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do you keep them covered all winter? or just on cold days/nights? thanks.
As Skytrekker says, all Winter.
And as I said in my first post, I was ultra-cautious and protected them for 5 years rather than 2. But I also pushed the limits each year meaning I covered them up later and later and uncovered them earlier and earlier.
Don't worry if the leaves wilt a bit and change color. That is normal. But you really want to protect the roots, crown and trunk, if one has formed.
And stick with the hardiest palms in your zone. I tried a Sago and it survived one winter but with massive damage. Croaked the next. I tried a more tropical palm and the result was the same. There are plenty of hardy palms to choose from.
Good protection for at least 2 years and your yard will look like Miami.
They are different. I think the Windmill palm is more cold-hardy than the Chinese Fan. It has smaller fronds but is less shiny and dramatic. Both will need to be projected in weather below 20 degrees.
Yes, the Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus Fortunei) is alot hardier than the Chinese Fan Palm (Livistonia Chinesis)
Windmill Palms can handle temps down to as low as 5 degrees F (possibly even colder)
Chinese Fan Palms are much less hardy can handle as low as 16 degrees F
Infact Sabal Palms and California Fan Palms are hardier than the Chinese Fan Palm
I would cover all winter in Louisville- its climate is the same as mine in eastern CT- though you are further south then here in my Connecticut location, the nearby Atlantic ocean to me ( 35-40 miles away) moderates the climate this far north; as you are far from a large body of water. Louisville has more colder absolute lows then here- though we have more cold duration wise over the winter.
Windmill palms are extremely tough- but their crowns and trunk need protected from extreme cold and wet conditions. My palms here are merely experimental- perhaps as global warming kicks in further over the next 5-10 years the need to cover will diminish. For example the zone 7 line from the CT shoreline is creeping north about 1.5 miles a year- I am about 25-30 miles from that Z7 line now- theoretically in 10 years I will be in a zone 7- the lower limit these palms can exist outside without extreme protection- (the hardier of the Genus)
Last edited by skytrekker; 10-07-2008 at 05:30 AM..
I live in Washington, DC which is Zone 7 like you- either a or b, I cannot recall.
I have not measured their growth rate. I planted them in June, 2001. They were from quart size pots and were about 10 inches tall. They are now closing in on 6 feet tall.
Keep them on the south side (major difference) and protect them for the first two winters. They'll be fine afterwards. I have seen 20 foot specimins covered with snow in the Italian alps and doing just fine.
DC: the inner suburbs may be Climate Zone 7B due to the heat island effect whereas outside of the Beltway; especially toward the north or west are 7A.
They are different. I think the Windmill palm is more cold-hardy than the Chinese Fan. It has smaller fronds but is less shiny and dramatic. Both will need to be projected in weather below 20 degrees.
I had a Chinese fan palm and when it dropped to 15° one winter (even with protection) it melted it.
On the other hand, my Windmill palm has endured temperatures as cold as the lower 10s without any damage and no protection and it has flourished for years. I highly recommend Windmill palms for zones 7 and lower. Zone 6 should be OK, but 5 may need protection. Needle palm is a good choice too!
Here is a recent photo of my Windmill... alot of new growth, some still some old on there....
Here is my little Needle palm... native to the southeastern USA, but will endure temps as cold as -20° I am told.
You could put it in the garage or basement. I'm wondering what would happen if you cut off most of its fronds and put it in a warm corner for the winter.
Hmmm... my garage gets pretty cold in winter. Would it go somewhat dormant if it didn't get much light all winter? The window in my garage is up high.
Are you going to protect the Needle Palm at all this winter? I planted two over the summer and frost time approaches.
Thanks. Well, since I was told it will survive to -20, I was not going to because we very rarely even see below +10°, but since I have some stakes around it, I MIGHT throw a sheet over it if its going to get below 10° for the first winter to be safe. I have only protected my Windmill once when the forecast one time was 8°, but it was only a sheet. It has endured temperatures as low as 13° without protection and did fine. The only time it was not happy was when we got a wet snow and it weighed the fronds down and it got down to the upper 10s that night. I was not home to knock the snow off. It browned some fronds, but it recovered nicely. Actually those brown fronds you see at the bottom of the photo from that was the result, but you can see the new healthy parts.
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