Washingtonian Robusta in Charleston to phant or not to plant

[Sias]

I’ve got this cute Mexican fan palm and I have the perfect place for it in West Ashley in my elevated yard (dry sandy soil) but I keep getting mixed messages about whether it’s safe to plant here as we are 8b but it is a 9. Still I see what look like a lot of them around and I just wanted to get a vibe from the community at large.

[NC-Key-Bar]

It will do fine. That is DEEP in 8b. I think actually 9a as of 2023. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

If I recall correctly,  @Laaz has / had a Washingtonia and it was growing very well.

[mnorell]

In the south and southeast, a pure Washingtonia robusta is a 9b palm long-term. The leaves fry at 23F or so, and mature palms are killed in long, wet southern freezes at about 13F (this has been demonstrated over and over again over the decades). Virtually every palm was killed in New Orleans in 1962 and 1989. You just need to look at your weather records since you are planting a large, tall palm that will become a maintenance headache every year if your temps regularly hit 23 or below. Since you are 8b it sounds like you will be in the teens roughly two-thirds of the years. If you are comfortable with the brown leaves and the ultimate realization that the palm is going to die (definitely going to happen in 8b after some years), and you can handle the expense of removing it, then nobody's going to stop you from planting one, of course. I think you stand a much better chance with a W. x filibusta. But even with that, maybe plant a Sabal sp. nearby so when the inevitable happens you still have a beautiful, large and virtually indestructible palm to enjoy in your landscape and you don't have to start over from scratch. You may regret losing all those years invested.

[palmofmyhand]

I think it is a good idea, if you could possibly plant it near the south facing side of your house while still getting enough sunlight it would be a form of insurance. The house is a thermal mass that would add heat to the palm and help ensure its survival. I personally plant palms in spring rather than around this time of year but if these other people think its fine it probably is fine. Below I have attached photos of the washingtonias, varying from robusta to filifera or hybrid variations in my Augusta 8B area that I have spotted. I also attached a list of the yearly lows that we have seen recently that these washingtonias have survived through. We saw snow this year on two different occasions and I think almost all of them survived, but in cold winters the fronds turn brown but the point of growth stays green and pushes new healthy fronds when it gets warm. The first photos are some from after winter and the ones after the temperature chart were some before winter. It appears to me that the ones with more filifera genetics (wider trunks) seem to be in fact cold hardier and show less signs of damage after winter.

[Sias]

Wow thanks for all this info. I love all of these variations on the Washingtonian 

[MarcusH]

On 9/22/2025 at 6:45 PM, mnorell said:

In the south and southeast, a pure Washingtonia robusta is a 9b palm long-term. The leaves fry at 23F or so, and mature palms are killed in long, wet southern freezes at about 13F (this has been demonstrated over and over again over the decades). Virtually every palm was killed in New Orleans in 1962 and 1989. You just need to look at your weather records since you are planting a large, tall palm that will become a maintenance headache every year if your temps regularly hit 23 or below. Since you are 8b it sounds like you will be in the teens roughly two-thirds of the years. If you are comfortable with the brown leaves and the ultimate realization that the palm is going to die (definitely going to happen in 8b after some years), and you can handle the expense of removing it, then nobody's going to stop you from planting one, of course. I think you stand a much better chance with a W. x filibusta. But even with that, maybe plant a Sabal sp. nearby so when the inevitable happens you still have a beautiful, large and virtually indestructible palm to enjoy in your landscape and you don't have to start over from scratch. You may regret losing all those years invested.

I agree with you.  My first palm that I planted is a Robusta but it's a hybrid. It does burn in the low 20s and it did the same thing for the last 3 years , even partially spear pulled when temperatures dropped to 16f s couple of year back but like all other hybrids in this area , the recovery process is fast. We've had some rough winters from 2021 to 2024. This year hasn't been that bad so far but with winter being around the corner you never know what you get here in South Central Texas.  Our zone ratings in Texas doesn't mean anything, it's a very unreliable indicator for gardeners.  You can be zone 9a, like here in San Antonio but still get a 7b winter once every 40 years.  Our temperature swings in Texas are extreme compared to the Southeast and states along the Pacific coast.  Robustas in drier climates surely can handle some beating but may succumb over the years if the ultimate lows going to be in the low teens , repeatedly.  Most Robustas you find at the big box stores are hybrids. I'm not sure if any store sells pure Robustas.  I like my Robusta and it has been very reliable so far .

[palmofmyhand]

10 hours ago, Sias said:

Wow thanks for all this info. I love all of these variations on the Washingtonian 

Absolutely, no problem I also love them. It feels good to have some data to share about these things. I also am giving them a shot in my backyard, so I am about in the same boat as you. These are the ones I’ve got in the ground and praying survive these winters without protection. I added lava rock on top of the mulch for good measures, they seem to be loving their conditions so far. I ordered these online in February and they were outside in pots while it was 29 degrees F, so the last three of them took a little bit of damage but all bounced back. The one in the pot isn’t doing as well because it was the worst off and they don’t grow as much in pots as they do in the ground.

[Sias]

That’s awesome! I saw that some people were using halogen Christmas lights in winter to keep the shorter ones warm. I didn’t know about the lava rock thing but it sounds reasonable. I’m definitely not going to plant till spring at the earliest but here is a pic of 2 in my girlfriend’s neighbor’s yard that look amazing. But I know they pay a lot to trim them to keep them looking this nice 

[palmofmyhand]

9 hours ago, Sias said:

That’s awesome! I saw that some people were using halogen Christmas lights in winter to keep the shorter ones warm. I didn’t know about the lava rock thing but it sounds reasonable. I’m definitely not going to plant till spring at the earliest but here is a pic of 2 in my girlfriend’s neighbor’s yard that look amazing. But I know they pay a lot to trim them to keep them looking this nice 

those look perfect, do you know it they used any protection on them when they were smaller?

[Sias]

the owners just bought the house so I don’t know the history but maybe they can find out.
 

It seems like anything you can do to keep the tree protected as it’s maturing especially is a good thing as long as it doesn’t hurt the tree. I’m also trying to figure out what those things are, so all advice is appreciated 

Is planting it near hardier plants ie rootstock potentially helpful?

 

[LeonardHolmes]

Charleston is definitely in zone 9 now, and you should absolutely plant it out next spring (but not now, of course). As others have said it will benefit from being in a warm microclimate. I saw a video from a Charleston nursery recommending it as a "backyard palm" because it does get burned leaves in very cold winters.  They grow very fast and are fun to watch.