One group of trees long associated with drought and desert conditions

is the palm tree. You can also find palms doing perfectly well in equa-

torial rain forests.

 

Here in central Texas, we happen to have both of these climates.

Some years we have drought. Others we have rain aplenty. To comp-

licate this further, we have winters where temperatures fall into the

teens and single digits. Are any palm trees so versatile and adaptable

that they can handle such variations in temperature and climate? I can

heartily recommend the Mediterranean Fan Palm, and Windmill Palm.  

 

The Mediterranean Fan Palm  (Chamaerops humilis) is native to

the western Mediterranean region, growing along the coasts of Port-

ugal, Spain, Italy, France, and south along the coastline of Africa.
Chamearops is a clumping palm, that grows very slowly.  In the Austin

area, it is rare to see one taller than 10 feet. They do well in full to

partly sunny locations, and once established, need very little water to

keep them happy. There is a beautiful specimen of the Fan Palm at the

southeast corner of Brodie and Capistrano (Shady Hollow). Architec-

turally, the Mediterranean Fan palm makes a striking addition to any

landscape. The foliage can be pruned up to feature the main and side

trunks, or can be left alone to form a dense bush or screen, as in the

photo above. 

 

The Windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), native to central

China, has just one trunk. This palm has been in cultivation for thou-

Like the Mediterranean fan palm, the Windmill has palmate leaves,

and grows to an average height of 10 to 12 feet. It is shade and sun

tolerant, and is easily adaptable to our central Texas landscapes.

Look for some beautiful specimens at the far south end of Pinehurst

Drive in Onion Creek. So, we have two palms that can take our

summers and our winters.  (Many palm websites place their cold

tolerance close to zero.) Cold, heat, and drought tolerant, as well as

being absolutely beautiful. What more can we ask for?   

                                                            Happy gardening everyone!