Windmill palm, or Trachycarpus, is one of the palm trees that best resist the cold – perfect for our temperate climates!
Key facts to remember
Name – Trachycarpus fortunei
Formerly – Chamaerops excelsa
Family – Arecaceae
Type – tree, palm
Height – 30 to 35 feet in the ground, 6 to 9 feet in pots (10 to 12m and 2 to 3m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – rich enough
Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – May to June
Clearly adapted to growing outdoors, both in pots and in the ground, you’ll find this one appealing for its beautiful foliage and ease of care.
It’s most recommended to plant this palm tree in fall, so that it may have time to grow roots and prepare for spring.
This palm, like most others, loves having very well-draining soil. Make sure to increase drainage by adding sand, clay pebbles, or other similar amendments to your garden soil.
Growing windmill palm in pots is possible for smaller varieties, such as Trachycarpus wagnerianus.
Over the first year, a structural pruning is often recommended. The goal of this first pruning is to balance the palm tree out.
Luckily, most specimens purchased in garden centers won’t need any pruning at all.
There are many names for this plant, but they nearly all refer to the same plant:
A dwarf sub-variety of Trachycarpus fortunei is T. wagnerianus. It’s shorter and slower-growing than the original species. When comparing T. fortunei versus T. wagnerianus, the latter has stiffer leaves that are smaller in size, making it a better choice in windy locations and in smaller gardens.
The hardiest of all palm trees succeeds in resisting winters very well, even temperatures dropping to the 5 to 14 °F range (-15 to -10°C). It has even been reported to survive -5°F (-22°C)! Native to China, this palm tree grows gigantic leaves that reach to nearly 6 feet long (1.5 meters).
The advantage of this palm tree is that, overall, it grows rather fast.
Mulching in summer will help it retain the moisture it needs.
©vov1977
