Tall sabal palms in Washington DC
walkingthefrog
13 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (37)
statenislandpalm7a
13 years agoHardyPalmFreak
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Palms popping up around Washington, DC
Comments (11)In my particular community you don't see very many palms per se. You will probably see more nanners than palms in ppl yards. That's weird because Vancouver, Canada is only about a one hours drive across the border from me and as soon as you cross you will see trachys and other palms and tropicals all over the place. Then down in Seattle you will again see palms and tropicals. But for some reason my community, which is much closer to Vancouver then Seattle is and there are a lot more ppl from the Vancouver area visiting/living in my community you would think the palm craze would be abundant here. I guess ppl living right here are much more ignorant to cold hardy palms and are sticking to their old (and tired) tried and true garden items such as rhoddies and azaleas and what not and refuse to believe that palms and other cold hardy tropicals won�t stand a chance in-ground long term.. I�m trying to change all of that. I planted some small trachys at the entrance of my subdivision (better to ask for forgiveness then permission I always say) and my boss gave me the go ahead to plant some trachys at our brand new office building! I can�t wait to help put them in. I am just one person but I�ll try my best to spread the madness....See MoreWashington, DC palms & bananas
Comments (9)Here is a reposting by me from a thread called "Florida's Warming Climate" that was originally posted on June 19th, 2008: **************************** NovaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a: Global Warming cannot be discounted. However, I will say also that, cyclical climatic changes are normal, and it appears we are on a warming climatic change swing. There is historic evidence that even what would not be the mid atlantic areas of the US, at one time had a sub tropical / tropical climate, as has been evidenced by fossils of palm fronds, and sago cones found in the Virginias and Carolinas. However this shift that is currently occuring seems to have been brought on much much faster, in part, by mans influence on the planet. There is no doubt that man is having a profound effect on the global cycles. It can be seen even in polar arctic ice cap movements / depletions in just the last 40 years. From large scales to small, its noticable if one pays attention. From my personal experience I can tell you that we just dont have winters here like we used to when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s. Were single digits were not all THAT uncommon for highs, and lows were at times below zero, and there were many "blizzards" or heavy snow falls of over one foot each. The last great winter storm we had here in the Washington / Baltimore / Richmond area, was the blizzard of 96. 12 years ago. We have had a couple of "larger" snow falls since then, and a few brief cold snaps with highs in the upper teens to low 20s, but nothing like the cold from winters 20-30 years ago. Our Potomac River, and Chesapeake bay never freeze over anymore. I have now had plants that used to be annuals here, that are now becoming perennials, and survive the winters with no permanent damage. Things such as catnip, catmint, thyme...etc mostly survive the winters here just fine and do not have to be started anew from seed each year anymore. Fall starts later and later, and spring comes earlier and earlier each year now. Ostensibly, true "winter" climates and temps are now down to two months per year, and htat is January, and February, and even in those months it is no longer unheard of nor uncommon for it to get into the 60's / 70's here. Musa Basoo, and Red Abyssinian are commonplace here in my area now, and are left outside all year, die back, the corms mulched over, and they come back every year just as big. Seeing those in our area were unheard of just 20 years ago. The area I live in used to be a cold zone 7a, but I now often see it on zone maps listed as a zone 8a, where our urban heat island is, and I find that to be very believable. Anyway, great article. Its great to see when society, or at least certain segments of it, start to actually see the results of warming climate shift. Its real, and its happening. *********************** I will add to that with the imagess below. The images below is zone color legend, and a portion of a USDA Zone Map, that is a closeup on the Mid Atlantic region. You'll note that all of the DOWNTOWN portion of D.C., including most of Arlington County, VA, and the entire "east end" of the city of Alexandria, is in fact shown as a zone 8. Not surprising as these areas are well within the urban heat island, as well as being modified by the tidal Potomac river, which, as stated almost never freezes over anymore. Also of note, downtown Baltimore is listed as zone 8, as well as all the way up the coast into southern New Jersey. The images are rather large, and my take a bit longer to load for those on slower internet connections....See MoreHardy palms in Arlington, Virginia
Comments (6)Arlington and particularly the Crystal City neighborhood is a very warm zone 7, maybe 7b or even 8a depending on who you talk to and whose zone map you want to believe! It benefits from the urban heat island effect, both from nearby Washington, DC and from the city of Arlington itself, plus the moderating effect of the Potomac River. This particular yard is also protected by having houses on 2 sides, a large commercial building on the third, and numerous shrubs and trees all around. Sterling is definitely colder but that palm is likewise planted in an extremely sheltered south-facing location and is in very close proximity to a house, with additional protection nearby trees and a tall fence that isn't visible in the photo above. Windmill palms are hardy, to a point, but as with real estate, it's all about location, location, location!...See MoreWashington DC Warming to Southern Plants
Comments (23)I don't like global warming, because I already live where it is too hot. Some short term problems for all gardeners in all parts of the country: With longer growing season: More bugs. More plant diseases. Also, some traditional old reliable plants in northern areas may not perform as well as they did. (We can't grow a lot of things in the Deep South such as Hostas, Peonies...there are a lot of them!!) More serious: Loss of trees. This more of a concern in zone 9. We had a very warm fall, and the leaves on our trees were not falling. If San Antonio were to become frost free, I think many of our deciduous landscape trees would decline and die. That's scary. Fortunately, we got some decent cold weather and the leaves have finally fallen from our trees....See MoreNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agotropicalzone7
13 years agoHardyPalmFreak
13 years agotropicalzone7
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agotropicpalms
13 years agoHardyPalmFreak
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agotropicpalms
13 years agoJohnnieB
13 years agojacklord
13 years agowilliamr
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agojacklord
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agojacklord
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agospockvr6
13 years agotropicpalms
13 years agobrooklyngreg
13 years agoNoVaPlantGuy_Z7b_8a
13 years agotheiss87
12 years agowetsuiter
12 years agotropicalzone7
12 years agojimhardy
12 years agojacklord
12 years agoramminggull
10 years agochadec
10 years agoJohnnieB
10 years agosueanne777
9 years agoislandbreeze
9 years agoChristopher Wood
8 years agoZone7Palmz
3 years agoPhoenix Rising (Zone 7a/b, NJ)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Related Stories
BATHROOM DESIGNHouzz Call: Have a Beautiful Small Bathroom? We Want to See It!
Corner sinks, floating vanities and tiny shelves — show us how you’ve made the most of a compact bathroom
Full StoryLIFE6 Ways to Cool Off Without Air Conditioning
These methods can reduce temperatures in the home and save on energy bills
Full StoryLIFEHow to Decide on a New Town
These considerations will help you evaluate a region and a neighborhood, so you can make the right move
Full StoryPHOTO FLIP60 Kitchen Sinks With Mesmerizing Views
Check out this parade of views from the kitchen sink and tell us: Which offers the best backdrop for doing the dishes?
Full StoryARCHITECTURERoots of Style: Art Deco and Art Moderne
Get to know the similarities and differences between these architectural styles of the 1920s and 1930s
Full StoryEVENTSMaker Faire: The Future Is Now
Kid-friendly robots and high-tech sprinkling systems: This fair shows what’s new and next
Full StorySponsored
spockvr6