At the lake—cold wind and palm trees

[Mazat]

We went for a walk at the lake today and it was cold.

[Ben G.]

You have some great scenery there...but you are right. It does look cold. 🥶

[SeanK]

How deep is the lake?

[Mazat]

1 hour ago, SeanK said:

How deep is the lake?

At its deepest point, it is between 251-254 m / 823,491 - 833,333 ft.

[Mazat]

1 hour ago, Ben G. said:

You have some great scenery there...but you are right. It does look cold. 🥶

Thank you very much, Ben.

Yes 😬

It was exactly 2°C / 35.6°F at Davis Vantage Pro 2, but it felt like -4°C / 24.8°F. The station belongs to a private weather service company and is located directly at the harbor.

[sped94]

Which species of palms can you find lakeside?

[Harry’s Palms]

Brr , very cold indeed . I am glad I brought a jacket! Harry

[Mazat]

On 12/26/2025 at 12:36 AM, sped94 said:

Which species of palms can you find lakeside?

Matteo, here you see more and more people trying to plant Phoenix canariensis directly and grow it outside in the garden, usually right next to the house wall or close to it. Otherwise, you see Nerium oleander, lots of Trachycarpus fortunei—older specimens and some recently planted before the ban—several Chamaerops humilis, Musa basjoo of course, Olea europea in pots and some planted directly, various types of bamboo, mostly winter-hardy varieties—I don't really know much about bamboo, Ficus carica, Washingtonia robusta—I spotted two more from the car, but in the evening—they were planted directly in the garden—I'll have to go and take a look, that's about it, Perhaps I have forgotten something... perhaps the cold weather 😁 There are other exotic plants in the tree/flower area, yes, chestnut trees—the edible variety—what is it called again, and possibly Eriobotrya japonica—I saw Japanese medlar trees not only here but also towards Konstanz. 

 

[Mazat]

3 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Brr , very cold indeed . I am glad I brought a jacket! Harry

Yes, Harry, you really need them here. My uncle (Weesen SG) gave me another one; he apparently doesn't need it as much at Lake Walen. According to his calculations using all the weather data, his USDA zone is practically USDA zone 9a in the microclimate of his garden. It's unbelievable, but it's even cooler than Quinten SG, which would then have to be around 9b. Somehow that doesn't seem real...
And somehow I'm a little jealous... They don't need a fortress wall there, like I do on my balcony.

It's time to plant something there in the spring, but only with his prior consent, of course 🤗

[Las Palmas Norte]

44 minutes ago, Mazat said:

... Otherwise, you see Nerium oleander, lots of Trachycarpus fortunei—older specimens and some recently planted before the ban—several Chamaerops humilis, ...

One word stuck out, "ban". Can you expand on that?

[Mazat]

2 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

One word stuck out, "ban". Can you expand on that?

Yes.

In Switzerland, the sale, propagation, gifting, and import of the Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), also known as the Ticino palm, has been prohibited since September 1, 2024, as it is considered an invasive species and displaces native plants. Existing plants in gardens may remain, but it is recommended that flowers and fruit clusters be removed to stop the spread, and nurseries may only accept them for overwintering if they are returned to the owner afterwards. 

 

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

43 minutes ago, Mazat said:

Yes.

In Switzerland, the sale, propagation, gifting, and import of the Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), also known as the Ticino palm, has been prohibited since September 1, 2024, as it is considered an invasive species and displaces native plants. Existing plants in gardens may remain, but it is recommended that flowers and fruit clusters be removed to stop the spread, and nurseries may only accept them for overwintering if they are returned to the owner afterwards. 

 

 

Thanks the craziest thing I've heard of in a long time. Sounds like someone (or group) in the dept of agriculture is either paranoid or has a strong dislike for the lowly Windmill palm.

[Harry’s Palms]

It does seem a bit drastic to ban a palm that doesn’t seem as prolific as some Phoenix palms . Here in Southern California I get Phoenix Canariensis , Roebelini and Washingtonia Robusta volunteers from time to time . I’ve never had any Trachycarpus palms sprout up and they’re pretty common in my area. Harry

[sped94]

22 hours ago, Mazat said:

Matteo, here you see more and more people trying to plant Phoenix canariensis directly and grow it outside in the garden, usually right next to the house wall or close to it. Otherwise, you see Nerium oleander, lots of Trachycarpus fortunei—older specimens and some recently planted before the ban—several Chamaerops humilis, Musa basjoo of course, Olea europea in pots and some planted directly, various types of bamboo, mostly winter-hardy varieties—I don't really know much about bamboo, Ficus carica, Washingtonia robusta—I spotted two more from the car, but in the evening—they were planted directly in the garden—I'll have to go and take a look, that's about it, Perhaps I have forgotten something... perhaps the cold weather 😁 There are other exotic plants in the tree/flower area, yes, chestnut trees—the edible variety—what is it called again, and possibly Eriobotrya japonica—I saw Japanese medlar trees not only here but also towards Konstanz. 

 

Very interesting! Here too there are plenty of Trachycarpus fortunei growing spontaneously everywhere. Despite this, there is no ban.

In many areas, paysandisia archon is causing the death of many trachycarpus fortunei.

[Mazat]

16 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

It does seem a bit drastic to ban a palm that doesn’t seem as prolific as some Phoenix palms . Here in Southern California I get Phoenix Canariensis , Roebelini and Washingtonia Robusta volunteers from time to time . I’ve never had any Trachycarpus palms sprout up and they’re pretty common in my area. Harry

Yes, it's drastic. According to an

acquaintance, France observed it for several years and then decided to refrain from imposing a ban for the time being. And here, well, for many people it's incomprehensible and difficult to justify in the medium and long term...

[Mazat]

On 12/28/2025 at 9:19 PM, Las Palmas Norte said:

Thanks the craziest thing I've heard of in a long time. Sounds like someone (or group) in the dept of agriculture is either paranoid or has a strong dislike for the lowly Windmill palm.

Yes, it's drastic. According to an acquaintance, France observed it for several years and then decided to refrain from imposing a ban for the time being. And here, well, for many people it's incomprehensible and difficult to justify in the medium and long term...

It seems that the government simply wanted to set an example, but when even many experts do not really see it as a danger and did not see it as such in the medium and long term, the decision does not really make sense.