New Windmill Palm and Needle Palms in SE Va

[Peakster]

Hello all, well, the dream has come true.  We got some landscaping done and I have my very own “palm tree” and other exotic palms in the back yard! I hope they grow nice and big   

I’m sure I’ll be her in February reading up on cold weather precautions! 

[Leelanau Palms]

Looks like a washy?!?

[Ben G.]

Yep, that's a nice needle palm. That second one is definitely a washingtonia though. It will grow fast and look nice. It just won't tolerate the same degree of cold that a windmill palm would.

[Peakster]

Uh oh.  How cold can a washy tolerate?

[NCFM]

1 hour ago, Peakster said:

Uh oh.  How cold can a washy tolerate?

Depends on whether it is pure robusta or a hybrid.  Mine starts showing damage at 25 and anything below 15 will cause serious damage or death.  Protection during those events is possible though, check out this thread: 

 

[SeanK]

Is that three needles in the first photo? They're too close together.

[Colin1110082]

Did you buy these online or a local nursery, just curious? They look great! You should try out Musa basjoo as well if you want 

[Peakster]

2 hours ago, Colin1110082 said:

Did you buy these online or a local nursery, just curious? They look great! You should try out Musa basjoo as well if you want 

The landscaping company provided them.  

[L.A.M.]

3 hours ago, Colin1110082 said:

Did you buy these online or a local nursery, just curious? They look great! You should try out Musa basjoo as well if you want 

I advise against that. They not only aren't evergreen, they also stay dormant longer than anything else except Bermuda grass. I also fear they could become invasive, given how difficult it is to control them and the fact that Basjoo bananas are a foreign species. OTOH, needle palms are evergreen and native to southeastern North America. Although the Washingtonia genus isn't from our side of the Rockies, they are at least native to North America, which is still better than a fully foreign species. Although I will say that for long-term endurance of cold, Sabal species like palmetto or especially brazoriensis would be a better bet than even Trachycarpus fortunei, let alone Washingtonia, against the erratic cold waves of eastern and central North America. Plants from China or western North America just aren't adapted to volatile winter temperatures like the ones native to central and eastern North America are.