can you make a parlor palm hardy

[becky]

hi my brother has just called and said he has had his parlour palm outside for the last 18 months in a pot
he said it has been up against his house but he was wondering if he planted it if it would be hardy, or would it die?

( another one looks like i converted )

[themes]

hi my brother has just called and said he has had his parlour palm outside for the last 18 months in a pot
he said it has been up against his house but he was wondering if he planted it if it would be hardy, or would it die?

( another one looks like i converted )

i think it is one I tried outside. it died. -2 will see it off. If you want to be adventurous you could try it under canopy cover and that might make it a few degrees hardier, but in all honesty unless I had loads of them I would not advise it. I think Stephen prudence or NigelF said they managed to get it through alive last year..so its up to you

[Chalk Brow]

Purely in the interests of sustaining the burgeoning interest you brother is showing I would advise against it; it would be most disheartening for him if it failed. Why not suggest he try a proven hardy palm to start with.

[becky]

he suggested wrapping it in bubble wrap through the worst of the winter would that help , or is it not worth it? i think he wants to go tropical in his garden ,

[becky]

i think because its been out for the last year and a half he wants to leave it out, i did suggest coming to akamba tomorrow and buying a few hardy tropicals we will have to see if he comes, he only lives in birmingham though so its not far for him , so shall i thell him to leave the palm were it is up against the house wall?

[Chalk Brow]

I've no experience with the this palm outdoors, but if it came through last winter I would think it a fairly safe bet that it would be OK, the chances are that this coming winter won't be as hard as last (hopefully!). I would think this to be better than risking it in the ground.

[Dave Brown]

Becky, The Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is quite cold tolerant but as Mo said it is not what we would call hardy outside. In the right microclimate it would be ok. If your brother plants it where it has been in the pot it may well survive, but if planted away from the house only by a couple of feet, it might be a different story A better palm for outside is Chameadorea radicalis the Hardy Parlour Palm, which is reputed to have taken -12C. Mine have taken -6C, and the home grown seedlings, which I think I gave you a pot, had no damage at -5.7C with snow laying for 11 days last winter

This is a 2 year C radicalis with 1 year seedlings around the base,

[becky]

thanks guys yes Dave you did give me one at akamba in April mine is looking good, thanks again for that, johns palm is very large, and i think he has moved it away from the house , i think he has planted it in a border in the lawn i will tell him what you all said and then he can decide for himself cheers

[stephenprudence]

Although I got a parlour palm through the winter with little damage, it may well have been a strong species, it would have taken -3 or -4C but was kept fairly dry. I was probably lucky more than anything to be fair, it may not be so lucky next time!

[Adrian]

I have got them through winters before and they are hardier than you might think, OK so I lost most of them last winter but that was to -9c.
They do need a very good overhead cover mind, mine are planted in shade (or were planted) under the Dicksonia antarctica and under a big Trachycarpus.
Im down to just one outside now, I have a very nice three trunker in the conservatory that stands 6 foot high but Im not going to risk that one outside.

If the C. elegans are your brothers pride and joy then I would suggest keeping it inside but if he wants to gamble then its not an out and out stupid gamble by any means.

[becky]

thanks Adrian i know he has had it outside for the last 18 months in a pot anyway so i don't think he wants to take it back in side so i would say hes not going to loose anything by planting it out so i think he is going to see how it goes, so do you think he should just fleese it or as he said wrap it in bubble wrap

[Dave Brown]

Ade, how big were your's before you planted them out People buy these quite tiny, mearly seedlings. Now C. radicalis is tough as a seedling with tough leathery leaves, C. elegans is quite different, much more delicate

[Adrian]

Yes sure radicalis is a lot hardier Dave.

Those C. elegans I have tried out have had a bit of a woody trunk but only an inch or two so not total babies but big palms either.
Its no good going up to the local DIY centre and buying a pot of seedlings and expecting them to survive outside, like most palms, they need bringing on a bit first.

A place where I work had about 12 in 3 large pots and these were thrown up the top of the garden next to a huge compost bin no longer wanted, these were out for three years and as much as I wanted to rescue one or two, I left them to the elements.
They were sheltered to one side by large hedging trees but open to radiational frosts.
The pots cracked and fell apart over this time but they came through a couple of winters with at least -6's but were killed off by the -9s we had this past winter.

Im not saying that Chamaedorea elegans will happily take -6c so dont go planting out your prized indoor palms expecting them to be ok, but these did and Ive had a degree of success here with mine.

If Beckys brother had them outside through last winter then as long as he can find a suitable position for them then why shouldnt they be fine for years to come.

If they survived close up to the house then thats a good place to plant them if its possible, if not and he wants to give them the best chance then Id say winter them in pots close to the house in winter and plunge plant the pot and palms for summer.

Using bubble wrap isnt a great idea, do a little experiment, try it on something this winter and youll see condensation build up on the inside, this will cause mould and rot to set in and any leaves that touch the plastic will burn.

Palms can be funny things, some you can negelect and theyll be just fine, others you pamper and lose them.

Dont forget, overhead cover is more important than anything else.

[Dave Brown]

And, as these like a shady position they could be planted under other trees or shrubs. The only problem will then be dryness.

[Adrian]

Dryness no problem, these must be one of the most neglected palms found in peoples houses, they can and do take utter neglect.
If you are going to plant them without overhead cover then you will lose them.