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COLD-TOLERANT PALMS FOR

FORT BEND COUNTY

ELIZABETHBARROW

After the freezes of December 2009 and January 2010, many people are

considering replacing their tropical palms with more cold-tolerant specimens.

Everyone has a slightly different micro-climate and what works in your garden

might not work in mine. But here is a list of some palms that are known to

tolerate at least some cold weather.

Canary Island Date Palm can grow to 40 tall. Likes full sun and often forms a

fat base with very ornamental leaf scar pattern. Needs lots of room. Once

established, is drought tolerant and forms a massive canopy. Very spiny! Hardy

to zone 9 (we are 9A).

Date Palm grows to 70 tall. A true date palm, but fruits poorly in our humid

environment. Hardy to zone 8B (we are 9A), but has a tendency to Lethal

Yellowing Disease.

Desert Fan Palm also known as Petticoat Palm or California Fan Palm. Grows

up to 50 tall and forms a thick trunk. Native to California and Arizona, but is

widely adapted. Full sun. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Hardy Bamboo Palm to 8 tall. With some protection can withstand below

20. Native to the forests of eastern Mexico, this is a reed-stem type palm.

Plant in part to full shade. Can be used as a coarse screen or even a houseplant.

Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Mazari Palm ranges from 5 to 25 tall, but is mostly about a 10 tall specimen.

Slow growing and featuring blue-green leaves. Spreading habit does not form

a traditional trunk. Bushy, shrublike appearance.

Mediterranean Fan Palm a 15-foot tall plant that is very hardy and adaptable.

Grow it in full sun or light shade. Slow growing. Bright green, fan-shaped

leaves. Multiple trunks in mature specimens. Hardy to zone 8B (we are 9A).

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Mexican Fan Palm faster growing than the Desert Fan Palm and the tallest of

the hardy palms, 70 to 100 tall. A very fast grower and salt-tolerant.

Adaptable to many different soil types. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Native Dwarf Palmetto spreading form and grows to 6 tall. Has green or

blue-green foliage and prefers shade and semi-shade. Favors swampybottomland but fairly drought tolerant once established. Hardy to zone 7 (we

are 9A).

Needle Palm to 5 tall, slow, and native to the southeastern U.S. You often

see this palm as an understory shrub in a hardwood forest but it can also

tolerate full sun. Has dark green leaves with silvery undersides. Extremely cold-

hardy and fast growing. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Pindo Palm (Jelly Palm) to 15 tall. Hardiest of the feather-leaf palms. Has

arching, blue-green leaves. Fruit is used to make a tasty jelly. Close relative to

the queen palm, which is not as hardy. Hardy to zone 8B (we are 9A).

Radicalis Palm 5 to 10 tall. Also native to shady, tropical Mexico. Usually

seen without a trunk, and a spreading habit, best for a warm, shady location.

Plant as an understory layer under trees. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Sabal Palmetto very popular and widely adapted. Also known as the Cabbage

Palm. Bears creamy white flowers in spring. Very salt and drought-tolerant.

Can grow to 40 tall and prefers full sun. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Saw Palmetto a smaller palmetto, 3 to 6 tall. Native to the southeastern US.

A hardy fan-type palm that is also available in a blue-green form. Grows in sun

to part shade. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).

Windmill Palm to 25 tall, often planted as a solitary specimen. One of the

most cold-hardy palms there is. Tolerant of part shade and adapted to many

different soil types. Hardy to zone 8 (we are 9A).