Hey Tommy, welcome to Gardenweb and the Tennessee Forum!

It's pretty easily to post pictures here. Here is a cut/paste from one of my previous posts that describes what to do. Just ask if you still have any questions.

One of the easiest ways to provide your photo to be embedded into a post is to upload it onto an image hosting site such as Photobucket, Flickr, etc. That should be pretty straight forward, and the individual sites will give instructions on how to get your photos uploaded to their site when you sign up.

Once your picture has been uploaded, find its image location address (URL) by right clicking on the image and copying the image location. The URL will look something like:

http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg.

Some sites may even provide the appropriate HTML code in a text box below the photo for your convenience. It will be the one that begins with a href=... (This code looks different than the code below, because it will actually produce a picture link instead of just a picture.)

Let's say, as an example, that the address of the picture you want to post is http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg

To embed the picture into a post, use the command:
img src="http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg">;
_____________________________________

If your picture is too large to fit nicely into the text page, you can add a width attribute.

The command with the width attribute would look something like:
img src="http://somepicturesite.com/yourpicture.jpg"; width=600>
_____________________________________

Note that I had to use special characters to get the commands above to show up here without turning into pictures, but you can use them as shown (but with the correct image web address).

Palms in Nashville

{{gwi:1274921}}

Is that your palm? Tell us more....

I wish it was mine Brandon. It's a public planting at an outdoor mall in a suburb of Nashville. They have had some of their palms for 4 years and some are in the last couple years. Here are more pictures of other palms in Nashville and surrounding areas.

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S. minor
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These are just a few but I'm taken pictures of a lot more. The windmill palms tend to do really well planted when large. Sabal minor and Needle palms do great here too.

I've seen a few palms around Knoxville, but most are still small. The ones in your pictures are great. There have been at least a couple of more threads about palms in this forum before, but I don't remember seeing palm trees that large in them either (maybe I have forgotten though). I know there are at least three or four people here in Knoxville that are really into growing palms.

Thanks Brandon. I'll post some more pictures later. There are Needle palms in Knoxville that survived the historic all-time record low of -24F in 1985. That still amazes me. There is a man in Quebec, TN that has grown palms since the 1960's that has some massive Needle palms also.

Brandon, do you happen to know a poster named Tennesseestorm? I was reading some of the posts and he seems interested in palms but it looks like it's been a while since he's posted.

Thanks.

Yep, looks like it's been about four years. I can tell I'm getting old, because I can remember some of the posts and it doesn't seem like more than a year.

I don't think I know Tennesseestorm, but I'm not very good with names/screennames and faces. I meet a whole lot of people at the plant swaps, and I'm sure I don't remember a lot of them.

Thanks Brandon.

Those are some beautiful palms, Tommy. Wish I knew more about them & could help you. These pictures make me miss Florida! lol...I read this post b/c I like to grow a lot of fruits in this area, that are considered to be subtropical. They tend to do fine. If I overwinter them outdoors, I give them a good mulch/pine bark covering & they're fine. The tend to pick up a dormancy season during the TN winters, when they would normally grow year round. Maybe not too cold for them to survive, but cold enough where they go dormant when they normally wouldn't. I know this now because this year, I'm overwintering my Dwarf Lime indoors & it is growing just like it would in early Spring, and it's not supposed to have a dormancy period, but it has the past 3 Winters (when I've kept it in a semi-controlled basement environment).

I do drive by a house, on my way to work everyday, where they keep several beautiful palm trees. They do something with them (basement maybe?) around October/November, then bring them out again in April sometime. They are not babies either. Probably ranging from 7/8-11/12 feet tall. I know those people have had them for at least 4-5 years too. Not sure if any of that helps, but I figured it'd be worth mentioning.

- Steve\tn_veggie_gardner

Hey Steve,

Thanks for your response and info. I've been kind of obsessed with hardy palms since I was a kid so fortunately I have all hardy palms in the yard and don't have to protect them during the winter. The palms in the pictures are not protected either. The species range from T. fortunei v taylor, T. fortunei, S. minor, S. minor v louisiana, S. repens, and R. histrix. I would love to know where that house is that you're talking about. Is it near Nashville?

Also, I would love more citrus. I have one that is doing great (in it's second year) but I have no idea when it will produce fruit. It's evergreen all winter and I do leave it out. I'm imagining that it's fruit will takes years. You might know what it could be.

Where are you located?

Thanks.

Hey Steve! Thanks for all the info. I Google-earth'd the intersection you told me and fortunately the shots were taken in the summer so I could see the trees while they were still out. If it's the house with the pool and deck, they look to be banana trees, which turn brown around 27-32F. They wouldn't be actual palm trees that could stay outside all winter. I bet they would like some cold-hardy palms though! Most people who plant banana trees like the look of palms but might not be aware that there are palms that we can grow in the ground here year-around. There actually is a species of banana tree that turns brown but can be cut down to the ground and left all winter and it will come back in the spring. It's a form of hardy banana.

The one citrus I have is still green but we've only bottomed out at 20F so far so who knows what it's capable of. It's supposed to be hardy citrus. I know there are hardy citrus that can also be grown here- year-around- outdoors- that will fruit but the fruit is not very tasty. People mostly use it for cooking or baking.

There is supposedly a man in Hermitage that has a row of palms on the lake in his backyard (cold-hardy palms) but I have yet to find his house. We'll have to go on a palm tour someday!

Thanks,

Tommy

Tommy,

Ahhhh, ok, I thought they might also be a type of banana. I'm still curious as to what they do with them, if they cut them down or not. Usually when I see them back up in the Spring, they are the same size as they were when they get cut down/dug up. I don't see them gradually grow over that fence & then get big again, which would lead me to believe that they did cut them. Anyway, maybe one day I'll get the courage to go ask. lol...I do like growing Dwarf Banana's myself (or semi-dwarf even). The last one I had was so beautiful, but I watered it during its Winter dormancy & that completely rotted the corm. boohoo...A gardening friend who goes to the MTPS (Middle Tennessee Plant Swap) is supposed to be saving me one for the Spring swap though, so I'm looking forward to trying again & not messing it up this time. :)

Hrm...man in Hermitage with a row of palms on the lake, eh? Let's rent a boat & go palm huntin! lol

Take care - Steve

Yeah, a good palm hunt sounds great. :)

Some bananas grow so fast that you can cut them down to the ground and as long as you supply ample water in the spring and summer they will shoot up to great heights in one growing season. Of course, it has to be one of the hardier varieties.

Yes, if you save the corm and dig it up, make sure it's kept dry in your basement or garage. That way you can preserve the height.

Did you ever get bananas off the stalk?

Nah, it grew awesome the first year I had it, but not enough to produce bananas. :-\ Can't wait to get my new one in the Spring!

I live in Murfreesboro and have 2 windmill palms and 6 pindo palms in my yard yearound. They have been in the ground for years and seem to be doing great. The windmill by my mailbox is about 8 feet tall and the largest Pindo is about 6 feet tall. I also have a Koontie palm and 2 silver laced European fan palms, they are small, but doing great!

I can't figure out how to respond individually on here ha ha ha. Anyway, Jerry that's awesome. Where do you live? I've love to come by and see your palms. I'm in Murfreesboro a lot.

Tommy, if you want to send individual emails, you must be signed in, then click on the members name to go to their member page, click on "send me an email", then it's straightforward from there. A couple of things to remember are that you must be logged in for it to work, and, the member you are emailing must have set up that option in their profile (I think most members have, but I've seen a few that haven't).

I live on the southeast side of Murfreesboro, just off Manchester Hwy. I have a rock planter just off one of my patios. Thought I would give a Mexican Fan palm another try.
First time, the tree did not make it through that winter. I believe I planted it wrong. The trick is plant in alot of sand so it will drain water through well.

Jerry,

This is a Mexican fan palm I had for several years that I did not protect. It died during the bad winter we had in 2009/2010.

The Chinese fan palm you see in the foreground is still there. If you want to email me your address at trachytommy@hotmail.com, I can drive by and see your palms.

There is a good book out there called Palms Won't Grow Here and other myths. There is a lot of good info in there. Bottom line is that the only palms I would expect to make it around here long term is Needle Palm and Sabal minor (or possibly a hybrid like Sabal 'Birmingham')

I have a needle palm and a sable birmingham in my yard that have done pretty well.

If you are in downtown Memphis or maybe Chattanooga you might get a Sabal Palmetto or a Windmill palm to survive for a decade or so but it would probably look pretty sick most of the time.

The ones I wish were hardy are the sago palm and the pygmy date palm! I love those things.

midtn,

That's awesome that you are trying palms. Where did you get your Sabal Birmingham? I've grown palms now since 1997 and while I've had decade-long windmills for sure, I don't think windmills or palmettos are even bullet-proof hardy in Atlanta. One historic year- like Atlanta's low of (-8) could take out almost all of those. There's a man in Quebec, TN who has palms that date back to the 1960's. You should see them- massive needles. He also has a very tall windmill but I don't know how old it is.

I think I got it from a guy that used to have a nursery in Columbia. I can't remember his name but the nursery was called Savannah nursery. I don't think it is there anymore. He was really friendly and had a lot of crazy things in his personal yard. He told me where it was and said I was welcome to go take a look. He had a huge needle palm in the front yard, bamboos, palms and lots of tropical looking stuff.

I have attached a pic of my little needle palm.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1274893}}

Let's try again

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1274895}}

Hey guys,
You plam pictures are great! I consider myself somewhat of a palm and cacti lover and I have several types of palm trees and cacti in the ground. I can post some pictures of them and give yall some ideas. FYI... I have found that its not the winters that kill most of the palms in Nashville it is ground moles eating a burrowing the roots. Here are the pictures of my tropicals in white house, TN.

this is musa bajoo in the front yard.

Sable Minor in the ground since summer 2009. no protection ever given.. bought at walmart :)

This is a Yucca Gloriosa or commonly known as the Mound Lilly or Spanish Dagger. It has 3 feet of trunk and it overall about 6-7 feet tall.This yucca has been established about 10 years. no protection given either

Here is My Fillibusta Hybrid palm. Its been in this pot since 2008 and has been outside since feb 2011. It did suffer some damage when temperatures got down to 14F. But it had a whole new crown of leaves by the end of Febuary this year due to the warm temps.

Heres the old man of the andes cactus. Origionally it grows about 10,000FT the mountains of the Nazca desert in Peru. Bought from Home Depot. This cactus was 3 inches tall when I planted it back in 2009. Now the cactus is about 15 inches tall and is growing pups around the base. This cacus had never been protected and has seen a frequent snowstorms and temps down near 0F several times in since then, especially in 2009-early 2011.

I have several more palms and cacti. I am open to ideas!! so please write back and let me know what you think about my plants. :P

Hi NorthNashvillePalms! Your pictures look great! I'm not too far away from you at all. I bet you could plant that filibusta in the ground and just protect the crown on cold/wet winter events. That way, it will grow a ton during the summer. Have you tried any windmill palms? Have you found a way to defeat the moles? Thanks!

hey tommy, i have thought about planting that filibusta in the ground. it will grow back as long as the spear stays intact. i have had i oiutside through snow storms and ice storms and its survived so far. the way i defeated the moles was by putting down chicken wire underground in the hole before planting the plams or cacti. the moles seem to just go around it and they leave my plants alone. i have other plants like salmon cannas, red castor, silver medt. fan palm, pygmy date palm with actual dates, elephant yuccas (6 feet tall), several types of tiger lilly, crape myrtles (20 feet tall), hens and chicks cactus, and several prickly pear varieties. i also have many potted tropical plants too..i live in the white house area and these plants do great even being 1000ft above sea level. my area sees strange weather events so these plants are great for xeriscaping. let me know if you want me to post somemore pix of my plants.. :)

here is a pic of my back yard.. june 15th 2012
-hunter

newly planted silver mediterranean fan palm.. good too 0F.. i had one survive the winter of 2010 it saw plenty of snow and severe weather.. it died from the moles in march of last year. so this time i put chicken wire in the hole before i planted it and have had no problems since.

christmas decorated filibusta in front, in back is an oleander plant (it comes back every year). taken xmas 2011

Hunter, that is really cool. Yes, I would love to see more pictures of your plants! It looks like you are doing a great job there. I'm at about 400ft but I'm assuming the only difference in our temperatures is the earlier or later freezes. You're pretty close to me so I'll have to come see your stuff sometime.

That would be cool. I have more ideas but im waiting on the rains to come back this fall. I have two needle palms that i want to plant and some mulching and other sprucing up to do. you can come out to check out my plants, just let me know on here when u can make it. btw this is my native eastern prickly pear in bloom.

Awesome. Are you sure you want to wait until the rains come? When planting subtropicals I plant as early as possible in the summer to give them time to get established before winter and just water them myself if there's not enough rain. Email me at trachytommy@hotmail.com and I can get directions to your house.

Thanks

hello everyone...I just found this site....my husband and I purchased a palm tree (sorry don't know what type) in south caroline this summer and have it planted in our front yard. we live in Cookeville, tn and the guy at nursery said for us to get a frost cloth or blanket to cover in the winter.. please someone help us out...don't really know what to do but sure don't want to loose our tree this winter....help me please....what steps do we need to take....

Hey Hunter,

Are you still on here?

Lesiaw,

Great to meet you here. What species of palm did you buy?