Large Butia Palms Spotted in Zone 7b

[Palm Man]

 

 

Spotted these large Butias at an office park in Huntersville, NC, just north of Charlotte. They apparently were transplanted/established before the harsh winter of 2017-18 in which the temperatures remained below 32F for several days. They are fruiting and seedlings are coming up in the nearby shrubbery.

 

 

 

[climate change virginia]

they look good for zone 7b

[EastCanadaTropicals]

10 minutes ago, climate change virginia said:

they look good for zone 7b

Yeah, you should try one in a sheltered location.

[Palm Man]

They are located 36 miles southwest of here and the climate is the same. These have a particularly good microclimate, being surrounded by concrete, asphalt, and the building, with a southwestern exposure. I just moved into a new home and still working on my landscape. I have several Butias in containers to experiment with! 

[teaksmith]

Not quite in 7A, but I recently moved to a new neighborhood near the large reservoir in Brandon, MS, Zone 8A and discovered this Butia on my walking route just a few blocks away. It's the biggest and oldest I've seen in the area, although there are likely some this size further south in the 8B/9A areas of the coast.

[Palm Man]

Wow, thats a nice one! I would like to have even one half that size! The only Butia that survived the 2017-18 winter for me (totally defoliated but bud unaffected) was a Butia eriospatha on the south side on my home. It was protected from the north wind, and I believe that's what saved it. But we moved since from that house and had to leave it, unfortunately.  I'd like to get more seeds and/or plants of B. eriospatha to try again, but they are hard to find. 

[WSimpson]

On 1/7/2021 at 5:51 PM, Palm Man said:

 

 

Spotted these large Butias at an office park in Huntersville, NC, just north of Charlotte. They apparently were transplanted/established before the harsh winter of 2017-18 in which the temperatures remained below 32F for several days. They are fruiting and seedlings are coming up in the nearby shrubbery.

 

 

 

Wow , those are pretty old . Mine is getting pretty big but those are more exposed and have been there way longer than my perfectly sighted Butia has been in the ground . 

[WSimpson]

I wouldn't mind getting a couple seedlings from those winners .

 

[Fusca]

On 1/7/2021 at 5:58 PM, Palm Man said:

I have several Butias in containers to experiment with!

Small Butias can't handle the same temps that a mature one would laugh at.  Make sure you protect them their first winter in the ground.  I lost a 3-gallon Butia in zone 8a to a brief drop to 19° because I didn't protect it.

[Palm Man]

3 hours ago, Fusca said:

Small Butias can't handle the same temps that a mature one would laugh at.  Make sure you protect them their first winter in the ground.  I lost a 3-gallon Butia in zone 8a to a brief drop to 19° because I didn't protect it.

Thanks! That's good advice! 

[Palm Man]

3 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

Wow , those are pretty old . Mine is getting pretty big but those are more exposed and have been there way longer than my perfectly sighted Butia has been in the ground . 

Your Butia looks great! Probably the largest in Winston-Salem. In fact I haven't seen ANY others in Winston-Salem. 

[climate change virginia]

On 1/10/2021 at 12:20 PM, Fusca said:

Small Butias can't handle the same temps that a mature one would laugh at.  Make sure you protect them their first winter in the ground.  I lost a 3-gallon Butia in zone 8a to a brief drop to 19° because I didn't protect it.

it probably wasnt established from what ive heard protect them with xmas lights and all that for the first 3-5 years then you can use a blanket and or burlap than frost cloth and a tarp.

Edited January 12, 2021 by climate change virginia

[Nj Palms]

On 1/10/2021 at 12:20 PM, Fusca said:

Small Butias can't handle the same temps that a mature one would laugh at.  Make sure you protect them their first winter in the ground.  I lost a 3-gallon Butia in zone 8a to a brief drop to 19° because I didn't protect it.

I had a three gallon left out in 16F and no spear pull or damage. Yet the main trunk of my three gallon needle pulled a few days later. 

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, Nj Palms said:

I had a three gallon left out in 16F and no spear pull or damage. Yet the main trunk of my three gallon needle pulled a few days later. 

Perhaps mine, purchased just months previously, was used to greenhouse conditions all of its life and had very little cold exposure prior to my purchase.  I'm guessing you probably had yours for a year or two before that 16° event.

[Nj Palms]

19 hours ago, Fusca said:

Perhaps mine, purchased just months previously, was used to greenhouse conditions all of its life and had very little cold exposure prior to my purchase.  I'm guessing you probably had yours for a year or two before that 16° event.

Yeah only had it for a year. Either had been babied from cold conditions or had a fungal issue.

[WSimpson]

On 1/10/2021 at 3:50 PM, Palm Man said:

Your Butia looks great! Probably the largest in Winston-Salem. In fact I haven't seen ANY others in Winston-Salem. 

I'm pretty sure it is the biggest in W-S  . 

I can't believe the trunks on your Butias . Do you know how long they have been there ?

Thanks 

[Cindy Adair]

Hi folks! I am interrupting your topic to say Hi.

Your post mentioning Winston Salem caught my eye as that’s where I grew up and where my Mom still lives.

Lovely Butias and one I would be zone pushing to try where I now live in rural Puerto Rico. 

Thanks for the photos and keep up the good work.

By the way, the biggest Cacao (chocolate tree) in the Winston Salem Reynolda gardens conservatory is one I grew from seed and donated before I moved to the tropics.  I visit it when I see my Mom (before COVID).

Small world.

 

[WSimpson]

Hey Cindy ,

I just tried to see what I could grow here in Winston-Salem and have numerous palm species  growing outside and a Citrumelo tree with fruit on it now , and Banana varieties too , as well as other interesting plants . 

I'll check out that Cacao when I visit Reynolda House again . Below are a few plants I'm growing here .

Will

 

[Jenny R]

I live in TN, zone 7. I’m trying to decide between windmill palm or jelly palm. I’ve read info online for care and they seem like there’s not much difference. 
I have musa basjoo banana trees that don’t need protection and return every year. 
If I bought windmill or jelly do you think I would need to protect during winter? 
How does wind affect them?  
I want to put them in the area that does sometimes get wind, but if they will look awful due to the wind, I could put them closer to my house and move my rose of Sharon and hibiscus. 
how much water do they need? We get really wet winters here. Will the roots rot?

Will cows or donkeys eat them?  I live in a rural area