Finally ordered a Palm - Trachycarpus wagnerianus (Miniature Chusan Palm) - they may reach 20' and 5' diameter and are said to be the most hardy of their species up to -5 degrees. We shall see! Ordered through plantsdelight and will be available August 1,
Can't wait -
Candee
Gonna Try!
Haighr.... down here when it gets cold a lot of people string mini light around palms and that keep them warm enough from freezing
The japanese wrap their palms in straw-they have grown several to quite large sizes. doug
Great ideas. Was thinking I would get some sort of tubing to put around the trunks and then insulate and straw would be great. Do I need to cover the leaves with anything do you think. I like the light idea, would look great at night too! Not sure how large these will be when they arrive so will wait to do much planning until I actually see them.
You can use a cloth like material don't use plastic for it freezes easy and will damage plants touching it
The leaves on those in Japan are exposed. There and in Afghanistan are the only places I know where they regularly wrap palms for sub-zero or at least close too it-weather. good luck, Doug
I remember a few years ago somebody in Swampscott MA installed 2 palm trees on their lawn. Beautiful all summer. Froze to death the following winter. Do these people have a clue? or just too much money?
I was thinking straw around the trunk wrapped in burlap or something and just let the leaves alone. Can't wait to get them and see what they look like! These are to be hardy to -5 degrees and that is unusual for us here in west MD.
haighr, I've got a few tips, from experience, for you to get them through the winter. Please remember, that the palms have to be acclamated to their new home for a year or two before they are hardy to -5 degrees. And the first couple of years of winter protection are crucial . After that, they are pretty hardy.
When I first planted my palms (12 of them), many people told me that they were just not going to survive the first winter. So, I called the nursery where I bought them from and asked them how I could help them to survive the winter. They told me that when the freezing temperatures arrived, they would send a couple of guys out to my house and they would wrap them to protect them. This is what they did ... and it worked like a charm.
They took sheets of fiberglass and wrapped the trunks from the bottom right up to the top, just where the leaves were. Then they wrapped the fiberglass with burlap and secured that. Next, and very important, they put alot of mulch around the base of the palm. Why? Because as the mulch decomposes with time, it gives off heat. And it's that heat that keeps the palm from freezing. I didn't need to wrap the leaves here in Texas, but you may need to. Just remember to remove the covering from the leaves if the weather warms up. They need to breathe.
I hope that helps. I know I proved my neighbors wrong.
Thanks so much, don't expect them to arrive until August but will be ready with the burlap, etc. Where do you get the fiberglass? Could I use insulation? I was also thinking straw?
Yes, that's what I meant ... the strips of insulation fiberglass. Here's a couple of pictures to show you. First they attached the end of the burlap to the base of the palm. Then wrap a strip of the fiberglass insulation around the base ... then continue to wrap the rest of the burlap around the base to secure the fiberglass. They used "bobby pin" types of pins to secure the burlap to the fiberglass. You could also just tie a strong string around the base several times.
I don't really know about using straw ... never used it. But the fiberglass is sure to keep the base from freezing, and it will certainly keep the heat IN the base of the palm that the decomposing mulch is generating. :)
Another view.
And finally! All wrapped up, snug and warm.
My leaves did turn brown, but I just clipped them off in the spring, gave some balanced fertilizer, plenty of water, and new leaves grew very quickly.
Thanks for all the info and the pictures. I'll do that, we always wrap our stone fountain up in insulation and cover with a tarp so the freeze doesn't crack the stone. If I were to cover the leaves if the tree is small (which I imagine they will be) what would I use for that do you think?
Here's some info I found:
"Small palms in the ground can be completely covered during the coldest weather, by literally burying them under a pile of dry, dead leaves. It's easy to remove this during mild spells and will successfully keep off the wind and the weather. They seem not to object to being in the dark for a few weeks at a time, but do uncover them when weather conditions allow. With the exception of proven 'hardies' such as Trachycarpus and Chamaerops, medium and large palms in the ground should have their leaves tied loosely together with garden netting or string, and should then be wrapped in an old blanket or hessian held in place with clothes pegs. Bubble plastic can create condensation and should be avoided. A plastic cover over the top of this will keep off the rain, but leave the bottom open so that air can circulate. Rot probably kills more palms than cold. Again, this simple covering should be removed during mild periods.
At the same time, the ground around the base of the plant should be covered to a depth of a foot or more with some kind of mulch: dead leaves, wood chips, chipped bark etc., to keep the ground from freezing."
Found at: http://www.palmcentre.co.uk/
Jules, just wondering, if the insulation gets wet and freezes will that be a problem as we have had lots of rain. Was thinking of putting layers of insulation on the ground and then putting bags of mulch on top up the trunk and wrapping the whole thing in burlap?
You know ... I'm not an expert at this, I just know what worked for me. I got advice from people who know how to prepare Palms for the winter in Zone 8. In your Zone 6, you may need to do more for your palms, but I'm not sure how much more. We had rain and freezing weather too, and what I did with the insulation & burlap was sufficient to keep the interior and base warm through our winter. Every palm survived. I'm not sure if too much protection might suffocate them or may actually help them since it gets colder there. I wish someone from Zone 6 that has experience in this could help you.
One thing I know for sure is, I was told to have plenty of mulch around the base, because as the mulch decays, it creates enough heat to keep the insides of the palms and its roots from freezing, which is what is so important for it's survival. I might NOT put the insulation down, just plenty of mulch (out of their plastic bags) so that it can decay and create the heat. Hope that helps and I sincerely hope this is correct advice for Zone 6.
Thanks jules, that is exactly the advice I needed. If the rain and freeze didn't hurt your insulation, shouldn't bother mine. Will probably push the gravel away from the base of the palms and put down the mulch as suggested and then use the insul and burlap up from there. Wish me luck as they are calling for frost here this week already!
You're welcome haighr! I sure hope it works for you! I'm just not sure about Zone 6 temperatures. You seem to be quite a savvy gardener, so use your instincts.
When I did all the insulating and burlaping on my palms (which, incidentally just keeps the heat inside the trunk of the palm, which the decaying mulch is generating), I was told not to cover up the leaves on top, because they would suffocate. So, I didn't. They all turned brown and died, but in the spring, new green sprouts grew vigorously. (This may work ONLY in Zone 8, but I'm not sure)
This past winter, I saw several new custom homes in our area that had Palms just planted in their landscape ... they too did the insulation and burlap, but then they also wrapped up all their leaves when the weather really got the nastiest. Eventually, they removed the wrappings of the leaves so that they could get sunlight and air, and not suffocate when the weather got better. I must say, in the spring, they looked very good. It may seem like a lot of work, but in the end, I think it's worth it, especially when you see them thrive in Spring. I sure hope you can pull this off in Zone 6. Please let me know how it goes. I'll be hoping, praying and watching for your update posts.
Got my fingers crossed here Jewel. Not sure I will cover the leaves much as they are quite tall and I like the effect of being wrapped but some leaves showing. Perhaps will change my mind when the weather really changes if it is not too late. I posted a pic of my wrap job and in the center just below the leaves I inserted a bit of burlap to help keep the snow out.
Not sure how I would wrap the palm leaves as they are such different sizes and height it would be difficult to keep the burlap on them without blowing away.
Thanks again for all your expertise, we shall see.