Nice looking Sabal. How long have you had it? How big was it when you got it?

I am looking at getting a Sabal minor and a Sabal minor V. Louisiana next year.

Allen

Thanks Allen. I got it in March of last year I believe, so this is its first winter in the ground. It is pretty much the same size, about 2 meters, as when I got it. It grew 2 and a half leaves last summer, but I wasn't fertilizing or watering it enough, so it probably could've grown quicker. We had a bad drought, with temps near 40C for a good portion of the summer. I would recommend for you to get the McCurtain county form of sabal minor if you can get your hands on one. They're reportedly able to recover from -31 Celcius, but I'm assuming you plan to keep them as potted plants? I'd like to get a Louisiana next year too. They're zone 7 plants, and we're zone 6b, so if I plant it right against the house and foundation, it may be fine without protection.

islandbreeze beatiful sabal,looks like it will come out of the gate running this spring,real healthy looking palm,good job!

Having lived in SE MI, all I can say is that I am amazed to see any palm in the ground there.

Great job.

That sabal i'm guessing is 7-10 yrs old.

I love the color on those leaves. Did you notice a big difference you started watering it heavily? It already looks great in your yard and this year its gonna look better. I still havent been able to locate more that size. I am heading down to texas to see what I can find in late march or april.

Was that palm wet when you took the picture? It almost looks like it has a white scale on it.

Looks like the hay is doing its job. Way to go!

Jimhardy - Thanks. I'm hoping the growth will really increase this year.

Flattie - Thanks. Actually I have had a trachy in the ground for the last 3 winters now, going on its 4th spring, and trachys are about 5 degrees less cold hardy than sabal minor. Where in Southeast Michigan did you live? I'm on an island and we're about 1 mile from the water to the east and to the west, and Lake Erie is about 3 miles to our south, so the water helps to regulate our winter lows. If you drive about an hour or so west, still in southeast Michigan, you get into zone 5 territory as you move away from the water.

Topher - It must be old, because it's 6 feet tall and the leaves are nearly 3 feet wide. When I got it, it was completely rootbound in a 15 gallon pot.

Mike - Yeah, I noticed a big difference when I started watering it heavily. The growth really picked up, and it stopped browning. It was so hot and dry here last summer, and being a new transplant, no wonder why the tips were browning. It just started showing that blue color on the newer leaves in December, when the pics were taken. I'm wondering if it isn't one of those North Carolina giants. Those are supposed to get to 7 feet I think? Thanks for the kind words. I'm hoping this year my yard'll look better than ever as everything starts to grow and fill in. I planted a lot of stuff last summer. I would think minors in Texas would be a little smaller than say a North Carolina form, but should be hardier. I'm kinda interested in finding a decent sized sabal Louisiana. Nothing this size, but maybe like a 3 footer.

Dave - Yes, I took the pics right after it rained. No scale.

Thanks Islandbreeze. I plan to put them near the house with a southern exposure. I'll protect them over winter. I have been trying to find a McCurtain but they have been impossible to find in a medium to large size.

Islandbreeze...what you're doing with that palm is really cool! I see you're using bales of hay around the sabal minor. Are you then covering it with anything else for additional protection??

I live in the Rochester, NY area (roughly zone 6) and so this idea is a thrill to me...LOL

islandbreeze, I used to live in the Ann Arbor area. Very cold there for metro Detroit. It always amazed me how little snow Detroit and the lakefront got compared to Ann Arbor. Good luck with the palms!

island breeze

Brilliant idea using straw bales. According to Building Green on pbs they are a fantastic insulator. They actually built a house using straw bales - it turned out a lot better than it sounds.

Alan

Thanks everybody. Yeah, the straw bales do seem to be working. I figured, what would be a better insulator than that? And in addition, it was really cheap to protect that way as opposed to buying a structure that costs hundreds of dollars. I got most of the bales for free. Although, it isn't the nicest looking, but what protection is, right?

guapogardener - Yes, I put a sheet of clear plastic covering the top after all of the bales are in place, and I tie it down.

flattie - You're right, Ann Arbor is a lot colder than Detroit Metro, I believe its a zone 5 since its out more toward the center of the state. We're pretty much in the warmest part of the state here right along the water. We're about 40 min. from the Ohio border. Needle palms would probably do fine here unprotected, but I decided to protect mine anyway since it is their first winter in the ground. I probably won't next year.

Hey, I also live in SE Michigan (Troy) and have my trachy going for it's second year. This year only a long runner rug and chicken wire around it since Dec/Jan. I looked at it just Friday, and pretty green and stiff still.

I hope we make it through tonight (zero deg).

Are you on Grosse Ille? I'd love to see your Palms in the Spring.

Hi yardman - seems like you're using a pretty simple protection method with your windmill too. Do you cover the top of it to keep water off? This is the third winter for my trachy, so it'll be going on its fourth spring outdoors in the ground within the next month or so. I just put a large plastic bag over mine to keep it dry and to protect it from the wind.

Even if our trachys get damaged by the zero degree temps from last night, as long as yours has some size to it, it should recover quickly if grown in full sun. I have moved mine every summer that I've had it in an attempt to find the best spot for it, and I've found they need full sun to do well here. Growth is slow otherwise, especially after a cold winter.

Yes, I live on Grosse Ile. You're more than welcome to come see my palms in the spring. I also have bananas and hardy yuccas that might be of some interest to you. Hopefully I'll be able to get rid of the bales of straw within the next few weeks.

Island Breeze,

I would love to see your plants in March / April. I've tried to overwinter banana, monkey puzzle trees, 3rd year for tree trunk yucca, second year sabal minor, and 1st year Trachy.

I am guessing by your description that you might live on Grosse isle? Yes/No?

I am trying some new bamboos this year and adding some agave plants to go in around 1st of May.

Yes, I'm on Grosse Ile. I also have 2 types of bamboo growing in the ground, one runner and one clumper. How did your sabal minors fare? Do you protect them in the winter? What kind of trunking yucca do you have? Any idea? I also have trunking yuccas. I have a rostrata that's completely unprotected, and is looking great as of today.

Hi islandbreeze (Icelandbreeze? ;) )
How does your Sabal overwintered and does it grow well now? Hope we'll see new photos soon!
With best wishes,
Antti

Hi Antti, unfortunately my big sabal minor does not grow at all now LOL. All of the leaves browned due to winter damage, so I cut all of the leaves off. It was a bit of an eyesore in the middle of the yard, so I dug it up figuring that it would do better in a pot because the soil temps could be warmer than if it were left in the ground. Since I dug it up it got spear pull and isn't showing any signs of recovery, so I'll give it another week or 2 and if no growth, then its going to the compost LOL.

On the other hand, I have a small sabal minor Northeast Texas ecotype that burnt to the ground this past winter except for a few petioles, and has since sent up a new leaf and a new spear. The smaller palm was completely unprotected and made it, while the larger palm was protected and isn't coming back. I'll post new pics of my collection this coming week.

bruh i keep missing conversations by 13 years lmao

Me too!