Potential Creation of Tennessee or Appalachian Palm Society?

[L.A.M.]

I REALLY want to go to the Southeastern Palm Society meeting in Charleston S.C., but I'm financially not able to this February. Even if they were held in Charleston again next year, I may well be weighed down by having to go to Chicago for a LDR multiple times every summer. The coast is just so far from Tennessee! That also means our growing experiences are very different than in any other Southern state with the possible exceptions of North Carolina, Virginia and Arkansas (Oklahoma is drier in most areas).

Given the geographic split and the fact that palms have been successfully grown in so much of the state unprotected since at least the 1960s (and almost certainly could've been the entire time since the Little Ice Age if there was the will to do it, and really even during the LIA in warmer places like Chattanooga, Fayetteville and Memphis), perhaps it's time for our own regional Palm Society chapter? I'm not a great organizer - my autism means social skills are mostly learned, not something that comes naturally - but if someone started a chapter including us, I'd be on board!

Suggested meeting points, if it's Tennessee-specific:

• Murfreesboro - this one is a no-brainer. Literally in the middle of the state, plus it's a major city and probably the safest one in the state.
• Chattanooga - this is probably not as inconvenient as the rest of East Tennessee would be. Plus, Chattanooga has comparable winter averages to Memphis and has been shielded by the plateau from the worst of recent Arctic outbreaks, meaning Chattanoogans can grow palm species nowhere else in Tennessee can. Just please not around Hamilton Place or Rossville Boulevard which are very dangerous areas.
• Nashville - this is the state capital city, the state's biggest city and nearly as centrally located as Murfreesboro. Another no-brainer.
• Franklin - Franklin is right by Nashville and Murfreesboro in a position that may make it less traffic-choked than Nashville and more convenient than Murfreesboro for people from Clarksville or West Tennessee. Nonetheless, Franklin is also the biggest non-major city in the state and may well become our seventh major one in the 2030 census, so it should be entirely doable.

Nonetheless, I'm also open to us being included as part of the already-suggested Carolina Palm Society (given our North Carolinian origin and nearly-mirror geography) if we have a fair meeting point like Asheville, Chattanooga, Spartanburg or Charlotte. Me going to Charlotte or Spartanburg would be less of a stretch depending on the timing given that I wouldn't have to book a hotel as long as it only lasted a few hours, nor more days at a hotel than the days the event actually lasted if it was a multi-day event. Another idea could be an Appalachian Palm Society covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia with a meeting point in Lexington (the Lexington in Kentucky, of course) or Frankfort?

What do you think?

[PAPalmtrees]

5 hours ago, L.A.M. said:

I REALLY want to go to the Southeastern Palm Society meeting in Charleston S.C., but I'm financially not able to this February. Even if they were held in Charleston again next year, I may well be weighed down by having to go to Chicago for a LDR multiple times every summer. The coast is just so far from Tennessee! That also means our growing experiences are very different than in any other Southern state with the possible exceptions of North Carolina, Virginia and Arkansas (Oklahoma is drier in most areas).

Given the geographic split and the fact that palms have been successfully grown in so much of the state unprotected since at least the 1960s (and almost certainly could've been the entire time since the Little Ice Age if there was the will to do it, and really even during the LIA in warmer places like Chattanooga, Fayetteville and Memphis), perhaps it's time for our own regional Palm Society chapter? I'm not a great organizer - my autism means social skills are mostly learned, not something that comes naturally - but if someone started a chapter including us, I'd be on board!

Suggested meeting points, if it's Tennessee-specific:

• Murfreesboro - this one is a no-brainer. Literally in the middle of the state, plus it's a major city and probably the safest one in the state.
• Chattanooga - this is probably not as inconvenient as the rest of East Tennessee would be. Plus, Chattanooga has comparable winter averages to Memphis and has been shielded by the plateau from the worst of recent Arctic outbreaks, meaning Chattanoogans can grow palm species nowhere else in Tennessee can. Just please not around Hamilton Place or Rossville Boulevard which are very dangerous areas.
• Nashville - this is the state capital city, the state's biggest city and nearly as centrally located as Murfreesboro. Another no-brainer.
• Franklin - Franklin is right by Nashville and Murfreesboro in a position that may make it less traffic-choked than Nashville and more convenient than Murfreesboro for people from Clarksville or West Tennessee. Nonetheless, Franklin is also the biggest non-major city in the state and may well become our seventh major one in the 2030 census, so it should be entirely doable.

Nonetheless, I'm also open to us being included as part of the already-suggested Carolina Palm Society (given our North Carolinian origin and nearly-mirror geography) if we have a fair meeting point like Asheville, Chattanooga, Spartanburg or Charlotte. Me going to Charlotte or Spartanburg would be less of a stretch depending on the timing given that I wouldn't have to book a hotel as long as it only lasted a few hours, nor more days at a hotel than the days the event actually lasted if it was a multi-day event. Another idea could be an Appalachian Palm Society covering Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia with a meeting point in Lexington (the Lexington in Kentucky, of course) or Frankfort?

What do you think?

Honestly I think it would be a great idea!, just organizing it is the hardest part. I would love to start a mid Atlantic palm society but I don't even know where to get started. If you started a Appalachian palm society I really think you should also include the south central part of Pennsylvania it is very much part of Appalachia Culturally and Geographically we are very similar to southwest Virginia and West Virginia.

[L.A.M.]

On 2/17/2026 at 9:38 AM, PAPalmtrees said:

Honestly I think it would be a great idea!, just organizing it is the hardest part. I would love to start a mid Atlantic palm society but I don't even know where to get started. If you started a Appalachian palm society I really think you should also include the south central part of Pennsylvania it is very much part of Appalachia Culturally and Geographically we are very similar to southwest Virginia and West Virginia.

Yeah. If the Carolina one leaves out Tennessee for not having "Carolina" in its name and Mid-Atlantic one leaves out West Virginia for being landlocked, that opens up the door wide for an Appalachian one. If enough people in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma really want one but don't already have and aren't formally organizing an Ozark one, we could even do a broader Upland Southern one including those five states plus the Appalachian quintet, with a meeting point in Little Rock in odd-numbered years and Lexington in even-numbered years (or vice versa). I just thought little of Pennsylvania because although it's probably the most Appalachian state besides West Virginia, their portion of Appalachia tends to have a continental climate that would make it hard, unlike Philadelphia which is more subtropical than New York city, and also figured Pennsylvania would surely be included because it's not landlocked like West Virginia is (thanks to the Delaware Bay).

[PAPalmtrees]

1 hour ago, L.A.M. said:

Yeah. If the Carolina one leaves out Tennessee for not having "Carolina" in its name and Mid-Atlantic one leaves out West Virginia for being landlocked, that opens up the door wide for an Appalachian one. If enough people in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma really want one but don't already have and aren't formally organizing an Ozark one, we could even do a broader Upland Southern one including those five states plus the Appalachian quintet, with a meeting point in Little Rock in odd-numbered years and Lexington in even-numbered years (or vice versa). I just thought little of Pennsylvania because although it's probably the most Appalachian state besides West Virginia, their portion of Appalachia tends to have a continental climate that would make it hard, unlike Philadelphia which is more subtropical than New York city, and also figured Pennsylvania would surely be included because it's not landlocked like West Virginia is (thanks to the Delaware Bay).

Yeah, Tennessee and North Carolina's climates are pretty similar (except by the Coast) The only major difference is you guys lack North Carolina's maritime influence. My area of appalachia  I would say is pretty interesting we are borderline Dfa/cfa and we are also the  beginning of the Hickory- oak- pine forest ecosystem which is part of the Southeastern mixed forests So we are pretty much the gateway to the south. We live in a pretty borderline area lol.

[Palmerr]

I want to be included in a palm society 😭✌️

[PAPalmtrees]

9 hours ago, Palmerr said:

I want to be included in a palm society 😭✌️

I actually joined the SE Palms Society, even though I know I will never  go to a meeting I just wanted to get the newsletter lol

[Palmerr]

On 2/20/2026 at 9:19 AM, PAPalmtrees said:

I actually joined the SE Palms Society, even though I know I will never  go to a meeting I just wanted to get the newsletter lol

fair haha well crazy enough but I’m moving to Cincy soon kinda sad I’m moving to a colder zone… but my parents since my dad will be closer to where he works.. so he will make a ton more money.. they are allowing me a huge budget to build and maintain a large tropical greenhouse!! I’m so excited! Gotta find the right house., and no HOA lol but SO HAPPY FINALLY A TROPICAL AREA TO GROW STUFF

[JohnAndSancho]

On 2/20/2026 at 8:19 AM, PAPalmtrees said:

I actually joined the SE Palms Society, even though I know I will never  go to a meeting I just wanted to get the newsletter lol

I signed up months ago and never heard anything back. 

[PAPalmtrees]

10 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I signed up months ago and never heard anything back. 

Me too I haven't received anything yet. I'm hoping Charlie Sneed who is in charge of the memberships, Excepts them soon lol

[PAPalmtrees]

35 minutes ago, Palmerr said:

fair haha well crazy enough but I’m moving to Cincy soon kinda sad I’m moving to a colder zone… but my parents since my dad will be closer to where he works.. so he will make a ton more money.. they are allowing me a huge budget to build and maintain a large tropical greenhouse!! I’m so excited! Gotta find the right house., and no HOA lol but SO HAPPY FINALLY A TROPICAL AREA TO GROW STUFF

That's really exciting good for you! there's quite a bit of tropicals that you can grow in ground in the cincinnati area, just pick the right micro climates. let us Know how it goes. When are you moving?

[Palmerr]

49 minutes ago, PAPalmtrees said:

That's really exciting good for you! there's quite a bit of tropicals that you can grow in ground in the cincinnati area, just pick the right micro climates. let us Know how it goes. When are you moving?

Well we are staying here until at least August but we will start ya know moving things there and contacting construction companies for the greenhouse, yeah I can’t visualise but it will be uhh.. large nough to fit a decent size inground queen palm for example. It’s only 1 zone lower and one of the houses is very close to the OH river (btw we will be on the KY side of the river so) but yeah! Very exciting very stressful and anxious cause it’s just… idk what to do lol gotta plan and do lots of work.

[PAPalmtrees]

7 minutes ago, Palmerr said:

Well we are staying here until at least August but we will start ya know moving things there and contacting construction companies for the greenhouse, yeah I can’t visualise but it will be uhh.. large nough to fit a decent size inground queen palm for example. It’s only 1 zone lower and one of the houses is very close to the OH river (btw we will be on the KY side of the river so) but yeah! Very exciting very stressful and anxious cause it’s just… idk what to do lol gotta plan and do lots of work.

The greenhouse sounds like it's going to be really cool! by the river you can grow quite a bit of plants , it's realistically z7a.

 

[Palmerr]

Yeah, we might not though just one property is right next to it others are like 5 miles inland def can grow needle palms idk if you saw my other thread but that needle in Cincy man crazy, I might also get chickens cause in general I also like farming and gardening! If you want me to grow anything in a tropical setting for you idk to look at give suggestions! I’m expecting at least a (No variation like one year will be lower than avg this will be the avg) it will be a zone 12b aka (55-60F) lowest. greenhouse.

[Palmerr]

May be a good idea to let it get lower since tropicals can handle 50F and some tropicals and subtropicals especially subtropicals need. Bit of cool. Also Will save money

[PAPalmtrees]

29 minutes ago, Palmerr said:

Yeah, we might not though just one property is right next to it others are like 5 miles inland def can grow needle palms idk if you saw my other thread but that needle in Cincy man crazy, I might also get chickens cause in general I also like farming and gardening! If you want me to grow anything in a tropical setting for you idk to look at give suggestions! I’m expecting at least a (No variation like one year will be lower than avg this will be the avg) it will be a zone 12b aka (55-60F) lowest. greenhouse.

Yeah, I did see the post. The needle palm looks really good! the biggest one I have seen is planted in washington dc at the national arboretum it's massive , it was planted in the 60s. Its Massive!!!!!!! (Me for scale in the photo)

[Palmerr]

18 hours ago, PAPalmtrees said:

Yeah, I did see the post. The needle palm looks really good! the biggest one I have seen is planted in washington dc at the national arboretum it's massive , it was planted in the 60s. Its Massive!!!!!!! (Me for scale in the photo)

Crap! That thing is hugggee!

[PAPalmtrees]

1 hour ago, Palmerr said:

Crap! That thing is hugggee!

It really is!!

[JohnAndSancho]

20 hours ago, PAPalmtrees said:

Yeah, I did see the post. The needle palm looks really good! the biggest one I have seen is planted in washington dc at the national arboretum it's massive , it was planted in the 60s. Its Massive!!!!!!! (Me for scale in the photo)

😮

[PAPalmtrees]

3 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

😮

it's massive!!

[Palmerr]

Yea haha