Phoenix Canariensis Largest in Mainland UK

[Adrian Brattle]

Chelston, Torquay: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tq2/5599012051/

[GoggleboxUK]

That's a beauty!

[billdango]

who needs to move to spain? i want to live in torquay, lets hope that lottery win hurrys up.
rgds billdango.

[Essex Ross]

Absolute Beauty

Any photos of the trunk?

[DaveP]

This was discussed here last year and there's a pic showing some of the trunk here: http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/d ... &mode=view
The Phoenix canariensis_CIDP is about 12m tall and is approximately 120 years old. It is in the rear garden of the Acacia Hotel, Old Mill Road and has a TPO so it cannot be felled. The past 2 winters here have been more testing than in the previous 30 years, but this has come through with no damage whatsoever. I'm sure that winters in the latter part of the 19th and early years of the 20th century must have been far more trying. I've only seen 1 Phoenix canariensis_CIDP with any damage locally and that was on the outskirts of town about 2.5 km inland. All of those hereabouts are unharmed and growing away strongly.

[Nathan]

Dave, I was in Torquay a couple of weeks ago & I noticed that the decent sized Phoenix canariensis_CIDP planted near the pond on the seafront (by the RFC ground & station) was almost completely brown, the smaller ones planted closer to the harbour were fine though, I guess thanks to the shelter of the cliff...

I was quite surprised to see the level of damage locally, plenty of dead Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's in Paignton & Brixham (apart from right by the sea) & even defoliated Cordyline's in Paignton not that far inland

[DaveP]

Dave, I was in Torquay a couple of weeks ago & I noticed that the decent sized Phoenix canariensis_CIDP planted near the pond on the seafront (by the RFC ground & station) was almost completely brown, the smaller ones planted closer to the harbour were fine though, I guess thanks to the shelter of the cliff...

Crikey! TBH - I don't go that far along very often nowadays and probably haven't been past since Christmas. I'm planning to go over to Hill House this morning, so I'll go along and have a look. This is a surprise because those along the sea front are looking especially good, as is the big one behind the main taxi office at the harbour and they are barely half a mile away.

I was quite surprised to see the level of damage locally, plenty of dead Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's in Paignton & Brixham (apart from right by the sea) & even defoliated Cordyline's in Paignton not that far inland

About 10 years ago, I worked in Paignton and it was always colder there in winter - sometimes by as much as 5C. I've never been able to understand quite why this should be, but when I drove along from here (just up from Meadfoot Beach at Wellswood) to the middle of Paignton, the external temp. reading would start to drop just past the Grand Hotel and continue to fall all the way. The difference wasn't so great in summer, but in winter it was very marked. I work at Newton now and the Cordys have been royally thrashed there - in fact from Laws Bridge going out and the big one at Newton Station is looking extremely sick. It's a very weird mixture of micro-climates here.

[Nathan]

Yeah I was surprised at that Phoenix canariensis_CIDP, maybe because that area is more open & exposed?? Strange though as it's right across the road from the sea!

There were Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's alive & well infront of a pub opposite Paignton Pier & also a big one planted up against a house close to Brixham town centre, but further out lots of damage to things... I suppose it's largely due to all the changes in elevation, which would create frost pockets where the cold air drains down to the bottom of the hilly areas...

[davidjonesUK]

they will never cut that down will they now that is famous there

[leewatson1980]

I love the size off Trachycarpus in the foreground, it shows how big the Phoenix canariensis_CIDP is.

Lee

[Nathan]

they will never cut that down will they now that is famous there

It has a tree preservation order on it, so the owners are not allowed to cut it down even if they wanted to...