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On of the nicest things about SC is the Palmetto Palms Yanks like me love them. Columbia seems to have very few except for shrubs. I did notice one tall tree growing in front of a masonry wall at a department store once. And the new rest stops on Rt 26 going east have them. I hear the state capitol building has a bunch of tall old Palmettos but I've never seen it. It seems you have to be in the hurricane zone to grow them easily. That's one nice thing about California, palm trees without storms.
Some people get obsessed with palm trees and even manage to grow them in the North. This guys has an interesting site: http://www.leonardholmes.com/palms/
Looks like the hardiest trunking palm is the Windmill Palm. I suspect many people could grow these in the Charlotte, Greenville and Atlanta suburbs if they really wanted to (never been there).
Anyway, the house I'm designing is very contemporary and has a two-story masonry wall facing south. It would look cool with a trunking palm tree in front of it. You'd also have to have some palm shrubs too or it would look pretty bad in the winter with only leaf-less deciduous trees around.
But, since folks can drive to the beach in a few hours I guess they don't feel the need to have palms in their yards. But it would be fun.
palmetto trees aren't indigenous to Columbia. But, you will find them all over the USC campus and around the statehouse grounds. They grow best around Beaufort/Hilton Head - or at least that's where most of the palmetto tree farms I've seen are. You can transplant a full grown tree to places like Charlotte or Columbia, and it will do fine. You just won't be able to grow new trees easily. Palmetto roots grow very poorly in clay-like soil like you find in Atlanta or Greenville. They have a reputation as being very slow growing, and they can withstand hurricanes without much difficulty.
And the cost for a palmetto tree is exorbitant. I can't find any price examples, but I want to say that most people pay $20,000 for a mature tree. I'm not sure about Palm trees, though, I can't say that I've ever seen one in South Carolina. Most people who are going to plant one are definitely going to plant the 'state tree', the sabal palmetto.
There are some folks here in Aiken who sell palm trees. They moved here from Mass, and they have a small lot on Pine Log Rd. where they sell from. I could go see what kind/how much if you are interested.
I heard that sabal palmettos are native to a fairly narrow coastal strip in the Carolinas. The range from extreme southern NC to within maybe 5 miles from the coast, within about 10-15 around Myrtle Beach, and around 30 miles around Charleston down to to the Georgia line. It probably has to do with the record lows still being mild enough.
If you make your soil sandy enough for the roots to take, the palmettos will grow fine pretty much anywhere in the state. The key to the tree doing well is its orientation. I don't know why, but transplanted palmettos do best when oriented (north, south, east, west) the same as when they were origionally grown. If not, the tree will live, but will look like a big stick with one or two frawns.
Sabal Palms/Cabbage Palms or South Carolina Palmetto Trees as they are commonly called here in South Carolina are not expensive and they will grow in clay just as they grow in sand. This tree is very hardy and from Greenwood to the coast, anybody can have this trees in thier landscape. I am in North Augusta and I have 15 Sabal Trees in my yard. A friend of mine has over 40 Sabals in his yard with aprox. 200 Windmills also. He and his wife have been adding tropical palms and plants to thier yard for the last 15 years. This includes Pindos, Sabal Minors, Washingtonias, Needles, European Fan Palms, Saw Palmettos, Sagos, Banannas and Elephant Ears. We started a company in the North Augusta/Augusta/Aiken area, called "A Palm For You" and we will deliver and install a 6-20 foot Sabal Palm for $300.00. We have a nursery in North Augusta that has any tropical tree and plant that will grow in this area in stock. If you are interested in getting any tropical plants/trees or have any questions regarding the care or design of these plants in a landscape design, please feel free to call us at 803-341-0186 and ask for Robert Bell.
Sabal Palms/Cabbage Palms or South Carolina Palmetto Trees as they are commonly called here in South Carolina are not expensive and they will grow in clay just as they grow in sand. This tree is very hardy and from Greenwood to the coast, anybody can have this trees in thier landscape. I am in North Augusta and I have 15 Sabal Trees in my yard. A friend of mine has over 40 Sabals in his yard with aprox. 200 Windmills also. He and his wife have been adding tropical palms and plants to thier yard for the last 15 years. This includes Pindos, Sabal Minors, Washingtonias, Needles, European Fan Palms, Saw Palmettos, Sagos, Banannas and Elephant Ears. We started a company in the North Augusta/Augusta/Aiken area, called "A Palm For You" and we will deliver and install a 6-20 foot Sabal Palm for $300.00. We have a nursery in North Augusta that has any tropical tree and plant that will grow in this area in stock. If you are interested in getting any tropical plants/trees or have any questions regarding the care or design of these plants in a landscape design, please feel free to call us at 803-341-0186 and ask for Robert Bell.
Do you grow and sell QUEEN PALMS?? Will queen palms grow in the Aiken area,,, I was planning on moving to Aiken and I wanted to landscape my pool area with Palms and tropicals,,,, is it possible,,???
Thanks
There are some folks here in Aiken who sell palm trees. They moved here from Mass, and they have a small lot on Pine Log Rd. where they sell from. I could go see what kind/how much if you are interested.
Yes,Iwould like that very much. please get an address for me and direction.
palmetto trees aren't indigenous to Columbia. But, you will find them all over the USC campus and around the statehouse grounds. They grow best around Beaufort/Hilton Head - or at least that's where most of the palmetto tree farms I've seen are. You can transplant a full grown tree to places like Charlotte or Columbia, and it will do fine. You just won't be able to grow new trees easily. Palmetto roots grow very poorly in clay-like soil like you find in Atlanta or Greenville. They have a reputation as being very slow growing, and they can withstand hurricanes without much difficulty.
And the cost for a palmetto tree is exorbitant. I can't find any price examples, but I want to say that most people pay $20,000 for a mature tree. I'm not sure about Palm trees, though, I can't say that I've ever seen one in South Carolina. Most people who are going to plant one are definitely going to plant the 'state tree', the sabal palmetto.
Oh my goodness there is some misinformation in this post. A large sabal palmetto palm tree can be bought and planted for $300, which is what I paid for the 18 foot tree in my back yard. The state tree - the Sabal Palmetto - is a palm tree. Many other palm trees grow quite well in Columbia, but they are not native. I'm not sure what part of Columbia the original poster lives in, but there are palm trees all over the city. I have 1 palmetto, 3 Mexican Fan (Washingtonia) Palms, 2 Pindo (Jelly) Palms and 3 Chinese Windmill Palms in my backyard. You can't drive a block in most places in the city of Columbia without seeing a palm tree of some sort. I planted most of these trees when they were quite small (2-3 feet) and they've done well. I did lose 3 very small Mexican Fan Palms one year when it snowed and fell to 10 degrees, but all of the others have done very well. Most palm trees are fairly slow growing (1-2 feet a year), but they will do well in Columbia. These are palm pictures from Columbia:
Some from my yard:
Some from around town:
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Queen Palms
