On Sun, 01 Aug 2004 09:42:48 +0100, Ben wrote:

Trachycarpus fortunei and Chamaerops humilis seem to be cropping up all
over the place now, and T fortunei seems pretty difficult to kill off.

Trachycarpus fortunei has been grown out of doors in the UK for over
100 years and has taken everything that the 1900's could muster with
few recorded problems. There are at least 2 hardier species T.
wagnerianum (good for windy gardens) & T. takil, which is larger
and bolder than fortunei. These Himalayan palms revel in cool, moist
conditions and prefer light shade plus some wind shelter in order to
look their best. When happy and well watered, they can easily make
over 12" of trunk per year and so are not nearly as slow growing as
some 'experts' would have you believe.

After years of indecision, gardeners also decided that the European
fan palm should be hardy enough for southern counties at least. It
has proved to be an excellent small palm over the past 30 or so years
and there are fine, 10 - 14 foot high specimens to be seen that bear
this out. For small gardens, it is probably the best palm to grow.
Unlike Trachycarpus, it is clumping, tolerant of salt-laden winds and
prefers a hot, sunny spot. Give it plenty of water in summer and
growth rates are quite impressive. Some plants barely reach 6 feet
high and about 10 feet across, but others will tend to produce a
single trunk several metres high with just a few offsets around the
base. There is an amazingly coloured form (var, cerifera) that has
brilliant blue leaves and it's provenance high up in the Atlas
mountains suggests it is hardier than most forms.

In (southern) coastal regions, there are probably at least 15 species
of fan and feather palms that are good 'doers' and here in Torquay
there are a 115 year old Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)
and a similarly aged Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis) that have
withstood the rigours of truly severe winters. Others proving to be
extremely tough and happy in our climate include Butia capitata,
Chamaedorea radicalis, Trithrinax campestris and Rhapidophyllum
hystrix. All of these will cope with temps of minus 5 or 6C without
damage if grown in fertile, well drained soils. I should add that I
have acquaintances in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield
who successfully grow these species so it isn't just a Torbay anomaly.

As to Cordyline, it really shouldn't be considered in the same context
as palms. It is nowhere near as stem hardy, but can regenerate from
the rootstock if severely damaged. Very few true palms can do this
since almost all of them only ever have a single growing point. If
this is killed, the entire plant will die. As a result, you cannot
prune palms in an attempt to reduce their height.

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November