Cold Hardy In New Zealand

[Ianmc]

Hi Jay and other cold hardy palm enthusiasts from Christchurch, New Zealand where we usually have winters down to the 8B range.
However last winter we had the hardest ground frost for 50 years with temps down to minus 11.5 Celsius or 11.3 Fahrenheit.Had a total of six in the 8A range.
Still got about 3 weeks of official winter to go but most outdoor palms looking good.
Largest is a Phoenix Canariensis with a trunk about 12 feet high.
Fastest growing are Washingtonias Filifera And Robusta closely followed by the dreaded Trachycarpus Fortunei!!
Have also got Jubaea Chilensis,Butia Capitata,Phoenix Sylvestrii and Chamaerops Humilis all growing in the ground plus a Rhopalostylis Sapida
which is planted only 9 inches from the house it struggles on in its little microclimate.
Have also a pot in pot Syagrus Romanzoffianum and Phoenix Roebelleni and a Cycas Revoluta and this year took a chance and left out a Macrozamia Communis pot in pot so far has endured ground temperature down to 13.4 fahrenheit.
Cheers Ian Mc

[Jay-Admin]

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the forum. Wow, you had a cold one last winter. Sounds like you have a nice selection of palms.

Regards,
Jay

[KirkUT]

I'd like to see some of these New Zealand palms! Try to post some pictures. I never really knew what the climate was down there.

[Ianmc]

Sorry Kirk,no digital.
You might be interested in the Yahoo group NZPalmcycad for pix of palms in New Zealand.
Down here in the South Island of NZ we have it pretty cold at winter but up in Auckland it borders on the subtropical and they have heaps of different species like Ravenea Rivularis growing outside.
Cheers Ian Mc

[PlanesandPalmsGuy]

Nice to meet you Ian. I'm curious, do you experience hot humid weather during the summer in your area?...I know your pretty far from the equator, so I was wondering how much direct sunlight you get? Apparently enought for palms to live, thrive and survive I guess, because you obviously have quite a collection of palms and cycads...Another question, are Sabal palmetto's grown throughout New Zealand? They are very popular in the southern U.S. I was thinking Sabal palmetto may also be native to your area too?

[Ianmc]

G'day Planes & Palm Guy from a snow covered Christchurch, New Zealand, this after a couple of days of temperatures of around 66Fahrenheit i.e we are experiencing winds from the Antarctic today.
Our weather is completely dictated by wind direction.We are on the lee side of the Southern Alps a range of mountains to 12,000 ft and get either cold weather from the southwest or warm dry foehn winds from nortwest,similar to your Chinook and Santa Ana.
We usually get over 2000 hours of sunshine a year with droughts in the last few years and only about 25 inches of rain a year.
I do have one Sabal which was sold to me as Sabal Riverside but it has not moved since last winter and looks unlikely to get going again.
There are no palms native to New Zealand but lots of tree ferns.
Apart from frost hardy palms I also grow tree ferns outside and several large Trichocereus Cacti including one about 14 feet high,also quite a few big leaved rhododendrons and Rh Nuttallii hybrids.
Hope all is well in Illinois am bit of a jazz fan so enjoy the old windy city jazz,plus New Orleans,big swing and whatever sounds good to me.
Cheers Now: Ian Mc expat Scot down under!

[PlanesandPalmsGuy]

Illinois is known for its major city, "Chicago," but I'm in the southern part of the state, about 220 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee. I know you use the metric system, so I don't know if you have a rough Idea of that distance in kilometers?...I'm sort of a science wiz, so I'm fluent with the metric system, but not when in comes to conversions... Anyways, you mentioned you have some cacti. I have grown an interest to cacti in the past few months, I will probably have some in my yard by next summer...lol...The Hardy Prickly Pear cactus is very common in my area, I also saw some Agave while driving the other day, which was a surprise since I live in zone 7. I will see if their still there in January. Its also strange to think of warm air coming from the North since everything is opposite in the southern hemisphere ...

[Ianmc]

Have had Agaves growing in our back garden for over 30 years including 3 types of Agave Americana:the ordinary blue/green variety,Blue/green on the inside and yellow on the outside,Yellow on the inside and blue/green on the outside,also Agave Filifera.
A Attenuata is also readily available but I haven't tried it-No room!
Later succulents include Puya Alpestris,An unknown Aloe,Furcraea probably Foetida ana a large clump of Echeverias,a nice barrel cactus previously called Soehrensia Bruchii but now included in Echinopsis as is Trichocereus.
I don't do very well with Ferocacti outside.Trichs are easiest and fastest when grown from cuttings.
Good sight for metric conversion:http//convert.french-property.co.uk/
and if your into weather: www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/metcon.shtml.
Update on sun and rain over here.
Up until 1999 average bright sunshine=1999 per annum.
Now 2100 hours per annum.
Up till 1999 rainfall 25 1/2 inches per annum.
Now 24.8 inches per annum.Could be headed for desert conditions!!
Other plants in our garden that may be of interest Echium Pinana and a couple of bananas around 5 feet high,don't know what variety.
One faces the mid-day sun and the other faces west.
They look pretty tatty over winter but come away ok in spring.
If you want a quick conversion miles/kilometres multiply by 1.6
For Kilometres to miles multiply by .6.

[PlanesandPalmsGuy]

I have one banana plant, it is the Musa basjoo, which is a cold hardy banana to -20F. It dies to the ground during the winter, but returns in the spring, growing about 14 feet tall. I have a few barrel cacti, but their in a pot.

[Michel]

Hello Ian and everybody.
I live in South West France by 43°N,not far from the Atlantic Ocean.I am located at the antipodes of Christchurch.It seems that your climate is pretty close to mine.Your sunshine,rainfall,temperatures values are matching the values here. We have a strong " Foehn" effect too when the wind is blowing over the Pyrenees,3000 meters high mountain barrier,30 Kms far from here.
My main hobby for 18 years is cultivation of palmtrees and others exotics outdoors.I grow by now about 40 species of palmtrees.The minimum recorded temperature for that period is -8°C/17°F and the lowest historical t° ever recorded could be -13°C/9°F.
I'll be happy to share my experiences with you all if you agree and read your posts about this kind of borderline cultivation.
Michel

[Ian Mc]

Bonjour Michel
Most interesting to hear about your similar weather.The only other place I understand to have weather like this is Sequim in Washington State USA.
Maybe you could join the group and let us know what your hometown is and what palms etc you have managed to grow.
Cheers Now: Ian Mc