Wow, talk about a classic cold spell! I've heard of the worst "winter outbreaks" but this past one was indeed a classic. Of course T. fortunei palms escape with bent leaf tips due to snow but are amazingly cold hardy. T. wagnerianus palms are dark green against the snow. It's now time to flood but my yard sits above the flooding streets. Jubaeas are also very tough palms. I don't expect any harm to Jubs in my area but B. edulis & Butia will be hit & miss like the years with more serious freezes.
A three-storey high Trachy is soon to become homeless in Greater Victoria. I have to figure a plan (no cranes) to relocate the tree. Unlike a two-storey Trachy which requires four men to plant, this old palm will require planning. The two-storey Trachy move this spring is expected to be easy as a flatbed truck will be used. Then four men are required to upright the tree in its small crater. The root ball & soil hold the tree up with no support. The three-storey Trachy will go up with ropes Egyptian style. Because of the one extra storey in height it is a much more demanding task to plant such a tall one. An ideal Trachy has one storey in height. A portion of my yard is dedicated to homeless Trachys. Neighbours from the prairies were shocked to see the palm moves but even more shocked to see what Trachys can take after being planted. The big Trachy turns 26 next year. The old Trachy slated for a save is more than 40 years old. It has seen the El Nino years go by and bad years like this one. As a Canadian palmnut it's quite the experience to plant "instant" palms. It would have been nice for you to see wagnerianus palms handle this weather. It's like bring it on for these babies. I'll ask the the Americans for another Jub and some more wagnerianus palms. They perform so well during the more serious winters.
Happy New Year
Wes, John & Lucky1: Old Trachy save planned
Moderators: lucky1, Alchris, Kansas, Wes North Van, Laaz
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lucky1
- Arctic Palm Plantation
- Posts: 11325
- Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:31 pm
- Location: Vernon BC, Zone 5a or 5b (close to 6A!)
Islander, good to hear you're planning another trachy homecoming.
Any pics of the big guy in its current home?
How'd the recently moved Trachy settle in this year?
What a winter to accompany its new location.
Waggies...bring it on!!!! Bet Washies would do very well too, once acclimated.
Wonderful that the Waggies are so tough.
Heard the Island had horrible windchills, so the snowload would have been beneficial despite the weight.
Wish that 40 year old Trachy was located closer so we could help.
Barb
Any pics of the big guy in its current home?
How'd the recently moved Trachy settle in this year?
What a winter to accompany its new location.
Waggies...bring it on!!!! Bet Washies would do very well too, once acclimated.
Wonderful that the Waggies are so tough.
Heard the Island had horrible windchills, so the snowload would have been beneficial despite the weight.
Wish that 40 year old Trachy was located closer so we could help.
Barb
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Okanagan desert-palms
- Clumping Palm
- Posts: 1600
- Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2005 12:59 am
- Location: Kelowna British Columbia Canada
- Contact:
Hello Barb
Islander, good to hear you're planning another trachy homecoming.
Any pics of the big guy in its current home?
-The 2-storey Trachy must move because it cannot clear an overhang. It will be planted with top fronds damaged. It will not be the nicest palm but I'll take pictures of its home, transport and new location. The tree will be destroyed by chainsaw (yet again another palm in limbo) if the first high noon of summer rolls around. I don't have a pic of the big guy but I'll do the same. Pics from site to site. It will be such a task that the palm will probably not be planted the same day after removal.
How'd the recently moved Trachy settle in this year?
What a winter to accompany its new location.
-You're right, this winter is a bad one. The most snow & cold since forever. The big Trachy does not look as fine as it did since Sept. It's been tattered by winds in Oct and then weighed down in heavy snow this past Dec. I had more snow than downtown Victoria which always gets away with less cold & precip. But Trachys can take incredible amount of bad weather. The palm is green so that's good enough after this punishment. One would think that the cold and high winds would freeze dry any palm but Trachys can have nine lives.
Waggies...bring it on!!!! Bet Washies would do very well too, once acclimated.
Wonderful that the Waggies are so tough.
- The magic with waggies is that they stood strong in what was like a blizzard, then wind and cold. They were fine in the aftermath. It's like having plastic palms. Washies could only do well with overhead protection but I do not expect to see a single mint specimen. It falls on a bad year because I've got to move one. But it's still partly protected by a roof. And things are tougher by a house.
Heard the Island had horrible windchills, so the snowload would have been beneficial despite the weight.
- Oak Bay, Victoria and Esquimalt had the upper hand. It was the West Shore like Langford, View Royal, and Colwood that had the worst in Greater Vic. Outside Greater Vic it was no so bad in Tofino but on the Nanaimo side it was painful. It was like Newfoundland, so I was told by brave drivers. More precip & more cold that made Victoria look kind. It started a day before up island with heavy snow. But I expect Trachys to survive in Nanaimo and Vancouver as always under the nine lives principle. Snow cover was only good for shoring up marginal stuff. But yes, snow helps as it did with my heathers that are still flowering. Here's something else that's really hardy. It seems that the eastern portion of the island gets nailed more than the southern tip and the west side when cold hits.
Wish that 40 year old Trachy was located closer so we could help.
-Thanks for the offer but I'll muster island palmnuts. We may use a big GM Suburban truck to see if the owner can really back the power of his truck. The new idea is to have a vehicle provide the lifting force while helpers guide the palm upright with ropes. We can do it without an all-out Egyptian pull. There's time to ask Californians about a few tricks.
I hope that the cold spell did not affect you too much.
Happy New Year
Any pics of the big guy in its current home?
-The 2-storey Trachy must move because it cannot clear an overhang. It will be planted with top fronds damaged. It will not be the nicest palm but I'll take pictures of its home, transport and new location. The tree will be destroyed by chainsaw (yet again another palm in limbo) if the first high noon of summer rolls around. I don't have a pic of the big guy but I'll do the same. Pics from site to site. It will be such a task that the palm will probably not be planted the same day after removal.
How'd the recently moved Trachy settle in this year?
What a winter to accompany its new location.
-You're right, this winter is a bad one. The most snow & cold since forever. The big Trachy does not look as fine as it did since Sept. It's been tattered by winds in Oct and then weighed down in heavy snow this past Dec. I had more snow than downtown Victoria which always gets away with less cold & precip. But Trachys can take incredible amount of bad weather. The palm is green so that's good enough after this punishment. One would think that the cold and high winds would freeze dry any palm but Trachys can have nine lives.
Waggies...bring it on!!!! Bet Washies would do very well too, once acclimated.
Wonderful that the Waggies are so tough.
- The magic with waggies is that they stood strong in what was like a blizzard, then wind and cold. They were fine in the aftermath. It's like having plastic palms. Washies could only do well with overhead protection but I do not expect to see a single mint specimen. It falls on a bad year because I've got to move one. But it's still partly protected by a roof. And things are tougher by a house.
Heard the Island had horrible windchills, so the snowload would have been beneficial despite the weight.
- Oak Bay, Victoria and Esquimalt had the upper hand. It was the West Shore like Langford, View Royal, and Colwood that had the worst in Greater Vic. Outside Greater Vic it was no so bad in Tofino but on the Nanaimo side it was painful. It was like Newfoundland, so I was told by brave drivers. More precip & more cold that made Victoria look kind. It started a day before up island with heavy snow. But I expect Trachys to survive in Nanaimo and Vancouver as always under the nine lives principle. Snow cover was only good for shoring up marginal stuff. But yes, snow helps as it did with my heathers that are still flowering. Here's something else that's really hardy. It seems that the eastern portion of the island gets nailed more than the southern tip and the west side when cold hits.
Wish that 40 year old Trachy was located closer so we could help.
-Thanks for the offer but I'll muster island palmnuts. We may use a big GM Suburban truck to see if the owner can really back the power of his truck. The new idea is to have a vehicle provide the lifting force while helpers guide the palm upright with ropes. We can do it without an all-out Egyptian pull. There's time to ask Californians about a few tricks.
I hope that the cold spell did not affect you too much.
Happy New Year
John: obtructions
The two-storey palm has smashed itself into an overhang that it cannot clear. It must be dug out by hand only and removed sideways. Up is no option. I must remove it spring or else a chainsaw will be used to destroy this Vancouver Island grown palm. Go figure that it had been growing in open air before a bright person moved the tree under an obstruction. Can't complain as it is now handed free with a time limit on it.
The Goliath of an old Trachy is growing right by a house that has ongoing outside renos. The new owner of the property does not care for palms and the tree will come down if it interferes with work. Many trees are being removed in Victoria, most of them conifers and Arbutus. A mature Trachy in Saanich was cut down before I could save mature palms. To many Victoria residents, palms are just regular trees. It's amazing that 2008 & 2009 bring mature palms to me right at a time when I can plant them. With a bad winter like this it's good that I'm moving regular Trachys.
Good luck with your plantings.
The Goliath of an old Trachy is growing right by a house that has ongoing outside renos. The new owner of the property does not care for palms and the tree will come down if it interferes with work. Many trees are being removed in Victoria, most of them conifers and Arbutus. A mature Trachy in Saanich was cut down before I could save mature palms. To many Victoria residents, palms are just regular trees. It's amazing that 2008 & 2009 bring mature palms to me right at a time when I can plant them. With a bad winter like this it's good that I'm moving regular Trachys.
Good luck with your plantings.