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Hardy palms in Arlington, Virginia

16 years ago

Yes, you can grow palms in northern Virginia! A friend in Arlington showed off his garden to me and some other friends over the weekend. I was absolutely amazed at what he is growing--this is surely the largest collection of in-ground hardy palms in the Washington, DC area. Among the palms were 3 large, trunking windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei)--the tallest 13 or 14 feet tall from ground to frond tip--and a good-sized dwarf windmill palm (Trachycarpus wagnerianus). There were also numerous needle palms (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) and Sabal minor.

Here's the tallest windmill, towering over a clump of Musa basjoo:

Here's another windmill, with the waggie behind it to the right (this photo vividly shows the difference between regular windmills and waggies):

The third windmill was fruiting heavily:

A view of the yard, showing several well-established needle palms and Sabal minor:

And finally a view of the house, surrounded by palms:

More photos from the same location are in my photobucket album--see link.

Here is a link that might be useful: More photos

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Comments (6)

josh_palm_crazy
16 years ago
That's awesome Jonnie! What section/neighborhood is that in? My brother is a police officer in Arlington. I'm sure he would love to at least drive by and see those if you can see them from the street that is.

Jonnie. This is a Trachy in Sterling VA. Thought you might like to see it.
JohnnieB
Original Author
16 years ago
My friend lives in Crystal City. The palms are in his back yard and are not visible from the street.

There are numerous established, trunking windmill palms in the Washington, DC area and the one in Sterling is the only one I know of that I haven't seen in person yet. To the best of my knowledge it is the oldest and tallest one in the DC area. I do know the former owner (he planted the palm in 1994 but sold the property 3 or 4 years ago) and have corresponded with him numerous times about this palm. It will be interesting to see what happens when its crown grows above the roof of the house and is no longer sheltered from the wind.
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Andyandy, I posted some comments about that same palm in another Gardenweb discussion (see link). I've never seen it personally but I've seen many photos and know the guy who originally planted it back in 1994 (he no longer owns the house and a new owner is taking care of it). The short answer is that nobody knows exactly what temperatures it's experienced, or for what duration. The nearest airport (Dulles) has recorded subzero temperaratures at least two or three times since the palm was planted, and I assume Sterling would have similar temperatures, but it's planted right up against a house in a very sheltered location; he told me that he doesn't remember the temperature at his house ever actually going below zero even on the coldest days, but I'm not sure if he ever took actual measurements with a reliable thermometer. Windmills palms HAVE been documented to survive below-zero temperatures in other locations, but the survivors are generally large, well-established plants, growing in climates where such temperatures are extremely rare, and always suffer extreme damage. Regarding the palms planted in front of the Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC, I was checking some old Gardenweb discussions and saw claims that they were planted in the late 1980's (in which case they would have survived the extreme 1993-1994 winter, the last time temperatures in the city went below zero). This is not accurate; they were actually planted in the early 2000's but they are still impressive and worth checking out if you ever visit. Here is a link that might be useful: Trachycarpus fortunei discussion
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Search for Bocajoe or Joe Seamone for a wealth of information about growing tropicals in non-tropical locales. Here's a little web article I did on the subject. If the link doesn't come through you can go to www.mainlinegardening.com and find it under the "learn" section with the title "A Tropical Garden Anywhere" http://www.mainlinegardening.com/previews/index.php?itemid=370
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desertlvr
16 years ago
Nice photos, johnnieb, thanks for sharing. dl
nucci60
16 years ago
johnnieb, what zone is Arlington? 7b?
andyandy
16 years ago
Ah to be just one zone higher. Great photos!
JohnnieB
Original Author
16 years ago
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!

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