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[ Cold-hardy palms - Books
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For example...
 We can grow strange-looking flowers such as a hardy passion-flower (Passiflora caerulea). |
 An Australian Bottlebrush bush (Callistemon spp.) adds a splash of colour . |
 Be adventurous and plant lush stands of hardy bamboos or exotic beds of Indian Shot Plants - Canna (various spp.) beneath a canopy of spectacular, huge-leafed trees like Paulownia imperialis ... |
 If you really want to create a tropical illusion, you might even try one of the hardier species of banana - for example, Musa basjoo and Ensete ventricosum....! |
But, of course, for a garden to be really exotic it has to have palms.
Palms in Britain?
No, I'm not kidding.
Most gardeners in Britain - and other 'temperate' countries - don't realise that some palms are perfectly robust enough to survive not just cold but freezing conditions. Some varieties can tolerate temperatures as low as -20 degrees Centigrade! The main reason why palms are not more widely cultivated outside the tropics is, quite simply, people don't even know it's possible.
To whet your appetite, here is a short list of some cold-hardy palms to try out.
This is the most widely grown hardy palm in Britain. It is a 'fan palm' - which means that each leaf comprises leaflets in a radial arrangement. True, the so-called 'Cornish Palm', Cordyline australis, is more popular than the Trachycarpus, particularly in the South West of England but, in spite of its popular name, the Cordyline is not, in fact, a palm at all. Trachycarpus palms can be seen growing to considerable size, in gardens throughout the South West of England, in London's Kew Gardens and in other gardens throughout the UK. I am told, by the proprietor of The Palm Farm, on Humberside, that, a few years ago, his Trachycarpuses survived -20 degrees C. It just goes to show that, contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to live 'in the far South West of Britain' to be able to grow palms in your garden! T. fortunei are also grown in other chilly areas of the world - from Switzerland to Vancouver. It is sometimes sold under the misleading name: Chamaerops excelsa. Other species and varieties of the genus are also very cold hardy - for example, Trachycarpus takil and Trachycarpus wagnerianus.
A hardy 'feather' palm - that is, its leaflets branch out from a central rib just like Coconut palms. Reputedly the seeds are very difficult to germinate, though I have not found this to be the case.
A lovely feather palm. You can see a magnificent specimen in the Temperate House at Kew. Very slow growing, though - even by palm standards.
This native European palm superficially resembles Trachycarpus. However, it has a clumping tendency (it often grows several trunks) and I think it is actually a nicer-looking plant. Not quite as hardy as Trachycarpus, it is nevertheless to be seen growing in the UK - there is a smallish clump at one side of the Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew.
This is a widely grown and elegant feather palm. In Britain, specimens are to be found growing in gardens in Devon, Cornwall and the West of Scotland. The most famous - and probably the most mature - Phoenix canariensis are growing in the gardens on Tresco in the Scilly Isles.
Lynn McKamey of the Rhapis Gardens nursery writes: "You should try some Rhapis excelsa which are hardy to 18 F or -7 C - I find them more tolerant of cold weather here in Texas than Chamaerops".
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
There are many other palms which are quite hardy too, though relatively few have been grown outside in the UK. Among the hardier species are: Rhapidophyllum hystrix - The Needle Palm ( -15 C (5 F) - or lower ), Sabal palmetto - Sabal/Cabbage Palm ( -15 C (5 F) ), Washingtonia robusta, Washingtonia filifera, Livistona australis, Brahea armata (also known as Erythea), Juania(you can see some small Juania growing in Rosemoor Gardens, Great Torrington, North Devon), Parajubaea, Rhopalostylis sapida.
I am indebted to Richard Woo of the Pacific Northwest Palm & Exotic Plant Society for the following list which, he tells me, has been "compiled from comparing notes with many and in correspondence with others throughout the world"...
THE SUPER, SUPER HARDY PALMS- hardy to 0F to perhaps -5F
THE SUPER HARDY PALM - hardy 5F - 0F
THE HARDY PALMS - hardy 10F - 5F
HARDY PALMS - hardy 15F - 10F
Lamorran House in Cornwall has one of the finest collections of cold-hardy palms in Britain. The gardener, Mark Brent, has sent me this list of palms and exotics which are growing permanently out of doors:
Palms
Other Exotics
If you want to read more about exotic gardening, I recommend the following books:
Exotic Gardening in Cool Climates by Myles Challis ,
£12.99 - Fourth Estate - ISBN 1-85702-187-8
A great source of
information and ideas. Not much on palms. But good discussion of other
exotic-looking plants which will survive (even thrive) in a British winter.
Grow Something Different by Nick Wray
£9.99 - BBC
Books - ISBN 0-563-37085-8
A solidly practical book which outlines the
cultural requirements of a broad variety of hardy exotic plants. Everything
from hardy bromeliads to bananas. Lots of colour pictures too.
Identifying Palms by Martin Gibbons
£4.95 - Quintet -
ISBN 1-85076-406-9
A small hardback with terse details on a number of
palms. You often have to 'read between the lines', however, to figure out which
ones are genuinely hardy.
Palms Of The World by Alec Blombery and Tony Rodd
£16.99 - HarperCollins - ISBN 0-207-14848-1
An excellent guide to
tropical and subtropical palms. Includes lists of palms for different
situations - frost tolerant, dry temperate etcetera.
Palms & Cycads of the World by Lynette Stewart
£25 - Cassell - ISBN 0-304-34415-X
A great looking book with lots of
'potted histories' of palm species and plenty of colour photos. A bit vague
when it comes to hardiness. Still, you get a good section on cycads (which look
a bit like palms but aren't close relatives) as an added bonus.
Palms Throughout The World by David L. Jones
Reed Books -
ISBN 1-86860-010-6
My favourite palm book. Comprehensive, detailed and informative, it describes
the appearance and cultural details of a huge number of tropical, sub-tropical
and temperate palms. An absolute essential.
Palms For Cooler Climates by Philip McMillan Browse
Trebah Garden Trust ISBN 0-9521952-0-8
A slim 40 page
paperback with hints and tips on growing old favourites such as
Trachycarpus and Butia - plus less common palms such as
Parajubaea. As far as I know, this book is only obtainable from Trebah
Gardens in Cornwall, UK - phone (01326) 250448. fax (01326) 250781.
For more detailed reviews of selected books, please visit the Rosedown Mill Palms & Exotics Web site. Here you can buy books on palms, cycads and other exotic plants in association with Amazon.co.uk.
