King Palms in Charleston?

[Sias]

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana HARDY KING PALM Seeds

These say they are cold hardy to 8b. Is that even possible? Does anyone know if they would survive being eventually planted in the ground in Charleston, SC?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/382834039363

[Laaz]

Simple answer. NO

[Chester B]

3 hours ago, Sias said:

These say they are cold hardy to 8b

False or untrue advertising

[Fusca]

There's been posts on here regarding an Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in California that survived upper teens back in the 1990's (I think) that was owned by Inge Hoffman that might have been sourced from a higher elevation in habitat.  Perhaps that's where the supposed cold hardiness claim comes from.  I'm growing some second generation seedlings from her palm but have not been tested yet.  As Todd mentioned it's a no-go as a long term palm in Charleston.

[MrTropical]

4 hours ago, Sias said:

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana HARDY KING PALM Seeds

These say they are cold hardy to 8b. Is that even possible? Does anyone know if they would survive being eventually planted in the ground in Charleston, SC?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/382834039363

Unfortunately, this is a no-go in Charleston, or anywhere in SC. 

I purchased Washingtonia seeds from this seller in 2022 & had a bad experience. Kept the seeds warm & moist for nearly 3 months with no germination at all. The seller said I was incompetent, & claimed the seeds were perfectly fine & germination tested. Left a negative review on his eBay profile & he threatened to report me to eBay for leaving a “false review”. 

Buyer beware! 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Horse hockey - Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

[Sias]

20 hours ago, MrTropical said:

Unfortunately, this is a no-go in Charleston, or anywhere in SC. 

I purchased Washingtonia seeds from this seller in 2022 & had a bad experience. Kept the seeds warm & moist for nearly 3 months with no germination at all. The seller said I was incompetent, & claimed the seeds were perfectly fine & germination tested. Left a negative review on his eBay profile & he threatened to report me to eBay for leaving a “false review”. 

Buyer beware! 

Bummer. I bought those as well. But I guess I will try 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[Sias]

20 hours ago, Fusca said:

There's been posts on here regarding an Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in California that survived upper teens back in the 1990's (I think) that was owned by Inge Hoffman that might have been sourced from a higher elevation in habitat.  Perhaps that's where the supposed cold hardiness claim comes from.  I'm growing some second generation seedlings from her palm but have not been tested yet.  As Todd mentioned it's a no-go as a long term palm in Charleston.

Looks like if I get any growth from these I will eventually be sending them to my uncle in Florida

[N8ALLRIGHT]

7 hours ago, Sias said:

Bummer. I bought those as well. But I guess I will try 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

If you are willing to protect you might be able to get a few seasons out of one. I bumped an old thread where a guy was growing a king in ground in Virginia. 

[JLM]

Honestly your best bet for a hardcore zone push would be something that stays relatively small. Im thinking about trying my spindle, although it might not be "cool hardy" enough to work long term. I kept a foxtail alive for a few years but I let it go in the January 2025 Snowstorm. Had other larger palms that needed protection, the foxtail wasnt worth protecting at that point.

Kings are gonna grow very quickly, so you wont get many years out of it before it gets too big to protect. My queens have outgrown full protection, they only get their trunks wrapped these days in bad cold snaps. With kings being crownshaft palms, i dont know if one would survive very long with back to back defoliation each winter.

[Harry’s Palms]

I would steer clear of this seller . I just sent a message to them doubting , actually insisting that their claim is untrue. They replied that they are growing very well in North Carolina in zone 8b. Hmmm. Harry

[Las Palmas Norte]

Mark Twain stated the obvious in regards to the willfully ignorant.

[JLM]

13 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I would steer clear of this seller . I just sent a message to them doubting , actually insisting that their claim is untrue. They replied that they are growing very well in North Carolina in zone 8b. Hmmm. Harry

Wow. What an idiot this guy is.

Theyre probably still seedlings growing inside the sellers home or in a greenhouse. Unbelievably misleading claim by this seller. But unfortunately, its pretty much the same thing that big box stores do selling palms way outside of their rated zone. Granted, they dont necessarily claim that they are hardy to these zones, but its still misleading as most people just assume that its good for their location if its being sold at their local store.

[Harry’s Palms]

They have survived and grown here on our property in South Carolina down to the upper teens, ZONE 8b, and the mother plants that the seeds came from are in northern Florida and have seen teens as well and have been in place for several decades, producing seeds, so yes, they absolutely are zone 8b palms.

This was the response I got from the sellers. They actually said South Carolina , I apologize. The point is they are claiming that these are 8b palms surviving “ teens and growing for decades” but refer to a location in Florida. This is misleading at best and deceptive , false information. I doubt any of these survive in this climate zone for very long. I’ve run into this before with eBay sellers that will sell stuff at any cost . Harry

[aabell]

27 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

They have survived and grown here on our property in South Carolina down to the upper teens, ZONE 8b, and the mother plants that the seeds came from are in northern Florida and have seen teens as well and have been in place for several decades, producing seeds, so yes, they absolutely are zone 8b palms.

This was the response I got from the sellers. They actually said South Carolina , I apologize. The point is they are claiming that these are 8b palms surviving “ teens and growing for decades” but refer to a location in Florida. This is misleading at best and deceptive , false information. I doubt any of these survive in this climate zone for very long. I’ve run into this before with eBay sellers that will sell stuff at any cost . Harry

Not just misleading, they are lying about this part in the item description. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Yes , I get that . That’s why I followed with false information ( lying ) . The deception was referring to palms in Florida when talking about growing them in South Carolina . We all know they are not 8b palms . It is a shame this goes on at all. This forum , folks here like you and I , to help those that are unaware . Thank you and those that posted to help the thread starter make a better decision. Hopefully they will not make the mistake of trying to grow them in the wrong location. Harry

[Josue Diaz]

The 2007 freeze in California proved these don't take much below 25F - and then many of them did not make it. There are a few old, mature kings in my area (Fresno) that survived the 23F we got to that January, but they are permanently scarred (constrictions/hollow spots in the trunks).  This is one of those pre-07 kings. Keep in mind we don't dip much below 30F on any given year, so these palms haven't seen anything below 30 since then except for a a handful of times to 28/29F. 

On 3/5/2018 at 2:57 PM, Josue Diaz said:

 

 

 

 

[Harry’s Palms]

@Josue Diaz That  looks very nice , I am surprised to see them look that nice there . I think what saves them is being grouped in with other palms . Fresno is much more forgiving , climate wise , than N. C. I just can’t believe the claim that any Archontophoenix can handle upper teens every winter , like some how a super cold hardy sub species ? hmmm. The seller insists that it is true , we know better. Harry