Don's Palm Collection & Growing Operation

 

I have been growing hardy palms since the early 1980's learning as I go, since there was no information when I started my hardy palm collection. It is amazing how well certian hardier palm species have grown here in zone 7 Oklahoma City. I only expected them to survive but they have thrived and some of the early years in the 1980's had very record cold winters. With over 300 palms I can not show you every one but here are my best specimens.  Please click on the image for a full size picture.

 

I'll start with my biggest Sabal louisiana specimen. This palm was planted as a  seedling directly outside by a south wall. In 10 years it has grown 8 feet tall overall with a short fat trunk. It survived the -3*f  record low of feb. 1996 with 30% leaf tip burn.

Here is my second largest Sabal louisiana  that was planted 8 years ago from a 5 gallon  container size. It is super cold hardy being  untouched at -3*f in Feb. 1996. I think this  plant has a nicer form than the larger palm to the right.

 
 
 
 

A very nice Sabal louisiana growing on the east wall of my shop building. It is very robust with a nice overall form. It survived  -3*f untouched.

Here is a large group of Sabal palms I planted  along a large retaining wall. They have thrived and produce 1000's of seeds that sprout under the parent palms. The single palm in the lower  yard is my only surviving Trachycarpus fortunei  (Windmill Palm). All other specimens of Trachycarpus  died in below zero cold.

 
 
 
 

This is a 11 year old row of untrunked Sabal palmetto. I planted them along the sidewalk not expecting their survival but  WOW was I wrong. They are now 9 feet tall overall and have overtaken the walkway.

Here is the backside of the sidewalk  palmettos. Notice how I tied-up the leaves with string to the posts. Now people can  walk down the walkway without palmetto leaves slapping their face.

 
 
 
 

This is a very long row of Sabal palmetto and Sabal louisiana. Again I planted these Sabal palmetto palms thinking they would not survive here but they showed me just how hardy palmetto can be. They are planted alond a  road totally in the open. Most of these palms only recieved 30% leaf tip damage at -3*f  in Feb. 1996. A few palmettos were  untouched in that below zero freeze.

A clump of 4 Sabal louisiana palms planted in the open. They were planted from 1 gallon container size 9 years ago. In the open they  develop slower than in a good microclimate (south wall). Planting multi-specimen clumps help the plants to look larger.

 
 
 
 

These are small but ultra cold hardy  Sabal minor palms of a  inland  Northeast Texas ecotype. They  survived -8*f in 1989 untouched!  Sabal minor of the common Florida  ecotype recieved heavy damage in the  same record freeze. This is a solid zone  6 hardy palm.

It does not snow more than a few inches most  years in Oklahoma City but once every  10 years or so we get blasted with snow.  Last winter 1999 we received 9 inches of  snow that really smashed the palm leaves.

 
 
 
 

A view of the back yard.

A overall view of the biggest Sabal louisiana palms.

 
 
 
 

My first mass planting of palms.

 
 
 
 
 

Others

 

I have 11 large specimens of  Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Needle Palm)  that are around 15 years old. These  palms are very cold hardy surviving  -8*f in 1989 untouched.

My only specimen of  Sernoa repens (Saw Palmetto).  It has gained much cold hardiness  with size and age.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is a cold hardy hybrid citrus that is  a cross of hardy poncirus and tender citrus.  It is called a citrange and grows fine here in zone 7 OKC. My specimen is 15 years old  but no fruit yet.

Poncirus with Sabal minor under it.  Notice all the fruit on the ground, that  sprout 1000s of seedlings in spring. It  looks like poncirus lawn grass around  the tree.

 
 
 
 
 

The Hardy Palm Growing Operation

 

Take a look at my greenhouses with all different stages of palm development. All mail-order sales of plants and seeds are from  www.hardypalms.com

 

The greenhouses.

The seedling house.

 
 
 
 

The 1 gallon house.

The 5 gallon house.

 
 
 
 

The large specimen house.

 
 
 

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