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Which Cold Hardy Palm is right for my Project?

2010-03-23T18:18:00Z

So you’re interested in cold hardy palms but you’re not sure what to choose? There are some questions to ask yourself as you embark on your northern based tropical look.

Just how cold does it get where you live or where your palm will be installed? Obviously you want to choose something that would not die during an ordinary winter in your area. Not everyone is totally clear on the zone they live in, but everybody knows what’s unusually cold for their hometown, so I’m going to cover the range by Temperature not zone. The low temperatures vary, but the lowest temperature at which these palms will show no affect of cold (no yellow, no drooping or no browning) from these species of palms is as follow:

Bismarck Palm (Bismarckia nobillis): 28F

Canary Island Date (Phoenix canariensis): 21F

Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis): 20F

European/Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaeropshumillis): 16F

Lady Palm (Rhapis humilis): 22F

Needle Palm (some now call it Native LadyPalm) (Rhapidophyllum Hystrix): 5F

Pindo Palm (Butia capitata): 14F

Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana): 26F

Ribbon Fan Palm (Livistona decipiens): 23F

Dwarf /Blue Stem Palmetto (Sabal minor):15F

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens): 15F

Sylvester or Wild Date or Indian Palm (Phoenix Sylvestris): 22F

Washingtonia Palm or Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtoniarobusta): 22F

Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei): 10F

As you can see,the European Fan, the Needle, the Pindo, the Blue Stem Palmetto, the Saw Palmetto and the Windmill Palm are the big winners for cold hardiness. All of these come in under 20F without skipping a beat. The Bismark and queen are the least likely to get through a bitterly cold night with no browning.

Another issue to consider for cold hardiness is the proximity to your home that the palm has. Our homes and buildings put off some heat during a cold night, obviously……because they are heated and also accumulate heat during the day. This can change the temperature for the plant or palm in question by several degrees to the point that it will survive even though the actual temperature is lower further from the building. It wouldn’t be toasty warm for your palm, but it could make the difference for its survival or prevent it from browning as it would otherwise.

Also, what type of area is the project in? If it is in the city close to a lot of concrete and traffic, this can make a difference in the heat surrounding the property. A heavily traveled highway can hold enough heat in the asphalt, from street lights, and from the friction of cars traveling that the cold temperature never quite reaches the palm in question. If,you are near a body of water such as the ocean, a lake or pond, this often can put off heat during the cold night to keep your palm from suffering the worst effects of a cold night.

Pay attention to the tolerance of your palm in question and ask yourself where you intend to place the palm in order that you or your client will have the nicest looking landscape. You’ll look with pity at the neighbors who didn’t research and didn’t plan and now have a big brown bushy stick in their yard !

Happy Planting!

New Program Certifies Landscapes as “Green”

2009-11-18T18:39:00Z

We’ve all heard of the LEED program whereby buildings are rated according to how “green” they are, in other words how well does the building coincide with its natural environment and what techniques were used to limit its effect on the planet.   No matter your politics or belief in “climate change”, the reality is that the “greening” of industry continues without pause. Now, in conjunction with ASLA, The Lady Bird Johnson Foundation, and the U.S. Botanic Garden there is a new rating system that will consider the “Sustainability” of the landscapes around buildings.    Called “Sustainable Sites Initiative”, this program aims to do what the LEED program has done with the building industry by setting parameters for sustainable landscapes and to encourage more sustainable landscaping throughout the country. According to USA Today, Nov. 5 2009, “The rating will measure several criteria. They may include planting trees in a parking lot or paving with permeable materials to minimize heat and storm-water runoff. Or landscaping with native plants to reduce maintenance, irrigation and use of pesticides.” The system will rate according to “stars” with 4 stars being the highest. It can be assumed that appropriate plants for each site would have to be of great importance and that speaks highly to the value our industry can add to such a rating system.

Being in the green industry, I think we can all take pride that our “wares” are considered essential to enhancing a healthy planet for us, our children and our grandchildren.   Here at Royal Crest we specialize in drought tolerant and native plant material that can help such projects become a reality. With our full spectrum of native plant material grown and brokered, you can turn to our company for a steady supply of this increasingly important plant category. Saw Palmetto, Bald Cypress, Sabal Minor, Needle Palms, Yucca, the list gets very long. Consider Royal Crest as you posture your firm to take advantage of this new “Sustainable Sites Initiative”.

On this blog, I will work to maintain information on this new “Sustainable Sites Initiative” to keep our customers informed on the ins and outs of this exciting new movement.

Native Plants

2009-08-20T19:09:00Z

What is a native plant? These days there seems to be a growing trend to utilize native plants for yards and other landscapes because natives are seen as a cleaner, more earth friendly option. Natives are said to require less fertilizer, less pesticides, less chemicals in general and probably most importantly, less water ! So, what is the definition of a “native plant” ? This is an important question since that term has become frequently used in our industry’s vernacular. According to the AFNN (Association of Florida Native Nurseries) of which Royal Crest is a part of, the definition of a native plant is ;

“For most purposes, the phrase Florida native plant refers to those species occurring within the state boundaries prior to European contact, according to the best available scientific and historical documentation. More specifically, it includes those species understood as indigenous, occurring in natural associations in habitats that existed prior to significant human impacts and alterations of the landscape.” http://www.afnn.org/faqs#faq3.

The first Europeans arrived in the 1500’s to Florida and the 1600’s in the rest of North America so that century would seem to be a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure none of us were around in the 1500’s so it’s really up to the academics to classify true natives. Here in Florida, the standard is considered to be Wunderlin & Hansen’s Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, 2nd edition, University of Florida Press, 2003. A list can also be accessed on line at www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ . Contact your local native association or nearby University for information on the natives of other states.

Attention should be paid to the fact that there is often considerable debate about what IS or IS NOT a native. Some “purists” believe that any manipulation, that is “cultivars” of a native do not qualify as native material. A true native must come from seedlings, they say. The opposing side believes that there should be leniency to allow native plant material that has simply been cultivated to have some characteristics that are more marketable, such as a fuller Magnolia or a dwarf version of Walter’s Viburnum. I would like to refrain from joining in such a debate, mainly because I don’t know nearly enough about it to offer an opinion. I only know that it is debated. As in most cases, chances are that both sides of this argument have a point to be made and they are both correct under different circumstances.

As we gain more understanding of the effect we humans have on our environment it has become clear that an increase in the use of natives would benefit all of us. The sudden urgency of clean water is becoming evident throughout the world. If all that is required to make a significant difference is to simply choose from a different plant pallet for the landscapes around our homes and businesses then that seems a very small price to pay for a plentiful and clean water supply.

The list of natives is massive, but unfortunately natives typically are harder to find and have not been cultivated enough to make them the eye candy so many of the exotics have become. Hopefully in the future there will be more options for the landscaper and the homeowner so we can all do our part to make our landscapes more agreeable to the water systems and aquifers that are so important to nature’s well being and consequently our well being. In the meantime, there are lists of plant material that are more easily attained that are a combination of both natives and regionally friendly plant material. For example, here in Florida there is a list put out by the University of Florida called the “Florida Friendly Plant List”, which lists plants both native and exotic. (http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/materials/list.pdf) These plants are much more available in the marketplace and to the public and have been researched and designated as “non invasive” to our region. They require a minimum of water, fertilizer, pesticides and chemicals. This and many other “friendly” plant lists are becoming more available throughout the country and allow a realistic plant pallet for us to choose from while not doing harm to the planet.

As the nursery industry responds to more native demand, then there will be assuredly more choices available in the marketplace. The positives of native plant material are great and worth the effort and attention they have been getting. We as nurserymen, landscapers and homeowners simply have to be patient and considerate of our plant choices in the meantime. “Plant smart, plant what works” is a common refrain of the native nurseries…… and they’re right ! Let’s hope that it’s easier to plant smart as we move further into the 21st century.

Sabal minor- It’s not the Saw Palmetto !

2009-07-20T18:22:00Z

An increasingly popular plant for the southeastern US is the Sabal minor. This small palm rarely grows taller than 7’ Ht (in Florida), although much taller specimens are understood to be in Texas. Because of its shape, short and palmate with a bluish tint, the Sabal minor is often confused with the Saw palmetto. The difference is that the Saw palmetto has a serrated stem (or petiole) and the Sabal minor does not. Also, the Saw palmetto tends to ultimately develop a trunk but the Sabal minor does not, hence the popular common name “Blue stem palmetto”.   The similarities are certainly there between these two plants. Both are native palms to the Southeastern United States and both are good in zones 8-11, although the Sabal minor is capable of handling colder temperatures and is advisable as far north as Zone 7.   The Sabal minor is not as salt tolerant as the Saw palmetto, which is often found on the dunes of Florida’s beaches.

We at Royal Crest have sold Sabal minor to all parts of the southeast where it has often been chosen as an understory for important projects.   This palm is excellent for partial sun, part shade applications as is evidenced by its common appearance around the trunks of Live Oaks. It is also drought tolerant however it does prefer moist soils as is exhibited by its common appearance in the forest bottomlands of the southeastern United States.    Finally, it is highly tolerant of many types of soil including acidic, alkaline, sand, loam, and clay.   The Sabal minor is an excellent native, cold tolerant palm that performs with great hardiness and can be used in many applications. Its tropical look without the vulnerability to freezing temperatures makes it a no-brainer for the sub-tropical climates of the southern half of North America from coastal Washington State through California east to Texas, Florida up to the Carolina coast.

We currently carry the Sabal minor in 3gallon 14-16”, 7gallon 20-24”, 15gallon 2.5’-3’Ht and 45 gallon 5-6’ Ht containers.   Give us a call for any other information on this remarkable plant!

Sylvester Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestris)

2009-06-26T12:19:00Z

After the popularity of the Medjool Date Palm over the past decade, it was inevitable that the Sylvester Palm would begin to compete with the Medjool as a less expensive substitute. The shape of the two palms is very similar with the difference being that the Sylvester has shorter fronds and has a tighter, fuller canopy or head. Many also consider the Sylvester Palm to be more appropriate for Florida. The Sylvester Palm (Phoenix sylvestris) is native to India which is much more comparable to Florida as opposed to the Medjool Palm, native to Morrocco which is in the desert (last time I checked). As dry as it has been over the past few years in Florida, it is still not a desert ! The Medjool date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) creates unsightly air roots several feet up the trunk as it reacts to the irrigation and heavy rains that are such a foreign environment. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to assume that ultimately they will decline in such an unsuitable state. The Sylvester Palm demonstrates no such problems and seems perfectly happy in our humid climate.

The Sylvester Date Palm, also called; the “India Date Palm”, “Toddy Palm”, “Silver Date Palm”, “Sugar Date Palm” and the “khajuri”, (which I can only assume to be the common name in India). The Toddy Palm name comes from the common practice of fermenting the dates to make an alcoholic beverage known as the “toddy”. The Silver Date Palm name due to its tendency towards a blueish green color, almost turquoise in some cases.

The Sylvester date has a reputation for being cold-hardy that was tested this past winter of ’09. On our farm, the temperature dropped to 19 degrees Farenheit turning many of our Sylvesters brown, although killing none of them. Now, in June, the unsightly brown has almost completely diminished as the new fronds have taken over the head of the palm. The reports from other farms and landscapes were mixed. A large street planting in Gainesville, Fla did very well, with barely any damage perhaps due to the protection offered by the heat of the city. The more northerly and rural farms did not fare so well as frost damage was very common in the colder parts of the state of Florida. The jury is still out on the cold-hardiness of the Sylvester Palm. Perhaps we can still consider it very cold hardy but not the bullet proof winter tiger we had all believed it to be.

One major challenge for the Sylvester Palm is a disease known as Texas Phoenix decline, so named due to its discovery in the state of Texas. Phoenix decline has become a problem for all species of Phoenix and several other types of palms including the Washingtonia, the Queen Palm, and even the Cabbage Palm. This disease is believed to be carried by leaf hoppers but the exact details are not completely understood. Phoenix decline has caused all of these varieties of palms in Florida to be banned from shipping to, ironically, the state of Texas. This disease is related to but not the same as lethal yellowing disease found in Southeast Florida. Texas Phoenix decline is fatal to the palm if it is not detected and treated in time. So far, the disease is most prevalent in the gulf coast area from Tampa to Sarasota. There is an excellent article on Texas Phoenix decline at the UF IFAS website (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP163 ) that offers a great deal of good information. The good news is that this disease can be controlled with attention and antibiotics.

The Phoenix sylvestris is a new but welcome addition to the landscapes of Florida as an attractive and hardy palm tree that contributes well to the diversity of our state’s plant palette.