TEXAS 2025

[MarcusH]

3 hours ago, Xenon said:

NWS even though they have the coldest forecast. Really hope they are wrong but they usually aren't. 

We shall see. I'm at 16f at the lowest. Not really what I was hoping for but hopefully it gets a little bit warmer. Fingers crossed. 

[Xenon]

53 minutes ago, thyerr01 said:

Everything else gets mulch (or nothing).

Arenga sp. usually get buckets over them, but they have now outgrown that. 

Hey I noticed in the Leu Gardens thread (I also went there a month ago, great place!) you're into clustering semi-dieback perennial palms. I have a Chuniophoenix nana in a suboptimal/very low light spot that has managed to come back looking decent through the past 2-3 cold winters unprotected. It's surprising how vigorous it is, it's faster to recover than Rhapis imo. More tropical looking too. 

I also have Lanonia dasyantha, Licuala fordiana, and Chuniophoenix hainanensis since 2021 but I'm too scared to test them so they get covered for the two days of zonebusting winter weather. The Lanonia does cluster quite a bit but I'm not sure its vigorous enough to come back year after year of zone 8. Same with the Chuniophoenix hainanensis.

Licuala fordiana is a leaf making machine though and the growth point stays at ground level for a loooong time. Maybe I'll risk some seedlings when it finally does flower. 

I chickened out with the Lytocaryum hoehnei and put a box and plastic over it (no heat). It just looks too good right now. No covers for the cat palm (came back fine last year) or radicalis (not a scratch). 

Didn't cover or mulch my dozen or so citrus trees either. Survive or die! 

[thyerr01]

@Xenon Yeah, I'd love to track down any of those, along with Caryota monostachya, Wallichia oblongifolia, and that new marbled Lanonia from southern China. Also lots more Rhapis to try. I actually built a large new garden bed this year just for these guys, but they are all just hard to find. I've tried Lanonia dasyantha from seed twice, one seed package just got lost in the mail (had permits) and the other batch I didn't get any to survive, although in fairness I didn't do a great job with them. I'd pitch in on a Floribunda order if they had a couple of them in stock.

Chuniophoenix nana have done well at Mercer and I think the chances of finding some of them for sale are decent. I cover my Cat palms because a little protection goes a long way. They can be back to full size by midsummer as long as they don't completely freeze back. I think Cat palms are seriously underused in Houston.

[Xenon]

19 minutes ago, thyerr01 said:

@Xenon Yeah, I'd love to track down any of those, along with Caryota monostachya, Wallichia oblongifolia, and that new marbled Lanonia from southern China. Also lots more Rhapis to try. I actually built a large new garden bed this year just for these guys, but they are all just hard to find. I've tried Lanonia dasyantha from seed twice, one seed package just got lost in the mail (had permits) and the other batch I didn't get any to survive, although in fairness I didn't do a great job with them. I'd pitch in on a Floribunda order if they had a couple of them in stock.

Chuniophoenix nana have done well at Mercer and I think the chances of finding some of them for sale are decent. I cover my Cat palms because a little protection goes a long way. They can be back to full size by midsummer as long as they don't completely freeze back. I think Cat palms are seriously underused in Houston.

Geonoma schottiana is another palm I want to try again (also clumping). I had two grow very well for me for over 2 years until some mechanical damage/easement bs took them out. 

Yes, would take another Floribunda order to acquire most of this stuff again haha

[Robert Cade Ross]

How life feels growing palms in Texas this decade lol . (Alvin robustas fried to a crisp with the crowns collapsing years ago 🥲. 
 

I wrapped my Alexandre kings 

purpurea 

majesty 

mule just because it’s still soooo small 

bismakria x2 

Sylvester 

pigmy dates x3 kinda skeptical if they survive with how I half ass protected them 😹🤞. The good ole tundra  

[Xenon]

4:20 AM and by some miracle both the garden in Katy and my place at 610 are above freezing 😯

The local media had the freeze line projected at 12 AM in Katy and 2 AM in Central Houston. Celebrate little victories lol 

It's 33F with thunderstorms... probably the most bizarre thing I've ever witnessed here. Maybe the storms and lightning are mixing up and injecting heat into the atmosphere? 🤷‍♂️😅

[SeanK]

How are temps in DFW at 8 AM?

[Chester B]

@Xenon same here. We were down to 33F and thunderstorms for hours.  Some periods of torrential rain but fortunately no freezing rain or ice. I’m hoping now that the ground is saturated it’s going to be that much harder to freeze. 
 

I’m starting to see some patches of blue sky now.  Hopefully we stay above freezing for at least the daylight hours.  

[Xenon]

3 minutes ago, Chester B said:

@Xenon same here. We were down to 33F and thunderstorms for hours.  Some periods of torrential rain but fortunately no freezing rain or ice. I’m hoping now that the ground is saturated it’s going to be that much harder to freeze. 
 

I’m starting to see some patches of blue sky now.  Hopefully we stay above freezing for at least the daylight hours.  

The garden bottomed out at 27F about an hour ago, now on the rise at 28F. Hoping to make it above freezing today. No freeze until past 7 AM. Low of 30F where I'm staying on 610. 

Yeah, the whole ice storm media frenzy ended up being a bust. Minimal to no ice for 95% of Houston metro. Very minimal power outages. We definitely dodged the first bullet.

The garden has now been upgraded to 18F for Monday night by NWS!!! Keep going up please 😄

 

[RedRabbit]

Not as bad as I expected so far… I had 28f on the north side, 31f on the south (somewhat sheltered.) No freezing rain or snow.

[Chester B]

My latest forecast has improved.  23 tonight and 24 tomorrow. With the no freezing rain last night, I’m feeling a whole lot better.  I expect everything to make it through ok.  Spent some time protecting the Bismarckia today so it should be all good. 
 

What a nice surprise that they overestimated the cold and effects here. It’s still temps lower than our zone but not by much!

[ahosey01]

Welp, NWS is forecasting 29F for my house tonight.  Just going by feel spending a little time out there, it certainly doesn't feel like it's going to get that cold out.  Still breezy but not crazy, radiative effect won't be that bad and advective is behind us after the front moved through.  This freeze, for Brownsville, is almost certainly not as bad as last year's around this time.  Not particularly wet, not going to be prolonged, doesn't feel frosty.  It's 40F out right now and you can't even see your breath in the street light.  Only precautions I took were three:
 

1.) Covered my small 6ft Cocos nucifera with a wool blanket.

2.) Put my potted Tahina spectabilis under my roof on the patio.

3.) Brought my flowering citrus in so the flower buds don't get fried.

 

Here's to good luck!  Best of luck to all of you north of the Nueces River!

[ahosey01]

22 hours ago, Xenon said:

Hey I noticed in the Leu Gardens thread (I also went there a month ago, great place!) you're into clustering semi-dieback perennial palms. I have a Chuniophoenix nana in a suboptimal/very low light spot that has managed to come back looking decent through the past 2-3 cold winters unprotected. It's surprising how vigorous it is, it's faster to recover than Rhapis imo. More tropical looking too. 

I also have Lanonia dasyantha, Licuala fordiana, and Chuniophoenix hainanensis since 2021 but I'm too scared to test them so they get covered for the two days of zonebusting winter weather. The Lanonia does cluster quite a bit but I'm not sure its vigorous enough to come back year after year of zone 8. Same with the Chuniophoenix hainanensis.

Licuala fordiana is a leaf making machine though and the growth point stays at ground level for a loooong time. Maybe I'll risk some seedlings when it finally does flower. 

I chickened out with the Lytocaryum hoehnei and put a box and plastic over it (no heat). It just looks too good right now. No covers for the cat palm (came back fine last year) or radicalis (not a scratch). 

Didn't cover or mulch my dozen or so citrus trees either. Survive or die! 

If Texas gardeners had a few more options this would be the standard fare in our climate with 10 years of 10a and one year of 8b.  Stuff like Syagrus stenopetala,  It's just so hard to find suckering tropical stuff in nurseries that isn't Phoenix or Rhapis.

[RedRabbit]

This is why I won’t be planting any z10 palms in Texas… 10hrs until dawn.