I've tried saw Palmettos in the past and I could never get one to grow, but I decided to try again and this time I decided to create artificial drainage with drainage gravel, I replaced all native soil with sand and equal parts garden soil and then topped off with pure sand. And for the first time I have a saw palmetto that's actually growing and not rotting away. I've included the drainage I've created. It's a lot deeper than it looks in the image,the idea was to make water quickly drain away down Hill.

I did something similar sabal king of Texas mentioned piling sand around it and voila mine grew larger

I had one Saw Palmetto in ground make it a few winters in a dry spot, but it eventually died. The drainage was not great though, I wonder if it would have done better if I did something like this!

3 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I had one Saw Palmetto in ground make it a few winters in a dry spot, but it eventually died. The drainage was not great though, I wonder if it would have done better if I did something like this!

3 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I had one Saw Palmetto in ground make it a few winters in a dry spot, but it eventually died. The drainage was not great though, I wonder if it would have done better if I did something like this!

3 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I had one Saw Palmetto in ground make it a few winters in a dry spot, but it eventually died. The drainage was not great though, I wonder if it would have done better if I did something like this!

From what I've seen first hand in habitat down in Florida, the types of soils they grow in and my friend in 8b Georgia having the same results as me where they'd sail through winter Only to rot away in the summer. Drainage definitely is the problem we have with clay soils. I know of a good specimen in an unknown location in Z7b somewhere in central Tennessee that I spotted in on a unrelated YouTube channel regarding fishing next to the guy's mailbox. Me being in 8a is what tipped me off that weather was not an issue but soil. Central and East Tenn have rocky soil which has good drainage. Where I am the soil is red clay and sand together which makes a horrible compacted concrete like soil that will not drain. Saw Palmettos naturally grow in rapid draining soil. My method worked with the rapid visible growth. It's the most I've ever gotten a saw palmetto to grow.