Hardy Tropicals UK

Hey there has anyone had any luck with the chinese fan palm (livistona chinensis) Theyre quite uncommon but apparently hardy to -8c. Theyre apparently fast growing and have a good germination rate. I should be getting some seeds from ebay so if anyones interested in my little experiment then say so and i'll update you when they come!

I have not grown Livistona from seed, although I bought a small L Rotundifolia from Lidls last summer but I am keeping it in the conservatory. I would have thought if L Chinensis was that hardy and fast growing it would be a more popular palm.
I hope you have success with it.

Well i suppose i'll have to find out. Thanks for the support, i'll hopefully get 25 seeds so we'll see how it goes.

Hi dpg. I have a few Livistona most are still young seedlings they have been kept frost free so far.They are...

L.chinensis
L.saribus
L. fulva
L. australis
L.rigida

I have 2 older L.nitida (6l pots) they have been overwintered in the polytunnel,with no heating I think they have been down to about -6*c with no damage.But kept dry.I have found all livistona easy to grow,they always look good,even red spider mite don't seem to spoil them.

I have high hopes for them.When they are a bit bigger they will be planted out.

I have grown some seedlings this year from seed collected on holiday. If you get fresh seed they will germinate readily. I have planted some seedlings outside by way of an experiment. Despite having a couple of frosts and being so small they are still fine so far.

I have killed a few, they are not hardy...
Not very common because they don't survive over winter, beautiful plants though.
Sorry to be so pessimistic............

Haha, well i guess i'll just have to see. They're apparently as hardy as washingtonia robusta. No-one used to believe they could be grown over here. As the information on robusta says on this website, the changing face. Maybe the same could happen with livistona chinensis.

doncasterpalmguy123 wrote:They're apparently as hardy as washingtonia robusta.

That's correct and you have to be lucky with a Washy as well, larger ones stand a better chance of survival outside.
Daves one is an enigma, mine comes inside overwinter.

There are no Livistonas capable of surviving a normal UK winter unprotected. Even with protection, the best chance of success is possibly L. boninensis, due to the fact that it will happily continue growing, even in cool conditions.

Even then, for anything lower than -5c, I would provide it with serious protection to make sure it came through with minimal damage. And this would be for a juvenile of at least a metre in height.

Having said that, there are of course, a few favoured locations within the UK where it might survive unprotected, but not that many!

David York wrote:There are no Livistonas capable of surviving a normal UK winter unprotected. Even with protection, the best chance of success is possibly L. boninensis, due to the fact that it will happily continue growing, even in cool conditions.

Even then, for anything lower than -5c, I would provide it with serious protection to make sure it came through with minimal damage. And this would be for a juvenile of at least a metre in height.

Having said that, there are of course, a few favoured locations within the UK where it might survive unprotected, but not that many!

Yes but i'm not sure Doncaster is one of them.

David York wrote:There are no Livistonas capable of surviving a normal UK winter unprotected. Even with protection, the best chance of success is possibly L. boninensis, due to the fact that it will happily continue growing, even in cool conditions.

Even then, for anything lower than -5c, I would provide it with serious protection to make sure it came through with minimal damage. And this would be for a juvenile of at least a metre in height.

Having said that, there are of course, a few favoured locations within the UK where it might survive unprotected, but not that many!

The L. Australis in my very sheltered location is one of them. No damage in nearly twenty years. My Livistona chinensis is almost the same age but this stays in a small tub where growth is very slow and kept away from freezing by being put inside for the winter.

GREVILLE wrote:

David York wrote:There are no Livistonas capable of surviving a normal UK winter unprotected. Even with protection, the best chance of success is possibly L. boninensis, due to the fact that it will happily continue growing, even in cool conditions.

Even then, for anything lower than -5c, I would provide it with serious protection to make sure it came through with minimal damage. And this would be for a juvenile of at least a metre in height.

Having said that, there are of course, a few favoured locations within the UK where it might survive unprotected, but not that many!

The L. Australis in my very sheltered location is one of them. No damage in nearly twenty years. My Livistona chinensis is almost the same age but this stays in a small tub where growth is very slow and kept away from freezing by being put inside for the winter.

Hi Greville - can we please see this 20-year old Livistona australis ????? - Please upload photos as i would love to see it.

I have both Livistona chinensis & Livistona australis planted outside in my garden in Southsea, both survived winter of 2010 too

As has been said not UK hardy, but can be grown in milder sheltered spots...

Rod wrote:
Hi Greville - can we please see this 20-year old Livistona australis ????? - Please upload photos as i would love to see it.

Hi, Rod. This is difficult to photograph as it is 'lost in the jungle'. A deciduous Amelanchier and Paulownia and a Schefflera digitata are all in close proximity to it. It has grown very slowly and the root competition is enormous but being lost it's well protected. The chinensis often sits in its tub in amongst all this growth well into winter, so well sheltered is it.

I haven't got a pic of either. I'll see what I can do.

Ooh would love to see a pic of the pauwlonia