It's been awhile since I've blogged. I've added a few new plants and the others have grown. The winter low was about 11 degrees Farenheight and it stayed below freezing for a solid week for one spell.
I protected my palms with burlap barriers and dried leaves from the yard during the winter of 2012. Unfortunately that winter ended up being the mildest on record for Martinsburg, WV and it hardly went below freezing much at all. As a result I had more damage from damp leaves than anything. I did not protect the palms at all during this past winter of 2013. It was colder and, so far, I am pleased with the results.
Obviously the larger palms fared better than the seedlings. However, there were some surprises!
Here is the update as of April 16, 2013.
First comes the Sabal Palmetto. I got this as a seedling over 7 years ago. It's been in the ground 2 winters. Last summer it put out 1 leaf. As you can see there is not much there. However, the spear is firm and green and it is very much alive. Will it grow this year? We shall see.
This is a Trachycarpus Fortunei 'Taylor Form." It's been in the ground for 2, maybe 3, winters now. I can't remember. In any case, the spear did pull. Experience tells me, however, that it will recover. It is in practically full shade during the summer so growth has been slow.
Here are a few more Trachycarpus Fortunei. They look tattered and sad. The spears and a few central leaves pulled out. I started these from seed about 5 years ago (maybe??) and they have been in the ground for 3 winters. There were originally 3 here but one died last year. Will these two make it? I hope so!
Here are two Sabal Minors. These were blue-pot specials from Wal-Mart. This was their 3rd winter in the ground. No spear pull and only minor browning of the leaves - much of which was there prior to winter setting in. These are not planted near the house but are near a big rock and get full sun in the winter (west side of house) and full shade in the summer.
Here's the huge surprise of the year! Trachycarpus Fortunei seedlings. I harvested these from a tree on the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the summer of 2009. I planted them all up in blue tubs and then gave away several of the seedlings. I felt bad throwing these away so I just plopped them down in my garden (away from the house). I am not sure how many trees are clumped here but, miraculously, they have survived. Not even a spear pulled! This gives me hope that perhaps I can grow Trachycarpus away from the house - at least during a regular winter.
Two Trachycarpus Fortunei. The one on the left I put in last summer. I picked it up from Lowes in the Outer Banks of North Carolina while on vacation. It has over a foot of clear trunk on it and is very happy! No spear pull. The one to the right is a blue-pot special from Wal-Mart that has been in that spot for 3 winters. It put on over 6 inches of trunk last year and is MUCH larger than when it was planted. It's doing great and, as you can see putting out a new spear with two behind it!
Sabal Louisiana: This one has been in the ground for 3 winters and has grown dramatically. It's on the south side of the house and receives full to part sun year round. The shrub behind it helps to block some of the harsh winter winds which may have contributed to its success. This plant is in mint condition which is a shock to me since this is zone 6b!!! It has flowered and set viable seeds for the past 2 summers. There are 3 plants here.
Two Sabal Birmingham. This was their third year in the ground.They got some, what I would consider, pretty significant spotting of the leaves. However, they are very much alive and still mostly green with spears growing away. These plants grow sooooo very slowly. However, they had strap leaves for their first few years so it is nice to see them getting their adult palmate leaves; albeit slowly.
Trachycarpus Fortunei: 3rd winter in the ground. This one is also on the south side of the house. It should be much larger today than it is but I left it out in a pot for a whole winter and, well, it has been recovering ever since. This is the first year it didn't have spear pull and the first year it has a significant number of leaves to start the growing season off. Way to go Trachy!!
Sabal Minor 'Talladega, AL' Third year in the ground on the south side of the house. This was a freebee from Plant Delights and has just blossomed!! It had no damage at all from this past winter.
Trachycarpus Wagneranius: South side of house and 3rd winter in the ground. It had the center spear and a few leaves pull from the center but there is still lots of green. I'm certain that it will recover. It lost most of its leaves last year under the "protection" I gave it so this spring it looks much better!! It's grown a lot since I planted it.
Sabal Minor "Cape Hatteras" South side of house, 3rd winter. While very slow growing, this baby has not been harmed by the cold weather at all!! I want more of these! I just need to find some that are not complete seedlings because, dang, they do take forever to put on palmate leaves!
Trachycarpus Fortunei: This one is off of the front porch on the east side of the house. I picked it up from Lowes last summer so this was its first winter. It has some browning of leaves, and I did trim a handful of crispy leaves off, but it's very alive and the spear is solid!!! Maybe I'll have a tall palm tree in front of the house one of these days!
Here are a bunch of needle palms off of the front porch. In the first picture, the one next to the light post was a new addition last summer. The same with the one on the bottom picture that is farthest right. Both were super cheap buys at 50 bucks a piece for 15 gallon plants at a nursery (I can't remember the name) in Kitty Hawk, NC. The rest were needles that I found at the Home Depot in Hagerstown, MD three years back. One of them has struggled with warped, shriveled leaves and I think the mother plant finally succumbed this past year. It left behind multiple babies who are growing strongly. The rest of the plants are doing great. The plants in the bottom picture have grown much more strongly than those in the top. I think it is because the ones in the bottom picture get full sun all year while the ones in the top are shaded by a maple tree during the summer.
Thanks for reading!! I'll put up another update in several months!
