Trithrinax Campestris.

[jungle jas]

I have seen these at a local garden centre, double-headed and small, priced at around £55. The UK quite simply does not have a suitable climate to grow this palm outdoors. Best to pass this one by.

My double header,14 inches high 24 inches across with a pot full of roots was £18-00 +£12-00 p&p from Spain. I buy quite a few palms from there cheaper than the UK even with the postage.

[JBALLY]

Jungle Jas it is quite a famous cross just google Dick Douglas butia x jubaea cross and you will find out lots about it, there are still plants availavble. My larger campestris I have had for about three years and was from the palm centre, it puts out about three leaves a year per head but even the leaves that came with the palm are still in good health, in the summer it likes plenty of water and the odd feed. The leaves are really hard and stiff and so far have stayed pristine, my smaller one is planted out and does get a shelter over it in the winter and has been planted for the last two years and when it has been a really cold night gets a couple of bottles filled with hot water and a blanket thrown over then a tarpaulin thrown over that, its only for probably 10 - 12 nights a year and a couple of other plants get the same treatment. I think it is worth it to keep the plants looking pristine, they have a very nice blue leaf and although they dont produce many leaves a year they keep them for a long time. My big one is in a 60ltr pot and gets put in a unheated greenhouse for the winter, if the one planted out carries on doing so well the big one will join it and I am not in the warmest of areas. They just need a bit of protection on those few cold nights a year.

[jungle jas]

Jungle Jas it is quite a famous cross just google Dick Douglas butia x jubaea cross and you will find out lots about it, there are still plants availavble. My larger campestris I have had for about three years and was from the palm centre, it puts out about three leaves a year per head but even the leaves that came with the palm are still in good health, in the summer it likes plenty of water and the odd feed. The leaves are really hard and stiff and so far have stayed pristine, my smaller one is planted out and does get a shelter over it in the winter and has been planted for the last two years and when it has been a really cold night gets a couple of bottles filled with hot water and a blanket thrown over then a tarpaulin thrown over that, its only for probably 10 - 12 nights a year and a couple of other plants get the same treatment. I think it is worth it to keep the plants looking pristine, they have a very nice blue leaf and although they dont produce many leaves a year they keep them for a long time. My big one is in a 60ltr pot and gets put in a unheated greenhouse for the winter, if the one planted out carries on doing so well the big one will join it and I am not in the warmest of areas. They just need a bit of protection on those few cold nights a year.

Thanks for sharing your experiences J nice to here some one who is not all doom and gloom. What sort of temperatures do you get in a normal winter? -5c here -8 in that winter.

[jungle jas]

I bought mine when Martin Gibbons was running the Palm Centre, think it was around 1996. It was about 6 inches tall. Now it has about doubled this, but has split into two. It suffered leaflet damage in -6C so is overwintered under cover now. I don't think there is much point in planting it out, as would need protection.

Can't believe what a mess it is in, but I don't really look at it, as it never changes. The leaves damaged in 2007/8 -6C are the ones with leaftips fried, so seems to have grown 3 leaves per trunk in 5 years. As I'm in one of the driest places, and with warm summers, it is definitely not a palm for the UK.

That really is a sad looking palm Dave! Why don't you do it a favour and plant it out side, that way you'll give it a quicker death. It really isn't happy down there is it? I seem to remember you posted recently you cant grow Jubaea well either. what do you think the problem is down there with some palms?

[JBALLY]

My usual lowest winter low is -6 and that winter (2010) was -12 but I did get a couple of -8 last year, the one that has been planted out was planted in place of a chamaerops that died in that winter and it will have been planted for three years in in a couple of months. My front garden is more exposed and that is were most of my losses occurred in 2010 but my back garden is south facing and quite sheltered and that is were the campestris is planted.

[gabriel]

Mine is planted out and grew around 4 to 5 leaves last year. It is slow to form a trunk but it is visibly growing at least for me.

[Dave Brown]

That really is a sad looking palm Dave! Why don't you do it a favour and plant it out side, that way you'll give it a quicker death. It really isn't happy down there is it? I seem to remember you posted recently you cant grow Jubaea well either. what do you think the problem is down there with some palms?

I seem to have problems with watering as the palms need good drainage for winter, then are too dry in summer.

[jungle jas]

Thank thank you all for your input, mostly negative!!!!!! With a few bright spots

[gabriel]

That is mine at the moment

[jungle jas]

That is mine at the moment

Nice looking palm Gabriel, That's the sort of growth I would like! However living in the London area is like living in a foreign country compared to the rest of us, in more ways than one. Ive just realized I already live in a foreign country, Ive also realized no one has answered the original question to help me make a decision as to were to plant it! However unless I live to be a hundred I don't think it will matter.

So is it on the southern side of one of my existing Trachys to give it some protection or by the wall of the house for even more protection? Answers on a post card please.

[gabriel]

That is mine at the moment

Nice looking palm Gabriel, That's the sort of growth I would like! However living in the London area is like living in a foreign country compared to the rest of us, in more ways than one. Ive just realized I already live in a foreign country, Ive also realized no one has answered the original question to help me make a decision as to were to plant it! However unless I live to be a hundred I don't think it will matter.

So is it on the southern side of one of my existing Trachys to give it some protection or by the wall of the house for even more protection? Answers on a post card please.

They are sun lovers, so I would place them in most sunny part of the garden.
Add some extra drainage when planting,although mine is planted straight in the clay and is alive and kicking
G

[jungle jas]

They are sun lovers, so I would place them in most sunny part of the garden.
Add some extra drainage when planting,although mine is planted straight in the clay and is alive and kicking
G[/quote]

So that's your secret weapon clay! I must get a skip load and plant mine in it. That way its ready to throw away when the roots rot I cant really give my plants any more drainage as i live on what was a sandy beach. It never gets waterlogged regardless of how much rain we get.

[cordyman]

some on ebay here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trithrinax-ca ... 33800d8488

[jungle jas]

I personally wouldn't buy from there, mine is a little bigger and £20-00 less even with the postage from Spain. If your going to use eBay at least let it work for you.

[DiCasS]

I bought one of these last year, it might have been from the same place as you Jase, from Spain, £40ish and about the same size as yours. When mine came it had split the pot with the roots it was that packed. Anyway, I dug a hole, put grit/gravel in and plonked the palm in the hole - quickly This last year it's opened half a leaf on each head and am pleased so far cos it looks exactly the same/hasn't gone backwards. I planted mine in the sunniest spot available, though we had none hardly.

Troy, your picture has definitely got that WOW factor, at least I can admire from afar



Di