Southeast Pennsylvania Palm Garden [August 19, 2024]

[OriolesRock100]

I started this palm garden this year, and I want to keep updates for myself to keep track of the growth of my palms and just to have pictures to look back on in the future. I know most people probably won't care about this thread, but I mostly wanted to make it for myself. I am in Southeast PA, zone 7a - I'm going to be zone pushing for sure, so I will be putting many of these palms in the garage over the winter to accustom them to cold winters without having to worry about rot from snow and to give them a few degrees higher than the conditions outside. Of course, palms that absolutely need to be will be moved inside. All pictures with the meterstick are measured from the top of the soil.

Washingtonias:

I grew all my Washingtonias from seed. I have quite a few extras not pictured, but this is my biggest Robusta + a Filifera/Filibusta next to it. Planning to keep these both in the garage all winter unless we get a huge freeze (this goes for all palms in garage). 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5762.jpg.59ddd55894cea307a3ec7c3abcb08531.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5796.jpg.1f066e2772af0d58ff585eddae0553e3.jpg

Trachycarpus Fortunei:

I bought this palm this spring at about half this size (wish I had better pics of it from then), and I plan to keep this one in the garage as well.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5782.jpg.51bccd87a538df06bbf23969cb9d98ae.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5801.jpg.183672aee233da983108fa4fdeff07d0.jpg

Rhapidophyllum Hystrix:

I bought this Needle Palm palm late this spring/early summer as a 1 gallon palm. It was probably a bit smaller than that, though. These palms really are slow growers, but it seems to have adjusted well and is picking up the pace a bit. This palm will stay outside, only moving to the garage for deep freezes, and either next summer or the summer after that will go in the ground, as this plant is fully hardy in zone 7a. Hand for size in the first picture.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5776.jpg.c586c534a5e41a80de3df86ed3c6f579.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5810.jpg.719526f6364db1fd0811c4bc73fbc7c2.jpg

Sabal Minor:

I bought this palm like a week ago. It was labeled as a "Cape Hatteras" variety, don't know if that is any different from a normal Sabal Minor. This one will do the same as the Needle Palm. Eventually, I would like to plant this palm in the ground, since it will be hardy here in zone 7a.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5761.jpg.ad344b1270cc9ee80caa0e836d2f493c.jpg

Phoenix Roebelenii:

I bought this triple-trunked Pygmy Date Palm from Home Depot for $25, which I thought was a fairly good deal for where I am located. It's been putting out new foliage like crazy this summer, to the point that I am tempted to cut the smallest trunk off due to interference. The third trunk is behind the one on the left in the third picture. This will have to come inside for the winter, but I have heard these palms overwinter well inside (hoping that turns out to be true).

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_57922.jpg.c785d79b576b6cf527eaaaec345018ae.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5794.jpg.64ef7b4a7b6c1a06a35d1f15cdff43d4.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5811.jpg.4ad4725eff0a9ff133c178d0e39d8708.jpg

I also have some seedlings that are growing that I bought as single or double strap leaf seedlings. I will throw pics in here as well:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5790.jpg.4513877f1ed24a35c057340b67af2507.jpg

Sabal Palmetto:

I grew a bunch of Sabal Palmettos from seed this spring which are growing quite slowly:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5773.jpg.1a1b7ae57a2c1d1ff148c63fab0f3cd3.jpg

Adonidia Merrillii:

I grew a few of these from seed this June just for fun (I know they don't overwinter well but might as well try just to see what happens).

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5768.jpg.f21d8e4746c614f7e5836b6230437a4e.jpg

Phoenix Canariensis:

I grew this from seed late this winter, and it is growing very slowly. It started pushing its third strap leaf about a week ago or so. I would like to try this one in the garage for the most part, so I can accustom it to colder temperatures. I will take it inside for the more extreme cold snaps.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5779.jpg.259feb783a4948243d5b98d7948019a2.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5780.jpg.eaeb1b3e4306cb080c8a4a201ee15b0e.jpg

Unknown Butia:

Newly germinated - don't know which species

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5770.jpg.313771a98626d029bc6d2e8eedd2b23c.jpg

Unknown Crownshafted Palm (Adonidia?):

I couldn't resist and bought this palm at a local nursery for $40.Definitely an impulse buy, honestly I don't know if I will be able to overwinter this ~7 foot behemoth, but we will see. If nothing else, these pictures will be it's memory. It is starting to pick up the pace and is really happy with our hot, humid summers, but unfortunately, I don't know if I'll be able to keep it alive this winter... Third pic is from ~1 week after I got this palm.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5788.jpg.910d9c347fd9e5d9132a9269b6f8092c.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_5804.jpg.a91eed2b370fbe96d6976ffeb529b9a5.jpg

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/uploads/monthly_2024_08/IMG_4902.jpg.e56b0dd3c36f960a13ed83a3fda625b8.jpg

[BS Man about Palms]

Good luck and keep it up!

[Fusca]

Very nice assortment - you've got plenty of protecting to do this winter!  I think the palm you bought is a young Archontophoenix (king palm).  They're often sold in triples.  Was your Butia seed spherical or football shaped?  Most likely it's B. odorata if spherical and B. caterinensis if football shaped.

[OriolesRock100]

19 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Very nice assortment - you've got plenty of protecting to do this winter!  I think the palm you bought is a young Archontophoenix (king palm).  They're often sold in triples.  Was your Butia seed spherical or football shaped?  Most likely it's B. odorata if spherical and B. caterinensis if football shaped.

The Butia seed was pretty spherical, so I would have guessed odorata but not 100% sure. As for the likely king palm, I will have to see what I can do about it. The main thing would be finding a place to put it inside that gets enough light and trying to keep it spidermite-free. If it makes it, that would be great, but if it doesn’t, I guess I only lost out on $40 and still got to enjoy a beautiful palm for the summer