Zone 9/10 Palms in Zone 8?

[Wollemi25]

Will zone 9 and maybe zone 10 palms be able to survive if I protected them like people do with there trachys in colder climates?

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

When you get to zone 9 and 10 palms, it's harder to find species that are tolerant of the cooler West Coast summers. A couple would be Parajubaea, Phoenix canariensis (8b maybe), etc.

[TerdalFarm]

Good point. I think a zone 9 date palm would be much easier to do in zone 8 Dallas than in zone 8 Seattle.
But maybe there are exceptions--tropical mountain palms, say--that would be successful.

[canadianplant]

I know some people have grown CIDP for a few years in vancouver. But after they get so big, its nigh impossible to protect. IF your thinking of CIDP, id suggest Phoenix theophratsii. Apperantly hardy to zone 7, but is from crete, so it tends to like dryer winters, and warmer summers. Victoria is warmer, and drier then vancouver though, so you wont know till you try!!

Personally, id look for palms that are used to higher elevation. You may get into trouble with coastal exposure, but some good placement may get around that. Look up some parajubea, the golden wax palm, Chamedorea species (namely the microspadix and radicalis) There are a few others that are rated to zone 9 that stay small, are suited to wetter conditions that may survive with a simple protection method.

I may try some Brahea, but once again, when they get big, there almost impossible to protect.

Yoru best bet is to figure out your microclimates. Try a few zone 9 indicator species (hopefully some people can offer some examples) that are cheap, and plant them around your yard with no protection, and go from there.

[canadianplant]

heres a decent list (keep in mind of the plants actual climate, as well as hardiness zone)

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hrdzon4.html

THis one is way more extensive

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Gardening_Zone_9

[TerdalFarm]

wollemi,
how warm does victoria get in Summer?
I am considering a similar project at my parent's Oregon coast cabin. It is at the northern edge of zone 9 as it virtually never gets below 20 F (and a few years never below 30 F !) but it never got up to even 80 F all summer.
It will definitely be a change from OK gardening! I'll need help fronm you coastal BC gardeners.

[canadianplant]

Think of vancouver, but slightly drier in the winter, and slightly warmer in the summer. Quite similar to northern oregon, or washington state (seattle is RIGHT across the water if im not mistakin)

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/statis ... 1/cabc0313

A very "warm" zone 8B (winter), but still cool temps in the summer record high of 26C......

[Wollemi25]

TerdalFarm- Were I live in victoria it gets usuallly around 24C in the summer and we do occasionally get 28C-30C every so often. You probably would get more rain than me though beacuse your cabin is on the coast. I live in the southeast part of vancouver island (we get rain just not the same amount as the coast of vancouver island).

canadianplant- Yep seattle is just across the water and as for our winters we usually get -1C but anything lower is rare.

[TerdalFarm]

About 90" (2.3 m) a year, so yes, rather wet

[Wollemi25]

Yeah we get olny average of 24" and vancovuer gets 60" of rain annualy

[canadianplant]

ITs the season the rain falls is where the problem is. In vancouver, almost 80% of their rainfall falls over the winter months (october - february if i remember right). Wet + cold generally spells death for less then hardy plants from what ive read. The climate around there (at least the mainland coast) is temperate rainforest, with definate wet/dry seasons. If you go with plants / palms from those types of rainforests, you may have a better chance (speculation).

You may like this. They talk briefly about microclimates and wet/dry cycles. They are on orca island, so a somewhat same temp/rainfall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW7LcNAYBWg