One of the largest collections of palms in the Southeast is
planned for the
o Farm and Coastal
Gardens in Savannah, the University announced this week.
A cooperative arrangement between UGA and the
Palm and Exotic Plant
Society will offer an experimental and display collection of
more than 60 species of
palms and cycads, including many which have never been evaluated
in this area.
According to Tom McClendon, Augusta, Ga., president of
SEPEPS, the palm collection
should eventually be the largest north of Fairchild Tropical
Garden in Miami.
“Palms are often overlooked in landscape plantings north
of Augusta, Macon and
Columbus,” McClendon says. However, 50 to 100 species will
take temperatures below 20
degrees. A few will handle temperatures below zero.
The needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix), for
instance, is one of the most
cold-hardy palms, easily taking temperatures down to 5 to 10
degrees below zero for brief
periods.
The Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis) will
require some winter
protection when temperatures fall below 12 degrees and is about
as cold-hardy as gardenia
and oleander.
The windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), a native
of southeastern China, has
been known to be hardy throughout hardiness zone 8 and will
prosper in protected areas
throughout hardiness zone 7.
The country is divided into zones based on the minimum
average temperature. Georgia
lies in zones 6 through 8. Plants are tested to see which ones
are hardy enough to
withstand the minimum average temperature in each zone so that
horticulturists can make
recommendations as to which plants will grow best in each
area.
The Southeastern Palm and Exotic Plant Society compiled a
Manual for Growing Palms
Outdoors in the Southeast. It, and the society’s newsletter, are
available with membership
for just $10 per year. For membership information, contact
Joseph LeVert, 1901
Pennsylvania Ave., Augusta, GA 30904.
The University of Georgia Coastal Gardens are open to the
public Monday through
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gardens and bamboo farm are
located one mile off I-95, and
are accessible from either Hwy. 17 or Hwy. 204 in Savannah. For
more information call
(912) 921-5461.
