rhaphy in Mass. am I nuts?

[nucci60]

Hi, I am the newbie of the group.I live in coastal Massachusetts,zone six. I have grown palms indoors for years, and have a med. fan palm thats been in my house for 35 years. I would love to try a palm out doors but havn't read of anyone growing a windmill palm this far north. Should I give it a try, or would it be a waste of a good palm. If I tried it ,I would start with at least a 5 gallon. Thanks for any help

[KirkUT]

No, you're not nuts, but I wouldn't purchase anything larger than 15 gallons in case it doesn't work out. I've heard of people planting windmill palms in cold areas as cold as zone 5. So I say go for it- just plant it against a south facing wall - protection in a good microclimate

[Wes North Van]

A trachy will not survive zone 5 without a fair amount of protection. I would however give a needle palm a shot. On your coldest nights I would offer it protection but it should do OK. I may even try a sabal minor.
By the way I am further north than you but on the west coast we are quite a bit milder. Hence the difference in climate zones from where you are to where I am.
Good luck with your palms.
If you check out my website you will see my med fan palm.

[nucci60]

THanks for your help,guys. THe weather in Massachusetts can be so unpredictable. Even though I am on the coast in zone six, the summers can be very hot, or they can be cool and rainy. the winter was fairly mild,but then again they can be cold and snowy. maybe a needle palm would be better, but certainly not as attractive. life is short ,so maybe I will try both.

[yuccaman]

I know I guy named Jim that has a needle palm in zone 5. He did not buy the plant but he got seeds from www.rarepalmseeds.com. He growed it from seed.It came through -15F to -20F and it survived without any damage or 2% cold burn. But it was protected.

[nucci60]

Hi, yucca man! has your friends needle palm grown to any size yet.? Since your forum name is yuccaman,maybe you will have info on yucca rostrata. The ads on ebay claim zone5. would I be safe in zone 6?

[yuccaman]

The needle palm is about 102 cm high. Its been there for 4 years now. A yucca rostrata should be hardy in your zone. But you might have to give it good drainage. The only problem you could have is flash freeze or freezing rain. Its hardy to zone 5 to 6 so it should be fine. Needle palms are extremly slow growing. There are other hardy things like prickly pear (opuntia) that should do great in your zone. If given good drainage. Nurserys like plant delights says yucca rostata its hardy to zone 5. Daves garden says its hardy to zone 5b. You can give it a try

[nucci60]

oh oh! centimeters! Is that about forty inches? By the way Yuccaman , thanks for all your help. I'm going to plant something, for sure.

[PhilMusa]

Nucci, you are absolutely right, 102cm equals 40.16 inches welcome to the forum