Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board

Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board
[ Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board ]

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Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 9/30/2018, 10:10 pm

Well, I finally have escaped Knoxville after 21 years! Not that Knoxville was the worst place for subtropical gardening, but it wasn’t the easiest. I am now in 7b and leaving 7a behind. My location is now in the SE Tennessee area and while there will still be plenty of cold to deal with, the snow will be even less! This is the area I grew up in and planted the large windmill I have at my moms that goes unprotected and was the first palm I ever planted. So maybe, at long last, I can finally watch my palms mature without ever having to leave again as I am tired of moving! Good to be home! Paradise or not, I can at least have it a bit easier in winter. Plus, a nice backyard to create and take all my failures I’ve learned from into account and make this a success. More to come.

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by WSimpson NC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=WSimpson+NC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 9/30/2018, 10:38 pm, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

My place will always look tropical in the warmer seasons because my Mekong Giants , Musa basjoos , Trachys , Sabals , and so much more with a little protection , that should keep it looking tropical from year to year . ( I'm a little bit worried about the Sun being so calm and without many sun spots for the last year or so ? )
I lost my 2 Palmettos because of not wrapping them with Xmas lights and 1 blanket thick of insulation , that would've taken 20 minutes for each one to protect last winter .

I'm glad your in a better plant location Sam .
Good luck , and keep us updated on the winter forecast .
Thanks ,
Will

Winston-Salem
Ten year lows: 15F 19F 20F 5F 4F 15F 7F 8F 14F 19F(2020)
10 Year Average Winter Lowest Low 12.6F ; 30 Year 12.16F
Profession:Trachy Defiberer and Palm Spear Puller (free estimates)

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by George in Bandon Oregon <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=George+in+Bandon+Oregon' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/1/2018, 11:57 am, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

good for you. best of luck to you and your plants and may you create a garden that gives you pleasure and peace.

the upper southern oregon coast
USDA zone 9a (Sunset zone 5)
DRY cool summers and WET cool winters
grow eucalyptus, banksias, telopeas, grevilleas, bottlebrush, mexican pines and oaks

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Jim Wilmington DE 7a <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+Wilmington+DE+7a' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/1/2018, 3:08 pm, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

Sam, I'm so happy that you're happy!

I visited Knoxville for a week in 1999 and it was REALLY COOL. Beautiful scenery and nice people. I thought to myself at the time how lucky the folks who lived there were. Knoxville isn't as warm as Memphis or Chattanooga, but it's milder than where I live, if only by a smidgin'.

Sam, what if your career leads later to a move to an even milder winter location? Would you go?

Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a
Last 30 Years Avg. Winter Low: 7.50F
Last 20 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.35F
Last 10 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.40F
Favorite Palms: Species: Phoenix Canariensis / Genus: Sabal

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Stan Hayward CA <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Stan+Hayward+CA' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/1/2018, 5:08 pm, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

I never moved...but lived long enough to see Hayward go from 9b to 10a. And the plants that survive the half zone difference has been more then what you would think.
Look around and soon you will see plants in 7b or 8a..that never took a bad 7a winter.

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Brad - Pittsburgh <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Brad+-+Pittsburgh' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/1/2018, 9:41 pm, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

Congratulations. Are you digging up all the plants you just planted or are you starting over?

Zone 6a, 20 miles SE of Pittsburgh
Previous gardens in Dubois, Pa, Walnut Creek, CA, and Lancaster, NY
Other interests: Edibles, fragrance, hummingbirds and butterflies, and deer resistance

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Jim Wilmington DE 7a <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+Wilmington+DE+7a' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/2/2018, 8:33 am, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

> Look around and soon you will see plants in 7b or 8a..that never took a bad 7a winter. <

I'm not sure what's more impressive for nature to pull off, advancing a west coast spot up half a zone or an east coast spot.

I welcome the warming, but here, in the East, the continental influence is so strong a factor that a region could warm up a full zone, then, every 5 years or so, a "reset winter" will come along and wipe out any marginals that were beginning to take hold. And the injustice of it all is it only takes one or two nights of an Arctic blast to accomplish a reset even if the rest of the winter was "mild."

The net effect is, over my lifetime, I've seen the following plants go from truly marginal to almost bulletproof: camellias, southern mags, crape myrtles. Now, how much of this is due to milder temperatures and how much is due to hardier cultivars coming on the market of all 3 species? My guess is that it's a bit of both.

The way the winters since 2012 have played out (cold) ensure that we won't be seeing any palms spontaneously germinate in the general landscape anytime soon. In fact, I think those winters have kind of brought an end to the hardy palm fad that nurseries and box stores were plugging the last decade around these parts.

Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a
Last 30 Years Avg. Winter Low: 7.50F
Last 20 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.35F
Last 10 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.40F
Favorite Palms: Species: Phoenix Canariensis / Genus: Sabal

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/2/2018, 9:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

Just starting all over.

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/2/2018, 9:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

No, this is where I grew up and I have been with state government now almost 18 years. I have too much invested to leave it. It’s only a half zone, but I’ll take it!

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/2/2018, 9:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

Thank you sir!

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/2/2018, 9:08 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

I’ll have a little synopsis on the upcoming winter around Halloween!

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Jim Wilmington DE 7a <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+Wilmington+DE+7a' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/4/2018, 9:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

Jumping from 7a to 7b is a botanically significant leap. As is 7b to 8a. After that, the wow factor diminishes with every half zone increment.

Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a
Last 30 Years Avg. Winter Low: 7.50F
Last 20 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.35F
Last 10 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.40F
Favorite Palms: Species: Phoenix Canariensis / Genus: Sabal

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Rob Cookeville Tn <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Rob+Cookeville+Tn' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/6/2018, 4:18 pm, in reply to "Moving up a half zone!"

Congratulations on a nice transition into Tennessee's milder climate. I had to spend time in the ''greater'' Chattanooga area this spring (after the devastation of a bad winter in many places) and the Trachycarpus and Sabal Palmetto palms were impressive and most were flawless.
The southern end of Tennessee's Great Valley is amazing. Wish you the best there Sam. If you see Phil, tell him I said hello

part of the community for 23 years

z7a Tennessee

Re: Moving up a half zone!

Posted by Sam TN <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Sam+TN' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 10/9/2018, 11:18 pm, in reply to "Re: Moving up a half zone!"

It’s been a long time coming for sure. I should at least be a bit better off, if only a little.

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[ Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board ]