Hardy Tropicals UK

Well, didn't get to spend my day out in the garden in the sunshine, but did make my way down to North London to pick up a monster Butia and a nice clump of Fargesia.

Butia came in the biggest pot I have ever laid my hands on, and just about when in the back of my car, to the cm! Apparently this was grown from seed, and is about 30 yrs old!

Leaves seem a bit short for it's age, but perhaps the pot has been restricting it getting really tall? Or maybe it isn't a capitata/odorata? Any thoughts?

Also, the new spears emerging are quite yellow on the inside - is this normal and they green off once the light gets to them, or is it more likely to need a really good feed? See pic below.

This one is going to take me some time to dig in, will need a rather large hole! Presume the spot with the most sun would be ideal? Should I dig the hole much larger and give it some fresh soil to grow into? Am guessing the pot will be pretty packed with roots.

Either way, I'm pretty pleased with being able to move this beast and relocate (took three people) - hopefully I can keep it going for another 30 years! Just for reference, the pot is 75cm across.

The small leaf size may be due to living in our climate, i have found through observation that palms seem to make smaller leaves in cooler climates so they loose less water through their leaves. Where many butias you may have seen before may have been imported from abroad, spain for example. What a beauty though.

Looks like a lovely palm nice one

Sunniest spot for this. If your soil is firm and heavy make sure the the ground is loosened well away from the rootball otherwise water will collect in the hole and go stagnant.

The tight rootball will dry out very quickly in summer. Keep it wet but not saturated and I favour using warm water (30-35c) along with a half strength liquid feed like Miracle-gro or Phostrogen twice a month until mid-September. Only use full strength the following year after it has established itself. Alternating the feed with Palmbooster will also help.

Thanks all. Yes, Doncaster, perhaps the shorter leaves are down to being 'born' in the UK. Still, at least I can get it in the ground for the first time in its life and get it well fed - maybe the roots will be a bit warmer in the ground and persuade it to push out a little further?

I'll get on with feeding once it's planted, and thanks for the advice Greville. How do you manage to get your water to that temperature to water with - mixer tap? Not sure how I could get my water heated this end, short of leaving the hose out in the sun!

Nice to see that someone on here got it!
I didn't realise it was in such a big pot but I can see that now. Good to hear that you got some other bit too.

Yes, the picture on the ad was a little deceptive.

I was expecting more people to be after it, so was chuffed to get it ....... and some other bits too!

Seems the guy who owned them has cancer and has had to move out of his home and in with his children, so am glad I can take on his obviously well-loved exotics and try to keep them going.

Just hope they can cope with being out of the London warmth and a few degrees cooler over here.

Dig a hole, sunny spot, water it, enjoy it, simple, no fuss!
Butis is a seriously underated and underused palm here, mine has been growing outside in Essex for nearly twenty years and has only ever had mild leaf burn once in that time!

Feed it, cherish it and take good care of it over winter as they are not so very hardy.
We had two beauties both Butia Capitata which were over 5ft tall when we lost them in the first harsh winter because we did not protect with fleece.
A few mild winter do not a tropical climate make! as we learned the hard way.

Thanks Cathy and Rob, I'll be sure to cherish this one and wrap it up through winter.

I'd already bought a small one in the sales which can go in the GH overwinter and live in a pot for a few years, but moving this big-boy around just isn't an option, so in the ground it'll go!

Cathy wrote:Feed it, cherish it and take good care of it over winter as they are not so very hardy.
We had two beauties both Butia Capitata which were over 5ft tall when we lost them in the first harsh winter because we did not protect with fleece.
A few mild winter do not a tropical climate make! as we learned the hard way.

Well of course it depends on where you live as always!

Mine has stayed alive in the ground for a few years. The centre spear pulled after winter 11/12, and it didn't do much until last summer when it sent up a couple of spears. It's very slow compared to Trachycarpus but it's a stunning palm.

Looks to me like it was a bigger specimen that got trashed in the cold winter of 2010.
Those small leaves are the right size for regrowth.

Steph wrote:Looks to me like it was a bigger specimen that got trashed in the cold winter of 2010.
Those small leaves are the right size for regrowth.

I agree with steph re-frond size as a palm that size , even kept in a pot would have frond's almost arched over on themselve's. I love butia but only have one recovering eriospathia left!!, they don't like being planted out around here .

I planted my Butia haryasspathia today and the Magpies keep stealing the hair from the trunk for their nest .