Chamaerops humilis

Yes, we have 3 of them. Mind you, they were mislabled as Trachycarpus Fortuneis, when we bought them. However, they are turning into amazing looking palms.

As for cold hardy, we errect a hoop type greenhouse to protect them and other palms for the winter. We keep the inside temps above freezing by a few degrees. They have no problem with that.

At one time, during their first year, we ran into a problem with heat and the temps inside dropped to -6C(21F) or -8C(17F), (can't remember which), for a day or two. All the palms didn't even flinch. Absolutley no problem. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that they would be OK with those temps for weeks on end. Not willing to test it! LOL

And again, the Zone thing comes into play. A Zone 7 in one area may not be the same as a Zone 7 in another area. Like in one place, the lowest temps may be for a day or two, while in the other, for several days or weeks even. So while some Palms will do fine in a Zone 7 where the coldest is only a day or few, would probably not be happy where the lows last for weeks.

Here's a pix of the Chamaerops humilis'. They are the ones in the front of the picture (the big on in the back is a Washingtonia Robusta).

{{gwi:1138257}}

Are those potted plants in the photo?

A Med Fan palm is good to 15º here. In the desert probably to 10º. I would tie up the fronds in late autumn and wrap a cheap string of lights around the trunk for the winter. Anytime it goes below 15º overnight, wrap a blanket around it and uncover it during the day.

all the palms you see are in the ground. The Musa Basjoo in the foreground, right edge of picture, is in a pot.

I like the ability to redesign the look each year. :)

Well,Im just planted me a Mediterranean Fan Palm,I live in a suburb of Albuquerque,New Mexico and I have seen california and windmill palms unprotected here,the california's burn and lose all fronds but come back in spring looking great,I know the Mediterranean Fan Palm is more hardy and should handle the cold better, but would it lose its fronds or stay green like I have seen some Trachy's in the snow in other states that are green.Our lows do get in the 20's but for a couple days at a time. Is it ok to trim some fronds off to show more trunk.

I can't say for sure about ABQ, however when I was in Grants, the nights frequently fell to 0º overnight and rose to 35º in the afternoons, in January.

Follow the advice I gave above and it should do OK.

I agree with Alex. Follow his ideas there. Better safe than sorry.

But, I suspect that after a year or two with protection, they should be fine afterwards. Important to keep the wet out of the crown though. Otherwise, you will have spear pull.

As for cutting off the off shoots, I've seen people do this to create a single trunked palm. Looks great.

We've chosen (for now) to allow the babies to continue on. However, I can not guarantee what we'll do in the future.

But, as a test, we do have one more in a pot (needs to be transplanted now) which we will not allow offshoots. I do want to see how it will grow in a container as a single palm.

Pictures to follow later on as it grows. ):)

Im not worried about the 0 degree nights because I've never seen a 0 degree night and I've lived in 3 different cities in 3 different parts of New Mexico, well at least I dont remember a night that cold, but anyways I was wanting to keep the little offshoots but trim some of the fronds that block the view of the trunk,I'm assuming thats ok.

The palm should look good the way you want to trim it.

Although they are slow to trunk, you will be surprised at how many leaves are produced in a year.

Due to the evolutionary background of this palm, it should be a good match to your climate.

I live in Northern California and have a thriving Mediterranean Fan Palm. It is the only palm I have never had a single problem with during winter. This last winter was one of the harshest ever (many 20 degree nights one after another). My Queens took a beating and they have always done well through winter. My Fan never showed any signs of distress and is flourishing now.

here is the pic of the palm I just planted in Rio Rancho,NM.
{{gwi:1144518}}

{{gwi:1144519}}

In Seattle area only the windmill palm is a permanent feature. Mediterranean fan palm tries to do as well, but gets hurt periodically. Other species are seen in the gardens of enthusiasts, but only the windmill palm is seen commonly - none of the others have done well enough to make lasting skyline specimens. A windmill palm in Tacoma, on the other hand was 38' high some years ago. In the Carl English Botanical Garden, Seattle, windmill palms have been observed coming up spontaneously from seed. During 1990, at the same site a Mediterranean fan palm was reduced to a stump (but grew back later).

Possibly Mediterranean fan palms of different origins than (most of) those sold and planted here will prove to be or already have been shown by specialists to be hardier, the gray-leaved type for instance. I'm not going to hold my breath, however.