Hardy Tropicals UK

Yorkshire Kris wrote:

Las Palmas Norte wrote:Slightly off topic but you will see a Sabal palmetto in this video.
Coconut Mike in Montreal Canada is growing some palms well out of their range. He is enthusiastic to say the least.

Cheers, Barrie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC6zrLIy ... r_embedded

How the heck does he get those palms through winter??!!??? That Queen Palm is fantastic!

Hi Kris - He protects them in these huge polystyrene covers
Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRvhLc4V ... re=related

Rod wrote:

Yorkshire Kris wrote:

Las Palmas Norte wrote:Slightly off topic but you will see a Sabal palmetto in this video.
Coconut Mike in Montreal Canada is growing some palms well out of their range. He is enthusiastic to say the least.

Cheers, Barrie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC6zrLIy ... r_embedded

How the heck does he get those palms through winter??!!??? That Queen Palm is fantastic!

Hi Kris - He protects them in these huge polystyrene covers
Here's the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRvhLc4V ... re=related

Mad but brilliant!!

However they might grow very slowly, if I read what is posted here, it seems tempting to try them, just to have something different. Then we just have to try to get old enough to enjoy them

Dave Brown wrote:

Rod wrote: Hi Dave - We only get temps over 32°c, about 7~14 times ( days ) each Summer.
So way down on the numbers needed for good growth. But there is a very good specimen growing not far from me, in the botanical gardens outside in the ground.
Here it is below, a Sabal palmetto

I'm not an expert, but that does not look like a palmetto to me, the leaves are larger than I would expect. My Sabal bermudana had leaves nearly 3m across but was a nightmare with any wind. The same seem to be true of that palm.

Hi Dave - this Palm is in shade 50% of the day, and is in a very sheltered position, and is not exposed to heavy winds.
That's why the palm has slightly longer petioles and looks stretched with larger than normal leaves. But exhibits the trademark cross boot leaf bases that sabals have.

A lot of sunny days this winter and early spring has actually kept the smallest spear on my Sabal Palmetto moving all winter, albeit very slowly. Helped by an exceptionally long growing season last year the suntrap in which it sits has regularly had ambient temperatures around it well into the teens on many days with little rain to lower the soil temperatures.

It just about stopped after the two week cold spell and snowfall in February but in the past week the smaller spear has visibly separated itself from the larger spear.

The temperature at 1230 today was 11.1c but the surface temperature under the Sabal registered 23.5c in strong sunshine.

I have one Sabal Minor (of 6 seedlings originally) been in a pot for 6 years in a greenhouse at work. Now it is at home and came through the Winter better than my Butia I might plant it. I don't expect it to grow as the last few Summers here haven't seen a temperature above 25c, still it's worth a try.

Clive60 wrote:I have one Sabal Minor (of 6 seedlings originally) been in a pot for 6 years in a greenhouse at work. Now it is at home and came through the Winter better than my Butia I might plant it. I don't expect it to grow as the last few Summers here haven't seen a temperature above 25c, still it's worth a try.

Hi Clive - you don't need temps above 25°c for it to grow well. As long as they are consistently high, they will keep growing. For instance my Dypsis decipiens grew consistently every day last Summer. But as soon as the average temp fell too low it stopped and has not grown since. It started growing in November and stopped growing in February. This is the first year in the ground and is not fully established yet.