This palm has been so easy for me as long as I bring it indoors when temps fall below 45F and provide it extra shadecloth protection from the summer sun. The downside is it grows fairly fast. Later this year its spear may reach the top of the lanai. I checked on PACSOA, which says this species is tropical and Very Rare. I know planting it is a death sentence. How tall will it ultimately grow? What am I to do? I figure I have less than a year to figure something out.

Hydriastele dransfeldii

Meg - mine made it through the 2010 winter outside. I suspect they may be a bit more cold hardy and can withstand bouts of 40'sF if warm temps resume within a couple of days. For your area - it would be a definite push to plant in the ground.

Mine is in a 15 gallon container now because in a seven it kept getting toppled over. Its going into the ground soon.

This one has been in the ground in Puerto Rico since April 2009. It was probably a seedling at that time, but I can't access earlier photos. Meg, yours looks perfect, but I have no idea how to grow this palm in Florida.

H. dransfieldii August 2013

This is a really neat palm, and is cool at a young age too. I killed one I got from Redland a few years back. Photos attached.

One more

Jon, sorry to hear that. Mine has done well in summer in deep shade. I have it on a dolly so I can roll it indoors on cold nights. Its roots have outgrown their pot so I'll have to get it a bigger one but I didn't want to do that during winter. Since the disastrous winters of 2010 I've had overall mild winters - no lows below 40F. But I know sooner or later my garden will get clobbered.

I think they can handle lower temps than most people assume. A neighbor had one go through the 2010 winter without any problems and it's actually producing seeds now. Mine hasn't shown any damage whatsoever from a couple of nights around 42 last month, which isn't really saying that much. Not sure if it could make it long term in your area, but I would say it at least has some chance. Mine actually happens to be sneaking it's way into the background of my profile picture.

I grew one successfully outdoors in my Bundaberg garden which is in subtropical south eastern Queensland.........I think they survive OK in Brisbane but the guys down there will be able to advise you.

Boy Meg, that greenhouse looks packed. I see some nice stuff in the background. Is that your 'happy place'?

Tim

Tim, the whole yard is my happy place. The stuff on the lanai is too tropical to plant so it all lives in pots. Outside the lanai is my "world's tiniest jungle."