Piru Queen Palms in Houston?

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MarkTX

MarkTX

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Nov 15, 2015
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Cypress, TX
Pool is done and we are starting the landscaping process. A (big) local vendor is pushing these Piru Queen palms. The cold-hardiness for normal Queen Palms is 20F. Does anybody in the area have experience with these? Like more than 5 years in the ground? We have had some hard freezes during that period. I don't want to pay for it if its not gonna make it long-term.

Thanks.

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Well Mark ... to help :bump: this post ..... I have a couple Queen Palms, but not nearly that tall or old. Being young I think they are a bit more fragile to cold weather. This past winter really was mild compared to past. 2 years ago they took a little "burning" from the cold but bounced back. I hope that as their root system gets more established they will be even more durable. Hope you get more replies soon.
 
I had those on my other home, they were already 18ft or higher when I purchased the home back in 2008, previous homeowner put them in when the house was new in 2003.... the 8yrs I was there they survived the freezes here in Houston..

my new home don't have any and im planning to get some in as soon as the pool build is done, do you mind me asking what kind of prices you have been quoted for those? and how big they are?
 
Thanks for your reply. I have an appointment with the vendor's designer on Saturday, May 14. Right now I am pretty much in the dark. I want to get to the vendor's lot beforehand, and look around at what's for sale, and then have the design consultation. I will give you a detailed update on Saturday or Sunday.

My hope is that keeping the pool at 40 F will protect the Palms/plants immediately surrounding the pool during freezes (I think pooldv may have mentioned this). Its all iffy at best, but my appt is 10 AM next Saturday. If anyone has any info on heated pools protecting the surrounding landscape during freezes I would appreciate your input.

Oh I forgot. I can find ZERO information on pool temps protecting plants after much Googling.
 
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While you are much further south than me, I took 3 queen palms out because of the winters of '13 and '14. They burned both winters and looked terrible 6 months out of the year. The previous owners planted them and they were about 25-30' tall. The winter of '13 didn't get below 20 degrees, but we did have a freak ice storm so not sure if it was temp or ice that burned them.
 
Well, if you live in my area, you probably know who Randy Lemmon is, from AM radio. He has a radio talk show about all things horticultural. Randy says Piru Queens should not be sold in Houston, because they die in our freezes. And that "real palm experts [here] won't touch them." http://www.ktrh.com/onair/gardenlin.../eight-trees-you-should-never-plant-12305174/

I have cancelled my appointment with the vendor pushing those trees here.

What I am looking at now is the Mule Palm, xButyagrus nabonnandii, which is a cross between the Queen palm and the Pindo palm. Can reportedly survive temperatures down to 15-16 °F.

I am also looking at the Mediterranean Fan Palm, Chamaerops Humillis, which reportedly survives down to 5-10 °F.

A local tree farm (grows their own trees, rather than ordering, advertising, and selling) has those two in stock. Only 13 miles from me.

I will visit them on Saturday :)

If those palms are messy I will have to deal with it.
 
Palms aren't that messy, compared to a normal tree. I've never heard of the mule palm, but Pindos are hardy so they probably would be OK. Why not just normal Pindos?

C. humilis is tough as nails and pretty, but small...easily 10 years to get 5-6' tall here in Tucson, but might be faster there. They are clumpers, so will try to pup vigorously from the base once they get to be decent-sized. They're not going to give you the same "palms around the pool" look.
 
The only other thing I will add, go as native as possible. I'm talking plants here people! If the previous owner had planted Palmettos, I wouldn't have had to pay to take the queen palms out. Native is always the way to go for so very many reasons.
 
Melt In The Sun said:
Palms aren't that messy, compared to a normal tree. I've never heard of the mule palm, but Pindos are hardy so they probably would be OK. Why not just normal Pindos?

C. humilis is tough as nails and pretty, but small...easily 10 years to get 5-6' tall here in Tucson, but might be faster there. They are clumpers, so will try to pup vigorously from the base once they get to be decent-sized. They're not going to give you the same "palms around the pool" look.
Click to expand...

Those are two valid points. I was thinking Mule rather than Pindo because I really like the look of the Queen palms, and the Mule palm has fronds that are more similar to the Queens'. And there is a stock photo of a Pindo that is everywhere on the web, and it kind of turned me off. But you know what? I think you are right. After further research, I now believe the Pindo looks more "oasis-like" than the Queen. Plus, the Mule is called a mule because it is a hybrid that cannot reproduce, which is just wrong.

As for the Mediterranean Fans, I also want some short stuff that suckers or clumps as you say (multiple trunks). So that is a win-win for me.

Thank you so much for your input.
 

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My palm issue is settled. I went with some Pindos, Med. Fans, and a couple of small Medjools. Will post pictures after they are delivered and planted.

Otter, thanks for the pics! Those dagger palms look pretty unique. I don't think I have seen any of those before. Sagos are very popular here, but they take so long to grow....a mature specimen is $$$$
 
You're welcome and glad you settled on your palms. A great thing about the Spanish Daggers in addition to their look is they truly are one of the least messy palms.
 

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