Why does this Waggy look like this!?

[greendragon]

Here is the waggy at Kew, it was one of the most ugly things I have ever seen in my life. I have a Waggie but I'm concerned about it ending up looking like this!

Is this damaged or is it the fate for all Waggies?

[Tom2006]

A bit harsh to say its the most ugly thing?

[GoggleboxUK]

It's not great though is it?

If this is how my Waggies are likely to turn out then I'll be thinking twice about planting them too. I could achieve the same effect by scooping a pot sized hole out of the top of half a telegraph pole and sticking the 2ft tall Waggie I have now in it then wrapping the pole in coir matting.

Nobody wants a palm that is 90% trunk surely? Even a 150 year old Jub with a thick trunk has a good frond to trunk ratio.

[Conifers]

Can't see other than that it's normal. It is a cultivar selected for small leaf size (to resist wind, etc), and the larger the trunk gets, leaves staying a small size get to look ever smaller in comparison with the trunk.

[Adam D]

Soft, southern waggies that have had a wee bit of the keek weather for the last couple of years>

[Andy P]

Looks to me like it was almost killed off in the Horror Winter we had a few years back and was totally defoliated but because it`s a mature Palm has managed to survive. The fronds you see are all very new but very stunted because of the damage it received. That`s my opinion. I don`t think a normal, healthy Waggie would usually look like that. I have Waggies with less than 3ft of trunk with bigger fronds than that.

[grub]

Looks like a Waggy to me... What did you lot think a Trachycarpus with smaller, stiffer, stunted leaves looked like?

[GoggleboxUK]

Looks like a Waggy to me... What did you lot think a Trachycarpus with smaller, stiffer, stunted leaves looked like?

A Palm tree, as opposed to a log that waves at you.



More like this:



Andy's explantion seems reasonable though. Those leaves do look ludicrously small for a palm with a nice thick trunk.

[Andy P]

Looks like a Waggy to me... What did you lot think a Trachycarpus with smaller, stiffer, stunted leaves looked like?

A healthy Waggie of that size should have much larger leaves to it though Grub. I know Waggies have smaller leaves than T fortune and other palms, but they should be much larger than that in a waggie that is that mature. It`s definitely damaged. I have 5 Waggies in my garden of various sizes and the leaves do get bigger as they age.

[grub]

I don't think that's the case Gentlemen , I have a Fortunei and a Waggy planted together and they are completely different, TBH that's exactly how I expect it to turn out. Look for Fortunei pictures and the crowns are not a lot more filled than that one, that ones been tidied but if you compared like for like...

[Tom2006]

If it were grown in an ideal habitat it would have many green leaves further down the trunk.

[Conifers]

Looks like a Waggy to me... What did you lot think a Trachycarpus with smaller, stiffer, stunted leaves looked like?

A Palm tree, as opposed to a log that waves at you.



More like this:

Yeah, but that'll look about the same, once its trunk gets longer . . .

[greendragon]

Lol my waggie aint ever going in the ground il try and give it to a relative or something.

[Bob]

I think we'd all be too old to care or dead before the tiddlers that most of us start with 'leave the garden' like the waggie shown in the OP.
If i live long enough or am still at this house when any any of mine get to any size I'll just start another one along side it to break up the telegraph pole look.

With only 4ft of trunk I'm not going to start worrying or planting anytime soon.

[jungle jas]

[quote="Bob"]I think we'd all be too old to care or dead before the tiddlers that most of us start with 'leave the garden' like the waggie shown in the OP.

I quite agree, I doubt any of us will see a waggie that size that we grew our selves. That one must have been damaged by a recent bad winter, unless they put a trainee gardener on the job to tidy it up. There Is one way to find out,if any one is going shortly ask them what happened to it. I'm sure they would be only to happy to tell us.