Palm Trees of Canada

[flar]

Originally Posted by Toronto6A6B

Dundas is the same zone as Toronto I think.

Dundas has a nice little micro climate down in the valley. Probably one of the hardiest zones in Canada.

[north 42]

Brought in my windmill palm and lime tree from the terrace on Boxing Day morning as the snow storm started, both are totally fine from being out most of December. Usually put them back out around March sometime, usually late march most years, but put them out early march last year. here's hoping for an early spring once more!

[subtropicalbc]

Thats great! Im heading over to Victoria and looking for some nice areas where I can find palms any suggestions?

[SpongeG]

some in the inner harbour


trekearth.com

beacon hill park has some

[SpongeG]

this is a not too common plant but grows well in vancouver, looks tropicl and stays green year round - Fatsia japonica


http://dangergarden.blogspot.ca

some other warmer climate plants that grow in vancouver

http://parallel49palms.blogspot.ca

Dicksonia Antarctica

parallel49palms.blogspot.ca


parallel49palms.blogspot.ca

yucca gloriosa superba


Gunnera Manicata - is from south america also known as giant rhubarb




this is how they get wintered


an idea of how large it gets

searcharchives.vancouver.ca

[north 42]

I love those tree ferns, so beautiful. We can grow Fatsia Japonica here with a bit of protection during really cold spells, but it would never get as big as you grow them out west. We can also grow some trunking Yucca as well, but not the one shown above.
So jealous of Victorias climate and gardens.

[Toronto6A6B]

Originally Posted by north 42

I love those tree ferns, so beautiful. We can grow Fatsia Japonica here with a bit of protection during really cold spells, but it would never get as big as you grow them out west. We can also grow some trunking Yucca as well, but not the one shown above.
So jealous of Victorias climate and gardens.

Any chance you would try to grow windmill palms outdoors ?

[north 42]

I would if I lived in a house again, but I'm in a condo, so it is harder to overwinter hardy palms in pots. I may just attempt it though in the future, especially if we have a winter like last year, almost non existant :-). I would have to get a really large planter, and use some form of protection to keep it from freezing solid on really cold spells. I'll have to look into seeing if this is even possible.
I'm so mad that I never knew that some hardy palms could grow in my zone when I owned my home for 11 years, oh well, I guess my terrace will have to do one day.

[Harley613]

I just found this thread and I was reading posts from a few pages back where people are saying they 'don't like palms growing in Canada'. Too funny! Foreigners think of Canada as one singular climate : COLD. Meanwhile, the country spans an entire continent. St. John's Newfoundland is 600 miles closer to Casablanca in Morocco than it is to Victoria (where we find most of our palms)!

[subtropicalbc]

That ia true.

[north 42]

I wonder how the hardy palms and subtropicals are holding up in eastern Canada during this arctic outbreak? Hopefully some protection was given to them, it would be a shame to loose them. I'm really interested to see how the Monkey Puzzle Tree in Niagara on the Lake fared.

[Toronto6A6B]

With the current cold spell, the hardiest windmill palms would have been killed at -20C last Mon/Tue if not protected.

It is evident to me that growing UNPROTECTED outdoor windmill palms in southern Ontario is not realistic, what a disappointment !

[north 42]

It'll be quit a while before we can grow unprotected palms in southern Ontario for more than just a few years. Our warming climate is what makes it possible to grow many plants now that were not viable decades ago, like hardy Bananas, Monkey Puzzle Trees ( still needs protection on the coldest nights ) trunking Yuccas and evergreen southern Magnolias.

[subtropicalbc]

Nice and warm here.

[Monctoncore]

http://www.thehoneytreenursery.com/E...nd--Plants.php

This is the link to a company that grows exotic trees and plants in the summer on PEI, all the pictures on the site are taken by the owner and most are taken at the nursery, others are taken except for about 4.

[Toronto6A6B]

Bill sent me a message since Jan, and according to Bill, Rice Road green house and Cole's in Grimsby are two that have a nice selection (is it OK to post names of nurseries here ?)

Quote (Rice Road):
Trachycarpus or Windmill palm is the hardiest of the trunk forming palms. Several species are available, but all need winter protection in Niagara.

So I think the answer is clear: Windmill palms need winter protection even in S Ontario !

[chris]

How cold to winters get in the Okanagan?

[Toronto6A6B]

Don't know if you meant Okanagan BC or not as your registered location's Chapal Hill NC but according to the hardiness zones I found online, Kelowna (Okanagan) BC is 7a hence Windmill palms will need winter protection.

[chris]

Originally Posted by Toronto6A6B

Don't know if you meant Okanagan BC or not as your registered location's Chapal Hill NC but according to the hardiness zones I found online, Kelowna (Okanagan) BC is 7a hence Windmill palms will need winter protection.

I'm pretty sure there's only one Okanagan, and it's the Okanagan valley in BC.

[jayc]

Just wanted to share that I do grow different exotics in Sydney on Cape Breton Island. Here is the only pic I can find right now of one of my Waggy's. I do grow Musa Basjoo, Fatsia Japonica, Moso Bamboo, and three variants of Trachycarpus also. (Wagnerianus, Fortunei, and the Hybrid cross between them both).

As of winter protection, all I do is put 3 rebar in ground surrounding the palms and wrap burlap around the bars. No heat, and nothing wrapped around the palm physically and just throw some pine bark nuggets around the trunk. I was hoping to have them unwrapped by now, but with this out of the blue late storm we had last week, there is approx a one foot drift around them and I don't want to walk through it So looks like I'll have to wait till the beginning of April to unwrap.

Here is the waggy in my backyard: