Areca Palm Hedge in Orlando

[sacts]

I currently have a podocarpus hedge on the side of my yard that  is too close to my pool and I have plenty of room to create a new hedge farther out.  I really like the look of Areca palms and I have a couple in my yard that do well.  With that said, I've been told that a cold spell could kill the hedge if I were to use areca palms.  Anyone have any experience with an Areca hedge in the Orlando area?

[kinzyjr]

@sacts There are folks that use them as hedges.  As far as cold spells go, these tend to do a bit better under canopy, but they can come back from the rootball if they get frozen back during a bad cold spell.  If the temperature goes into the teens or stays too low too long it might kill the rootball, but since they are cheap to replace.... why not?

[pj_orlando_z9b]

15 hours ago, sacts said:

I currently have a podocarpus hedge on the side of my yard that  is too close to my pool and I have plenty of room to create a new hedge farther out.  I really like the look of Areca palms and I have a couple in my yard that do well.  With that said, I've been told that a cold spell could kill the hedge if I were to use areca palms.  Anyone have any experience with an Areca hedge in the Orlando area?

I've followed these Areca hedges on Hoffner for a few years. They got knocked back one winter when they were young. 

[sacts]

after this most recent hard freeze in Orlando, I am second guessing putting in an Areca hedge.  The current mature arecas I have look like someone took a flame thrower to them.  I know they'll grow back that will take several years again.  Not sure I would want to risk loosing privacy for that long should a freeze like this happen again.  Would love to use cat palms instead but the area I need the hedge probably gets too much sun for cat palms.

[kinzyjr]

11 minutes ago, sacts said:

after this most recent hard freeze in Orlando, I am second guessing putting in an Areca hedge.  The current mature arecas I have look like someone took a flame thrower to them.  I know they'll grow back that will take several years again.  Not sure I would want to risk loosing privacy for that long should a freeze like this happen again.  Would love to use cat palms instead but the area I need the hedge probably gets too much sun for cat palms.

Serenoa repens takes a while to grow, but they are a great hedge when they get there.  Acoelorraphe wrightii could become a little too sparse once the canes get high, but a very strong hedge.  Some varieties of Sabal minor get large enough to use as a hedge.  Podocarpus is my hedge of choice.  

[Fusca]

14 minutes ago, sacts said:

Would love to use cat palms instead but the area I need the hedge probably gets too much sun for cat palms.

Chamadorea cataractarum can handle sun if it gets plenty of water.  I use Cascabela thevetia as a hedge myself because it grows so fast.  It's poisonous, but I don't eat it!  

[idontknowhatnametuse]

2 hours ago, sacts said:

after this most recent hard freeze in Orlando, I am second guessing putting in an Areca hedge.  The current mature arecas I have look like someone took a flame thrower to them.  I know they'll grow back that will take several years again.  Not sure I would want to risk loosing privacy for that long should a freeze like this happen again.  Would love to use cat palms instead but the area I need the hedge probably gets too much sun for cat palms.

Use Bactris gasipaes