Trachycarpus Fortunei
Trachycarpus Fortunei
Windmill Palm Trees, Tropical Accent Plants, Cold Hardy For Northern United States And Canadian Gardens
The Cold Hardy Windmill Fan Palm tree originated on the island of Chusan off the east coast of China, and the Windmill palm tree is often called the Chinese or Chusan Fan Palm. Robert Fortune smuggled Windmill palm plants from China into the Kew Horticultural Gardens and into the Royal garden of Prince Albert of England in 1849 after the Opium Wars of China ended. The Windmill Palm tree was named in Latin, Trachycarpus fortunei, after Robert Fortune, and after 158 years, in the year 2007, these Windmill Fan Palm trees are still growing gracefully as a distinguished, exotic, rare tree at Kew Gardens, a palm of noble bearing.
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.
Although most Windmill Palm nursery growers are conservative in recommending the Windmill Palm tree planting to be restricted to growing in zones 8-10; other Windmill Palm Nursery growers recommend and guarantee this rare palm tree to grow in zones 3-10. There has been a rush by Northern nursery retailers to plant Windmill Palm trees for the home gardener, who wants that tropical look and accent around his pool or patio. The Windmill Palm tree is planted at plant nurseries from seed, where they grow about one foot each year. The slow growth of the Windmill Palm is partially responsible for its cold hardiness. Another characteristic that is inherently cold hardy is that the fibers that cover the trunk insulate the growing center of the tree. The brown-gray color of the burlap-like fibers cover the trunk like a wool covering in winter, and the dark color attracts the warmth of the sunlight. A coarse green wax covers the leaves and stems to make the Windmill Palm tree even more cold hardy.
The Windmill Palm tree is most often grown as a solitary, single trunk plant, however, some Windmill Palm nursery growers offer double or triple Trees Growing in the same container as large as 100 gallons. These huge 10 Foot Tall Windmill Palm trees are choice, tropical looking specimens for malls and at entrances to governmental buildings. The Windmill Palm tree can be easily shipped by UPS on short orders, and large Windmill Palm trees can be shipped by semi-truck, motor freight lines. Shipping Windmill Palm trees can be easily done any season, and the survival rate is excellent for large specimens. Very large specimens of Windmill Palm trees have been recently installed at the entrance of the new Cloister Resort Hotel-a 5-star hotel-located at Sea Island, Georgia, where the Windmill Palm tree is not only tropical in appearance and cold hardy, but completely resistant to the Atlantic Ocean salt water air problems. The Cloister hotel has grown smaller Windmill Palm trees at various out buildings for past years successfully. The expense of installing large Windmill Palm trees can be offset by planting small specimens that can be expected to grow about one foot each year. Because of the recent success of planting large specimen trees of the tropical looking Windmill Palm tree in Canada and Northern U.S. States, many gardeners are now experimenting with planting small Windmill Palm trees in the North, before the plant has developed a sufficient dense fiber covering to make the tree cold hardy enough to survive the deep freezes in the Northern States.
Typically the Windmill Palm tree has a history of surviving over 150 years of age in the Western World at a height of 40 feet, but accurate reports of Windmill Palm trees, native to the Island of Chusan in Eastern China, do not exist in translated texts, but conceivably could reach 100 feet in height. The rapid growth of Western influence on the development of China will undoubtedly reveal many more interesting botanical, developmental facts concerning the Windmill Palm tree in the near future.
The Windmill Palm tree appears to have all the perfection of tropical landscape gardening requirements for growing throughout the United States and cold hardy areas of Canada and Europe. Most types of soils are acceptable for growing Windmill Palms. Very few insect and disease problems exist to endanger growing Windmill Fan Palm trees. Even through slow growing, the Windmill Palm captivates the tropically minded gardener for pool and courtyard plantings. The Windmill Palm tree grows as separate male and female plants, and the date that is produced is inedible, resulting from the yellow, pleasantly, perfumed flowers that grow into blue seed, round and one-half inch in diameter.
About the Author
Patrick A. Malcolm, owner of
TyTy Nursery
, has an M.S. degree in Biochemistry and has cultivated plants for over three decades.
Can my Chamaerops Humilis grow outside in Northern Europe?
I have a small Chamaerops humilis (2-2,5 feet tall). Will it be able to grow if I place it on my porch in Northern Europe? It will only be outside from around May 1st until October 1st, so it’ll be between 40 F (on the coldest nights) and 90-95 F (on the warmest days). And indoors for the rest of the year. The porch is facing south, it’s in full sun most of the day and strong winds are uncommon. For the last 2 years I have had a Trachycarpus fortunei on my porch in the summer, and that one seems to be very happy there.
Bill, I live in zone 7/8. We might have a few cold nights (down to about 10 F) during the winter. I have a greenhouse though, and it rarely goes below 30 F in there, even on really cold nights.
Your Trachycarpus (windmill palm) Could survive the winter if not too harsh. I have 3 growing here in the Boston area. They are still small but survived the winter here. It gets down to around 0′F for a few days in January. I keep them in a protected area. Try to Google “Oak Bay, Canada. They have over 2000 growing up there in the winter. They are hardy to about -15 F. Your Chamaerops is cold hardy also and grows mostly in zones 8 or 9. I don’t know how cold it gets where you are in Northern Europe but have heard they grow in some parts of Switzerland and other cold climates. They are a sight to see all covered in snow in the winter. You are better off to find someone growing them in your locale to see how they do in your winter. A.M You should be fine if you protect them a little in the winter. It’s mainly the wind and not the cold that damages them. I wrap several layers of burlap around the trunks and keep them out of windy areas. The burlap helps with any wind and also stops any heat from the winter sun shining on the trunks. It doesn’t warm them only protects them from wind and sun. Have you looked up Oak Bay? I am trying to get a couple more to ship to our house in Kerry, Ireland. It seldom gets below 25F in the winter and would be fine there.
Trachycarpus fortunei Palm ‘Trunky Trachy’ 39 year Life Story