Palm Trees

Palm Tree Information from Palm-Trees.net. All of the following information you will be able to find on Palm-Trees.net. We are here to provide you with the best palm tree type and palm species information. We have high quality palm tree pictures for care of and maintenance of your different palm tree species and information on care of palms for cold winter protection of the palm plant.

Palm Tree - Cold Hardy Species of Palm Considered a Southern type yet Grows in North America

Palm tree types, pictures of palms and palm tree care information is for all palm enthusiasts, hobbyists, landscapers, contractors, plant nurseries, wholesalers and other professionals selecting, planting, growing and caring for palms in southern warm to northern cold winter environments. There are many different types of palms and we have pictures of the different palm species.

Palm Trees Pictures

The palm trees pictures information will allow you to compare palm trees types with the photos of palms on 0ne page to easily compare the variety of palm tree species. Each palm of has an information page with high quality palm trees pictures, images and photos that zoom in to show detailed characteristics..

Palm Trees Types and Species Information

The palm tree types and species information page provides an overview of general information on the different palm varieties and species characteristics on one page for an easy palm tree species comparison. Each type of palm tree has a detailed page with specific palm tree species information; common name, scientific name, palm leaf type (pinnate or feather, palmate or fan), light and soil requirements, etc...

Palm Trees Care Information

Palm tree care addresses the needs of different kinds of palms, with Palm frequently asked questions, pruning, winter protection and other palm care and maintenance information. Palm-Trees.net addresses varieties of palms that will grow in Northern (Cold Hardy Palm Trees) and Southern climates. The palm care section will assist in selecting, planting, growing and protecting palms during cold winter snaps.

Palm Resources and Information

At Palm-Trees.net our goal is to provide Palm Tree hobbyists and professionals with common palm names and identify the environment necessary for the growing and care of the Palms. The Palm Tree species focus will be for palm types which grow in California, Florida and Texas and more cold winter weather climates like New York, Michigan, Canada, Colorado, and Ohio to name a few states. Palm Tree species are successfully growing in cool northern environments.

Visit Palm-Trees.net for information to assist with selecting a right Palm Tree for your climate and growing conditions, how to plant and care for the Palm, especially in cold winter months. Detailed palm tree pictures and descriptions will be accompanied by the palms cold hardiness.

Palm Trees Types

Northern Palms and Southern Palm Trees

Canary Island Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis). This Palm Tree Species is considered a Northern Palm

The palm trees are broken down into Northern Palm Tree (more cold hardy) and Southern Palm Tree (less cold hardy) classes. The Northern Palm species identified on Palm-Trees.net have a minimum cold temperature tolerance between 0 to 15° degrees Fahrenheit, however there are palm varieties that can tolerate temperatures below minus 20 degrees. However, we provide pictures and information on the kinds of palms that are the most majestic looking and popular.

The Southern Palms have a minimum cold temperature tolerance between 15 to 22° degrees Fahrenheit. Duration of cold weather, palm health, genetics, and the palm's microenvironment are a few of the determining factors of how well a particular species will handle a cold weather winter snap. Visit Palm Trees Types and Species for general and detailed information on popular palm species which are hardy palms.

Many people successfully plant and grow palm trees in locations where the average annual minimum temperature is lower than the listed cold tolerance of the palm. Palms can be protected from the environment and this will be discussed in the Palm Tree Care section.

Palm Trees Pictures and Information

Popular Northern and Southern Palms

Palm Trees Cold Hardy Environment

As you would expect, southern palms grow in southern areas of the US and along the West Coast in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a, 8b and 9. The USDA Palm Plant Hardiness Zone 9 is one of the smallest regions in the plant hardiness zone map, Zone 9 includes central Florida, the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas, much of California, and the southern Oregon coast. This mild-winter region is characterized by a long growing season and almost no winter freeze.

Zone 8 with Minimum temperatures from 20 to 10°F skirts near the western and southern borders of the United States, from the rainforests of Washington's coast, parts of Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina to the coast of North Carolina. Winters here are relatively warm, growing seasons are long. In the East, you'll encounter hot, humid summers; in the Northwest, you'll enjoy mild summers with some of the best American gardening climate; and in the Southwest you'll have the definite winters and hot, dry summers of the desert.

Zone 8 is further broken down into Zone 8a (15 to 10°F) which includes Austin, Texas and Gainesville, Florida. while Zone 8b (20 to 15°F) includes Dallas, Texas and St. Augustine, Florida.

Palm Trees - Southern Palms

The following Southern Palms are better suited for USDA Palm Plant Hardiness Zone 8b: California Fan Palms (Washingtonia filifera), Canary Island Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis), Date (True) Palm Trees (Phoenix dactylifera), Mexican Fan Palm Trees (Washingtonia robusta), Texas Sabal Palms (Sabal texana), Queen Palm Trees (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Sabal Palm Tree (Sabal palmetto), Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) and the Royal Palm Tree (Roystonea spp.) are best suited for winter cold hardiness Zone 9.

Beware! The Palm Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a good reference but it is one of many determining factors on where hardy palms species will grow. There are many factors that determine the winter cold snap tolerance of a palm in your landscape. Some important factors in a Palm's tolerance to minimum winter temperatures include: exposure to sun and wind, the palms general age and health, genetics, length of winter cold snaps, as well as fluctuations in temperatures. Many types of Palms are grown further North in marginal climate zones by providing the palm tree with winter protection. During a winter cold snap palms can be covered in burlap and winter mulching may be necessary too.

Palm Trees Types

Cold Hardy Winter Species of Palm Trees

David Chandler, the well known Ezine Article author wrote the article "The many Types of Palm Trees" and it reads: "There are thousands of species of Palm Trees and they are considered to be tropical in nature, but cold hardy palms may be planted outside without any visible damage from temperatures as cold as -20°F. You can see this as far north as Canada and Switzerland. The Palms that survive that kind of weather may not be considered the most majestic of the species but they are still a Palm."

Palm Trees Growth in North America

Patrick Malcolm succinctly described the migration of the Windmill Palm Tree from Europe to the US in the following paragraph from his article titled: "Windmill Palm Trees, Tropical Accent Plants, Cold Hardy For Northern United States And Canada and Baltimore, Maryland.

"From Kew Gardens in England, the Windmill Palm tree was spread throughout Europe, from the Mediterranean hot climates of Italy and Greece to a cold hardy testing ground in the landscape gardens of Switzerland and Bulgaria, where the Windmill Palm trees have remarkably survived, leaves even remaining green when covered with ice or snow. During the past seven years, truckloads of Windmill Fan Palm trees have been transported and planted in Canada and have survived the extreme cold winters in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, and Michigan."

With proper cold protection, palm trees are thriving in cooler USDA Hardiness Zones. Winter protection of your palm will be required in many marginal colder environments.

Palm Trees Pictures

The Palm-Trees.net has a Palm Tree Pictures and Photos Gallery for 15 popular Northern and Southern Types of Palm Trees. Visit the Palm Trees Pictures for great palm photos of cold hardy palm trees. If you are looking for a palm tree to plant in a Northern environment, the Windmill Palm Trees (Trachycarpus fortunei) - cold hardy to 5 - 8 F, the European (Mediterranean) Fan Palm tree (Chamaerops humilis) - cold hardy to 10 - 15 F, and the Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) - cold hardy to 15 - 18 F are all popular.

Palm Tree Care

The Palm Tree Care information on the Palm-Trees.net web site will provide you with the information and resources to help with palm tree care. Northern and Southern palm trees growing in marginal cooler environments will require more palm care and winter protection for the palm to thrive.

Palm Trees Care -Winter and Cold Protection

With protection, some of the more hardy species may be kept in areas as cold as USDA Zone 4. Great candidates for this are Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm), Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Needle Palm), and Sabal minor (Dwarf Palmetto). Palms can be protected by having a temporary greenhouse erected around them, being wrapped in burlap, or even being kept inside a box and warmed with lights. Do not be afraid to experiment and try to keep cold hardy palms in your area, even if your area is cold. With good protection, a palm can survive in a much colder environment than it could without any at all.

There are palm species you wouldn't want to plant and grow in Minnesota (the Canary Island Date Palm for example) but cold hardy Palm Tree are out their and many are stunning. There is a lot of conflicting information on Palm Trees on the internet about where Palms can and can't be grown in a particular environment. If you go to some garden plant blog's you will see that people are growing and caring for thriving palms in far colder landscapes than the USDA Hardiness Zones recommend.

Palm Tree Care and Maintenance Challenges

Canary Island Date Palm Tree (Phoenix canariensis)

David Chandler, the well known Ezine Article author wrote the article "The many Types of Palm Trees" which reads; "Palm trees, like banana trees, give your home and garden that tropical look, usually found around pools and family recreational areas. Once established, Palm Trees are relatively maintenance free and are not significantly bothered by insects and disease."

On the other hand a web site dedicated to healthy commercial products for Palm Trees reads; "Homeowners are presented with unique challenges when caring for palm trees. To maintain healthy and prosperous palms, it is essential to understand these challenges and to obtain the tools necessary to overcome them."

Kerrie Badertscher, of the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Horticulture wrote in her published article Growing Palms Indoors, "Are the fronds of your indoor palms turning brown from the tips up? The first step is to examine the roots. Slip the pot off of the plant and examine the root structure. If the roots fully engulf the potting media and even wrap around the inside of the pot, the palm should be transplanted into a larger container (two inches larger than the previous one). If the roots have not expanded to the edge of the container, then it might be that too much water has been applied on a too frequent basis. Most palms (parlor, Neanthe bella and dwarf mountain types) need to dry out between watering. If your palm plant is a fishtail palm, then it needs to be kept moist at all times. So knowing the type of palm plant is important." You are never too far North for growing and caring for indoor potted Palm Tree.

Palm Trees Information

The Palm Tree has been an integral part of mankind since the discovery of the True Date Palm Tree. Palm planting and growing, depending on the particular species, provides a living for some of the world's citizens and provides joyous beauty for other citizens. The majestic Palm Tree species is now extremely popular for outside palm landscape and container plants. Palm Tree have pinnate (feather) or palmate (fan) shape leaves (fronds) providing a variety of different appearances. A trend in the United States and elsewhere is the planting and growth of Palm Trees in cooler climate areas. People are pushing the plant hardiness boundaries and growing Palms further North in North America than what would have been inconceivable not too long ago.

Palms are evergreen, mostly tropical plants in the family Palmae (also known as Arecaceae). There are over 2500 species of palms. Most are tree-like, with single trunks and either fan shaped (palmate) or feather shaped (pinnate) compound leaves. The larger palms make dramatic statements in USDA Zone 7-10 landscapes, and smaller palms are grown in containers everywhere.

Worldwide, the family Palmae is composed of over 230 genera and about 3000 species. Only a few of these are indigenous to the continental United States, and most of these are restricted to the warmer regions of southern United States, southern Florida and southern California. However, a large number of exotic species have been imported for ornamental purposes and a few of these have become widely naturalized.