“Beast” Trachycarpus - none better anywhere.

[Chester B]

I call this one “The Beast”. Probably the best looking representative of the species. Found in the Mississippi neighborhood here in Portland. The tree originally came from the famed plantsman Sean Hogan. Apparently the owner is an elderly lady who does zero for this palm. I think it’s tapped into some sort of reliable water supply perhaps a leaky water or sewer pipe. Enjoy!

 

[SailorBold]

That's amazing!  Yup. really beautiful with the leaf retention as well.  I'm still planning for when I add some trachies..definitely going to give them as much water as I can..  thats an outstanding one for sure.

 

Meanwhile in New Mexico..a trachy...

[Chester B]

I’m convinced that we have the ideal climate for Fortunei. I see so many amazing examples of the species but this one is something else. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

I have to admit, it does look great. I've seen some with large crowns but not quite what that is. Many look like the one in this video I shot 2 years ago. I'll leave it up for a few days.

 

 

 

[Chester B]

@Las Palmas NorteI do see ones similar to what you posted on a regular basis, but this one stood out from the rest.

[Aceraceae]

What's the clean trunk diameter?

[Las Palmas Norte]

I revisited the same palm today two years later. Hazy skies from wildfire smoke. Kinda has a W. robusta silhouette.

[Las Palmas Norte]

16 hours ago, SailorBold said:

That's amazing!  Yup. really beautiful with the leaf retention as well.  I'm still planning for when I add some trachies..definitely going to give them as much water as I can..  thats an outstanding one for sure.

 

Meanwhile in New Mexico..a trachy...

Ours here in Cascadia can look worse without supplemental summer watering. 

[NWpalms@206]

That is a beast I think you’ve got me beat! But I’ve got a close contender that you’ve recently seen me manhandle. And it was full crown like that before I had to trim to move. Already pushed a couple new fronds. I got such a massive root ball it didn’t skip a beat… so by 3 yrs it will be massive and full crown again. 

[Fallen Munk]

There is one near me that's nice.  I'll have to take a walk out that way to get a recent photo.  I think it's a rental property and the palm gets neglected but it's decently huge.

[GregVirginia7]

OK Chester B…you didn’t post that Trachy as a challenge but the natural response is…

…to post our own pride and joys…or is it prides and joys…here in zone 7… not sure at all if it’s A or B but I think my little microclimate is a B…so, given my zone, mine is up there with the best…😂…and there’s a nice bluish Brazoria to add backup support, though what nice Trachy needs backup support.

[DAVEinMB]

I'll join the bandwagon. here's prolly my best looking one with some other goodies for good measure

Edited September 13, 2022 by DAVEinMB

[GregVirginia7]

3 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

I'll join the bandwagon. here's prolly my best looking one with some other goodies for good measure

Well…there’s the zone thing…

[ShadyDan]

That one certainly hasn’t the fullest crown I’ve ever seen. Very impressive.
 

Below is mine, while not as impressive as “the beast” it’s still beautiful in my eyes. 

This one down the street, however, is certainly the tallest I’ve seen and a contender for “tallest beast”. My crappy iPhone doesn’t do it justice, especially since I have to do a creeper shot from the road. It’s especially nice when the sun hits it right in the AM with snow capped Mt. Arrowsmith behind it… best seen in person.

[Is that alive]

Found this when Zillow hunting in Blaine Washington. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5053-Anderson-Rd-Blaine-WA-98230/23665654_zpid/

[RJ]

I’ve seen a few sky scrapers down here, tall, like 30+’ tall I would say. But at that height fully exposed to the sun with pretty small crowns . Older part of town so obviously been there along time. Definitely don’t look as good as the ones in the PNW imo. 

[hbernstein]

Whoo-Hoo! Looks like a Washingtonia wannabe. That's a monster!

[RJ]

To this day that “Winsan ” trachy that has been posted here is my personal favorite. 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Shockingly enough the surviving trachies  around Dallas look halfway decent considering this years weather and last years ice storm.These pics were taken late august when there hadnt been any rain in 3+ months and it’s been 100 everyday with low temps 77-80

Edited September 14, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[Las Palmas Norte]

This one and the other behind it (barely visible) in the background are 3 stories tall.

[Las Palmas Norte]

I dug up an old copy of HPI (Hardy Palm International). This picture of a nearly 40' Windmill palm was taken in a front courtyard of an apartment in Tacoma WA (Sept  '99).  There where 2 palms that size in the courtyard. I wonder if they're still there and how much taller they'd be 23 years later.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Las Palmas Norte

[SailorBold]

They are a beautiful palm.. thanks everyone for sharing..  

I do think when I finally get around to adding some to my collection I'm definitely doing doubles and triples..

[kinzyjr]

35 minutes ago, SailorBold said:

They are a beautiful palm.. thanks everyone for sharing.

Agree wholeheartedly.  They often get overlooked here since they don't often perform all that well in Florida and there are other options, but a well-grown specimen is a sight to behold.

[LivistonaFan]

10 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I dug up an old copy of HPI (Hardy Palm International). This picture of a nearly 40' Windmill palm was taken in a front courtyard of an apartment in Tacoma WA (Sept  '99).  There where 2 palms that size in the courtyard. I wonder if they're still there and how much taller they'd be 23 years later.

I found the location. This photo should be quite recent:

google maps street view:  https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2653276,-122.4496753,3a,38.9y,303.51h,103.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slBuC5Zvw4JOn6QQ3yPP0wQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Henoh]

Here’s one with full crown in Zagreb, Croatia zone 7b.

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 9/13/2022 at 6:08 PM, Is that alive said:

Found this when Zillow hunting in Blaine Washington. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5053-Anderson-Rd-Blaine-WA-98230/23665654_zpid/

Found another one on Zillow. These where poorly placed and will have to be moved. Some folks don't understand the eventual height of many palm trees.

 

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

7 hours ago, LivistonaFan said:

I found the location. This photo should be quite recent:

google maps street view:  https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2653276,-122.4496753,3a,38.9y,303.51h,103.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slBuC5Zvw4JOn6QQ3yPP0wQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Those are the ones. Maybe my memory of the two palms has faded. I could have sworn the two where very close in size but obviously not. It does seem to have grown taller, but not much in 23 years. I've heard it stated that T. fortunei max out at about 40' perhaps 45'. Word passed along was that these, or at least the taller one, was planted in 1949.

[WSimpson]

Nice Portland palm .

It's interesting how variable Trachys and many palms can be . Some with a nice relatively small crown of fronds at the top of a tall trunk ,  and others like that Portland one with fronds all the way up the trunk .

Will

[Marco67]

Here is one I planted 20 years ago. Now it is as high as my 2 story house.

In northwestern Europe Trachycarpus is a zone 8 palm if you don't want to protect it. 

[teddytn]

On 9/15/2022 at 4:26 AM, LivistonaFan said:

I found the location. This photo should be quite recent:

google maps street view:  https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2653276,-122.4496753,3a,38.9y,303.51h,103.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slBuC5Zvw4JOn6QQ3yPP0wQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

So badass. Seen pictures of some tall trachys that look crappy. That one on the left still looks proportional and good. Granddaddy 🤩

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Perfect Trachies in Austin. Sadly it looks like a new owner bought house and chopped both down 

[SailorBold]

19 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

Perfect Trachies in Austin. Sadly it looks like a new owner bought house and chopped both down 

Those are amazing.. but I think those are Med. Fan palms with suckers removed..  thats a cool look..!

[Las Palmas Norte]

Yup, Meds.

Some folks have zero appreciation for what they adopt as new owners.

[Chester B]

10 hours ago, SailorBold said:

Those are amazing.. but I think those are Med. Fan palms with suckers removed..  thats a cool look..!

I agree. The first looks quite similar to a Trachy though. Had to take a second look. 

[Ryland]

Very nice palm @Chester B.  The ones around Manchester also take on a form like this - truly massive and holding onto an astonishing number of fronds.  I've noticed that they tend to look more like this in cooler, wetter climates.  They are quite different where it's warm and sunny for much of the year.  The ones in Switzerland for example are incredible for their number, but they all are slender with little tufty crowns - some of them spectacularly tall.  I've been meaning to post a bunch of photos from my visit there last year, will try to get around to that soon.

[Las Palmas Norte]

This Trachycarpus fortunei from 20 years ago on the back cover of Aug. 2002 HPI.

Notes state the photo was taken in Cadenabbia, Lake Como, Italy. It has to be 50' tall.

 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Las Palmas Norte

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Austin, TX of all places! Amazing how versatile trachies are 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Downtown Austin

[Collectorpalms]

On 9/11/2022 at 10:00 PM, Chester B said:

I call this one “The Beast”. Probably the best looking representative of the species. Found in the Mississippi neighborhood here in Portland. The tree originally came from the famed plantsman Sean Hogan. Apparently the owner is an elderly lady who does zero for this palm. I think it’s tapped into some sort of reliable water supply perhaps a leaky water or sewer pipe. Enjoy!

 

Please! Get me a soil sample. I’d like to see the minerals, it would help us all. I have a university lab close by. It can’t just be the climate. 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Love the look of them grouped closely together like this all planted next to front door/courtyard area. Can't wait to see what they look like after they regain full crown 

Edited September 18, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms