Hardiest saw palmetto populations? Serenoa Repens

[Jubilation]

Could saw palmettos descended from their more higher, mid-land ranges of South GA survive in zone 8a or even 7b?

What area has the hardiest saw palmettos? 

Hazelhurt and Statesburo are 8b.  

 

 

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

@Jubilation My silver serenoa has been in the ground since 2023 with some protection the first winter and nothing this winter. I purchased mine from a mail order nursery in Florida as a 1 gallon plant. The winter of 2023-24 I simply placed a bucket over it on colder nights or forecasts of precipitation. This year I did nothing, of course damage could technically still show up but I've seen consistent 70's and some 80's too. Winter minimums were 5-8'F in 2023-24 and around 8-10'F this year. So far it has proven to be a tough palm for me. I'll also mention that I believe the silver ones may be a tad hardier than the green serenoas.

Pics from today.

 

[PAPalmtrees]

Yep @Zone7Bpalmguy they are pretty hearty palms I know of some in Virginia Beach Delaware and Tennessee And Little Rock AR. Here's the one in Little Rock Arkansas https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10107494037510757&set=gm.7918757431542278&idorvanity=695612837190143

[Jubilation]

@PAPalmtrees I don't have facebook so can't see the image but wow I'm glad to know they can be hardier than purported.

 

@Zone7Bpalmguy that's a very pretty palm! I'm glad its been hardy for you. To my amusement I had researched s. repens zones on here and one poster from 2018 claimed the opposite: that greens are less hardy than silver. Both colors are very pretty! 

 

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

@Jubilation Yes, I am in agreement that the silver is hardier than the regular green form. Thanks for the link, interesting read.

I must say though that serenoa, for me, are very slow growers. That may not be a bad thing. I didn't necessarily want a huge silver palm, just a silver one. Really I'd like to have a chamaerops humilis cerifera but they are either way too expensive or difficult to find. So I settled for this and so far so good. 

[Jubilation]

20 hours ago, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

Really I'd like to have a chamaerops humilis cerifera but they are either way too expensive or difficult to find.

Wow those are pretty! So many palms so little time.

[Allen]

Nashville zoo has several silver saw.  Haven't been this year to see how they did this winter.  Silver saw at end of video but they have several

 

[Fusca]

Be sure to amend your soil if you have clay - Serenoa seem to need well draining soil.  Silver form does seem to be more cold hardy but I'm not aware of any variation of cold hardiness based on providence.

[PAPalmtrees]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Be sure to amend your soil if you have clay - Serenoa seem to need well draining soil.  Silver form does seem to be more cold hardy but I'm not aware of any variation of cold hardiness based on providence.

Yep they like a sandy soil I have seen people who live in regions with clay soil just dump a bag of sand on top of them lol.

[Jubilation]

2 hours ago, Fusca said:

Be sure to amend your soil if you have clay - Serenoa seem to need well draining soil.  Silver form does seem to be more cold hardy but I'm not aware of any variation of cold hardiness based on providence.

Yeah IDK either, its pure hypothesis by a palm newbie. I do think it'd be a worthy experiment with new or under grown ecotypes. 

Too bad IDK anyone in that region to ask for seeds. The berries are protected in GA just like in FL.

@Allen nice catch at the end, i hope that one made it.

[KPoff]

On 3/22/2025 at 6:21 PM, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

@Jubilation My silver serenoa has been in the ground since 2023 with some protection the first winter and nothing this winter. I purchased mine from a mail order nursery in Florida as a 1 gallon plant. The winter of 2023-24 I simply placed a bucket over it on colder nights or forecasts of precipitation. This year I did nothing, of course damage could technically still show up but I've seen consistent 70's and some 80's too. Winter minimums were 5-8'F in 2023-24 and around 8-10'F this year. So far it has proven to be a tough palm for me. I'll also mention that I believe the silver ones may be a tad hardier than the green serenoas.

Pics from today.

 

@Zone7Bpalmguy did you get yours from Eureka farms per chance? I ordered a silver from there and just planted it. I have a silver and a green so I can compare them year to year.

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

3 hours ago, KPoff said:

@Zone7Bpalmguy did you get yours from Eureka farms per chance? I ordered a silver from there and just planted it. I have a silver and a green so I can compare them year to year.

I had to do a little digging but no, it was from Mail Order Natives. They were very professional. I had one that was ready to spear pull when I got it. It just had that look. Anyways, she gladly sent me another one to replace it. 

[KPoff]

46 minutes ago, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

I had to do a little digging but no, it was from Mail Order Natives. They were very professional. I had one that was ready to spear pull when I got it. It just had that look. Anyways, she gladly sent me another one to replace it. 

@Zone7Bpalmguy that’s great. I believe there’s a version of that in Texas but I never looked for palms on there. I bought other plants. I might have to check them out. Your experience gives me a lot of hope with mine in 8A on the south side of my house. I amended the soil with plenty of sand and compost so it drains really well.

[knikfar]

The JC Raulston Arboretum, here in Raleigh NC (zone 8a) has had saw palmetto growing for the 10 years I've lived in Raleigh. They don't protect theirs but I can't say they look fantastic. In Wilmington NC, only an hour and 50 minutes southeast of Raleigh, they seem to grow beautifully. 

[LeonardHolmes]

3 hours ago, knikfar said:

They don't protect theirs but I can't say they look fantastic.

Yeah - I have one surviving in Williamsburg 7B/8A but only one leaf survived last year.  They thrive in Colington NC - 8B/9A.  I wouldn't even count them as being hardy in Williamsburg.  Hardiness seems comparable to Chamaerops.  I've read that they are not quite as hardy as Sabal palmetto and my experience bears that out.

[Jubilation]

Sorry the palms are going through it up there. That's exactly why I want to try plant strains from their upper Georgia region. I'm assuming that most commercially available saw palmettos come from warmer coastal populations. Of course however it's possible that the entire species struggles below Zone 8b.

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm new to palms, but I've noticed that sabals are often categorized by their origin or area (e.g., 'McCurtain' or 'Wakulla Dwarf'), which seems to be used to infer hardiness and other traits. I think Serenoa could benefit from a similar approach. So far I have seen them mostly described by color type.

[Bigfish]

Serenoa repens ‘Georgia Silver’ comes from an area on your second map, and is quite cold-hardy.  It’s really more of a very glaucous greenish-blue than actually silver, but it is what it is.  I wasn’t able to get seeds last year, but I will try and look this year.

[SeanK]

21 hours ago, Bigfish said:

Serenoa repens ‘Georgia Silver’ comes from an area on your second map, and is quite cold-hardy.  It’s really more of a very glaucous greenish-blue than actually silver, but it is what it is.  I wasn’t able to get seeds last year, but I will try and look this year.

That's still solid z8b and sandy soil. 

[Bigfish]

On 4/5/2025 at 10:10 PM, SeanK said:

That's still solid z8b and sandy soil. 

Yes, but the question was “what area has the hardiest Saw Palmettos?”  They don’t range into zone 8a, and most are found growing in sandy soils (or pure sand).

[Jubilation]

29 minutes ago, Bigfish said:

Yes, but the question was “what area has the hardiest Saw Palmettos?”  They don’t range into zone 8a, and most are found growing in sandy soils (or pure sand).

They don't today but I'm looking up populations that were in a historical 8a zone decades ago but lord knows if that matters now lols. Now I'm interested in the georgia silvers, hope to find some for sale.

[KPoff]

19 hours ago, Jubilation said:

They don't today but I'm looking up populations that were in a historical 8a zone decades ago but lord knows if that matters now lols. Now I'm interested in the georgia silvers, hope to find some for sale.

@Jubilation Eureka farms and will ship to you.

[NC_Palms]

I've had success growing both silver and green Serenoa repens in zone 8 NC.  I had some damage this past winter in the low teens but nothing major. The biggest issue with growing these is soil more so than climate. They love sandy soil and will rot in clay. 

[Toddmin]

I have one growing in my front yard.  I am in the Atlanta, GA metro.  It seems to be doing well!

[NC_Palms]

Also I want to add, I have seen large clumps of green Serenoa repens near Washington, NC (zone 8b) And there are several at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and in that area. The UNC Chapel Hill Botanical Gardens also had some planted but I do not know if they're still there. It has been as while 

[Jubilation]

4 hours ago, Toddmin said:

I have one growing in my front yard.  I am in the Atlanta, GA metro.  It seems to be doing well!

 

5 hours ago, NC_Palms said:

I've had success growing both silver and green Serenoa repens in zone 8 NC.  I had some damage this past winter in the low teens but nothing major. 

Where did you all source yours from? Also noted on the clay thing, I may have to make some amendments for drainage.