Growing Palms in Savannah, GA

[Robynk]

I am looking to purchase a second home in the Savannah area, and am a big fan of palm trees (why else would I be on this forum).  Savannah is listed as z8b as per the USDA map, but looking at recent mean minimums it appears to be more like a z9a.  I see the average annual minimum of 21 at the airport - is this an accurate representation of the mean minimums in the downtown area and in other parts?

What areas of the city/Chatham County have more and less favorable microclimates for growing palms?  (this is a factor of where I purchase a property, given my love of palms)

What palms are considered "bulletproof" in the Savannah area?

What palms are considered "marginal" in the Savannah area (and may be more subject to the different microclimates)?

 

What palms would need winter protection, but might be able to grow in the Savannah area? (again, more subject to different microclimates)

 

Thanks in advance for any responses!

[kinzyjr]

@Robynk

Welcome to the forum!  I think you would like Savannah.  In my own case, when it was time to move to a milder climate I stopped in Savannah and nearly decided to stay and forget the rest of the trip to Florida.  Wish we could have had you with our three-palm-society summer tour in Savannah last month.  The link below has photos of the joint meeting between the Southeastern Palm Society, First Coast Palm and Cycad Society, and the Central Florida Palm and Cycad Society:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/79170-2023-joint-summer-meeting-and-tour-06032023/

As far as bulletproof palms, the record low is 3F.  Using 5F is probably a good number.  At that temperature, Sabal minor (Dwarf Palmetto) and a mature Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Needle Palm) are bulletproof.  Judging by some of the results for Sabal etonia, you will probably have some luck there too.  Serenoa repens (especially silver) should be able to re-emerge if they take heavy damage as well.

At the next level up (10F), Trachycarpus fortunei and Sabal palmetto should do well.  Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto) becomes bulletproof.  If you like armed plants, Acrocomia totai is known to handle temperatures this low.  Many of the Butia species and Mule palms (crosses between Butia/Sygrus/Jubaea) handle temperatures between this level and the next level.  The botanical gardens we visited at the link above have photos of the various Mules

Just a notch up from there (15F), and you start to see more of the classic cold hardy palms in the Southeast USA make an appearance.  Palms like Phoenix canariensis, Livistona chinensis, and some Syagrus romanzoffiana tend to handle this level of cold.  Other Phoenix species tend to have more issues with wet cold than Phoenix canariensis and are iffy in a moist environment.  Washingtonia filifera becomes a possible addition, but they are a little more picky about how you grow them than their less hardy Washingtonia robusta relatives.  If you live inland and have some clay in your soil, you might have some luck with Jubaea chilensis, but growing them is not for the faint of hear in the humid southeast.

20F is a good number since the two stations I looked at for Savannah recorded 19F during the 2022 Christmas Freeze.  At roughly the average (20F), you'll start seeing more of the Phoenix species, especially Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix dactylifera.  Livistona decora and Livistona saribus become good additions.  You can start considering cold-tolerant desert species if you have the patience: Brahea armata, Nannorrhops ritchiana, Washingtonia robusta.  Palms that gets overlooked a lot in 9a are Allagoptera arenaria, Rhapis excelsa, and Rhapis humilis.  You'll also have luck with Chamaedorea radicalis/microspadix/costaricana. 

This is more of a quick tour at each hardiness level than a full list.  If you want to look through an Excel sheet of hardiness observations for other palms to consider, my comment at the link below will have an Excel attachment that you can use:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/61358-0000-cold-hardiness-observation-master-data/?do=findComment&comment=1088297

[SeanK]

Just ride around town and you'll see palmettos, CIDPs, B.ordorata, S.repens, and W.robusta. Downtown is z9a, milder on Tybee. By the time you get to I95 it's z8b.

I can't say for sure if I've seen Livistona there but I know I've not seen Arenga engleri. Both should be ok downtown and eastward.

Edited July 20, 2023 by SeanK

[VA Jeff]

I lived in Savannah for a while until November.  You can see some palms growing there before the Christmas freeze in this post  

 

Before then, I saw a number of zone 10 plants on Tybee, queens scattered around places somewhat inland, and a lot of non palm exotics.  I suspect most of the queens ar e dead, but I haven't been back since just before Christmas 2022.

[Robbertico18]

Any of the islands will have a favorable micro climate, especially Tybee island. Right downtown does usually stay a good bit warmer due to urban heat. The further inland you get the closer you will be to z8b. I don’t live in the heart of downtown but still I think my garden is a solid zone 9a. I have various tropical ginger, bananas, birds of paradise and Heliconia planted in the ground. Just recently noticed some Queen palms on Tybee island that survived our terrible cold event of Christmas 2022, so I figured I’d give them a try as well. 
 

good luck

[South Carolina palms]

  On 7/20/2023 at 2:17 AM, Robbertico18 said:

Any of the islands will have a favorable micro climate, especially Tybee island. Right downtown does usually stay a good bit warmer due to urban heat. The further inland you get the closer you will be to z8b. I don’t live in the heart of downtown but still I think my garden is a solid zone 9a. I have various tropical ginger, bananas, birds of paradise and Heliconia planted in the ground. Just recently noticed some Queen palms on Tybee island that survived our terrible cold event of Christmas 2022, so I figured I’d give them a try as well. 
 

good luck

Expand  

And to add to this, I’d say a bismark palm would do fine in Savannah. I have one  here in Charleston Sc and it survived the Christmas 2022 freeze with just frost cloth and a moving blanket. 

[Dwarf Fan]

Here is my list of Cold Hardy Dwarf Palms in case you are looking for some shorter Palms that don’t get too massive. *Info should be verified this is just a cliff notes version of info I collected on the web from various sites please verify at your own discretion.

 

xButiagrus Nabonnandii (Mule Palm)

Origin: Brazil

Hardiness: 15F

Trunk: 20’-30’

Salt: Moderate-High

 

Livistona Chinensis (Chinese Fan Palm)

Origin: China, Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Hardiness: 20F

Trunk: 20’-30’

 

Chamaedorea Radicalis (Mexican Parlor Palm)

Origin: Mexico

Hardiness: 20F  

Trunk: 15’ 

Sun: Full Sun

Wind: Moderate-High

Salt: Moderate

 

Arenga Engleri (Dwarf Sugar Palm)

Origin: Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Hardiness: 20F

Trunk: 8’-15’

Sun: Partial Sun to Full Shade

Wind: Low

Salt: Low

 

Lytocaryum Hoehnei (Miniature Coconut Palm)

Origin: Brazil

Hardiness: Below 25F

Trunk: 6’-16’

Salt: Unknown

Wind: Moderate 

Sun: Filtered/Partial

 

Lytocaryum Weddellianum (Wedding/Feather Palm)

Origin: Brazil

Hardiness: 25F

Trunk: 6’-10’

Salt: Unknown 

Wind: Poor

Sun: Filtered/Indirect/Full Shade

 

Rhapidophyllum Hystrix (Needle Palm)

Origin: Florida

Hardiness: 0F

Trunk: 6’-10’

Water Slightly Moist/Somewhat dry on top

Sun: Partial Shade/Full Sun

Salt: Low-Moderate 

 

Allagoptera Arenaria (Seashore Palm)

Origin: Brazil

Hardiness: 25F

Trunk: 6’-8’

Sun: Full Sun

Soil: Sand

Salt: High

Wind: High

 

Sabal Brazoriensis

Origin: Brazoria County, Texas

Hardiness: -15F

Trunk: 20’ 

 

Sabal Louisiana

Origin: Select swampy areas of Louisiana and east Texas, where it grows among regular Sabal minor.

Species: unknown, possibly a variant of minor

Hardiness: 6F

Trunk: 6’-12’ 6’ Specimen 10’-12’ FAST

 

Sabal Minor (Dwarf Palmetto)

Origin: Southern US

Hardiness: 0F

Trunk: 4-6’ Texas 18’

 

Sabal Etonia

Origin: Florida

Hardiness: 5F

Trunk: 3’-4’ Specimen 5’-6’

 

Mini Sabal Minor Dwarfs: Blountstown, Wakulla or Chipola. Trunk: 18”

 

Serenoa Repens (Saw Palmetto)

Origin: Southern US

Hardiness: 5F

Trunk: 4’-10’

Water: Very drought tolerant when established, also tolerates high levels of soil moisture.

Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade

Salt: High

 

Phoenix Acaulis (Dwarf Date Palm)

Origin: India, Nepal, West Himalaya

Hardiness: 20F Light Shade

Trunk: 3’

Water: Regular Do NOT Overwater

Salt: Moderate-High

Chamaedorea Microspadix

Salt: Low

 

Rhapis Excelsa (Broadleaf Lady Palm)

Origin: China & Taiwan

Hardiness: 18F

Trunk: 15’

Sun: Dappled Sun/Partial Shade

Salt: Low

 

Clustering:

Arenga ryukyuensis

Caryota monostachya

Chamaedorea cataractum

Chuniophoenix hainanensis

Chuniophoenix nana

Lanonia dasyantha

Licuala fordiana

Licuala spinosa

Rhapis humilis

Rhapis multifida

Wallichia caryotoides

Wallichia oblongifolia (syn. densiflora)