What can ne grown in Polk County, Florida?

[Sandy Loam]

 

Hello.  Is anyone here from Polk County,  Florida?  If so,  which palms are grown successfully there?  I am particularly interested in Winter Haven among the multiple lakes there,  ie. "chain of lakes." 

 

How do you feel about growing Areca palms there? ..... Florida roystonea Royal palms?..... Archontophoenix cunninghamiana? .... Ptychisperma élégans? Others? 

[kinzyjr]

1 hour ago, Sandy Loam said:

Hello.  Is anyone here from Polk County,  Florida?  If so,  which palms are grown successfully there?  I am particularly interested in Winter Haven among the multiple lakes there,  ie. "chain of lakes."

How do you feel about growing Areca palms there? ..... Florida roystonea Royal palms?..... Archontophoenix cunninghamiana? .... Ptychisperma élégans? Others? 

Winter Haven Chain of Lakes may have the best microclimate in Polk County.  Consider the area among the lakes 10a-1 (30-31.999).  However, if the location is in the wide open and a bit outside of water influence, it cools off fast as you approach Lake Alfred from KGIF.

Areca palms (Dypsis lutescens): https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/61172-remarkable-palms-of-tampa-bay/&page=9&tab=comments#comment-953022

Roystonea regia + Wodyetia bifurcata: Google Maps Link to Cypress Gardens Blvd

Ptychosperma elegans: Worth a try.  We have a fruiting specimen inside the Lakeland UHI

Coconuts: There are fruiting coconuts in nearby Eagle Lake

[Sandy Loam]

Thank you,  KinzyJr.   The location is on a lake kind of near downtown Winter Haven. 

 

I saw your photo of a giant dypsis lutens clump in winter haven.  I think I know that house,  actually!  It might be on lake Martha. 

 

I knew that foxtail palms would work because seem to have some planted in downtown Winter Haven. I'm just not a fan of foxtails.  

 

So, king palms and ptychosperma elegans would likely work in the chain-of-lakes area?  

 

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated! 

Edited August 17, 2022 by Sandy Loam

[kinzyjr]

36 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

I think I know that house,  actually!  It might be on lake Martha. 

You are correct.

36 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

So, king palms and ptychosperma elegans would likely work in the chain-of-lakes area?  

For the typical freezes with the right siting, yeah.  Archontophoenix cunninghamiana is definitely.

[RedRabbit]

If memory serves, weren’t you the one growing A cunninghamiana in Gainesville? 

I’ve been impressed by everything growing in Lakeland. If you’re by a lake (particularly the SSW side) in Winter Haven you should be able to grow a lot of Z10 stuff. 

[JohnAndSancho]

My apologies but every time I see the words Polk County my mind screams JIN JIN KITCHEN 

 

I used to live a couple blocks behind the 7-11 on Cypress Gardens about 15 years ago and worked in Lakeland. Sorry for the hot mix of nostalgia, PTSD, and NYC style Chinese food. 

[Sandy Loam]

Is it worth trying veitchia arecina in Winter Haven?  Even if they survive long-term, I don't want them to look awful and brown/burnt all winter.   The veitchia arecina always look fabulous in zones 10 to 12 down in South Florida, but maybe not up in winter haven??? 

 

Again,  the location is right on the Winter Haven chain of lakes,  but it is directly across the street from a lake (ie.  The lake is not directly in the house backyard).  In other words, the site is directly across the street from the lake houses,  perhaps 60 feet away.  Surely that location would benefit from the lake effect too,  wouldn't it? 

Edited August 17, 2022 by Sandy Loam

[kinzyjr]

4 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

Is it worth trying veitchia arecina in Winter Haven?

Yes: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/61172-remarkable-palms-of-tampa-bay/&do=findComment&comment=921058

4 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

Even if they survive long-term, I don't want them to look awful and brown/burnt all winter.

I have one of the lesser hardy Veitchia subdisticha in my yard.  No damage from this last winter.  Supposedly this is a 10b palm, but I think that zone assignment only applies if it is hit with frost since it hit 34F near this palm.

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/72092-january-2022-florida-freeze-report/&do=findComment&comment=1040591

The Veitchia arecina above have made it through all of the nasty freezes.  Out of Jan 2008/2010/2018/2022, the only one that dented them was 2010.

Basically, if you want a shopping list for palms in Winter Haven, just go through the following threads:

• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/61172-remarkable-palms-of-tampa-bay
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/61996-lake-wire-lakeland-fl/
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/18482-hollis-gardens-in-lakeland-florida/
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/61890-common-ground-lakeland-fl/

In the Remarkable Palms thread, you'll want to look for my posts since I live and travel throughout Polk frequently.  There are some Blue Latans posted in that thread by another individual.  Those are near the Eagle Lake area where there are fruiting coconuts.

[SubTropicRay]

Although the old Cypress Gardens (now Legoland) has been a warm spot historically, you can get an idea of the possibilities.  There are a few pre 1980's Royal Palms in that garden.

[Sandy Loam]

Thanks you all.  So, if I did not to be looking at any brown/burnt fronds near a lakeside in the centre of Winter Haven, would you choose Archontophoenix Alexandrea/Cunninghamiana or instead Veitchia Arecina?  [Let's suppose that the choice is limited to those two]   I don't mind having brown fronds once every five years or so.  I just don't want it to happen every year from cold damage.  

 

Thank you!

[kinzyjr]

46 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

Thanks you all.  So, if I did not to be looking at any brown/burnt fronds near a lakeside in the centre of Winter Haven, would you choose Archontophoenix Alexandrea/Cunninghamiana or instead Veitchia Arecina?  [Let's suppose that the choice is limited to those two]   I don't mind having brown fronds once every five years or so.  I just don't want it to happen every year from cold damage.  

 

Thank you!

For least cold damage, you want Archontophoenix cunninghamiana.  For the quickest mature palm, go with Veitchia arecina.  If you don't have to stick to just one, get all 3.

[Sandy Loam]

Thank you,  Kinzy Jr.   By the way,  the photo you posted of a veitchia arecina on Lake Hamilton in Winter Haven looked great.  Was that a confirmed identification or just speculation (you started out with an ID of ptychdoerma élégans, I believe???)

 

Do you happen to have noticed whether the Lake Hamilton veitchia has ever suffered any cold damage? ..... Thanks. 

[kinzyjr]

13 minutes ago, Sandy Loam said:

Thank you,  Kinzy Jr.   By the way,  the photo you posted of a veitchia arecina on Lake Hamilton in Winter Haven looked great.  Was that a confirmed identification or just speculation (you started out with an ID of ptychdoerma élégans, I believe???)

Do you happen to have noticed whether the Lake Hamilton veitchia has ever suffered any cold damage? ..... Thanks. 

The ID was confirmed.  I drove over to see it in person and knew right away that @palmsOrl was correct.  At this point, they are at or over 40 feet and seed every year.  I even have a few of the offspring in my yard.

They suffered some cold damage in 2010, both from the January freeze and the December freeze.  This location is a "perfect storm" microclimate with canopy frost protection, lake protection from radiational cooling, and windbreaks to negate the wind speed during advective fronts.  2008 and 2018 didn't put much damage on them at all.  2022 had no effect.

[D. Morrowii]

3 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

For least cold damage, you want Archontophoenix cunninghamiana.  For the quickest mature palm, go with Veitchia arecina.  If you don't have to stick to just one, get all 3.

I can vouch for V arecina’s speed! 

[Palmə häl′ik]

Psuedophoenix sargentii,  Kerriodoxa elegans, Archontophoenix maxima, buncha shade grown chaemedoreas out there too, just remember it's not cold that necessarily kills, it's frost nine times outta ten that does em in

Edited August 18, 2022 by Palmə häl′ik

[Blueman]

On 8/18/2022 at 4:13 AM, Palmə häl′ik said:

remember it's not cold that necessarily kills, it's frost nine times outta ten that does em in

 

That's my experience in 10A in southern FL.  I've bottomed out in the high 20's several times over the past 18 years, which isn't necessarily lethal to many 10B plants, but add in frost to those temps and losses mount up (palms, bromeliads, crotons, hibiscus, etc).    

[Mandrew968]

Before you do anything in Polk County, you better run it by Grady Judd...