In this country? Washingtonia

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Si

In this country? Washingtonia

Post by Si »

Question - this Washingtonia Fillifera at the Chelsea Physic Garden, has, or had no equal in the UK, the question is -is it still alive? only current pics will do (2012) and if it's not, aren't we truly wasting our time trying to cultivate this tree in the UK?. This tree was protected by the winter heat of London City and it's HUGE, So if this Washy can't survive here, ultimately none of them have any long-term future - my guess is it's long gone, the only pics I've seen of it are before winter 2010 & 2011, and it looked a bit scrappy before those two winter killers hit us.
Shame -it's a beaut!

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Dave Brown
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Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country?

Post by Dave Brown »

Firstly, I don't think it is a Washingtonia filifera. Looks more like a robusta to me :wink:

Secondly, all the damage of December 2010 showed on my W. robusta within a month, and anything green remained so. Mine was protected with a Parasol and rope lights.

See on the fb album http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 3e88a15d06

Reminds me I must update the album.

Here is a pic showing the aftermath of winter 2010/11 and the recovery
2011 Washingtonia.jpg
Here it is yesterday icon_thumright
2012-07-31-17-41-06 Washingtonia.jpg
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Dave
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Si

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country?

Post by Si »

The question remains - is it there?
Not like you to not keep on top of that Washy news Dave?
Will hard to protect if it gets over 20ft :wink:
and btw it's a Fili alright, check the length of the petioles and thickness of trunk to yours.
3 times the size?

The question remains - is it still there? - anyone
Nathan

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Nathan »

Yes it is still there, as are the others in the thread I posted about... The leaf browning is purely cosmetic damage, Washingtonia's have soft leaves that are easily damaged, but their fast growth means these leaves are quickly replaced the following season...
Addictedtopalms26

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Addictedtopalms26 »

Image

This is one at holkham hall in Norfolk. I couldn't believe it was grown outside as I believed Dave's was the biggest outside grown in the UK. I questioned the head gardener and you still hold the record Dave! lol

It was grown inside the greenhouses for 30 years until it hit the roof, it then had been transplanted 4 years ago. As you can see the growth has been affected by the weather. Nice trunk on it though. icon_thumleft
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Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Conifers »

Addictedtopalms26 wrote:... and you still hold the record Dave! lol
The one in Si's pic is clearly taller than Dave's, with a good 3.5m of trunk, compared to about 2m on Dave's.

TROBI records a W. filifera 10m tall at Tresco in 1984; I'd presume that's gone now from the lack of more recent measurements.
dino

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by dino »

I think the point was the one in Si's pic was grown inside compared to Dave's outside.
Nathan

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Nathan »

The one at Chelsea Physic Garden was planted out small & the photo at the top of the thread was from April 2011...

Barry's specimen is actually bigger than this one too...
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barrywashy.jpg
medjool

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by medjool »

Hi there
What part of London is Barrys Palm and secondly i believe there may be a couple of Washys also in Battersea Park1
Nathan

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Nathan »

I believe Barry lives in Edmonton, so quite a way out of the heat trap of central London...
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Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Conifers »

Nathan wrote:I believe Barry lives in Edmonton, so quite a way out of the heat trap of central London...
Edmonton?? It definitely gets cold there in winter!
mixiepalms

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by mixiepalms »

there is an even bigger one in Minster on the isle of sheppey in Kent. I'll get a pic next time I'm there.
Si

Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Si »

Conifers wrote:TROBI records a W. filifera 10m tall at Tresco in 1984; I'd presume that's gone now from the lack of more recent measurements.
If there was one at Tresco over 30 feet tall in 1984, it would be about 50 feet by now :shock: (nearly 30 years ago)
so that must be gone, else there would be thousands of pics of it, so, it must have died, and that proves my point, at some stage they die in a winter.
Don't forget IF you ever see them they're up against walls, buildings, and when they get tall enough (if they survive) they have to cope with the air higher up, away from the walls and umbrellas etc, wish I was wrong.
Any big ones you see are planted out are certainly from greenhouses, Dave's is pretty unique I'd wager.
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Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by Dave Brown »

Mine may not be the tallest planted out, as there is a double about 5m tall in Southampton, but that was planted @ 4.5m tall a few years ago.

The difference with mine is it was seed collected from Playa de las Americas (Tenerife) in 1992. Therefore I have an exact age and provenance. :wink:
Si wrote:
Conifers wrote:TROBI records a W. filifera 10m tall at Tresco in 1984; I'd presume that's gone now from the lack of more recent measurements.
Don't forget IF you ever see them they're up against walls, buildings, and when they get tall enough (if they survive) they have to cope with the air higher up, away from the walls and umbrellas etc, wish I was wrong.
Any big ones you see are planted out are certainly from greenhouses, Dave's is pretty unique I'd wager.
Don't worry, you are wrong :lol:

In December 2010 my Eucalyptus globulus was almost killed..... and probably would have been, had it not been for the fact the really cold temps were confined to below 4m above the ground, Above that point temps seemed to be higher and damage less. Ironically, my sheltered back garden took far worse damage than the front, exposed to the NE. Air movement and mixing are vital in stopping killer temps, so I don't agree the height equals colder in winter. A valley bottom is not the place to be, with dramatic temperature inversions. :wink:
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Dave
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Re: On the edge of extinction - in this country? Washingtoni

Post by otorongo »

I've never been to the Chelsea Physic Garden, but the location of the plant looks very open, so even if the Garden is more central than where most Londoners live, the tree might have experienced lower lows than most gardens in the densely built-up residential areas. But I'm just guessing here.
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