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Cold Hardy Palm Trees Species for Colder Climates - surprising number of cold hardy Palm Tree species can survive in cold winter climates which is not expected with a tropical plant or tree. The most cold hardy Palm Trees types are usually found naturally growing in high elevations, or in colder climates, and a cold hardy Palm Tree can withstand a deep winter freeze.



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About Palm Trees

Information on Palm history, anatomy and cultivation.

 

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Palm Tree Types of the Cold Hardy Variety

Here you will find Palms with majestic beauty which can withstand colder winter climates in a Northern environment. These Palm types are well suited for parts of America.

 

Palm Tree Pictures

13 photo galleries of cold hardy Palms which are the most majestic of all Palms


Palm Trees Care and Resources

The Palm Tree Care and Resources section helps you choose the right types of Palms for your environment and hardiness zones.
This section also contains information and ideas for protecting the Palm Tree in the cold winter months.

 

Palm Tree Archives

Information and Pictures of the different types of Palm Trees capable of withstanding colder climates. The species are:

Palm Tree - True Date PalmTrue Date Palm
Palm Tree - Canary Island Date PalmCanary Island Date Palm
Palm Tree - Texas Sabal PalmTexas Sabal Palm
Palm Tree - Mediterranean (European) Fan PalmMediterranean (European) Fan Palm
Palm Tree - California Fan PalmCalifornia Fan Palm
Palm Tree - Windmill PalmWindmill Palm
Palm Tree - Pindo PalmPindo Palm
Palm Tree - Sago PalmSago Palm
Palm Tree - Mexican Fan PalmMexican Fan Palm
Palm Tree - Queen PalmQueen Palm


 



Cold Hardy Palm Trees Species / Types for Colder Climates

Most cold hardy Palm Tree species represent the tropics and it can be hard to believe that some cold hardy palm trees can withstand a deep winter freeze in subzero temperatures such as Needle Palm species. The Needle Palm tree type is cold hardy down to a temperature of -10's degrees F.

A variety of cold hardy Palm species can be grown successfully in Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio), California, Florida and much further north. The Palm Tree species which can withstand colder temperatures are considered more cold hardy thus we have cold hardy Palm Trees. Windmill palms and Mediterranean fan palms are known to receive  snowfall in their native habitats to give you an idea on the Palm Trees cold hardiness.

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Cold Hardy Palm Tree - The Winter Hardy Palm Species Variety

Cold Hardy Palm Tree species vary in their ability to withstand different minimum temperatures based on the microclimate of the cold hardy Palm Tree. Here is the microclimate defined courtesy of the National Arbor Day Foundation.

"Some zip codes are in small areas that are warmer or cooler than the surrounding area. These areas, called microclimates, are often associated with urbanization or steep elevation changes, and many are too small to show on our map.

If it looks on the map like your zip code should be in a different hardiness zone than the one we provide for you, your zip code is probably in a microclimate that is too small to represent on the map.

A good example of this is Chicago, Illinois. Several zip codes for the city of Chicago bring up zones 5-6. Microclimates occur in most large cities due to the urbanization effect that buildings bring about.

In addition, regions of the country with bodies of water or mountains may contain "pockets." These climatic pockets mirror warmer or cooler zones than the surrounding region."

The microclimate can be broken down further to a planting location in your yard. For your cold hardy Palm Trees you can grow them in locations that provides shelter from the cold Northern winds, etc... There is more to the successful growth of a cold hardy palm tree than just the minimum average low temperature of a location (in parenthesis is the estimated minimum temperature that the palm tree species can withstand):


Windmill Palm
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Canary Island Date Palm
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California Fan Palm
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Cold Hardy Palm Trees species and cold tolerance threshold:

The cold weather temperatures listed above are estimates, and preventative measures for cold protection can be taken enabling, with appropriate care, the cold hardy palm tree to grow in colder or borderline areas.

I have seen pictures of a cold hardy Windmill Palm surviving subzero temperatures (zone 6) with the proper winter protection. I personally know of a cold hardy Mexican Fan Palm surviving the cold temperatures in Michigan aided by the creativity of the owner. He has a 10 foot Palm tree which he wraps during the frigid storms and places Christmas Tree lights around the Palm to keep it warm. This particular species should not grow in Michigan but fellow Palm Tree enthusiasts continue to push the Northern borders of where the cold hardy Palm Trees species can grow.

Selecting the Right Palm for your Climate

To determine what different types of Palm Trees species will survive in your environment go to Palm Trees Cold Hardy Zones Maps Descriptions and Cold Hardy Zones Maps. - note: This information is based on a 1990 USDA report. There is a new Plant Hardiness report out from the National Arbor Day Foundation. This report is dated 2006. We will address it below. The following is a tool to find out what cold hardy zone you are in based on your zip code. A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of plant life or Palm tree is capable of growing, as defined by temperature hardiness, or ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone.


             Palm Plant Hardiness Zone Map for Selecting A Palm Tree Specimen

Cold Hardy Palm Tree (plant) Hardiness Zones Changes from 1990 to 2006 from the National Arbor Day Foundation

Interesting video showing the increase of US temperatures over the past 16 years which is moving the warmer Southern weather up North. Palm tree enthusiasts now have a better opportunity to grow more palm species in the Northern US. Florida, California and Texas are no longer the Palm Tree envy of the States.


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Cold Hardy Palm Trees of the Same Species may have Different Reactions to Winter Weather

Palm Tree StoreNot all cold weather (cold hardy) palm trees are equal. Growers and nurseries occasionally have different experiences with the same species of palm tree after a cold winter spell. The reasons for the varying effects on the hardy palms involves the type of the cold spell and the environment the cold hardy palm tree is planted in. Hopefully the palm care includes planting the palm in a location with some degree of protection. Surprisingly a gradually cooling winter which would seem to give palms an opportunity to acclimate. But not so according to Goldstein (1989), who found that a sudden cold frost or freeze was far less devastating than an extended cold spell where temperatures never dropped to freezing. The length of time and depth of a hard freeze, wind speed, and ambient humidity can also influence how destructive a cold spell might be to a cold hardy Palm tree. That is why some cold hardy palms can sustain temperatures with little or no damage at one time, but die at the very same temperature at another (Smith 1958, 1964).

Cold Hardy Palm Tree Care

Microclimates and conditions affecting palm trees can determine if a garden or landscape hardy palm will survive. Palm trees sheltered by other trees and shrubs are more likely to fair better than Palm trees that are exposed to the full brunt of the winter cold. How successfully a cold hardy palm will handle cold is determined by the palm itself: its age, its height, its slight hereditary differences selected out over time by the conditions of its natural environment, and the overall health of the cold hardy palm trees at the time of the cold spell.

Refer to Palm Trees Frequently Asked Questions for more information on cold hardy palm trees.

Cold weather slows the growth of palm trees, reduces activity of the roots, and can weaken the plant to the point where a disease can become active and kill the palm tree. Sometimes, the only above-ground portion of a cold-damaged palm tree that is still alive is the protected bud. In most cases, the death of the bud soon after a freeze is due to bacteria that is present at low levels of a healthy palm tree, but becomes a problem only after the freeze damage.

Cold Hardy Palm Trees Species Winter protection

Cold hardy palm trees can be assisted during very cold winter weather. First, plant your cold hardy palm trees in a warm, sunny spot protected from winter winds, especially winds from the north and west. During cold snaps you can protect your cold hardy palm trees through wrapping the trunk. A cardboard box or a blanket placed on top of a small palm, and weighted down with rocks, can provide adequate shelter for most cold hardy palm trees species. The protective cover should be removed after four or five days. Another method to protect your cold hardy palm tree is to temporarily bury it under a mound of mulch. Most of the mulch should be removed once the weather warms up.

Cold Hardy Palm Trees Problems that can be Caused by Cold Winter Weather Snaps

  • Cold Hardy Palm Trees growth rates decrease during severe cold winters
  • Cold Hardy rootball development slows down
  • extreme cold temperatures could weaken Palm Trees immune system and they become a more likely candidate for diseases and bugs to disease and insect

Cold Hardy Palm Trees - Resources for Growing Cold Tolerant Palm Trees species in Colder Climates

Cold Hardy Palm trees additional information:

The Hardiest Palms - excellent site from TJ Walters with information on planting, growing and caring for cold hardy palm trees.

Cool Tropics - Site is packed full of information on pre-planting preparations, planting, growing and protecting your hardy Palm Trees.

The Palm Reader - About selecting and growing cold hardy palms outdoors in the southeastern United States. USDA Hardiness Zones 7-8.

Just remember, cold hardy palm trees will grow in the North if you take the right protective measures.


Cold Hardy Palm Trees Species for Colder Climates


Cold Hardy Palms
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