Will these European Fan Palms survive?

[FosterDog]

I am north of Atlanta zone 8A.  I have good luck with windmill palms.  I accidentally purchased four small European Fan Palms.  I contacted the seller and was told that the European Fan Palms should actually do better in our winters than the windmill palms.  So... they didn't.  They were sitting next to four small windmills that did just fine. 

Two have green fronds emerging. I think they will make it. One seems completely brown and frozen.  One has a small tinge of green at the base and I don't know if it will survive.  Attached are one picture each of the hardy survivors and two pictures each of the questionable little palms. 

Does anyone have any thoughts, comfort, or advice regarding these poor palms? 

 

[Fusca]

These palms are quite young and in a container so they needed protection from hard freezes.  I just responded to another Georgia member who had a similar question.  Again, I don't know how cold you got or the duration of the freeze.  I can tell you that I had a fairly large Chamaerops humilis in San Antonio in the ground that survived 9°F unprotected.  I lost a couple of suckers and had to cut the trunk of the main trunk but it still survived.  Give the one with some green at the base a slight tug on the spear and see if it pulls out easily.  If so you can treat with hydrogen peroxide and follow up with fungicide and hour or two later.  It will likely survive but it will take some time.  Try with the brown one too but it's probably not going to make it.  Keep them watered at the soil level - don't water the crown.  If the spear pulls keep that area dry.

[SeanK]

I've seen a lot of Mediterranean fans dieback in Atlanta. You may have to plant Trachycarpus in triples to simulate the appearance you want. 

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

@FosterDog Plants in pots will freeze and suffer damage a lot easier than those in the ground. The roots are exposed to all that extreme cold, whereas the ground does help in insulating the roots. Unfortunately this may be a hard lesson learned for you. If they survive you may wanna nurse them along for another year or so, bringing them inside when freezing nights are forecasted. Then maybe 2026 they can be planted in the ground. Best wishes with them. 

[FosterDog]

The same size windmills in the exact same pots were next to them did just fine.  Roots were not exposed to air and they were the same size.  This was just the first time I'd had those Euro Fan Palms.  I did not intend to have those palms, but ended up with them.  I am not even sure what they are supposed to look like full grown.

I'll see if they recover.  Are they less likely to survive cold than Windmill Palms?  I only have windmill and sabal minor growing (and banana). 

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

34 minutes ago, FosterDog said:

The same size windmills in the exact same pots were next to them did just fine.  Roots were not exposed to air and they were the same size.  This was just the first time I'd had those Euro Fan Palms.  I did not intend to have those palms, but ended up with them.  I am not even sure what they are supposed to look like full grown.

I'll see if they recover.  Are they less likely to survive cold than Windmill Palms?  I only have windmill and sabal minor growing (and banana). 

It's not a good idea to leave potted palms out all winter in (probably) zone 8(A?) and colder. I'm constantly bringing mine in and out but fortunately mine are small and easy to do.  I would guess windmills being hardier than European fan palms. 

The roots may not be exactly exposed to air, but the fact that it's not planted in the ground will make your palm and its' roots more susceptible to cold weather.  Hopefully they outgrow the damage in time.

[jwitt]

I had a short blast with a low of 4f.  

Trachy-no leaf loss

Med- 65-75% leaf loss

These are in ground 15 yr specimens.

[FosterDog]

How long do they have to be in the ground before they are safe in 8A without mulch?  I just assumed they would be fine per advice from seller.   

[jwitt]

56 minutes ago, FosterDog said:

How long do they have to be in the ground before they are safe in 8A without mulch?  I just assumed they would be fine per advice from seller.   

3 years to settle in, preferably in a good microclimate(south walk, windbreak)

[palmofmyhand]

if they are that small and in pots don’t you suppose you could just bring them inside before any night that will be freezing weather? you can just bring them in real quick and take them out until they reach a larger size with more durability

[FosterDog]

On 3/22/2025 at 5:01 PM, Fusca said:

Give the one with some green at the base a slight tug on the spear and see if it pulls out easily.  If so you can treat with hydrogen peroxide and follow up with fungicide and hour or two later.  It will likely survive but it will take some time.  Try with the brown one too but it's probably not going to make it.  Keep them watered at the soil level - don't water the crown.  If the spear pulls keep that area dry.

I tugged at both spears and they don't budge.  They look and feel like perfect little plants but they are brown.  I assume that is good news, so I will keep them potted for the spring and see if they fall over or grow.  I had no real plans for these right away, anyway. 

[FosterDog]

6 hours ago, palmofmyhand said:

if they are that small and in pots don’t you suppose you could just bring them inside before any night that will be freezing weather? you can just bring them in real quick and take them out until they reach a larger size with more durability

The pots are 7 gallon/16 inch.  They might look small in the pictures, but they are not tiny seedlings in small pots.  Now that I know they aren't as hardy as windmill palms, I will probably have to treat them like the avocado trees and other tropical palms and bananas.  I didn't really want any more overwintering plants, but they are mine and I will keep them safe. 

[MIKE82397]

Also I’ve had spear pulls on small potted trachy and euro fan palms with cold rain in spear. I go to extreme to keep them dry in winter or even below 50

[Harry’s Palms]

On 3/22/2025 at 5:15 PM, FosterDog said:

The same size windmills in the exact same pots were next to them did just fine.  Roots were not exposed to air and they were the same size.  This was just the first time I'd had those Euro Fan Palms.  I did not intend to have those palms, but ended up with them.  I am not even sure what they are supposed to look like full grown.

I'll see if they recover.  Are they less likely to survive cold than Windmill Palms?  I only have windmill and sabal minor growing (and banana). 

Here is a 25 year old single trunk , never clumped , Chamerops Humilus in a warm temperate climate . Planted as a seedling. Harry

South facing , always had full sun and regular watering . Never below 38f. I consider this to be a mature palm , about 7’ of trunk under the canopy. Harry

[jwitt]

@Harry’s Palms I have not seen a better looking single trunk med palm than yours.  Yours looks very nice and full! 👍 

This is the standard fare I am used to seeing.

[Fusca]

@Harry’s Palms has some awesome looking cold hardy palms - not to mention some not-so-hardy!

[WSimpson]

I have one that's planted in a great microclimate and it laughed at 14F last winter . I'd plant them in a good microclimate and they should do well .

Mine with inflorescences starting to grow out .

 

The Butia is kind of overtaking the Chammy on the left , but when I prune off the lower fronds on the Butia in the coming years the Chammy should be a little more showy . 

 

[Harry’s Palms]

@jwitt and @Fusca , thank you for the kind words. As I have said in previous posts , these palms thrive in my not so cold climate . Harry

[jwitt]

9 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

@jwitt and @Fusca , thank you for the kind words. As I have said in previous posts , these palms thrive in my not so cold climate . Harry

 The one I posted was from a not so cold zone 10. 

Yours looks better that the vast majority out there (single trunk). That says a lot. 

[Toddmin]

I'm in the Atlanta metro (Tucker) and I have 4 European (Mediterranean) fan palms.  3 of them are the green variety and one is very silver looking.  They are currently in pots but I am going to be transplanting the largest into the ground.  During the cold snaps we had a few years ago, I only had frost blankets on them and they did fine.  This past winter, I wrapped mini-incandescent Christmas lights on them with the frost blankets.  They are not as cold hardy as the Windmill palms!