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How hardy is saw palmetto?

17 years ago

On the internet I've seen Serenoa repens green form rated everywhere from 7a to 8b(a big difference for us at the cold end of the spectrum!!) and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them?

Thanks, Alan

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Comments (8)

orchiddude
17 years ago
Why grow one when they are so slow and you can spend your time looking at a beautiful Hedyscepe canterburyana? Just a thought. :-)

I know you can't put it in the ground, but hey, its better than a palmetto. :-)
zone_denial
Original Author
17 years ago
orchiddude

I googled the Hedyscepe canterburyana and you are certainly right about its beauty. I've been giving some thought to enclosing our back patio by just wrapping the awning with plastic and making a pseudo greenhouse for the winter months, but I'm not quite sure if honey will go for it or not. She's moved some antiques by the palm window and I don't know if I'll ever get it back!!

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll probably just stick with s. minors etc. until I come up with something for the non-hardys.
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vapalmgrower
17 years ago
Serenoa are great palms...bulletproof, as long as the roots are not disturbed. They put up fronds much quicker than most give them credit for; however, they do not attain vertical height. I have found that they produce mature fronds earlier than sabal minor. The drawback is that the roots are very sensitive and can't be transplanted easily. But anyway, 8a or maybe 7b is their limit without protection. I think their native boundary is somewhere in inland Georgia.

6b is similar to my climate, some years they would be ok without protection if kept dry when cold. But its only a matter of time before that hard freeze. I have found they do well in containers and are easy to protect due to their short stature.
zone_denial
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you, vapalmgrower!

Do you think a blanket or frost cloth would do the trick on the coldest nights?
orchiddude
17 years ago
I still think we are looking at the wrong plant, lets look at Hedyscepe canterburyana, its really a great plant and I think you will like it with or without the window. :-)
vapalmgrower
17 years ago
I think a blanket draped over the saw palmettos will definetly help; however, I'm not sure how cold the extreme is for your climate.
Regarding specific information about their cold tolerance, Miami University (Ohio) did a very interesting study a few year back. Please see this link from palms.org. I think they even included Butia Capita in the experiement. It might be information overload, but it is great to have this information in the format of a scientific experiment

http://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2002/ohio.htm

I was rooting for the saw palmetto, but it looks like it was defoliated w/o protection in the mid 10s F.
zone_denial
Original Author
17 years ago
vapalmgrower

Thank you for the link!!!
alex_7b
17 years ago
S.repens is good to about 8Âº-9Âº if planted on a fast-draining berm. Normal conditions, just below 15Âº. It will not take soggy winter conditions.

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