What is your current yard temperature?

[Ryland]

13 hours ago, Hortulanus said:

So the upcoming cold has already hit you huh? ... I hope it's not getting too bad this time. 😅

Yes, yesterday was the first day of the forecast cold spell and it's looking to continue until the weekend, but not as bad as the one in December.

It didn't get as bad as I expected last night - we got down to -2.4ºC by 10pm but clouds came in and the temperature rose to -1.2ºC by midnight.  It's currently -0.7ºC.  It looks like perhaps the clouds didn't arrive down south - temperatures broadly look colder around London right now:

    

[RedRabbit]

It was 38-39f this morning, but the 3rd night in a row with frost on the roof which was surprisingly.

[UK_Palms]

17 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

The high today was 6c as we are having a cold spell. Looks like tonight's going to be the coldest night of 2023 it's already 36f and we have clear skies all night.  @UK_PalmsIt looks like a very cold/bad night where you are escpially after the December freeze

The ultimate low wasn’t quite as bad as forecast but still down to -6C / 21F for me here. Not what I needed at all after the December freeze. I had literally gone an entire month without one single frost (32 days between these two events) and then BAM a night suddenly down to -6C. I really get punished hard out here in the valleys with no UHI and being this far inland. I’m fed up of it.

I had clear skies all night allowing the temperature to plummet, only for it to then cloud over at sunrise and limit daytime warmup. As I type this it is still only 1C / 34F at 2pm here due to that cloud cover suppressing daytime recovery now! I bet the clouds clear just in time for sunset as well, allowing another harsh radiation frost yet again tonight. So typical.

I am going to lose a lot of stuff this winter, especially after all that rain in recent weeks. That has allowed rot/fungal issues to manifest on the frost damaged palms/plants. And now another harsh freeze is here, although not as bad as the last one. This winter has been a disaster for me though. I need to hurry up and move down to the south coast. I’m eyeing up Worthing or Eastbourne in Sussex. Less summer heat, but winters are WAY milder.

We best keep an eye on the polar vortex moving forward. There are signs of a sudden stratospheric warming at the end of the month now over Siberia at near record levels. That could have serious implications for us and North America going into February. Not really what we want to see, especially after the winter we have had so far! Spring needs to hurry the F up and get here!!!

Edited January 17, 2023 by UK_Palms

[Foxpalms]

Central London has clear skies all night then clouds in the morning limiting how much the temperature would rise so it only got to around 4c then of course as the day is ending the clear skies return. Some parts of central London didn't go below freezing last night. @UK_Palms In eastbourne when I went just as the freeze was ending in December about 0.5 miles away from the sea there was still snow and ice whilst right next to the sea it was significantly warmer. So if you do move to the south coast and want to push frost tender plants being as close as possible to the sea is definitely important just walking inland you can definitely feel the difference. About 1-3 roads away from right along the coast felt the warmest since you don't feel the cold sea air as much and further than that as you go more inland the temperature started to go down again. If only the UK had a mountain range dividing the north and south blocking/reducing the cold air!

[Foxpalms]

Hopefully this thin layer of clouds sticks around.

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Arecaceus]

2°C at 7 p.m. in my garden. Official weather station already at 1°C. Today's high was only 6°C. After the sun went down the temperature dropped very fast. The skies are clear, but there a clouds coming from the South I hope I can count on them this night. Last night frost with 0°C was predicted for this morning but it didn't get below 1°C.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Hortulanus

[Arecaceus]

4 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

The ultimate low wasn’t quite as bad as forecast but still down to -6C / 21F for me here. Not what I needed at all after the December freeze. I had literally gone an entire month without one single frost (32 days between these two events) and then BAM a night suddenly down to -6C. I really get punished hard out here in the valleys with no UHI and being this far inland. I’m fed up of it.

I had clear skies all night allowing the temperature to plummet, only for it to then cloud over at sunrise and limit daytime warmup. As I type this it is still only 1C / 34F at 2pm here due to that cloud cover suppressing daytime recovery now! I bet the clouds clear just in time for sunset as well, allowing another harsh radiation frost yet again tonight. So typical.

I am going to lose a lot of stuff this winter, especially after all that rain in recent weeks. That has allowed rot/fungal issues to manifest on the frost damaged palms/plants. And now another harsh freeze is here, although not as bad as the last one. This winter has been a disaster for me though. I need to hurry up and move down to the south coast. I’m eyeing up Worthing or Eastbourne in Sussex. Less summer heat, but winters are WAY milder.

We best keep an eye on the polar vortex moving forward. There are signs of a sudden stratospheric warming at the end of the month now over Siberia at near record levels. That could have serious implications for us and North America going into February. Not really what we want to see, especially after the winter we have had so far! Spring needs to hurry the F up and get here!!!

It looks like you live in a cold spot. On temperature maps Guildford is always extremely cold compared to all the surrounding areas. If you've got the money, I'd really support moving somewhere else. Because even with global warming your area will probably stay below it surroundings.

[Foxpalms]

35 minutes ago, Hortulanus said:

It looks like you live in a cold spot. On temperature maps Guildford is always extremely cold compared to all the surrounding areas. If you've got the money, I'd really support moving somewhere else. Because even with global warming your area will probably stay below it surroundings.

What will probably end up happening Is the summers will become much hotter inland there and the winters slightly milder but during a cold spell it will still get more or less as cold maybe very slightly warmer. The best location for frosts along the coast in the east of the UK is probably ventnor, zone 10a. It's facing south and slightly east so it will warm up fast in the mornings after a cold night it's right next to the sea, it has a slight urban heat island, it's all built on a slope and it has large hills surrounding it blocking out the inland air. The only issue is ventnor is on an island so to get to the mainland UK you would have to take a short ferry. One more downside is whilst London is predicted to have an average July and August high of 29c by 2050 ventnor will probably only have an average July and August high by then of around 23-24c.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Arecaceus]

27 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

What will probably end up happening Is the summers will become much hotter inland there and the winters slightly milder but during a cold spell it will still get more or less as cold maybe very slightly warmer. The best location for frosts along the coast in the east of the UK is probably ventnor, zone 10a. It's facing south and slightly east so it will warm up fast in the mornings after a cold night it's right next to the sea, it has a slight urban heat island, it's all built on a slope and it has large hills surrounding it blocking out the inland air. The only issue is ventnor is on an island so to get to the mainland UK you would have to take a short ferry. One more downside is whilst London is predicted to have an average July and August high of 29c by 2050 ventnor will probably only have an average July and August high by then of around 23-24c.

That's always the twist you have. Milder often also means cooler in summer. Take the European islands in the Atlantic Ocean as an example... Nontheless there are countless better places for a tropical gardener than Guildford.

[Foxpalms]

14 minutes ago, Hortulanus said:

That's always the twist you have. Milder often also means cooler in summer. Take the European islands in the Atlantic Ocean as an example... Nontheless there are countless better places for a tropical gardener than Guildford.

Central London is an exception though to that rule because of just how large and dense the urban heat island is being the 3rd biggest city in Europe. We see the hot temperatures in summer and also some of the mildest in the winter even though we are inland. Also an example garden on the south coast showing what you can grow might encourage others there to try more things.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Arecaceus]

42 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

Central London is an exception though to that rule because of just how large and dense the urban heat island is being the 3rd biggest city in Europe. We see the hot temperatures in summer and also some of the mildest in the winter even though we are inland. Also an example garden on the south coast showing what you can grow might encourage others there to try more things.

Yes that's true but mild can also mean mild in summer. At a certain point those hot temperatures become an issue on the other end as well. Temperatures above 40°C or even 50°C can damage plants even exotic ones just as cold can. In that regard coastal has a benefit.

[GottmitAlex]

Jan 17 2023 

2:30PM 

10c/ 50F

[Arecaceus]

33 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Jan 17 2023 

2:30PM 

10c/ 50F

No picture this time? 🧐

[Foxpalms]

1 hour ago, Hortulanus said:

Yes that's true but mild can also mean mild in summer. At a certain point those hot temperatures become an issue on the other end as well. Temperatures above 40°C or even 50°C can damage plants even exotic ones just as cold can. In that regard coastal has a benefit.

I agree during heatwaves but on a day it's 25c next to the coast it can be 30c+ here which in my opinion is better. We also have the highest summer lows in central London in the UK in the summer. The day that was over 40c here it damaged lots of tropical flowers and melted them and a few plants, surprisingly the Rhopalostylis sapida was fine. There's also lots of stone and masonry in the garden. Where the syagrus romanzoffianana is a few feet from a mansory wall it got very hot. During this day I took this reading in the shade at the base of the syagrus 44.5c/112f sometimes even the good microclimates have downsides. This summer is also predicted to be hot. I think if we get a similar set up in July where air from the Sahara desert is being brought up to the UK and it lasts longer than it did last summer the temperature easily could reach around 44c but of course it's unlikely this will happen and last for multiple days in a row. Multiple days of air from the Sahara would make the air very low humidity especially if the ground is very dry which wouldn't be surprising. Lower humidity helps the temperature rise faster and also multiple days of air from the Sahara would mean very warm nights easily over 28c which would also help. Unlikely scenario but it would be possible.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Arecaceus]

17 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

I agree during heatwaves but on a day it's 25c next to the coast it can be 30c+ here which in my opinion is better. We also have the highest summer lows in central London in the UK in the summer. The day that was over 40c here it damaged lots of tropical flowers and melted them and a few plants, surprisingly the Rhopalostylis sapida was fine. There's also lots of stone and masonry in the garden. Where the syagrus romanzoffianana is a few feet from a mansory wall it got very hot. During this day I took this reading in the shade at the base of the syagrus 44.5c/112f sometimes even the good microclimates have downsides.

 

True. As we've had temperatures exceeding 40°C several times in the last couple of years I've noticed how much of a difference this can make. It's like with negative temperatures. 36/38°C all fine for most plants even a couple of days in a row, but as soon as it gets above 40°C there are damages from heat. I think the first time I saw this was in 2012. It's been hot for a while but just after it got up to 41°C some plants dropped all of their leaves and some showed crispy parts. In 2019 I measured 43°C. That night I went out with friends and it was still 36°C at midnight! We planned to spend the evening but because it was so hot we delayed it until night and it still was too hot. I'm not sensitive to heat and it was dry heat, but there was NO WIND AT ALL not even a slight breeze and as I live in a big city everything was just radiating SO MUCH HEAT. You could not go anywhere without getting baked by the ground or the walls. We drove around in the car because that was the only way to be comfortable outside that night. I've seen higher temperatures in Italy but outside of a big city, except for Rome. Though 40+ degrees in Rome were alright because there was always a breeze and at night it cooled down to low 20s. I think even though I love heat and hot weather, inside the cities it's going to get brutal when 40°C becomes the new 30°C and 50°C becomes the new 40°C. I would bet that even in our part of the world people will all try to get a house out in the open or better next to the sea.

[Foxpalms]

19 minutes ago, Hortulanus said:

True. As we've had temperatures exceeding 40°C several times in the last couple of years I've noticed how much of a difference this can make. It's like with negative temperatures. 36/38°C all fine for most plants even a couple of days in a row, but as soon as it gets above 40°C there are damages from heat. I think the first time I saw this was in 2012. It's been hot for a while but just after it got up to 41°C some plants dropped all of their leaves and some showed crispy parts. In 2019 I measured 43°C. That night I went out with friends and it was still 36°C at midnight! We planned to spend the evening but because it was so hot we delayed it until night and it still was too hot. I'm not sensitive to heat and it was dry heat, but there was NO WIND AT ALL not even a slight breeze and as I live in a big city everything was just radiating SO MUCH HEAT. You could not go anywhere without getting baked by the ground or the walls. We drove around in the car because that was the only way to be comfortable outside that night. I've seen higher temperatures in Italy but outside of a big city, except for Rome. Though 40+ degrees in Rome were alright because there was always a breeze and at night it cooled down to low 20s. I think even though I love heat and hot weather, inside the cities it's going to get brutal when 40°C becomes the new 30°C and 50°C becomes the new 40°C. I would bet that even in our part of the world people will all try to get a house out in the open or better next to the sea.

In London the day it was 40c it was very windy but because we are not near the sea it was a dry hot wind. The night before it was completely windless and parts of central London had a low of 28c. That night it was still very warm at midnight in central London. 40c in hurghada Egypt isn't that bad because of the sea breeze, though it's not a cool sea breeze because the red sea temperature was around 30c and at night the temperature was around 30-31c as the low. But in around Aswan Egypt in the dessert a few years ago the temperature got up to 50c the day I was there and the wind felt hot. It felt even hotter because the sun was also extremely strong the UV index was a 14. Lots of house here have installed ac in recent years.

[Arecaceus]

25 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

In London the day it was 40c it was very windy but because we are not near the sea it was a dry hot wind. The night before it was completely windless and parts of central London had a low of 28c. That night it was still very warm at midnight in central London. 40c in hurghada Egypt isn't that bad because of the sea breeze, though it's not a cool sea breeze because the red sea temperature was around 30c and at night the temperature was around 30-31c as the low. But in around Aswan Egypt in the dessert a few years ago the temperature got up to 50c the day I was there and the wind felt hot. It felt even hotter because the sun was also extremely strong the UV index was a 14. Lots of house here have installed ac in recent years.

Oh yeah that's funny because I've noticed this as well. 10 years ago barely anyone had AC in their house around here but now you see them everywhere and people who move into a house get them right away. There is also an explosion of those remote AC systems sold at building supply stores. It's crazy to see because climate change and everything that comes with it is happening so fast that it feels like in one of those movies or documentaries from 20 years ago. Where everything is compacted into a film, but now it's actually going that fast. LOL

[Foxpalms]

2 hours ago, Hortulanus said:

Oh yeah that's funny because I've noticed this as well. 10 years ago barely anyone had AC in their house around here but now you see them everywhere and people who move into a house get them right away. There is also an explosion of those remote AC systems sold at building supply stores. It's crazy to see because climate change and everything that comes with it is happening so fast that it feels like in one of those movies or documentaries from 20 years ago. Where everything is compacted into a film, but now it's actually going that fast. LOL

Yes, apart from these two abnormally cold spells we have had this winter the majority rest of the winter has been above average. I wouldn't be surprised if that trend continues for the rest of the year the only below average year in the last few years was 2021. At this point it's just a waiting game till the sun gets stronger if March is above average that's usually a good sign. Also the deciduous trees here are starting to push out new leaves already and the spring flowers are already coming up. In the last 5 years I've noticed the spring flowers always come up much earlier than what they used to. The only palms that aren't really growing much at the moment are phoenix dactylifera and syagrus romanzoffianana the Bismarckia is still growing but has slowed down lots.

[GottmitAlex]

6 hours ago, Hortulanus said:

No picture this time? 🧐

 

[Ryland]

-0.4ºC.  It's been an odd night, since midnight we've been as warm as +0.6 and as cold as -0.5ºC.  A very light dusting of snow, it's on the Trachycarpus leaves and the roof, but not sticking to the flagstones because it's not cold enough (thankfully).

[UK_Palms]

Ultimate low of -5.7C / 22F last night. Sigh. Much better daytime recovery here today however as there were no clouds all morning allowing for decent solar heating. I’m back up to 5C / 42F at 1pm thankfully. Much warmer than yesterday in the sunshine, although clouds have moved in now.

Unfortunately those clear skies will mean another harsh radiation frost yet again tonight. I am expecting about -5C / 23F again here. This has been the worst winter since I started growing exotics and we are still only halfway through it! This winter cannot end soon enough for me this year!

[Foxpalms]

44.6f/7c in London with 66% humidity. Very sunny today the UV was a 0.7. @UK_PalmsThis winter has been strange we have had 2 colder than usual cold spells however the rest of the time it's been above average. The metoffice predicted 2023 has a good chance being warmer than 2022, so once the sun strengthens and the days get longer hopefully the weather will be warm. Hopefully it reaches 70f+ in March.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Foxpalms

[petiole10]

Last summer (almost exactly 6 months back) the intense heat delivered 45C here in the peak heat. The other days consistently between 37C and 42C.    Usually a breeze, like a hairdryer, sprung up each afternoon which took the edge off the peak heat by about 4 to 5pm. The daytime heating creating enough difference to sea temperatures to kick in a breeze from the Atlantic to (relatively) cool it down a little. Though talking about down to about 33C!  It would then happen when the breeze faded during the evening that the temperature might actually rise a little again before night-time came to cool things down more sustainably.   

The daily combination of scorching sun, the desiccating breeze and the low humidity should have created problems for the exotics but it seems that deep irrigation is key. This done around sunset to allow the plants to maximise soaking in the water and minimise evaporation during the dark hours of night. Bearing in mind the sun at a latitude of 39N is much more intense than more Northern parts of Europe it should be possible not to have damage to plants - though the damage might also occur b/c the plants are tested in different ways through the year with colder/wetter extremes.

I took most all my cold hardy palms with me from the UK when relocating to Portugal and thought that the Trachycarpus (for example) might struggle the most with these intense summer conditions - but they haven't blinked. I am sure that the deep irrigation and soakings they received has been a factor in supporting them. It was no coincidence that one of my Howea belmoreana in a pot suffered scorched fronds, and subsequent damage from shock that has continued since, based on their known lack of tolerance of intense heat - but also because it is potted and this means that water intake is much reduced and the roots also getting very hot inside the pot when exposed to values above 40C etc. So keeping the lower and rooted part of the plant in some shade may also help.

As far as this winter is concerned - December was the warmest since records began in Portugal. January, so far, has continued mainly mild with a few chilly-ish nights mixed in, though minimum low has been about 4C.   The cold air over more Northern parts of Europe has come south this week and yesterday was blustery with showers - though again the Atlantic has modified the airstream and the night-time temperatures kept higher than they might be.

The end of the week sees milder conditions again as the chilly blast edges eastwards. However the problem is that the quieter conditions that follow edge the surface cold conditions back westward and without the modification of the Atlantic. This time, the air coming from the interior of Spain and Portugal which see some cold nights below -3C to -4C  with frost. So by Sunday night it will become colder here with frost risks to a part of the country that generally sees very few frosts and where flora and fauna are least used to dealing with them. Houses too are built to keep cool in summer and so retain cold air in winter.

The cold hardy palms should have no problem with this. but the various tender specimens like the Foxtails & juvenile Teddy bear palms will need some help. Its been so warm so far this winter that this colder weather is made even more unwelcome. Further north in Europe it would not cause problems or attract much attention, but temperatures close to freezing at night down here are a different proposition even with daytime values recovering to about 10C. Roll on warmer weather again and Spring..

Edited January 18, 2023 by petiole10

[Arecaceus]

9 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

 

There we go... 😏

[Arecaceus]

11 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

Yes, apart from these two abnormally cold spells we have had this winter the majority rest of the winter has been above average. I wouldn't be surprised if that trend continues for the rest of the year the only below average year in the last few years was 2021. At this point it's just a waiting game till the sun gets stronger if March is above average that's usually a good sign. Also the deciduous trees here are starting to push out new leaves already and the spring flowers are already coming up. In the last 5 years I've noticed the spring flowers always come up much earlier than what they used to. The only palms that aren't really growing much at the moment are phoenix dactylifera and syagrus romanzoffianana the Bismarckia is still growing but has slowed down lots.

Yes the early warm temperatures also sometimes become an issue like now, because many plants are pushing out growth which is often very sensitive to frost even for native and very cold hardy plants. Plants that push out new leaves can lose them just by light frost. Palm trees usually don't have an issue with that. In general spring gets a bit earlier year by year. With the exception of 2021. This is the coldest year I've ever witnessed in my lifetime.

[Arecaceus]

2°C at 6:30 p.m.. Clear skies but luckily clouds coming in. Today's high was 5°C. It's been the coldest night this year with -2.6°C in my garden. A private weather station in the area recorded -3°C. The offical weather station even -5°C shortly. It's been sunny all day so nothing to bother. Still protected some damaged plants from Dec 2022 yesterday.

[GottmitAlex]

[Silas_Sancona]

59-62F around town under sun and a cool breeze..

As i did back in December, sketchy stuff added to the current 10 day forecast map refers to my thoughts regarding the temperature range on cooler mornings over the next few days. Added a range for warmer temps also as the pattern may turn milder next week, ***or is what is suggested right now..  We'll see how it looks later.



Out of the cooler mornings, Tuesday morning is looking the "coldest" of them all.. Regardless, for now at least, isn't looking any cooler than what has already occurred so far this winter..  No worries.

Weekly AER Blog update from the Polar Vortex Master himself:  Note the mentions of extreme cold both in China and Siberia, and where that cold air could end up ..under the right circumstances..

https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation/

...And some adtnl. thoughts on the weather pattern as we end the month from Spot On Weather.. Some great video discussions from him on his twitter page as well.




 

[Foxpalms]

6.2c/43.2f with 65% humidity in London today very sunny again the max UV was a 0.7. Looks like clear skies again tonight luckily it's not getting cold enough for frost.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Foxpalms

[UK_Palms]

It didn’t get as cold as I was expecting last night, despite the clear skies all night. I was still above freezing at midnight, although it did get down to -3C / 26F come sunrise. Everything was proper frosted over again.

It recovered to +6.2C / 43F this afternoon with decent solar heating, but I will obviously get another frost tonight due to the clear skies and cold air mass that is currently over us. I’m expecting about -3C / 26F again as a low tonight.

This is turning into a proper old man’s winter here. Frost is expected over the next 3 nights at London City airport even, which is located in one of the more protected parts of London. Milder temperatures are not arriving until next week now.

[Foxpalms]

@UK_PalmsThe BBC forecast is always 2c colder than what it actually gets down to usually it said it got to -3c there last night but it didn't go below freezing. The BBC forecast is showing 0c for central London. The mildest parts of London in the zone 10a areas had a low of 34f last night. February is supposedly going to be fairly dry and above average. Even if it gets to around 33f here because the humidity is fairly low for here in winter no frost is forming. I also am noticing in the winter usually we get dry weather when it comes from the north and wetter weather from the south whilst in the summer the opposite is usually true.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Foxpalms

[GottmitAlex]

Coldest morning today. 4.6c

 

[Tyrone]

On 1/18/2023 at 3:50 AM, Foxpalms said:

What will probably end up happening Is the summers will become much hotter inland there and the winters slightly milder but during a cold spell it will still get more or less as cold maybe very slightly warmer. The best location for frosts along the coast in the east of the UK is probably ventnor, zone 10a. It's facing south and slightly east so it will warm up fast in the mornings after a cold night it's right next to the sea, it has a slight urban heat island, it's all built on a slope and it has large hills surrounding it blocking out the inland air. The only issue is ventnor is on an island so to get to the mainland UK you would have to take a short ferry. One more downside is whilst London is predicted to have an average July and August high of 29c by 2050 ventnor will probably only have an average July and August high by then of around 23-24c.

You would get better palm growth in Ventnor than London though even with the lower max's being close to the ocean. Extreme lows (or highs for that matter) can wipe out years of good growth in an instant. Slower and steady is much better.

[sandgroper]

5.30pm currently 34c heading for an overnight low of 25c.

 

 

 

 

 

[Foxpalms]

8 hours ago, Tyrone said:

You would get better palm growth in Ventnor than London though even with the lower max's being close to the ocean. Extreme lows (or highs for that matter) can wipe out years of good growth in an instant. Slower and steady is much better.

It's depends on the palm. Rhopalostylis sapida probably won't like the hotter summer highs and lows in London but that's why I planted mine in the shade. Personally I think things such as syagrus do much better with higher lows and highs. I might plant some Rhopalostylis sapida around ventnor because I'm sure they would do very well there.

[Tyrone]

1 hour ago, Foxpalms said:

It's depends on the palm. Rhopalostylis sapida probably won't like the hotter summer highs and lows in London but that's why I planted mine in the shade. Personally I think things such as syagrus do much better with higher lows and highs. I might plant some Rhopalostylis sapida around ventnor because I'm sure they would do very well there.

Rhopies will do fine in London if you could keep them above minus 4C which would be difficult long term.  I have some in a lot of sun and the 38C we had the other day didn’t even tinge them. By Syagrus you mean Queen palms. My average summer Max’s are around 24C and the few queens I have grow like weeds year round. My S pseudococus is starting to trunk. I think you could grow all of what you mentioned in Ventnor really well. You don’t want extremes. 

[Foxpalms]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

Rhopies will do fine in London if you could keep them above minus 4C which would be difficult long term.  I have some in a lot of sun and the 38C we had the other day didn’t even tinge them. By Syagrus you mean Queen palms. My average summer Max’s are around 24C and the few queens I have grow like weeds year round. My S pseudococus is starting to trunk. I think you could grow all of what you mentioned in Ventnor really well. You don’t want extremes. 

We had our coldest temperature in 12 years in December and the low in the coldest part of the garden was only 28f/-2c. The warmest parts of central London only had a low of 29-30f and most winters it doesn't get that cold. I think queen palms would grow in ventnor since they grow in Brookings Oregon but they will grow faster here since when it's around 20-3c the queen's are growing here but not particularly fast but in July and August they speed up a lot. I don't think phoenix dactylifera would do well in ventnor though too cool wet and humid in the winter. Here they definitely don't like the winters but it's dry enough they are fine. My nikau survived 38c then 40c+ the next day here last summer and a very warm night.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Foxpalms

[UK_Palms]

@Foxpalms You were right about BBC and Met Office overstating the lows. I had -4C / -5C forecast for me here, yet my lowest was only -2C / 28F at about 10pm. Despite the clear skies all night, the temperature actually rose as the night progressed. It was up to 1C / 34F come sunrise. I was pleasantly surprised. It looks like a lot of places, including central/eastern London, remained frost free last night. Also further to Tyrone’s comment, there are Rhopalostylis on the Isle of Wight, including at Ventnor Botanic Garden, which I missed the last time I visited. There are some growing in private gardens as well.

It’s currently 6.1C / 43F here at 3pm, which is about 3C below average. I can’t wait for the milder Atlantic westerlies to return though. Hopefully it will change next week, although there is talk of a continuation of the high pressure and arctic airflow. It’s looking below average well into next week now.

There is a threat of a serious cold outbreak across Europe next week, although this isn’t guaranteed. France and Spain could be hit particularly hard however. One to watch!

Edited January 20, 2023 by UK_Palms

[Foxpalms]

46f/7.7c in London with 66% humidity today the low last night was 34.5f. I will try and update some of the Kew outside palms tomorrow.

[Arecaceus]

8 minutes ago, Foxpalms said:

46f/7.7c in London with 66% humidity today the low last night was 34.5f. I will try and update some of the Kew outside palms tomorrow.

That would be cool.