*I sell a limited amount of 2 – 3 gallon size palms in spring/summer, locally in Surrey BC. Pricing is less than retail. If you are interested, contact me.

Light: Plant in part – full sun.

Soil & setting: Plant in a rich but well draining soil. Do not plant in an area that remains waterlogged/always muddy in the winter. Do not plant the palm too deep (don’t bury the bottom of the trunk at all). Plant in a sheltered area- windmill palm looks best if planted in an area that isn’t really windy. Location also has a huge impact on possible winter damage (see below).

Water: In the hot/dry months, water the palm tree several times a week while it’s getting established. When established, the palm is relatively drought tolerant but for best results water deeply once or twice a week.

Fertilizer: For the best & most lush growth, fertilize the palm tree by sprinkling a handful of slow release fertilizer around the base once in May and again in July. If the palm fronds seem too yellow, fertilizer can help. Organic fertilizers such as compost can be used also/instead. Recommended brands are GardenPro Palm & Tropical (best – available at most Lower Mainland nurseries), or Miracle Grow Shake ‘n Feed (decent – hardware stores).

Maintenance: Palms are pretty much maintenance free. As the palm grows, old fronds at the bottom yellow and die. You can remove these for a neat appearance, or leave them on for a “wild” appearance. Palm flower spikes should be cut off after they are spent.

Winter Hardiness: In the mildest areas of coastal BC (islands & areas on the mainland close to the water like English Bay), palms are virtually foolproof as winter temps are very mild. The further from the water, however, the colder it can get during cold spells (the ocean moderates winter temps). In areas such as Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge, etc windmill palm is hardy and will have no trouble at all for the most part, but some care must be taken when the palm is small/getting established and when the worst cold spells come. On average, once every 10 – 15 years, we will be hit by a very bad cold snap where temperatures can plunge to -15C for brief periods. Dec 2021 was an example of this. Longer lasting cold snaps are more deadly than short lived ones.

Winter Protection: Most winters do not require protection for established palms. Small palms or freshly planted palms are not as hardy as established, mature palms. If your palm tree is small, planted within the last year (not yet established), or weakened for whatever reason, it is recommended to protect if the temperature will go to or below -7/-8. If your palm tree is healthy, established and more mature (has at least a few feet of trunk) protection is not needed as much. Minor damage can appear at around -10 in some of these palms, and you may protect them around this temp if you want to be safe. If temps go colder and approach/reach -15, this is the “danger zone” that can heavily damage or even kill a mature palm tree. Protection is highly recommended and a bit of a chore, but should be an infrequent occurrence.

1) Very important- plant in a good spot! Cold, freezing arctic outflow winds can freeze-dry fronds. Best advice is to plant the palm so that it has shelter from a home/building, hedge, etc. Planting near a home/building is ideal as the building can provide a couple extra degrees of warmth. But be aware that these trees eventually do get big! Don’t plant them right up against a house or under an overhang; 2-5 feet away is ideal. A palm planted in a large open field exposed to freezing winds has a much higher chance of being damaged or killed than a palm nestled in a garden near a home. If you have it in a pot, just move the pot into the garage before the first hard freeze is forecast (-3 or more). Dipping a little below freezing at night is fine, but if the pot freezes the roots, which are normally insulated by the ground, can be damaged/killed. First hard freeze can be anywhere between early Nov-Dec. Put it out again in late March. Some people like to have it in a pot until it gets a bit larger and then plant in the ground.

2) If a small palm is buried in snow and it’s not too cold (not colder than -7ish), leave it. The snow will insulate it from cold air. Snow does not damage windmill palm trees – extreme temperatures do.

3) Wrapping a palm tree with burlap, frost cloth, etc. will provide protection from the wind, but not from the cold- unlike us, palm trees don’t generate heat! Wrapping can be a good idea in moderate cold snaps.

4) In severe cold snaps (as noted by size of the palm and severity of cold on the previous page), protecting with a heat source is the best idea. A simple strand of C9 incandescent Christmas lights (NOT LED), or better yet, a self-regulating heat cable can provide the warmth needed. Follow these steps:

• Wrap a bungee cord around all the fronds so they stick straight up
• String the Christmas lights/heat cable around the trunk and plant foliage. The most important part is in the middle of the foliage where the emerging fronds/spears are.
• Wrap the lights with frost cloth (best), burlap, or towels. Use bungee cords or rope to hold in place and make sure the top is wrapped closed as well.
• Leave the lights/cable on during the cold weather. Turn off/remove everything as soon as the cold snap has passed.
• If the palm tree is too big to protect with this method, wrap the lights/cable and fabric/burlap/towels tightly around the emerging fronds/spears and top of the trunk. This is where the “heart” of the palm tree is and where it creates new growth. If this part dies, the whole tree dies. This way, even if the other fronds were to be damaged or die, the growth point would be protected and would start sending out new fronds next spring.

If you don’t protect and the palm is damaged, it may not show up until weeks or months later in the winter/spring. You can cut off brown damaged tissue, but leave green as the plant uses it to generate energy/grow new fronds. Check the centre/emerging spears periodically by tugging on them gently- if they pull out, the heart of the palm has unfortunately been damaged. Pour copper fungicide (mix Green Earth copper fungicide powder – 1.25tsp in 1L water) down the hole periodically (to prevent rot from taking hold) and wait – hopefully the palm will recover and send new spears out in the spring/summer. Trachycarpus can often recover and generate new fronds, sometimes even after complete defoliation.

In summary, the windmill palm is a very tough plant that is hardy in our growing zone. Depending on where you live, you may need to take some precautions/protection when the plant is small, getting established, or during the worst Arctic outflow cold blasts. Overall this plant is easy to care for and takes much less effort/maintenance than many others. Treat it well and be rewarded with a magnificent palm tree- the only place in Canada where this is possible!