coconut tree
Palm trees provide a Mediterranean flair and radiate a holiday feeling in the garden, which even balcony owners do not have to do without. But do the palm trees, which are mostly used to the warm climate, survive the winter? Yes, because there are hardy palm trees. But be careful, because many palm trees are also offered as frost-resistant. That is not the same. The decisive factor is the sub-zero temperatures down to which palm trees can survive without damage. A list makes the selection easier.
Difference between frost hardy and winter hardy
Palm trees for gardens and balconies are often marked with a sign "hardy or frost-resistant". Under both terms, most plant lovers assume that they can safely let their palm tree spend the winter outdoors without any special precautions. If winter shows its coldest side, however, it becomes clear where the difference between frost-hardy and winter-hardy lies. Such palm trees, which no longer thrive magnificently in the following spring, have then usually suffered from severe frostbite because they are/were "only" frost hardy.
frost hardy
The basic difference between frost-resistant and hardy palms is that frost-hardy specimens usually require certain precautions to protect against the cold. The winters are getting colder, so that temperatures around -10 °C are not uncommon. Frost hardy temperatures usually hover around freezing point, down to around -3°C or -4°C. Outside temperatures should not fall too far below 0 °C for too long, otherwise frostbite can, in the worst case, lead to death.
cold protection
Especially when a palm tree is planted in a bucket, the soil does not offer any special protection against the cold, as is the case in a garden. An insulating base made of Styrofoam or wood is just as indispensable as a covering with a jute bag or fleece. Balconies should offer a wind-protected location and the top layer of soil should be covered with straw, leaves or brushwood. Frost-resistant specimens planted in the garden soil should also receive winter protection in the event of prolonged cold.
hardy
The plant expert speaks of real winter hardiness when palm trees can withstand the usual sub-zero temperatures in central European regions without requiring special protection against the cold or having to reckon with signs of frostbite. As a rule, the temperature limit for hardy palm trees in pots is at least -8 °C to -9 °C. They can usually withstand a short-term drop of up to -13 °C or -17 °C without damage. Some tub palms are even suitable down to temperatures of -20 °C. Cold wet, snow and icy winds they put away well.
Hardy and frost-resistant palms
- Blue Hesperid Palm (Brahea armata)
This type of palm originally comes from Central America and is now occasionally planted in the northern Alps. It can be recognized by a solitary, thick and smooth-structured trunk and a bushy palm leaf crown. The palm leaves are usually grey-silver in colour. It is ideal for pot cultivation on a balcony or for planting in the garden. It is hardy to -10 °C.
- Erythea palm (Brahea edulis)
The Erythea palm has its origins on the island of Guadeloupe and brings a Caribbean flair to balconies and gardens like hardly any other type of palm tree. In tubs, its growth can be severely restricted, because it can reach a height of up to 17 meters with a lot of ground clearance. It is one of the frost-hardy palms with temperatures down to -6 °C to -7 °C.
- Blue dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera)
This type of palm has its origins in the Mediterranean region. With blue-green fronds, it also brings color to balconies and gardens in winter. It grows with multiple stems and shoots out offshoots. The minimum temperature is -15 °C. Prolonged cold weather shouldn't drop below -11 °C unless protection against the cold is in place.
- Chinese Hemp Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)
The Chinese hemp palm leads the list of the most popular palm species in Germany. It impresses with its enormous robustness, which also applies to the cold season. Temperatures down to -18 °C can't harm you here. The Ticino palm, as it is called in the Alpine regions, is easily recognizable by the “hair on the trunk”, which consists of fine, brown fibres. On balconies and in gardens, it fills the area with a Mediterranean ambience all year round.
Trachycarpus fortunei, Chinese Hemp Palm
- Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera)
The "real version" is a little more frost-resistant than the Canary date palm. The trunk is very distinctive, its shape and from a distance reminiscent of a large pineapple. Standing in a tub outside on balconies, the real date palm needs a bright to semi-shady location where icy winds cannot pass it by. It copes extremely well with outside temperatures down to -9 °C, even over a longer period of time.
true date palm, Phoenix dactylifera
- European dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis)
The European dwarf palm comes from the western part of the Mediterranean, mainly from Gibraltar. During the summer season, it shows itself to be a very easy-care and robust palm tree. Only too much moisture can make it extremely difficult. This is particularly important in a snowy and/or rainy winter. Although it is hardy down to -13 °C, this assumes that it is quite dry. A winter location under a canopy is optimal.
Chamaerops humilis
- Himalayan Fishtail Palm (Caryota maxima)
The Himalayan fishtail palm is characterized by a striking leaf dress that does not appear typically palm-like, but has doubly pinnate leaves, each of which has additional leaves attached to it. The leaf fronds can reach a length of three meters and a width of two meters. The crown is very densely overgrown. Under optimal climatic conditions, fruit clusters that are up to two meters long form in summer. In winter, it can cope with outside temperatures of a maximum of -7 °C without any problems. It shouldn't get colder on balconies and/or in the garden without suitable protection against the cold.
- Jelly Palm (Butia capitata)
Originally, this palm species is native to South America, especially in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Due to the climate there, small edible fruits form, which is why it is very widespread there. In Central Europe, the feather palm grows to a maximum of five meters high, unless there is limited space in a planter. It is one of the frost-resistant palm species and tolerates minus temperatures of around seven or eight degrees Celsius without any problems.
The Butia capitata forms small edible fruits
- Green saw palmetto (Serenoa repens green)
The green saw palmetto presents itself with a bushy growth. It likes partial shade in both summer and winter, and ideally with a little sun. When wintering outdoors, make sure that it is not too damp. If waterlogging forms and the temperatures drop below freezing, the palm can quickly come to an abrupt end. If it is relatively dry on a balcony or terrace, it can withstand temperatures down to around -12 °C without damage. In the garden bed, the soil usually only freezes on the surface, which is why wetness is not particularly important for the maximum winter temperature of around -15 °C.
Serenoa repens green
- Honey Palm (Jubaea chilensis)
Palms of this type are among the classics and among the most durable specimens, which can easily become over 80 years old. They are quite undemanding and used to the cold from the highlands of their Chilean homeland. It is extremely hardy down to -15 °C. A light, dry location in the garden or on the balcony should be given.
Jubaea chilensis
- Canary Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)
One of the most popular and well-known palm trees is the date palm, which originates from the Canary Islands. Especially cultivated in a tub, it adorns living rooms, balconies and terraces. Due to its frost resistance down to -6 °C, it is also increasingly finding a location in the garden bed. If the temperatures drop far below -6 °C, it is urgently necessary to attach a cold protection that covers the upper soil area as well as the fronds. Draft, cold winds should not hit them.
- Cretan Date Palm (Phoenix theophrasti)
This type of palm tree, which is also native to Turkey, originates from beautiful Greece. Here she finds a rather mild climate, but she still copes well with the cold winter temperatures to a certain extent. If it is planted in the garden, it can survive down to -15 °C without special protection against the cold. In a bucket, however, the palm trees are more sensitive to cold. If there is no protection against the cold, symptoms of frostbite can already occur at temperatures of less than six degrees below zero.
Phoenix theophrasti
- Madagascar Royal Palm (Dypsis decipiens)
A fascinating example is the royal palm from Madagascar. Due to the rigid pinnate leaves and a light blue-green colouring, it looks very noble. It should be introduced slowly to harsh winter temperatures. As an annual young plant, the zero freezing point should not be undercut without adequate protection against the cold. From -3 °C it should be moved to a frost-free place and, if necessary, recorded in the living room. From the second year, the palm can tolerate two to three degrees more in minus temperatures every year. The maximum cold limit is -8 °C.
Dypsis decipiens
- Mazarine Palm (Nannorrhops ritchiana)
The Mazari palm has found its way from the Orient to Central Europe. It can be recognized by its long petioles and torn leaf sheaths. In cooler European areas, under optimal husbandry conditions, it reaches a size of approximately 1.80 meters. Although it is not used as an ornamental plant in its homeland, but for fiber production, it is increasingly finding a place on balconies and in gardens. Their frost resistance is a maximum of -6 °C.
Nannorrhops ritchiana, Mazari palm
- Needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix)
The needle palm is extremely hardy and does not mind winter temperatures of down to -22 °C. It has its natural origin in the southwest of the USA. This fan palm is characterized by a bushy appearance. It rarely reaches a height of more than one meter, making it perfect for pot cultivation on small balconies.
Rhapidophyllum hystrix, needle palm
- Palmetto Palm (Sabal palmetto)
The palmetto palm is a striking fan palm. Your shape is expansive. It has a minor, barely visible trunk. The very large leaf fronds are particularly eye-catching. In the garden, it can reach a growth height of up to ten meters under optimal location and care conditions. In buckets on balconies or terraces, the bucket volume determines the growth height. Planted in the garden soil, it is frost-resistant down to -8 °C. Palm trees that overwinter in pots outdoors should be covered with a heat-giving material as soon as it reaches zero degrees Celsius. A wind-protected location is recommended on balconies and terraces throughout the winter.
Sabal palmetto
- Wagner's hemp palm (Trachycarpus wagnerianus)
Similar to the Chinese hemp palm, the Wageners specimen presents itself as a "sub-variety" with a winter hardiness down to -18 °C. It differs from the Chinese hemp palm in having stiffer and smaller leaves.
- Woolly Jelly Palm (Butia eriospatha)
The woolly jelly palm is slightly more resistant to cold than its "sister" Butia capitata. The palm tree, which grows between four and seven meters in height, is perfect for balconies and gardens and can be easily adjusted in size to even the smallest space. It is hardy down to -12 °C. However, it is advisable to provide suitable protection against the cold from -9 °C at the latest if it is in a bucket. The danger is too great that the earth freezes down to the bottom of the bucket. She doesn't take this well.
Butia eriospatha
- Yatay Palm (Butia yatay)
As the "big sister" of the dwarf yatay palm, it is often confused with it as a young plant. It hardly differs in appearance from the dwarf version, but grows up to two meters high if it is given sufficient root and crown freedom. Since their leaves can reach a length of 130 centimeters, there should be enough space on balconies. It handles temperatures around -10 °C well without sustaining any damage.
- Yunnan Dwarf Palm (Trachycarpus nanus)
The Yunnan dwarf palm is perfect for pot cultivation and adorns balconies and gardens with a very special Mediterranean charm. It only grows a meter tall. The deeply incised leaf fronds allow the palm tree to be identified quickly. Planted in the garden, it easily withstands temperatures down to -18 °C. In pots, they should be protected from the cold with appropriate measures from -10 °C at the latest.
Trachycarpus nanus, Yunnan dwarf palm
- Dwarf Palmetto Palm (Sabal minor)
The small dwarf palmetto palm comes from the south-east of the USA and can reach a maximum height of around two meters if there is sufficient space for root growth. Since this is usually not the case with potted plants, it rarely exceeds a meter or 1.20 meters. The trunk lies in the earth, from which the palm fronds rise. With the right cut, it can be kept very slim in size, so that it is also ideal for smaller balconies. There and in the garden, it can hibernate outdoors down to an outside temperature of -20 °C.
Sabal minor, dwarf palmetto palm
- Dwarf Yatay Palm (Butia paraguayensis)
As the botanical name suggests, this species of palm comes from Paraguay. It is one of the small palm trees that grow to a maximum height of two meters. Cultivated in tubs, it retains a spherical to oval-shaped stem beginning. The fan palm leaves stretch up to the crown. In winter, it should always be kept quite dark in the garden or on balconies. It tolerates temperatures of around -11 °C for short periods down to -15 °C if protected from the wind.