Trachy F.

[GregVirginia7]

Looking for any photos of Trachy F. In the Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware region. As you all know, I planted this one 10 years ago. It spent the first 3-4 years loosely protected but has spent the last 6 or so unprotected. It only really suffered once in all these years and that was in 2022 with a sudden 2 night drop into single digits and 2 days under 32 F. Up until that point, it was a very mild December. But I do know it suffered many harder winters than 2022. I guess just more moderated temps with Les roller coaster effects like 2022. This one stands at about 13’ now. I’d like to see how things are going for others in my region. We are a very limited bunch.

This is around 2010. I attribute a lot of its initial success t being planted under a large pine tree. Lots of canopy protection and a south facing spot that also let a fair amount of sun in. But it was about 50/50 sun to shade. Fronds segments were large and sloped downward as a result.

A few years later

A few years later we cut the pine tree down because it was a sappy mess…but did love that tree. So it went from a lot of shade to almost full sun. The fronds shrank and stiffened up quickly.

Here’s how it looked after a bit of sunny growth.

It grew very quickly at this point, suffering little winter damage till 2022. Though the picture doesn’t show it, fronds later would have a lot of damage. This is after a huge haircut. Even more fronds got cut off later. You can see how the unprotected Brazoria suffered as well.

Now to today. Pretty much, the only fronds left from2022 are the bottom two layers. And it’s grown tremendously in height this summer.

Oh, and that Palm behind the Trachy is a Brazoria I’ve shown you before. Its trunk diameter is about the same as the Trachy, though hard to show in the picture, but trunk height is only about 18”. What a difference. But what the Brazoria lacks in clear trunk, it makes up for in frond size. Newly emerging fronds this summer are about 4’ in every direction! Honestly, about 4’.

Thanks for looking. Same old stuff but growing more and more every day! 
 

[PalmatierMeg]

Both palms are beautiful. Good work. I never imagined I would see palms growing in my old NOVA stomping ground. Really love your posts.

[KPoff]

Beautiful garden!

[Ben G.]

That is an impressive trachy. I tried for years to get several of them to look like yours while I lived in Oklahoma. I got the biggest of them to about three feet of trunk before we had one very cold winter after another(below 0F six out of eight years), until all of the larger ones died. 

I am glad you haven't been hit with those winters as frequently. Looks like you are keeping yours happy.