Hi folks
Can anyone tell me what would be a good palm tree to grow outdoors, this is to give as a present to a gardener friend who lives in central belt of Scotland, or would it be too cold for any to survive up there?

On 20/06/2011 07:14, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:37:43 +0000, scrapmum
wrote:


Hi folks
Can anyone tell me what would be a good palm tree to grow outdoors, this
is to give as a present to a gardener friend who lives in central belt
of Scotland, or would it be too cold for any to survive up there?

I've read that Trachycarpus fortunei, the Chusan palm, is hardy in
most parts of the British Isles, and that its natural habitat is in
the forests in the Chinese Himalayas where it copes with temperatures
as low as -20C. It's trunk is covered in a mat of fibrous 'hair'
rather like coconut fibre, which probably helps. Whether it would cope
with the temperatures in Scotland's central belt, I don't know, but it
must have a better chance than almost any other palm.


Many years ago there was a Trachycarpus fortunei said to be growing on
the north coast of Scotland, maybe Durness or around Loch Eriboll.
There are several said to be growing on the NW coast (Ullapool,
Scourie), but all of these areas will have temperatures moderated by
nearness to the sea - particularly the effect of the Gulf Stream. Any
area many miles from the sea and more than a few tens of metres above
sea level would almost certainly not sustain any palm tree - even
Trachycarpus fortunei.

--

Jeff

"scrapmum" wrote in message
...

Hi folks
Can anyone tell me what would be a good palm tree to grow outdoors, this
is to give as a present to a gardener friend who lives in central belt
of Scotland, or would it be too cold for any to survive up there?




--
scrapmum

Trachycarpus fortunii is the only one with a realistic chance of long term
survival, it will cope with wet as well as cold down to around -25c and was
undamaged by snow this last winter (which did for several supposedly hardy
palms)


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

All well and good as far as Trachycarpus fortunei's reputation for
cold hardiness, but this past winter has wiped some out so it's not
quite as tough as was previously believed. Windy situations will burn
and batter the leaves in any climate and it does best in a sheltered,
semi-woodland site with well drained, but moist, humus rich soil. I'm
not convinced that it would be suitable for planting that far north
unless it was given a sheltered spot.

It is interesting to observe that the RHS plantfinder lists 46 suppliers of this plant, but none are in Scotland or Northern Ireland. You can get it in Whitby and Doncaster, but in general it isn't sold further north than the Midlands. Though I would have thought it would have done fine in Edinburgh at the very least, considering that they can grow many tender things there that I can't grow in Buckinghamshire. If you are living somewhere where -15 is a rare event, go for it, though you may have to have one mail ordered in if the RHS is reliable on local availability.

My Friend lives in Glasgow so I'm not sure if that counts as near the sea?

Clydebank, yes, East Kilbride, no, places in between, may be harder to say. Provided it isn't the kind of place that isn't surprised to find itself under a heavy covering of snow when the city centre is free of it, I'd say give it a go. It is not as though they are expensive plants, if you buy a small one. And if you get them in the ground when they are small, give them food water and shelter, they can grow pretty quickly.

Many thanks for all your help folks. :-)
Anne Marie