Foxtails In Nor Cal!

[Growingwithdrew]

Hi all fellow palm enthusiasts here. Fell in love with the foxtail palm many years ago and decided to plant one in my yard here in San Jose. It is doing well loves the heat, I removed a king palm as is the site had the best microclimate.  Just a few feet a way is mango tree that has done well for years so I figured it was the best spot for it.  It currently is working on a new spear and growing rapidly.  I am curios to see if there are any other foxtails around the bay, haven’t heard of any.  Does anyone know of any that have survived the wet cold winters.  I'd love to hear about it! Thank You!

 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Growingwithdrew said:

Hi all fellow palm enthusiasts here. Fell in love with the foxtail palm many years ago and decided to plant one in my yard here in San Jose. It is doing well loves the heat, I removed a king palm as is the site had the best microclimate.  Just a few feet a way is mango tree that has done well for years so I figured it was the best spot for it.  It currently is working on a new spear and growing rapidly.  I am curios to see if there are any other foxtails around the bay, haven’t heard of any.  Does anyone know of any that have survived the wet cold winters.  I'd love to hear about it! Thank You!

 

Growingwithdrew,  Welcome to the forum...

Which part of San Jose are you located? .. Grew up out there myself.  

Because these like a lot of heat / aren't fond of much cold during the winter, Foxtails can be a bit of a challenge up there but, while others may tell you a Foxtail will be a no -go,  my personal belief is that it can be done, though i'd anticipate some possible post - winter damage, and slower movement than maybe a King Palm ( Archontophoenix cunninghamiana )  

Would definitely consider protecting it when needed during the winter until larger.  If where you planted it is on the south or east side of your house, even better.

Before i left the area, there was a skinny one planted in front of a house in the Lake Almaden / Oakridge Mall area.  Unfortunately, some colder than usual mornings that winter killed it..  Was on the smaller side and should have been protected, imo.  House is currently surrounded by King Palms planted around the same time.

Just in case the Foxtail doesn't work out, depending on which side of town you're on, Majesty Palms, Ravenea rivularis  can do / have done alright  ...As long as they get plenty of water during the warmer months esp. / Fertilizer high in K, 3-4X's a year. Will still grow is under watered / not fed well  ..but will look pretty ratty.

Biggest Majesty i've seen w/ my own eyes out there is located in front of a Mac. D's in the Princeton Plaza area on the southwest side of town.

There is also a Royal Palm, Roystonea regia,  planted next to a house in Cambrian Park.  Been planted since -at least- 2013.

How has your experience w/ your Mango been.. Any attempts at producing fruit yet or still too young?
 

[BayAndroid]

Nice to see another palm enthusiast in the Bay Area! Fox tail is a difficult one, but the reward for being the only one to do it, might just make it worth the trouble. They probably just don't get enough heat during the winter. I'm sure cold wet roots are a risk for them. I believe you chose a good spot for this one, based on your prior successes in this location. I think the best conditions you can provide for a marginal palm in our area, would be a South facing wall that gets a lot of heat from the sun during the day (if it's a shade loving palm, this is a frustrating fact of life) and probably (but not always) a well draining soil location. Our common clay soil in the Bay Area can be a problem for some palms in winter. Some of my recent plantings are mounded or planted in a bit of a raised planter bed. The hope is they will thrive in the well drained soil. 

[Harry’s Palms]

I had one here for 8 years( planted two , one died the first year) never saw frost , grew to a tall height, and one year just after winter never came out with decent fronds. It just kept pushing smaller fronds for two years until it just died. I can grow many various palms but that one eluded my garden. You may be successful, and I hope you are , but it would be the exception. Down here they are living nicely but it is variable. Most folks plant at least two or three to get a nice one. I just planted four more with hopes of getting at least one to succeed. Make sure they are in the warmest location in your yard and have very good drainage. If the ground does not dry between watering , then as it gets older it will not be happy. On the other hand , I planted , in the same side of my front yard  , a Venezuelan Royal that I was told would not survive. It is now large and happy after over 20 years in the ground. Harry

[Jim in Los Altos]

I’m in zone 10a here (Sunset Zone 16) and I had a Foxtail growing in the warmest spot in my yard where there’s a heat “trap.” Although the palm grew steadily for thirteen years, its trunk was skinny and fronds always had lots of brown leaflets even after frost free winters. It wasn’t a pretty palm by any means but it was a survivor. I had tried five others that died after one or two years. I cut the palm down this summer. To me, it was an eyesore. I have 132 species of palms in my garden that all thrive and I’d have more if the space was more abundant. No more Foxtails for me however. I hope you have better luck. 

[MJSanDiego]

59 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I’m in zone 10a here (Sunset Zone 16) and I had a Foxtail growing in the warmest spot in my yard where there’s a heat “trap.” Although the palm grew steadily for thirteen years, its trunk was skinny and fronds always had lots of brown leaflets even after frost free winters. It wasn’t a pretty palm by any means but it was a survivor. I had tried five others that died after one or two years. I cut the palm down this summer. To me, it was an eyesore. I have 132 species of palms in my garden that all thrive and I’d have more if the space was more abundant. No more Foxtails for me however. I hope you have better luck. 

Jim your experience with Foxtails is kind of like mine with Kings. I gave up on Kings. But my Foxtails are flourishing! Zone 10b with mild summer temps. The King palms would burn on the fronds even in mild temps and always look sickly so I gave up on them.  Aa far as foxtails, my clay might be more loamy which might help with them. Never any burning of the fronds even in a heat wave. I know Foxtails are native to steep rocky slopes with granite and that is what I have here. Many variables it seems and some luck

[MJSanDiego]

9 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I had one here for 8 years( planted two , one died the first year) never saw frost , grew to a tall height, and one year just after winter never came out with decent fronds. It just kept pushing smaller fronds for two years until it just died. I can grow many various palms but that one eluded my garden. You may be successful, and I hope you are , but it would be the exception. Down here they are living nicely but it is variable. Most folks plant at least two or three to get a nice one. I just planted four more with hopes of getting at least one to succeed. Make sure they are in the warmest location in your yard and have very good drainage. If the ground does not dry between watering , then as it gets older it will not be happy. On the other hand , I planted , in the same side of my front yard  , a Venezuelan Royal that I was told would not survive. It is now large and happy after over 20 years in the ground. Harry

Foxtails are native to steep rocky terrain, cliffs and rocky slopes with granite. I think that is what keeps the drainage ideal. Water seeps downhill and through cracks in the granite and where rocks separate from the soil. This is exactly what my lot is. I have slabs and chunks of granite on steep slopes all held in by native clay. I planted all of the foxtails on the steep slopes and they are all flourishing. Lots of variables and a bit of luck

[SeanK]

2 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Foxtails are native to steep rocky terrain, cliffs and rocky slopes with granite. I think that is what keeps the drainage ideal. Water seeps downhill and through cracks in the granite and where rocks separate from the soil. This is exactly what my lot is. I have slabs and chunks of granite on steep slopes all held in by native clay. I planted all of the foxtails on the steep slopes and they are all flourishing. Lots of variables and a bit of luck

How long have you had yours?

[Jim in Los Altos]

3 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Jim your experience with Foxtails is kind of like mine with Kings. I gave up on Kings. But my Foxtails are flourishing! Zone 10b with mild summer temps. The King palms would burn on the fronds even in mild temps and always look sickly so I gave up on them.  Aa far as foxtails, my clay might be more loamy which might help with them. Never any burning of the fronds even in a heat wave. I know Foxtails are native to steep rocky slopes with granite and that is what I have here. Many variables it seems and some luck

My soil here is freely draining loam with lots of organic material. Two feet down it becomes more clay. King palms are my fastest lushest palms. In just a few years they created forested canopy. My Foxtail never burned in the summer. It was the cool damp winters that would lead to fungal spotting and eventually many leaflets on each frond turning brown. I had a Puerto Rican Royal Palm in the same vicinity that was always green and lush. I felt terrible removing it but had to as it was pushing on my much loved Foxy Lady Palm. The poster’s area of San Jose is usually chillier at night than my area so I don’t think his Foxtail is long term. 

[awkonradi]

This foxtail in Burlingame lives, but it is growing very slowly.  Comparing pictures from Nov. 2021 and now, I see three new growth rings added in that time period.  It is in full sun, with a wall to the northwest.  Surrounding healthy vegetation suggests adequate irrigation. 

[BayAndroid]

3 hours ago, awkonradi said:

This foxtail in Burlingame lives, but it is growing very slowly.  Comparing pictures from Nov. 2021 and now, I see three new growth rings added in that time period.  It is in full sun, with a wall to the northwest.  Surrounding healthy vegetation suggests adequate irrigation. 

Cool find!