wow seeing a palm covered in snow just looks wrong yet amazingly they manage it!
they constantly suprise me! i wonder if it would survive our wet,cold winters...

greenlarry, Needle palms and Trachycarpus Fortunei should, but you might need to cover them so that the cold rain doesn't get into the crown and cause rot.

They seem fine in the cold, but not so good when wet.

We have colder winters than you, so we protect ours like this:

Trachycarpus Takil
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Washintonia Robusta
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If we can do it, you can do it, even easier

johnieb--thanks for posting that. I think it's the most beautiful pic as it acentuates the texture and lineal qualities of the palm leaf. ANd the cleanness of the white alolng with the confusion of temperate snow on a seemingly tropical plant is just intriguing!!

It reminded me of when our coffee plants flower down here--the branches are filled with white flowers in that the branches look covered in snow.

I might add, needle palms naturally grow in mucky wet soils across the state in Florida. It is native to shady woodlands in zone 8 and 9. They will grow in full sun too and are very drought tolerant when established.

I think it would be fine in England--probably giving it much sun there as you're so far north.

greenlarry, I wonder if it would survive your wet, cold SUMMERS! I can't speak from experience but I've heard that this species does not thrive in climates with cool summers. Although it is quite cold-hardy it comes from the southeastern USA which is notorious for brutally hot summers. I agree that if you decide to try it, you should plant it in the warmest, sunniest spot you have.

Definitely give it a try. The Brits have collected plants for centuries and it's amazing what can grow on the British Isles considering it's latitude and maritime cooler moist climate.

Well johnnie last summer was a scorcher, quite dry periods that were pushing 40C! Very unusual, especially this far north!

But in winter its very very wet, and thats what does the damage-I know people who can keep cacti out all winter, but their climate tho colder is a lot drier than ours.
If I tried it I'd end up with mush!

greenlarry, Trachys do well in the UK and even maritime Western British Columbia. Go for it, Gardens are for experimenting. Have fun. Cheers. dl

Awesome pictures! Needle Palm is one of my favorites--even while I was living in southern zone 9 and could have Bismark, Bottle, Teddybear, Triangle, Areca, Pygmy Date, Royal, Queen, and Foxtails.

Thanks for sharing these pics--it gives me some hope now that I'm living in Rochester, NY again. Palm lust is still alive and well in this guy...LOL

:)
Mark

Last night, the Arkansas River Valley finally got some snowfall! It is a rare sight, but we have gotten at least some snow the past few years. It added up to about 2 inches total and accumulated on the roads. Most of the snow melted during the afternoon. I am looking forward to maybe some more snow this winter.

Windmill palms
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Sabal Louisiana
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