Texas Palms

[Meangreen94z]

A few updated pictures from Pearland

[Ben G.]

That majesty is looking good.

[Robert Cade Ross]

Removed a dead tallow tree that was killed by the last hard freeze 😆. 
what would you plant here palm tree wise ? Full sun clay soil that can be somewhat water logged in a wet winter . Needs to be able to handle temps between 15-100°+ 

[amh]

5 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Removed a dead tallow tree that was killed by the last hard freeze 😆. 
what would you plant here palm tree wise ? Full sun clay soil that can be somewhat water logged in a wet winter . Needs to be able to handle temps between 15-100°+ 

Sabal causiarum.

[MarcusH]

22 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Removed a dead tallow tree that was killed by the last hard freeze 😆. 
what would you plant here palm tree wise ? Full sun clay soil that can be somewhat water logged in a wet winter . Needs to be able to handle temps between 15-100°+ 

Sabal Palmetto or Mexicana.  Never have to worry about it. 

[MarcusH]

Just now, MarcusH said:

Sabal Palmetto or Mexicana.  Never have to worry about it. 

Or Butia Odorata.  But to be honest any palm that can handle a zone and a half below your current hardiness zone is good. 

[Fusca]

On 10/5/2025 at 12:16 PM, Robert Cade Ross said:

Removed a dead tallow tree that was killed by the last hard freeze 😆. 
what would you plant here palm tree wise ? Full sun clay soil that can be somewhat water logged in a wet winter . Needs to be able to handle temps between 15-100°+ 

Lots of room for a Bismarckia!  Too bad about the soil - wet feet in winter is a bad mix for these regardless of how cold it might get.  How about a nice clump of Acoelorraphe wrightii?  They like lots of water and also drought tolerant.

[Austinpalm]

16 hours ago, Fusca said:

Lots of room for a Bismarckia!  Too bad about the soil - wet feet in winter is a bad mix for these regardless of how cold it might get.  How about a nice clump of Acoelorraphe wrightii?  They like lots of water and also drought tolerant.

Acoelorraphe wrightii would be very nice if it can handle the winter temps.  I tried it twice in the UHI of Austin but it never came thru winter happy or able to do much more than repair winter's damage.  Possibly better results on an southeast facing wall.

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, Austinpalm said:

Acoelorraphe wrightii would be very nice if it can handle the winter temps.  I tried it twice in the UHI of Austin but it never came thru winter happy or able to do much more than repair winter's damage.  Possibly better results on an southeast facing wall.

Yeah it won't look perfect all the time but he's in Alvin.  I imagine a small unestablished palm might need protection for a few winters.  There is (was) a good sized clump at the Oblate School in San Antonio that survived 9°F unprotected in February 2021 coming back from the suckers.  Haven't seen it in the past 3 years so not sure what it looks like now.

[Austinpalm]

My mistake, i had the posts confused and thought they would be planted in the Hill Country.  Everglades palm should do fine in  Alvin.

[Robert Cade Ross]

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

Yeah it won't look perfect all the time but he's in Alvin.  I imagine a small unestablished palm might need protection for a few winters.  There is (was) a good sized clump at the Oblate School in San Antonio that survived 9°F unprotected in February 2021 coming back from the suckers.  Haven't seen it in the past 3 years so not sure what it looks like now.

I was there last October it’s a bit different now though after 2021 destroyed a lot of the collection and the relentless drought. 

[Fusca]

28 minutes ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

I was there last October it’s a bit different now though after 2021 destroyed a lot of the collection and the relentless drought. 

Yeah, it's a shame that no one protected any of the palms - there was such a cool selection of palms pre-2021!  But on the plus side it's a good indication of palms that can survive the worst weather that's thrown at them.  That Acoelorraphe looks pretty good considering but it's not exactly a fast grower...

[Ben G.]

I spotted a couple of Phoenix dactylifera in Northeast San Antonio tonight so I thought I would post them here. I love seeing date palms doing well here, but it was a good thing I didn't have gloves, goggles, and a saw with me. I was itching to trim off some of the suckers and clean these up.

I went to Google maps to see if these were 2021 survivors and if perhaps they are the surviving suckers from perhaps much larger trees before the big freeze.

They have been in the ground since 2016 it appears. Planted from a small size. The original/main trunk of the palm closer to the driveway did survive 2021, while the one closer to the corner of the front yard looks like it lost its main trunk. It also looks like the owner was trimming suckers and maintaining them as single trunk palms prior to 2021. Not so much in the years since.

2019:

2022:

[Robert Cade Ross]

I’ll be adding this Super mule palm to my garden soon. 🤞

[Robert Cade Ross]

Couple of happy baby bizzys . I should have about 10 or so for FREE if any of my Houston neighbors want one . 

[Ben G.]

I have a few small palms and seedlings I am giving away to anyone who is interested. See my post here for details:

 

[Robert Cade Ross]

Anyone else excited for the rain and cooler temperatures finally? #Lesswateringlol

[MarcusH]

2 hours ago, Robert Cade Ross said:

Anyone else excited for the rain and cooler temperatures finally? #Lesswateringlol

Absolutely!!! I'm excited .  Also I'm excited about winter that comes with its nerve wrecking artic blasts . Every year the same game. 

[Ben G.]

Took a few pics of palms at the San Antonio Botanical Garden today. Washingtonias and group plantings of med fans and saw palmetto certainly dominate the palm scene, but there are plenty of sabals and a few other species as well.

I still have the same question as my visit last year though.

The garden has two palms labeled as Nannorrhops. One is clearly a mazari palm:

Whole clump

Branching stems with smooth petioles and leaves that have a slight costapalmate fold

Long flower stalk held high and lots of tomentum

 

The other palm looks more like a silver med fan, but it has some differences that tell me it is not a Nannorrhops or med fan. I think some of you have suggested it is a Brahea before, though I don't recall which species.

Palm 2 with flat leaves, no branching stems, also completely smooth petioles, and a long flower stalk held low:

Not to be outdone by these two silver palms, the silver saw palmetto looked great too:

 

 

 

[Ben G.]

Some other nice palms and tropicals

Some of the Washingtonias looked like their petticoats had been burned. Their trunks were blackened. Not sure if that was an attempt to remove dead leaves the natural way or what.

 

 

[Robert Cade Ross]

Bismarkia on the smaller side that have survived since 2022 & some new dactys Friendswood - Galveston county 

[fr8train]

After over 3 years in Texas and almost buying a house here, I'm probably going to end up in Arizona. I loved being down here and I'm going to miss it. San Antonio is the friendliest city I've lived in. 

[Meangreen94z]

10 hours ago, fr8train said:

After over 3 years in Texas and almost buying a house here, I'm probably going to end up in Arizona. I loved being down here and I'm going to miss it. San Antonio is the friendliest city I've lived in. 

Phoenix? Lots of potential there if you buy. Even Tucson has been relatively mild as of late , and is milder than San Antonio overall.

[MarcusH]

On 11/1/2025 at 3:14 PM, fr8train said:

After over 3 years in Texas and almost buying a house here, I'm probably going to end up in Arizona. I loved being down here and I'm going to miss it. San Antonio is the friendliest city I've lived in. 

I'm not sure about San Antonio being the friendliest city in the U.S. , I can name at least half a dozen of other cities with way friendlier people overall but anyway I'm glad you had that kind of experience and that all matters at the end of the day.

As far as your hobby goes,  I'm not exactly sure what city in AZ you're aiming for but if it's something like the Phoenix or Tucson metro you can add a few palms that you can grow without the yearly defoliation.  Phoenix is 9b/10a while Tucson is 9a/9b for the most part depending on elevation etc. Definitely don't have to deal with the infamous artic blasts we get on a yearly basis down here in Texas.  The only concern is irrigation and temperatures in the 110 to 120f , dry heat.  Some palms that do well here could be struggling over there because of the very extreme hot summers.  Any Phoenix palm will do great for instance. 

Get in touch with the AZ palm growers , they know best . Good luck on your journey and keep us up to date with your palm grow experience.  

 

[fr8train]

2 hours ago, MarcusH said:

I'm not sure about San Antonio being the friendliest city in the U.S. , I can name at least half a dozen of other cities with way friendlier people overall but anyway I'm glad you had that kind of experience and that all matters at the end of the day.

As far as your hobby goes,  I'm not exactly sure what city in AZ you're aiming for but if it's something like the Phoenix or Tucson metro you can add a few palms that you can grow without the yearly defoliation.  Phoenix is 9b/10a while Tucson is 9a/9b for the most part depending on elevation etc. Definitely don't have to deal with the infamous artic blasts we get on a yearly basis down here in Texas.  The only concern is irrigation and temperatures in the 110 to 120f , dry heat.  Some palms that do well here could be struggling over there because of the very extreme hot summers.  Any Phoenix palm will do great for instance. 

Get in touch with the AZ palm growers , they know best . Good luck on your journey and keep us up to date with your palm grow experience.  

 

Maybe I've just been lucky with my interactions here. 

It'd be the Phoenix area, right now I'm looking at Chandler/Gilbert, but it's to rent. It'll be nice not to have to put everything away for the few nights a year it dips into the teens, for sure. The heat and water will be the issues I'll have to learn more about.

I really regret not getting the house down here, it was on a huge piece of land for a great price, totally flat, cleared, and with good soil, but unfortunately the house had a water heater in the attic fail and it flooded half the house, and the seller hid that from me. They made insurance claims (that's how I found out), and then used that money to buy a boat, and didn't really fix anything. 

Thanks, maybe I'll post some interesting palms I find in this sub-forum. What's rare there, but not here, like Sabals. I'm curious to see what can make it out there. 

21 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

Phoenix? Lots of potential there if you buy. Even Tucson has been relatively mild as of late , and is milder than San Antonio overall.

Phoenix, yes. I'm looking to rent to get a feel for the area again. Years ago I lived in Tucson, but only for a year. I really liked it there. 

[MarcusH]

Update on my Robusta that's been in the ground since March 2022. Then and now

[ChrisA]

Great growth on your robusta Marcus! Pretty incredible what 3 and a half years can accomplish with the long growing season we get.  My two, planted May 2023, have also grown well this year and the fronds now reach over my head. I’m thinking the trunks on both maybe grew maybe 18 inches or so. I’m hoping next year they’ll start moving faster. I’ve got them fairly close to the pool for that tropical effect but it will make it hard to get around them when I’m doing the brushing.  They are about 3-4 feet apart and even though I planted them straight they each have developed a different lean. It’s gonna look sexy in another 10 years or so, maybe 5?

Trying to add a recent photo but it keeps coming out black. I’ll try later.

Edited November 4 by ChrisA
Photo not working

[ChrisA]

Photos from today. Using Marcus’s technique of adding the footwear for scale, US size 9.5 / EUR 42.

[MarcusH]

On 11/4/2025 at 6:24 AM, ChrisA said:

Great growth on your robusta Marcus! Pretty incredible what 3 and a half years can accomplish with the long growing season we get.  My two, planted May 2023, have also grown well this year and the fronds now reach over my head. I’m thinking the trunks on both maybe grew maybe 18 inches or so. I’m hoping next year they’ll start moving faster. I’ve got them fairly close to the pool for that tropical effect but it will make it hard to get around them when I’m doing the brushing.  They are about 3-4 feet apart and even though I planted them straight they each have developed a different lean. It’s gonna look sexy in another 10 years or so, maybe 5?

Trying to add a recent photo but it keeps coming out black. I’ll try later.

Looks like yours grow at the same speed as mine.  Impressive growth rate isn't it? I like when a palm has some curves in it and does make them look more sexy lol, especially when two are planted next to each other.

[jwitt]

CURVES!

Pure palm porn!

[MarcusH]

2 hours ago, jwitt said:

CURVES!

Pure palm porn!

Haha is she single?  

[Silas_Sancona]

On 11/2/2025 at 9:00 PM, fr8train said:

Maybe I've just been lucky with my interactions here. 

It'd be the Phoenix area, right now I'm looking at Chandler/Gilbert, but it's to rent. It'll be nice not to have to put everything away for the few nights a year it dips into the teens, for sure. The heat and water will be the issues I'll have to learn more about.

I really regret not getting the house down here, it was on a huge piece of land for a great price, totally flat, cleared, and with good soil, but unfortunately the house had a water heater in the attic fail and it flooded half the house, and the seller hid that from me. They made insurance claims (that's how I found out), and then used that money to buy a boat, and didn't really fix anything. 

Thanks, maybe I'll post some interesting palms I find in this sub-forum. What's rare there, but not here, like Sabals. I'm curious to see what can make it out there. 

Phoenix, yes. I'm looking to rent to get a feel for the area again. Years ago I lived in Tucson, but only for a year. I really liked it there. 

Regarding Gilbert,  be aware the city caused a major uproar regarding raising water rates (  by a lot )  and bungling the rollout of a payment system ( all over our  local news )

Regarding Chandler, most of the larger sized lots are on the south side of town.  Little cooler out there than where I'm at ... But not by much these days.

By far the best spot in the valley regardless.  .. Besides Tucson,  lol.

 

Plant the right stuff and our summer nuke fests / fickle rainfall won't be impossible to handle  issues.

No doubt you'll be glad to never fear the cold,  ever again.

Our Sunsets  / monsoon season  ( when it rains )  and all the great places to visit ( non tourist traps ) full of lots of neat plants will be big things you'll likely enjoy a lot too.

[Xenon]

Bismarckia - Sabal guatemalensis - S. causiarum 

[ChrisA]

They’re growing gangbusters Marcus! Looking forward to next year.  Hopefully the coldest temps of the winter will be the next few nights coming up! Lol Well, we know better than that. It’ll be another few ice storms. 🧊 

[MarcusH]

45 minutes ago, ChrisA said:

They’re growing gangbusters Marcus! Looking forward to next year.  Hopefully the coldest temps of the winter will be the next few nights coming up! Lol Well, we know better than that. It’ll be another few ice storms. 🧊 

It's going to be an interesting year since La Nina officially took over .  We literally dodged a bullet last year.  I  would love to see a year where my Robusta won't defoliate but I agree with you,  at least they're growing super fast.  I expect mine to grow vertical next year.

[ChrisA]

Ditto! Would love to see four feet of growth so they can get overhead the following year maybe.

[Xenon]

My favorite cold hardy understory palm: Chuniophoenix nana! I think it has great landscape potential in the warmer half of zone 9. 

Here's an unprotected one after 19F and snow. Springs back up like a weed. It's in a very suboptimal location too, would probably grow much faster with slightly more sun. Notice how wide the leaflets are...almost Licuala-esque!

A protected one since 2021 that will probably flower soon. Notice it clusters fairly aggressively so if one of the aerial trunks die, there should be plenty of suckers that will live. 

[Ben G.]

Question for all of you Texas palms growers:

Would it be smart to stealth plant some small filiferas and possibly a CIDP in my neighborhood park/green belt now? Or is it definitely better to wait until spring?

Context:

I secretly planted a small filifera and a small dactylifera in some of the wild space in my neighborhood that does not get mowed down. The filifera was chewed up by deer and/or rabbits, made a little comeback, then died due to prolonged drought on top of the animal assault. The dactylifera was planted farther into the brush, before the brush started growing last spring. So, I haven't been able to get to it in months. I don't know if it made it or not.

Since summer is so long and arrives so early here, might it be better to plant these palms (that are well adapted to local conditions) now to give them more time to establish before the summer heat and drought arrive? Or is the risk of cold and browsing animals too high over the winter?

Obviously, I could just give it a shot and roll the dice. I am just curious if any of you have any thoughts.

[Swolte]

I'd wait until Spring as they are still establishing. Winters are typically the hardest on these palms. If you want to do an educated gamble, try planting mid February if the 2 week forecast is frost-free. We tend to get our harshest stuff Jan-Feb.

[KPoff]

Just wanted to share a few big filifera in Big Spring, TX I spotted recently.