Any zone 9a feather palm recommendations for Lancaster ca

[888.ho3s]

Any zone 9a feather palm that look similar to coconuts  recommendations I would really want a crownshafted palm

[NMPalmjunky]

6 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Any zone 9a feather palm that look similar to coconuts  recommendations I would really want a crownshafted palm

I would definitely take a look at Mule Palms and other Butia hybrids. Here are some recent pics of some mule palms planted at Resorts World and Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

[Than]

7 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Any zone 9a feather palm that look similar to coconuts  recommendations I would really want a crownshafted palm

No crownshafted palm will survive a 9a winter unfortunately. The hardiest one, A. cunnighamiana can survive 9b when adult. A mule palm would be your best bet. Perhaps a Syagrus romanzoffiana if your garden has a warm microclimate and your soil is acidic?

[PalmatierMeg]

Your best bets are mule palm, Butia and, perhaps, a queen. I agree no crown shafted palm can hack your climate long term. Bear in mind coconuts are not crown shafted but you have little hope with them unless you protect them diligently or have a perfect microclimate.

I also want to point out that, overall, temperate palmate palms are tougher and hardier than pinnate - the cold hardiest palms in the world are palmate. As do many other palm newbies you probably scorn them and want to plant only pinnate "real palms" but they can add much needed variety to your yard. Don't write them off.

[888.ho3s]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Your best bets are mule palm, Butia and, perhaps, a queen. I agree no crown shafted palm can hack your climate long term. Bear in mind coconuts are not crown shafted but you have little hope with them unless you protect them diligently or have a perfect microclimate.

I also want to point out that, overall, temperate palmate palms are tougher and hardier than pinnate - the cold hardiest palms in the world are palmate. As do many other palm newbies you probably scorn them and want to plant only pinnate "real palms" but they can add much needed variety to your yard. Don't write them off.

I have butia and queen  already and actually my first ever mule palm seeds just sprouted today  to be honest I don’t really find palmate palms that attractive looking then pinnate over here in Lancaster there’s always palmate palms everywhere and some queen palms and butia I hve a washingtonia robusta and a windmill 

[888.ho3s]

5 hours ago, NMPalmjunky said:

I would definitely take a look at Mule Palms and other Butia hybrids. Here are some recent pics of some mule palms planted at Resorts World and Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

Actually my first ever mule palm f1 seeds I got two months ago sprouted today I’m so excited and wow I didint know Las Vegas had those mule palms there my climate is similar to Vegas just a bit less hotter 

[888.ho3s]

5 hours ago, Than said:

No crownshafted palm will survive a 9a winter unfortunately. The hardiest one, A. cunnighamiana can survive 9b when adult. A mule palm would be your best bet. Perhaps a Syagrus romanzoffiana if your garden has a warm microclimate and your soil is acidic?

I actually have queen palms already they do great here and a Cunninghamia as a experiment and some mule palm seedlings and my place does have a great microclimate since the backyard has a pool and block walls and concrete and I also have a dwarf date palm that gets damaged in the leaves a tiny bit but recovers really fast and I have a high plateau coconut palm and kentia palm 

[JohnAndSancho]

32 minutes ago, 888.ho3s said:

I have butia and queen  already and actually my first ever mule palm seeds just sprouted today  to be honest I don’t really find palmate palms that attractive looking then pinnate over here in Lancaster there’s always palmate palms everywhere and some queen palms and butia I hve a washingtonia robusta and a windmill 

This is gonna sound mean and I don't intend it to, but if you don't see it in your area there's a reason. Like literally all I see around here is Sabals and occasionally a Trachy and even more occasionally a Butia. Lately we get single digit winter temps and we always have triple digit summer temps and summer is humid but it doesn't rain lol. Not much is gonna survive that kinda swing. 

[888.ho3s]

7 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

This is gonna sound mean and I don't intend it to, but if you don't see it in your area there's a reason. Like literally all I see around here is Sabals and occasionally a Trachy and even more occasionally a Butia. Lately we get single digit winter temps and we always have triple digit summer temps and summer is humid but it doesn't rain lol. Not much is gonna survive that kinda swing. 

To be honest I feel like I don’t see much is because people don’t experiment here I’m like the only one and I have a huge lime tree unprotected that isint supposed to survive and it does for every year for 7 years and gives us 100s of limes I mostly see Washingtonias windmill palms butia palms and less commonly queen palms and dwarf date palms and sago palms queen palms canary island palms and one rare sight I saw a sabal and I see elephant ears and bird of paradise orange and yucca gigantia 

[JohnAndSancho]

29 minutes ago, 888.ho3s said:

To be honest I feel like I don’t see much is because people don’t experiment here I’m like the only one and I have a huge lime tree unprotected that isint supposed to survive and it does for every year for 7 years and gives us 100s of limes I mostly see Washingtonias windmill palms butia palms and less commonly queen palms and dwarf date palms and sago palms queen palms canary island palms and one rare sight I saw a sabal and I see elephant ears and bird of paradise orange and yucca gigantia 

And that's fair. But all it takes is one cold snap to wipe something out. Everyone isn't as hardcore into zone pushing and 💩 like some of us. Lots of people want stuff they don't want to have to worry about. We're the weird ones, they're boring. 

[Fusca]

You can certainly grow Chamaedorea radicalis and some other species like microspadix (must have a shaded spot) and cataractarum.  If you don't mind thorns/spines there's Phoenix reclinata, dactylifera, theophrasti and Acrocomia totai, aculeata.  I've grown each of these in zone 9a San Antonio.  Jubaea (need lots of space) and Butia x Jubaea are other options.

[Than]

5 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

I actually have queen palms already they do great here and a Cunninghamia as a experiment and some mule palm seedlings and my place does have a great microclimate since the backyard has a pool and block walls and concrete and I also have a dwarf date palm that gets damaged in the leaves a tiny bit but recovers really fast and I have a high plateau coconut palm and kentia palm 

If you've had these trees for some time now and they have already survived winters outdoors then you know that your garden's microclimate is def not 9a. Have you ever recorded your minimum temperatures in your garden using a thermometer? If your garden is considerably warmer than your area then that changes a lot. Kentia won't survive 9a for instance. 

[888.ho3s]

4 hours ago, Than said:

If you've had these trees for some time now and they have already survived winters outdoors then you know that your garden's microclimate is def not 9a. Have you ever recorded your minimum temperatures in your garden using a thermometer? If your garden is considerably warmer than your area then that changes a lot. Kentia won't survive 9a for instance. 

It got 24 degrees this last winter and no these palms trees are in the ground this year I believe the wall from near my house is more warmer I had a dragon fruit survive with no protection and damage at all and a bougainvillea with half die back and I’ve had a lime tree and a grapefruit tree that’s not protected live for 7 years here and gave us fruit only get leaves damaged slightly in the coldest we warm up pretty fast 

[PalmatierMeg]

20 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

I have butia and queen  already and actually my first ever mule palm seeds just sprouted today  to be honest I don’t really find palmate palms that attractive looking then pinnate over here in Lancaster there’s always palmate palms everywhere and some queen palms and butia I hve a washingtonia robusta and a windmill 

Maybe you'll change your attitude over time. The fact that your neighborhood has few, if any, pinnate palms indicates their prognosis in your area is likely grim. They are not as cold hardy even mule palms. Below 20F they will take major damage and/or death. Sabals, needles and Trachycarpus may be the way to go.

[Las Palmas Norte]

As above stated by @PalmatierMeg and you'll save yourself a whole lot of anxiety and extra work.

[ryjohn]

Jubaea is by far the best choice available. 

[888.ho3s]

15 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Maybe you'll change your attitude over time. The fact that your neighborhood has few, if any, pinnate palms indicates their prognosis in your area is likely grim. They are not as cold hardy even mule palms. Below 20F they will take major damage and/or death. Sabals, needles and Trachycarpus may be the way to go.

There is a good amount of queen palms and a lot of canary island palms  that get burned in the tips every year but queens do gets severely damaged in the outer city desert area and the canary island palm get burned but since I’m in the middle of the city they don’t and sabals seem Intresting since they come in a lot of colors unlike Washingtonia and sometimes diffrent shapes too I have 2 sabals right now sabal uresena and Sabal mauritiiformis

[888.ho3s]

7 hours ago, ryjohn said:

Jubaea is by far the best choice available. 

I have seeds right now I’m germinating thank u 

[888.ho3s]

On 11/12/2025 at 5:29 PM, Fusca said:

You can certainly grow Chamaedorea radicalis and some other species like microspadix (must have a shaded spot) and cataractarum.  If you don't mind thorns/spines there's Phoenix reclinata, dactylifera, theophrasti and Acrocomia totai, aculeata.  I've grown each of these in zone 9a San Antonio.  Jubaea (need lots of space) and Butia x Jubaea are other options.

I’ve been trying to look for acrocomia aculeata or totai where did u get them I also was thinking to get some parajubea torsllyi and dypsis decipens  and I have phoenix reclinata seeds trying to germinate them 

[Fusca]

3 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

I’ve been trying to look for acrocomia aculeata or totai where did u get them I also was thinking to get some parajubea torsllyi and dypsis decipens  and I have phoenix reclinata seeds trying to germinate them 

I grew them both from seed - collected the aculeata seed in habitat (Brazil) and the totai seed from a botanical garden in Florida.  I would think that you could source the Parajubaea and the decipiens from Jungle Music or some other grower in SoCal but these palms prefer low night temperatures in summer.

[Than]

On 11/14/2025 at 12:18 PM, 888.ho3s said:

I have seeds right now I’m germinating thank u 

Ι hope you are very young, cos it will be some time to see proper trees in your garden! 

Think of one more thing: let's say canaries and queens survive your winters, but burnt. Do you wanna have miserable-looking palms for most of the year?

[888.ho3s]

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

I grew them both from seed - collected the aculeata seed in habitat (Brazil) and the totai seed from a botanical garden in Florida.  I would think that you could source the Parajubaea and the decipiens from Jungle Music or some other grower in SoCal but these palms prefer low night temperatures in summer.

How long did the acrocomia take to germinate I just checked that rps has some for sale 

[Las Palmas Norte]

50 minutes ago, Than said:

... Think of one more thing: let's say canaries and queens survive your winters, but burnt. Do you wanna have miserable-looking palms for most of the year?

The desire for an idea to succeed, supersedes the reality of a situation. Many of us enthusiasts have this ideology in varying degrees. I'm guilty of that myself, but tempered with time. 

[888.ho3s]

53 minutes ago, Than said:

Ι hope you are very young, cos it will be some time to see proper trees in your garden! 

Think of one more thing: let's say canaries and queens survive your winters, but burnt. Do you wanna have miserable-looking palms for most of the year?

Yes I’m young I’m 17  and canary’s do get burned  a bit in a rare cold event in the outer city area they do get burned but inside the city no I have a canary island palm that never got burned even with snow it’s 7 years old there’s also adult queens that also get burned a bit in the city but not that much 

[Than]

8 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

The desire for an idea to succeed, supersedes the reality of a situation. Many of us enthusiasts have this ideology in varying degrees. I'm guilty of that myself, but tempered with time. 

Yup; I am also guilty. I expect several fatalities this winter.. 😅

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

How long did the acrocomia take to germinate I just checked that rps has some for sale 

They took over a year to germinate!  I didn't have a heat mat for germinating back in 2013 so the aculeata took a bit more than 2 years.  Fortunately after they germinate they grow fast.

[Colin1110082]

Queens and mules are your friend. A king palm could maybe work if you protect it. There is also the butias and the hardy bamboo palms which I believe are crown shafted but not in the same sense as a royal palm 

[888.ho3s]

22 hours ago, Colin1110082 said:

Queens and mules are your friend. A king palm could maybe work if you protect it. There is also the butias and the hardy bamboo palms which I believe are crown shafted but not in the same sense as a royal palm 

Yes I just bought the hardy bamboo palm thank you  and I’ll protect my king palm but I heard this winter might be very mild I hope it is

[888.ho3s]

23 hours ago, Fusca said:

They took over a year to germinate!  I didn't have a heat mat for germinating back in 2013 so the aculeata took a bit more than 2 years.  Fortunately after they germinate they grow fast.

That’s a long time I don’t have much patience but I’ll try it with the baggie method but if I could germinate mule palm I could germinate acrocomia then I also have a heat mat 

[888.ho3s]

On 11/15/2025 at 11:15 AM, Fusca said:

They took over a year to germinate!  I didn't have a heat mat for germinating back in 2013 so the aculeata took a bit more than 2 years.  Fortunately after they germinate they grow fast.

Oh and also how Cold can ur acrocomia aculeata take because I heard totai is more cold hardy 

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, 888.ho3s said:

Oh and also how Cold can ur acrocomia aculeata take because I heard totai is more cold hardy 

Yes, totai is more cold hardy.  Unfortunately my aculeata was only in the ground for two winters and suffered no damage in the upper 20's.  It was killed by an ox beetle during its third summer.  😠

[PalmBossTampa]

Couple suggestions, but small palms:

Lytocaryum or syagrus weddelianum ?

how about Allagoptera areneria? My folks have one planted on saltwater canal in Panama City that took 17degrees for 7 hours 2 winters ago. Tough little species and also has taken multiple storm surges from hurricanes

[888.ho3s]

22 hours ago, PalmBossTampa said:

Couple suggestions, but small palms:

Lytocaryum or syagrus weddelianum ?

how about Allagoptera areneria? My folks have one planted on saltwater canal in Panama City that took 17degrees for 7 hours 2 winters ago. Tough little species and also has taken multiple storm surges from hurricanes

Wow thank you for those new suggestions I’ll be looking for seeds for those two palms they both say they take mid 20s tho do yall have a good microclimate and did it get damaged or no 

[PalmBossTampa]

8 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Wow thank you for those new suggestions I’ll be looking for seeds for those two palms they both say they take mid 20s tho do yall have a good microclimate and did it get damaged or no 

So the Allagoptera lost everything but the spear. They didn’t protect the palm BTW.  I have a Lytocaryum at my place for a dozen years in the ground and its taken multiple 27 degree nights without any damage whatsoever

[888.ho3s]

1 hour ago, PalmBossTampa said:

So the Allagoptera lost everything but the spear. They didn’t protect the palm BTW.  I have a Lytocaryum at my place for a dozen years in the ground and its taken multiple 27 degree nights without any damage whatsoever

Wow i will have to buy seeds from that