Hardy palms: the best species for the garden

Palm trees are the epitome of tropical vacation and warmth. But are there also hardy palm trees that survive the winter here?

Palm trees (Arecaceae) bring summer holiday feelings into the living room and even into your own garden. The exotic plants look most beautiful with their lush fronds or long, pointed leaves. On closer inspection, it is difficult to find a favorite among the wide rows of palm trees. However, if you are looking for a specimen that will also spend the winter in the garden, it is worth taking a close look. Because not all palm trees are winter hardy. We have compiled for you which robust representatives of the palm family can stay in the garden in winter and which temperatures they can withstand.

Hardy palms: 5 suitable palm species

With certain species you can also bring Mediterranean flair to your own fields. The species listed below might be of interest to you if you are in a tropical mood produce and at the same time want to use plants that only need special protection in very severe winters require:

Blue dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis)

The blue dwarf palm is a robust and easy-care plant with beautiful silver-blue leaves. Their original home is the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It is considered to be very frost-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as -10 ° C for a short time without damage. With suitable winter protection, the blue dwarf palm can therefore also be overwintered in the garden without any problems.

Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis)

The sturdy palm with the sweeping fronds reaches heights of up to 15 meters in natural surroundings, but remains significantly smaller in pots. From February to June it forms fruits, which, unlike those of the real date palm, are not edible. If you want to be on the safe side with the Canary Island date palm, you don't want to rely on a particularly mild winter. It is well advised to put them in a warm place below freezing for the first few days (5 to 10 ° C is ideal) for winter quarters. Correct winter hardiness looks different.

Chinese hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei; former: Chamaerops excelsa)

The hemp palm is characterized by its strong fan-like fronds. It reaches heights of up to four meters and forms green-yellow flowers from April to June. The Chinese hemp palm survives the cold season in milder regions even outdoors. However, the correct location and suitable protective measures from -10 ° C are crucial for successful wintering.

Blue needle palm (Trithrinax campestris)

The blue needle palm has hard, blue-gray leaves with thorny leaf tips. It grows very upright and reaches heights of up to seven meters. This pretty palm originally comes from the arid forests of Argentina. Therefore, larger plants can tolerate temperatures down to -15 ° C, but in our latitudes they need suitable moisture protection.

Palm lily (Yucca)

In the Palm lily it is a genus that includes several popular species that defy the freezing temperatures. It is characterized by its beautiful lily-like flowers and the palm-like tuft. The rather low-growing palm only reaches heights of about two meters. The individual varieties react very differently to low temperatures. There are very hardy yuccas that can be cultivated outdoors, but they do not tolerate prolonged moisture well.

Hibernate hardy palms

Winter protection for palm trees offers various options for protecting the important parts of plants. A distinction can be made between preventive measures that take place before the onset of winter and the follow-up measures that occur after winter.

Prepare hardy palms for winter

Before frosty temperatures arise, you can support the palm tree in various ways with regard to its winter hardiness in order to avoid frostbite:

• Place free-standing buckets in a protected location (e.g. B. on a house wall) to reduce the influence of the weather
• Wrap the bucket in a jute sack and cover the earth with bark mulch, straw or fleece to provide additional protection against frost
• In severe winters, wrap the trunk and the leaves with fleece (tip: use light fleece because it lets more light through)

Hardy palms after winter

As soon as the freezing temperatures have passed, the palms can gradually be accustomed to normal conditions again. Please note the following:

• At first, only put the palm in the sun for hours, otherwise the leaves can get sunburned
• A little slow-release fertilizer is completely sufficient for palm trees and provides sufficient nutrients for a good start into the new gardening year
• Remove brown, dried up leaves as they are no longer needed as winter protection

If you have chosen a sturdy palm species and heeded the hibernation tips, it should not be a problem at all to bring the tropical plants through the winter well.

Here you can also find out how to properly fertilize palm trees.