Best Landscaping Palm for Zone 9?

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

On 10/24/2016, 9:19:44, Sandy Loam said:

Kentiopsis Oliviformis, but it depends on what your criteria are.

(Is speed your priority? ...or aesthetics regardless of speed?  wet soil patch?  sandy soil patch?  full sun or shaded area?

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Wow, I have really had a hard time posting in this thread.  Every time I try to compose a new post, it wants to duplicate my last post.  It must have something to do with quoting.   Anyway, I'm going to try to show some of the palms I've had great luck growing in zone 9a and zone 9b in Florida.  

Here's one of my personal favorites, Livistona decora, Australian Ribbon Palm.  I had them in zone 9 Jacksonville where they suffered some damage when we had lows just above 20f.  But they grow quickly and have such a beautiful weeping habit that I have planted at least 20 of them on the property here in Winter Haven.  This is the most impressive specimen.

 

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Bismarckia nobilis is a stunner here in Winter Haven.  We have 3 and this is the best.  In Jacksonville they lost most of their foliage at temps near 20, but it survived.  However, I would say that it would be a Palm that would be most appreciated by collectors there.  They come out of winter looking rough if it gets below 25 and it takes most of the summer to recover.

 

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Another zone 9 winner is the Xbutiagrus nabbondii, mule palm.  This robust, tropical looking intergeneric hybrid is a winner in zone 9a and 9b.  Never damaged in either zone, and it gets big enough to be a fair Royal Palm substitute for locales that drop below 25 every winter.  Another plus, they don't seem the least bit concerned about the poor quality soil here in Winter Haven.  The Palm in the photos below is the prettiest of our two.  It bears an enormous load of fruit that the local wildlife seems to relish.  So far, all are sterile, however.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Here is another that thrives in zone 9, though it's hardy to zone 7b/8a; Serenoa repens, Saw palmetto.  In zone 9 they can grow up to 20' tall, though most remain below 15'.  A discerning collector may plant a kalidascope of colors ranging from lime green to nearly silver white.  In FL, they tolerate nearly any soil type or moisture regime.  Just don't plant them too close to the house.  In the event they catch fire, your house might burn down.  But at least the Palm will survive.  They also make top notch rattlesnake habitat.  

 

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

This is a double planting of Beccariophoenix alfredii.  We didn't have this one in Jacksonville, so my experience is based exclusively on Winter Haven where we haven't had a zone 9a temps since 2011, 2 years before these were planted. However, we have had lows in the mid-upper 20's several times, with frost!, and these have barely complained, just developing a few spots and splotches on the oldest foliage.  They are by far the most coconutty of the zone 9 palms I've grown so far.  I think they should be planted by all zone 9 palm collectors so we can get a better understanding of their tolerance for both temps and soil types.  So far they seem to be fine with poor, dry sand, or moist, not so poor sand (sand is really our only choice here on the Lake Wales Ridge of Central Florida)

[topwater]

10 hours ago, Xenon said:

Both the Wodyetia and the Roystonea at Moody Gardens managed to squeak by the 2010 and 2011 freezes, the royals are a bit more protected though. Wodyetia must be more readily available because they seem to popping up on the island, Bismarckia is a bit more common. There's an absolutely stunning Bismarckia just a few streets down as you enter the island, definitely should be used more. I've always noticed more queens in newly developed areas, they're everywhere in parts of Katy. I'm seeing a lot of Ravenea rivularis too, will be interesting to see how long they last. 

Thanks to Sprawl-Mart, etc...Raveneas are everywhere now, I put in 5 last spring.  The problem with them is they're sold indoors in the house plant section so it takes a while to get them sun hardened. I'm really starting to like them.  That being said, if I were starting over I'd go heavy with the Bizzies instead of Washies and CIDPs like I have now. 

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Here is another zone 9 Livistona that's good to 20 without much trouble, Livistona saribus.  However, it really prefers decent soil.  This poor Florida sand doesn't allow it to reach its potential.  In Jacksonville, at the edge of a pond in mucky soil, it thrived, and didn't complain at lows near 20.  In fact, it was equal to, or even more leaf Hardy than than Washingtonia robusta.  

 This is our best one here in Winter Haven.  It's fruiting for the first time since we planted it in Dec 2012.

 

[PalmTreeDude]

1 hour ago, Keith in SoJax said:

Wow, I have really had a hard time posting in this thread.  Every time I try to compose a new post, it wants to duplicate my last post.  It must have something to do with quoting.   Anyway, I'm going to try to show some of the palms I've had great luck growing in zone 9a and zone 9b in Florida.  

Here's one of my personal favorites, Livistona decora, Australian Ribbon Palm.  I had them in zone 9 Jacksonville where they suffered some damage when we had lows just above 20f.  But they grow quickly and have such a beautiful weeping habit that I have planted at least 20 of them on the property here in Winter Haven.  This is the most impressive specimen.

 

I have seen those on Hilton Head Island, S.C. There look cool!

[PalmTreeDude]

49 minutes ago, Keith in SoJax said:

Here is another that thrives in zone 9, though it's hardy to zone 7b/8a; Serenoa repens, Saw palmetto.  In zone 9 they can grow up to 20' tall, though most remain below 15'.  A discerning collector may plant a kalidascope of colors ranging from lime green to nearly silver white.  In FL, they tolerate nearly any soil type or moisture regime.  Just don't plant them too close to the house.  In the event they catch fire, your house might burn down.  But at least the Palm will survive.  They also make top notch rattlesnake habitat.  

 

I would leave those to grow in the woods, endless I had a native section of my garden! 

Edited October 30, 2016 by PalmTreeDude

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

5 minutes ago, PalmTreeDude said:

I would leave those to grow in the woods, endless I had a native section of my garden! 

They make a fantastic screen, where space allows.  But they can outgrow their space if sited poorly.  If you happen to be lucky enough to live near the shore, they offer unparalleled ability to stabilize against erosion. We have the space here so we enjoy having them.  On the small suburban lot in Jacksonville, they were a bit too pushy.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

39 minutes ago, topwater said:

Thanks to Sprawl-Mart, etc...Raveneas are everywhere now, I put in 5 last spring.  The problem with them is they're sold indoors in the house plant section so it takes a while to get them sun hardened. I'm really starting to like them.  That being said, if I were starting over I'd go heavy with the Bizzies instead of Washies and CIDPs like I have now. 

That's a very nice specimen, where is it growing?

 

[topwater]

11 hours ago, Xenon said:

 

[topwater]

1 hour ago, Keith in SoJax said:

This is a double planting of Beccariophoenix alfredii.  We didn't have this one in Jacksonville, so my experience is based exclusively on Winter Haven where we haven't had a zone 9a temps since 2011, 2 years before these were planted. However, we have had lows in the mid-upper 20's several times, with frost!, and these have barely complained, just developing a few spots and splotches on the oldest foliage.  They are by far the most coconutty of the zone 9 palms I've grown so far.  I think they should be planted by all zone 9 palm collectors so we can get a better understanding of their tolerance for both temps and soil types.  So far they seem to be fine with poor, dry sand, or moist, not so poor sand (sand is really our only choice here on the Lake Wales Ridge of Central Florida)

Those look great, and I 100% agree.  I have several that will hit the ground March 1st. 

[topwater]

1 hour ago, Keith in SoJax said:

That's a very nice specimen, where is it growing?

 

Front yard in my awesome black gumbo "soil".  . Is that what you meant?

[topwater]

This thread inspired me to find the Roystonea at Moody Gardens in Galveston TX, I've looked before but couldn't find. There are quite a few but there're in hard spots to get a picture with my old, crappy cellphone camera. 

[topwater]

There were probably 10 or so Royals, zero Wodyetia.  I suspect the freeze of 2010 probably wiped out the foxtails, while there were several flowering Royals.  These guys are about 15 minutes from my place so you can see where this is leading, is R. regia the most cold hardy Royal, or should I be looking for one of the other species?

[topwater]

I must confess, PT had it right with Roystonea being more cold hardy than my poor Wodyetia. 

[topwater]

Can y'all ID this spiny dude, looks way to tropical to grow in 9b?

[topwater]

Flower bract, I had to touch it.  

[topwater]

One more. 

 

[topwater]

My best guess is Acrocomia aculeata.  

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

6 hours ago, topwater said:

Front yard in my awesome black gumbo "soil".  . Is that what you meant?

Yes, exactly.

good to know they work I. tX City too.

[kinzyjr]

Depends on where the Zone 9a is at.  If it is in an area like Spring Hill or Inverness that seems to always be cooler than down here in the Tampa-Lakeland-Orlando area, then you probably want to stick with more 8b-ish type stuff.  In our region, you can generally get away with more selection.

Overall, it's hard to beat Sabal for reliability.  I personally grow Date palms, a bismarck, an alexander, and a bunch of other cold hardy palms that aren't even marginal in other states, let alone FL.