Triple Oaks Nursery User Forum: Jersey's 7b coast can be misleading for palm growers

Philadelphia Area Nursery - Triple Oaks Nursery

Jersey's 7b coast can be misleading for palm growers

Posted by Ron (DE Zone 7a) on April 8, 2009, 15:13:12, in reply to "Re: Palms For Central NJ"

It is cool that Jersey has so many zones in it, being that it is not so large.

I think the 7b zone along the shore is probably technically accurate but possibly a bit misleading to some potential palm growers, who do not factor in average winter temperatures. Although Windmill Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) are usually thought of as a 7b hardy plant, I think they can still be challenging in northern parts of 7b because average winter temps (aroiund freezing) and overall conditions (snow, ice, and wind) that come with them, may still be a little too cold for Trachys (or more precisely, too cold for too long), if they are completely unprotected. If this were not the case, Trachycarpus Palms would be lining the streets from Ocean City, Maryland north through Long Beach Island, NJ and possibly further north to coastal sections of New York City. As we know, Trachys are not growing out in the open, all over the place, on the Jersey shore - or coastal Delaware or Maryland, for that matter.

From my own personal sitings, you don't see Windmill Palms thriving out in the open - more or less "anywhere", without any micro-climate advantage - until you hit the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula - where winter temps start to average closer to 40'F. North of there, optimal siting is increasingly important. There are a few unprotected Trachys on the Delaware coast - like the ones Rick has on the side of his Bethany Beach house (a mile inland) and the ones on the south sides of buildings in Rehoboth, but even in coastal Delaware, the "mini golf course" Trachys, planted out in the open, get blasted and burnt almost every winter (however, they'd most likely recover if the golf course owners would give them a chance). And I'd bet, despite the Zone 7b lows, most Trachys on the Jersey shore need very good siting or some cover, to come through every winter unscathed.

So even if parts of the Jersey shore make it into the Zone 8a category by virtue of their extreme lows, some "7b" plants like Windmill Palms still aren't really 100% hardy there - if that means getting through winter, unprotected and planted out in the open, without a scratch. If winter temperatures really rise, on average, because of global warming or something, then that's potentially another story.

Message Thread:

Palms For Central NJ - Mike C April 7, 2009, 21:56:54
- Re: Palms For Central NJ - Ron (DE Zone 7a) April 7, 2009, 23:21:47
  - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Mike C April 8, 2009, 0:48:38
    - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Joe K April 8, 2009, 7:10:40
  - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a April 8, 2009, 10:52:12
    - Jersey's 7b coast can be misleading for palm growers - Ron (DE Zone 7a) April 8, 2009, 15:13:12
      - Re: Jersey's 7b coast can be misleading for palm growers - Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a April 8, 2009, 15:28:07
        
        Re: Jersey's 7b coast can be misleading for palm growers - Ron (DE Zone 7a) April 8, 2009, 16:07:58
        
        Figs - Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a April 9, 2009, 8:13:32
        
        Re: Figs - Ron (DE Zone 7a) April 9, 2009, 16:59:43
        
        Re: Figs - Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a April 10, 2009, 12:05:17
- Re: Palms For Central NJ - Terry 6b/7a NJ April 10, 2009, 4:42:17
  - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Mike C April 10, 2009, 21:17:56
- Re: Palms For Central NJ - Terry 6b/7a NJ April 15, 2009, 4:34:43
  - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Mike C May 2, 2009, 14:09:37
    - Re: Palms For Central NJ - Terry 6b/7a NJ May 3, 2009, 7:24:28
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