Texas Palms

[Chester B]

On 2/8/2026 at 4:23 PM, thyerr01 said:

The various firebushes (Hamelia patens) are being watched. Several are going through their first winter and I have found these harder to overwinter than expected, especially the smaller ones. I regularly saw these in Austin pre-2021 (not sure whether they are still around) and they returned fine after normal winters there.

I have three types of firebush.  The standard Hamelia patens, Lime sizzler and the Dwarf firebush.  All returned for me last year so I expect better recovery this year.   The Arbor gate in Tomball has a dwarf version that is 7 or 8 feet tall and very wide.  They are hardy here and supposedly come back bigger each year as they become more established.

21 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

Livistona nitida seems perfect for Houston. I don’t think it burned this winter or last in Pearland

The two I have are doing well with no damage.

[Xenon]

Big clump of queens spotted in Spring Branch (Houston) today. What freeze?

 

A nicer looking Butia

[SeanK]

1 minute ago, Xenon said:

Big clump of queens spotted in Spring Branch (Houston) today. What freeze?

 

A nicer looking Butia

That's a nice sized palm.

[Xenon]

Just a recent throwback to just how warm our mild winters can be. I know it isn't in as recent memory as our super cold winters 😝

This triple solitaire (Ptychosperma elegans) and Royal were planted in 2018 and lived in decent condition until the big freeze in 2021. 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 were mild winters for all of Houston. You can see mild burn but also complete recovery and more through our long summers. This is not a warm part of town or anything (West Houston/Energy Corridor). 

Now just imagine how warm the late 90s and 2000s were...and for a much longer uninterrupted stretch. 

[MarcusH]

2 hours ago, Xenon said:

Just a recent throwback to just how warm our mild winters can be. I know it isn't in as recent memory as our super cold winters 😝

This triple solitaire (Ptychosperma elegans) and Royal were planted in 2018 and lived in decent condition until the big freeze in 2021. 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 were mild winters for all of Houston. You can see mild burn but also complete recovery and more through our long summers. This is not a warm part of town or anything (West Houston/Energy Corridor). 

Now just imagine how warm the late 90s and 2000s were...and for a much longer uninterrupted stretch. 

Good ole times , right ? Looks like there's nothing concerning in the forecast.  All I see are warm temperatures throughout February.  I might just going to get my palms out of dormancy by nuking the soil with some palmgain on Saturday lol also going to increase watering a bit. We should be out of the woods now. 

[Chester B]

19 hours ago, MarcusH said:

Good ole times , right ? Looks like there's nothing concerning in the forecast.  All I see are warm temperatures throughout February.  I might just going to get my palms out of dormancy by nuking the soil with some palmgain on Saturday lol also going to increase watering a bit. We should be out of the woods now. 

I'm starting fertilization, but could really use some rain.  Some of my deciduous plants that lost their leaves have started regrowing.  Palmgain is unavailable right now, I guess people made a run on it so I bought the miracle grow one from Lowes.  It's half the price but should be reasonably good.  I'm probably going to hit all the garden beds with the Microlife Multipurpose as well.

I'm not at all concerned about cold at this point.

 

[Allen]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

I'm starting fertilization, but could really use some rain.  Some of my deciduous plants that lost their leaves have started regrowing.  Palmgain is unavailable right now, I guess people made a run on it so I bought the miracle grow one from Lowes.  It's half the price but should be reasonably good.  I'm probably going to hit all the garden beds with the Microlife Multipurpose as well.

I'm not at all concerned about cold at this point.

 

Get the 50 pound palmgain one on seedworldusa dot com

[Chester B]

1 hour ago, Allen said:

Get the 50 pound palmgain one on seedworldusa dot com

Thanks Allen.  Cheapest price I've seen.  I'll blow through this bag in 2-3 applications, but I find that is usually enough for the year.

[Ben G.]

Cibolo TX Post Winter storm report:

Temps in my neck of the woods hit 19F or 20F, with some freezing rain. As usual, I think the freezing precipitation was the bigger problem.

C. radicalis with East Northeast exposure and partial overhead protection from the eave of the house.

P. dactylifera was almost immediately dead. It was about 3 ft in overall height and very healthy going into this event. I covered it, but not until it was already wet. So it's spear pulled almost immediately after the freeze. It's leaves were brown within a few days. I cut the trunk down and there was no living tissue left, despite treating it with hydrogen peroxide within a couple of days of the ice.

Butia took a little longer to show damage. It was covered with a large patio umbrella, but it blew off during the storm. It was a couple of weeks before the newest leaves started losing color. Spear pulled, and I have been treating it with H2O2 as well. No signs of a new spear yet.

Even my S. mexicanas (No protection) have a leaf or two that have lost their color. This surprised me:

My Washingtonia that grows like a weed looks pretty much perfect with no protection:

Not all Washingtonians are created equal though. This is what another one just a couple of houses down from mine looks like:

Small trachycarpus F x Ws took no damage with a bucket to cover them:

[MarcusH]

On 2/12/2026 at 9:33 AM, Chester B said:

I'm starting fertilization, but could really use some rain.  Some of my deciduous plants that lost their leaves have started regrowing.  Palmgain is unavailable right now, I guess people made a run on it so I bought the miracle grow one from Lowes.  It's half the price but should be reasonably good.  I'm probably going to hit all the garden beds with the Microlife Multipurpose as well.

I'm not at all concerned about cold at this point.

 

Miracle grow worked just as good as palmgain in my opinion.  It's really hard to tell which one is better .  You really have to do a side by side,  same growing conditions comparison in order to tell which one is really better and are the most expensive ones really better or is it just the name you pay for?  I can tell my palms grow well using both brands. 

A lot of stuff is growing back in my yard as well.  My Robusta is already trying to be the fastest horse on the race track . Pushing out the frond like a champ. The others are slower.  

[MarcusH]

3 hours ago, Ben G. said:

Cibolo TX Post Winter storm report:

Temps in my neck of the woods hit 19F or 20F, with some freezing rain. As usual, I think the freezing precipitation was the bigger problem.

C. radicalis with East Northeast exposure and partial overhead protection from the eave of the house.

P. dactylifera was almost immediately dead. It was about 3 ft in overall height and very healthy going into this event. I covered it, but not until it was already wet. So it's spear pulled almost immediately after the freeze. It's leaves were brown within a few days. I cut the trunk down and there was no living tissue left, despite treating it with hydrogen peroxide within a couple of days of the ice.

Butia took a little longer to show damage. It was covered with a large patio umbrella, but it blew off during the storm. It was a couple of weeks before the newest leaves started losing color. Spear pulled, and I have been treating it with H2O2 as well. No signs of a new spear yet.

Even my S. mexicanas (No protection) have a leaf or two that have lost their color. This surprised me:

My Washingtonia that grows like a weed looks pretty much perfect with no protection:

Not all Washingtonians are created equal though. This is what another one just a couple of houses down from mine looks like:

Small trachycarpus F x Ws took no damage with a bucket to cover them:

My Robusta isn't very leaf hardy.  Low 20s , the fronds will turn brown, all of them. I see some they look exactly like mine but seem to handle the cold better.  At least mine is pretty bud hardy and recovers fast.  I leave the fronds on until they're crispy but the new frond that is currently seeking daylight doesn't look bad at all. 

[MarcusH]

Couldn't resist . Another pigym for the big container. What I like about those is they're low maintenance and don't mind being outside in the 30s at all. 

[Fusca]

On 2/14/2026 at 6:49 PM, MarcusH said:

Couldn't resist . Another pigym for the big container. What I like about those is they're low maintenance and don't mind being outside in the 30s at all. 

Nice double roebelenii!  I almost bought one too - $70 at the orange store, right?  I settled instead for a $35 foxtail and a $10 Dypsis lutescens.  I managed to get both in my Nissan (somehow).

[MarcusH]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Nice double roebelenii!  I almost bought one too - $70 at the orange store, right?  I settled instead for a $35 foxtail and a $10 Dypsis lutescens.  I managed to get both in my Nissan (somehow).

Ohhh that's a nice Foxtail . I assume you're going to plant it in the ground Jon ? All of them ? Let nobody tell you that you need a full size pick up truck to transport large palms. We prove them wrong haha.  

[ChrisA]

Hey y’all! Took a trip to the coast this weekend. Here’s a few palms I was tracking.  A bottle palm in Port A and a few foxtails in Rockport/Fulton.  Port A got down to 26F and Rockport got down to 24F along the waterfront which is where the Foxtail was. 
 

Nice Bismarkia in Port A as well. No damage whatsoever.

 

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, MarcusH said:

Ohhh that's a nice Foxtail . I assume you're going to plant it in the ground Jon ? All of them ? Let nobody tell you that you need a full size pick up truck to transport large palms. We prove them wrong haha.  

Yes, both going in the ground either tomorrow or Wednesday.  The foxtail is actually a little taller than the one I bought from the same nursery last year.  Minimal foliage damage after our January freeze at 27°F.

[Keys6505]

On 2/12/2026 at 11:54 AM, Allen said:

Get the 50 pound palmgain one on seedworldusa dot com

Ordered one, thanks.  FYI code SEED4LIFE took off a whopping $2!

[Xenon]

Sorry for the drive-by quality

Uptown Park (Houston)

The newer mass planting at Shepherd Dr is looking good too. Healthy post-transplant crowns emerging. 

[MarcusH]

My Robusta,  the indestructible got a new haircut .  Green fronds already pushing out fast. Just the upper part of the spear got burned. Filifera laughed at the cold. 

[PA-TX2024]

On 2/22/2026 at 9:59 AM, Xenon said:

Sorry for the drive-by quality

Uptown Park (Houston)

The newer mass planting at Shepherd Dr is looking good too. Healthy post-transplant crowns emerging. 

It sucks that SA doesn't have Date Palm lines like those.

[MarcusH]

6 hours ago, PA-TX2024 said:

It sucks that SA doesn't have Date Palm lines like those.

If the winters continue like that they would  look ugly, at least till the end of summer here in San Antonio.  The winter in Houston is often, not always, warmer by a few degrees. They will do better over there.  Dactylifera defoliates too many times in SA. Not a good palm for us.

[ChrisA]

I agree Marcus, dacty is generally not a good Palm for San Antonio. There is one I’ve been tracking that is about 20-25 feet tall that had just recovered an almost full head of fronds when we got our few days of winter. Even though it only got down to 20, which dactys should be able to handle, it’s the ice that hurt. All fronds are fried now with the exception of those in the spear.

I’m going to propose a new climate zone just for this area. Introducing USDA climate Zone pre-9A. While the average of the minimum temperature for pretty much any span of 30 years you want to pick from is right at or near 20, the yearly ice and or snow that arrives with cold will cause lethal damage to palms that are normally able to withstand just the temp alone.

I hate to say it, but in my area there are many large Filifera that have damaged fronds. The smaller trees, other than some spotting and bruised petioles, seemed mostly unfazed.

My young Sabal uresanas have also shown some damage to the older strap leaves. I expect they’ll be fine as they gain height and girth.

What do you think of Zone Pre-9A? 

[Xenon]

On 2/10/2026 at 1:20 PM, Xenon said:

Big clump of queens spotted in Spring Branch (Houston) today. What freeze?

As I thought these are all volunteer self seeded queens from a former pair of fat luscious parent queens. Look at the rocketship growth rate on these things! 

And you still have the "queens won't grow here anymore, stop trying blah blah blah people" 🤦‍♂️😝

Sorry no mule palm looks like a healthy fat queen with a dense crown of giant deep green leaves. 

[Xenon]

Seems like the office queen was self seeded by big mama too 

[MarcusH]

6 hours ago, Xenon said:

As I thought these are all volunteer self seeded queens from a former pair of fat luscious parent queens. Look at the rocketship growth rate on these things! 

And you still have the "queens won't grow here anymore, stop trying blah blah blah people" 🤦‍♂️😝

Sorry no mule palm looks like a healthy fat queen with a dense crown of giant deep green leaves. 

Almost EVERYONE on Palmtalk including myself will say QUEENS ARE NOT LONG TERM in Houston, never were and probably never will in our lifetime.  Those are unicorns,  got lucky nothing more just like a 100 year old person.  A very very very small percentage survived my friend but I like your positivity.  

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, MarcusH said:

Almost EVERYONE on Palmtalk including myself will say QUEENS ARE NOT LONG TERM in Houston, never were and probably never will in our lifetime.  Those are unicorns,  got lucky nothing more just like a 100 year old person.  A very very very small percentage survived my friend but I like your positivity.  

Did you read the post? These are seedlings that came up after the 2021 freeze from seed left behind by the mother palm(s) in the streetview. Some of the "seedlings" are now taller than the house lol 

[MarcusH]

7 hours ago, Xenon said:

Did you read the post? These are seedlings that came up after the 2021 freeze from seed left behind by the mother palm(s) in the streetview. Some of the "seedlings" are now taller than the house lol 

Yes I did and that's pretty amazing .  Maybe the owner is willing to give away some seeds .  I would knock on their door or leave a nice note with my phone number . 

[ChrisA]

Those queens look great for only bing in their fifth year of life. Must get some great watering!

[Chester B]

On 2/12/2026 at 11:54 AM, Allen said:

Get the 50 pound palmgain one on seedworldusa dot com

It's been 2 weeks and the fertilizer hasn't even arrived at Fedex yet.  So I'm assuming they are all out too.   Not a great business practice to take someone's money for something they don't have and provide no timeframe for when it may be available.  I'm sure it will show up eventually.  I'll give them one more week before I contact them to cancel the order.

[Allen]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

It's been 2 weeks and the fertilizer hasn't even arrived at Fedex yet.  So I'm assuming they are all out too.   Not a great business practice to take someone's money for something they don't have and provide no timeframe for when it may be available.  I'm sure it will show up eventually.  I'll give them one more week before I contact them to cancel the order.

I got mine from there this year and didn't have any problems otherwise I wouldn't have recommended them.  There are 2 seedworlds, the right one is seedworldusa com make sure you used the right one.  

[Chester B]

10 minutes ago, Allen said:

I got mine from there this year and didn't have any problems otherwise I wouldn't have recommended them.  There are 2 seedworlds, the right one is seedworldusa com make sure you used the right one.  

Yes I did use the right one.  Amazon was showing Palmgain as out of stock, so I'm not surprised they can't get it either.  People in Florida going crazy fertilizing damaged plants too soon, I think is the reason for the shortage.

[Xenon]

9 hours ago, MarcusH said:

Yes I did and that's pretty amazing .  Maybe the owner is willing to give away some seeds .  I would knock on their door or leave a nice note with my phone number . 

I think all of the seeds would've sprouted by now. Now wait for the seedlings to make seeds lol

[MarcusH]

3 hours ago, Xenon said:

I think all of the seeds would've sprouted by now. Now wait for the seedlings to make seeds lol

That could be the holy grale. Keep an eye on it for us. We need the seeds or seedlings, do something Jonathan lol.

[Xenon]

14 minutes ago, MarcusH said:

That could be the holy grale. Keep an eye on it for us. We need the seeds or seedlings, do something Jonathan lol.

I don't think so. I think these are just run of the mill normal queen palms 🤷‍♂️. They grow really fast when they're happy 

[Xenon]

Took these photos in early January of some "exotic Sabals" with tropical looking leaves and petioles in Jacinto City (Houston Area). I spoke to the property owner and he said they are Sabal sp. 'Riverside'. These have shown some minor to moderate cold damage in the past but are unharmed by the 23F cold snap a few weeks ago. 

Sorry the lighting here is not ideal. They are a bit more glossy and deep green in person. 

 

[Chester B]

16 hours ago, Xenon said:

Took these photos in early January of some "exotic Sabals" with tropical looking leaves and petioles in Jacinto City (Houston Area). I spoke to the property owner and he said they are Sabal sp. 'Riverside'. These have shown some minor to moderate cold damage in the past but are unharmed by the 23F cold snap a few weeks ago. 

Sorry the lighting here is not ideal. They are a bit more glossy and deep green in person. 

 

Very cool, too bad there wasn't something in there for scale.  Riversides are supposed to be a very large Sabal and fast growing.  I have two in my yard and they are indeed fast growing, and were not bothered  by this winter as well.

[PA-TX2024]

On 2/25/2026 at 10:56 AM, Xenon said:

As I thought these are all volunteer self seeded queens from a former pair of fat luscious parent queens. Look at the rocketship growth rate on these things! 

And you still have the "queens won't grow here anymore, stop trying blah blah blah people" 🤦‍♂️😝

Sorry no mule palm looks like a healthy fat queen with a dense crown of giant deep green leaves. 

The more the merrier.

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

Very cool, too bad there wasn't something in there for scale.  Riversides are supposed to be a very large Sabal and fast growing.  I have two in my yard and they are indeed fast growing, and were not bothered  by this winter as well.

All of the surrounding palms in the background are palmetto for some scale 

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

Very cool, too bad there wasn't something in there for scale.  Riversides are supposed to be a very large Sabal and fast growing.  I have two in my yard and they are indeed fast growing, and were not bothered  by this winter as well.

Those Riversides look plenty old enough to flower - the seeds are even larger than mexicana seeds.  I have two in the yard I grew from seed collected in Riverside, CA!

[Xenon]

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

Those Riversides look plenty old enough to flower - the seeds are even larger than mexicana seeds.  I have two in the yard I grew from seed collected in Riverside, CA!

Set seed all the time. @Robert Cade Ross has some seedlings collected from the boots I think