Palms of the Outer Banks

[LeonardHolmes]

After a few relatively mild winters we are starting to see more palms in the outer banks of North Carolina.  The northern Outer Banks are in zone 8b, but this is a relatively recent development as the area has warmed.  There are a lot more palms near Wilmington, and Sabal palmetto is native to Bald Head Island south of Wilmington.  A lot of the Wilmington area is oddly now in zone 8a.

Here are a few of the palms I saw on my walk this morning.  This is just a small section of Colington Island, on the sound side of Kill Devil Hills behind the FFA airport.

 

[SeanK]

Beautiful. Gotta be tough palms to take on that z8 maritime winter each year. I know the Outer Banks are constantly changing; I wouldn't build a house out there.

[LeonardHolmes]

You have to go back into the neighborhoods to see a lot of the palms that are in good shape.  The ones that you see at mini-golf places are too exposed.  In the last picture the Butia on the left looks like it died this past winter.  That house recently sold and I'm not sure that the new owner knew hot to treat spear pull.

[LeonardHolmes]

I walked in a different direction today and saw these palms within a mile or so of our OBX house.