we had was probably the mildest I've ever experienced and shouldn't be used as a benchmark, you should prepare for at least 25 degrees every winter, and then for 20-18 in a bad winter, and who knows what in a really bad one! It'll look great while it lasts though, I had some ptychosperma that flanked our front door that looked awesome for a year!

no need to apologize because my bubbles were burst several post ago.. lol! i'm thinking about renaming this topic to, "The Rise and Fall of Foxtail Palms In The Houston Area". lol!!

Don't let any of these posts discourage you from trying to grow it. I have at least a dozen species that are most likely slated for sure annihilation in our refrigerator of a climate and plenty of PalmTalkers have warned me. A little added bonus comes along when you can prove them wrong, so it's worth a shot. Try to keep it alive and when it becomes too much work for you to do so, you will know when to call it quits and let it go. But yours is planted close to your house and as long as you give it ample protection with xmas lights on those unusually cold spells, I don't see why you can't keep it going the same way people keep washingtonia alive in horribly cold climates like Kansas and the Netherlands. In fact I think you have it a lot easier than they do.

In San Jose, CA, fellow Palm Society members joke about king palms being pseudo-annuals. They grow well for a few years, then a bad freeze comes along and kills them. Then you just go to home depot and get a new one the same way you get new tomatoes.

As Will Rogers says, The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer. Same goes for palm growers.

I fundamentally agree with Axel. Keep planting. I do. Just be mentally prepared for the disappointment from a freeze, and plant enough hardy species that your landscape plan survives even if some of the specimens don't. Unfortunately, we've got a continental climate. Its just as much a reality as Hurricanes.

Yeah, keep planting. My philosophy is to make the best most informed decision on what plants I don't mind gambling both time and money on, and those that are bullet proof. North America is a large continental mass, and unfortunately, there are no mountain ranges between Houston and the North Pole. But even California is not immune. I know about 1990 and 1972, two devastating Winters that re-shaped the landscapes for Central and Northern California. But if I were to plan based on those years, I might as well quit growing palms and stick with apple trees. I think the same is true for Houston, no point on selecting palms based on the worst possible scenario. Just always remember how impermanent all the stuff in the garden really is. Here in California, we have fires, mudslides, and earthquakes. I like to keep a small backup supply ready to go into the ground.

[ErikSJI]

It seems the foxtail is replacing the queen in Florida. I have seen quite a few mass plantings of the foxtail in Bradenton and a lot of the growers seem to be selling a lot of them.

[sonoranfans]

It seems the foxtail is replacing the queen in Florida. I have seen quite a few mass plantings of the foxtail in Bradenton and a lot of the growers seem to be selling a lot of them.

Bradenton is solid 10a territory, you can grow lots of stuff there, there are even some places where cocos do well. And yes I agree, there are some nice public plantings of foxtails east of the 41. the foxtails and royals in Bradenton are as nice looking as anywhere in florida, and they didn't even get leaflet burn in the dec 2010 cold. The climate changes pretty rapidly from Bradenton to parrish as you know. By the time you get to parrish, there are no more long term foxtails or royals.

[oliver]

Here are a couple of pics from my office today in Brownsville. The coconut in the second picture could use a little trimming work - sorry! I think that it is the only one in South Texas that survived the ice rain. It hides behind the tallest part of the building.

[Xerarch]

Here are a couple of pics from my office today in Brownsville. The coconut in the second picture could use a little trimming work - sorry! I think that it is the only one in South Texas that survived the ice rain. It hides behind the tallest part of the building.

Wow! I think that Brownsville and elsewhere in Deep South Texas is a real unsung hero of palm growing. All anyone in the U.S. can talk about is Florida and California. I know what the records are down there but in reality you can grow highly tropical material for many years on end between hard freezes.

[Xenon]

Here are a couple of pics from my office today in Brownsville. The coconut in the second picture could use a little trimming work - sorry! I think that it is the only one in South Texas that survived the ice rain. It hides behind the tallest part of the building.

Hi Oliver, how are your Carpoxylon, Veitchia, Clinostigma (maybe in a new thread)? By the way there's a coconut at a motel in Brownsville with 20 feet of trunk and quite a few more trunking coconuts on South Padre. Would love to see more of your garden

[ghar41]

Here are a couple of pics from my office today in Brownsville. The coconut in the second picture could use a little trimming work - sorry! I think that it is the only one in South Texas that survived the ice rain. It hides behind the tallest part of the building.

Hi Oliver, how are your Carpoxylon, Veitchia, Clinostigma (maybe in a new thread)? By the way there's a coconut at a motel in Brownsville with 20 feet of trunk and quite a few more trunking coconuts on South Padre. Would love to see more of your garden

Awesome! Thanks for posting!

I would like to see more of sub tropical Texas also...rather than hijack this thread- would love to see a new post of Brownsville pics!

[JakeK]

It seems the foxtail is replacing the queen in Florida. I have seen quite a few mass plantings of the foxtail in Bradenton and a lot of the growers seem to be selling a lot of them.

Bradenton is solid 10a territory, you can grow lots of stuff there, there are even some places where cocos do well. And yes I agree, there are some nice public plantings of foxtails east of the 41. the foxtails and royals in Bradenton are as nice looking as anywhere in florida, and they didn't even get leaflet burn in the dec 2010 cold. The climate changes pretty rapidly from Bradenton to parrish as you know. By the time you get to parrish, there are no more long term foxtails or royals.

My uncle who lives near Bradenton, but east of I-75 has a few Foxtails that were burned pretty badly a few years back. His area dropped into the mid-20's, hence his Foxtails taking a real beating. Since then, they have fully recovered. I would say his house is right on the line of where Foxtails can successfully be grown Manatee County. He's out near Lake Manatee.

[Cedric]

tonyp709 That foxtail doesn't look too thin to me, unless its been in the ground for years and years. All the foxtails I've got growing were thinner than that when I planted them, some had crown shafts just a few inches across. They grow out of it very easily in ordinary conditions no extra help, the base starts getting broader first then the whole trunk later.

You will be astounded how that trunk changes (all things going well in your zone). Mine are all robust and developed a slight swelling in the middle too. They all start a bit penciled shape, a bit like a mini Roystonia in how they grow, Roystonias IMO also develope a wide base first and look penciled in those ugry years before the trunk starts really getting going, the wider the base (ie the more peniciled it looks)the fatter it will be later.

[sonoranfans]

It seems the foxtail is replacing the queen in Florida. I have seen quite a few mass plantings of the foxtail in Bradenton and a lot of the growers seem to be selling a lot of them.

Bradenton is solid 10a territory, you can grow lots of stuff there, there are even some places where cocos do well. And yes I agree, there are some nice public plantings of foxtails east of the 41. the foxtails and royals in Bradenton are as nice looking as anywhere in florida, and they didn't even get leaflet burn in the dec 2010 cold. The climate changes pretty rapidly from Bradenton to parrish as you know. By the time you get to parrish, there are no more long term foxtails or royals.

My uncle who lives near Bradenton, but east of I-75 has a few Foxtails that were burned pretty badly a few years back. His area dropped into the mid-20's, hence his Foxtails taking a real beating. Since then, they have fully recovered. I would say his house is right on the line of where Foxtails can successfully be grown Manatee County. He's out near Lake Manatee.

My bad its west of the 41(towards the gulf) where the 10a zone is strong, east of the 41 is inland.... the 41 is often referred to as the dividing line for no winter burn for royals and foxtails... If you take 41 south from the 275 and turn right onto 64 heading west towards the gulf, there are lots of gorgeous foxtails that weren't even touched by the December 2010 cold event... East of the 75 is marginal and goes downhill fast with distance. Edited July 20, 2013 by sonoranfans

[palmsnbananas]

Yeah don't let me discourage you, after all I've been growing C. renda outside in a pot for 4 years. I think there are many rarer/more beautiful palms that CAN withstand Houston weather though so don't think you are limited just bc the foxtail dies. I can grow D. Saintlucei and P. Torralyi with minor protection and C. elegans, bismarck palms, mule palms, Brahea Armata, N. Arabica, B super silver with no protection.

[sarasota alex]

It was the mostly the freezing rain in Feb 2011 that devastated the palms in the Houston area. Yes it got down to the low 20's in Feb of 2011, but it did so in Jan 2010 also and lasted longer too, yet it wasn't as bad. There were virtually no P. roebelenii and very few queens left alive in 2011.

Yet if I lived in the Houston are I would totally try a Foxtail and many other palms. So best of luck Tony.

Do you know if the small Chambeyronia at Mercer Arboretum is still alive? Last I saw it was in Jan of 2012 and it didn't look so good.