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March 23, 2021 28 mins

Did you know you could grow palm trees in Switzerland? That's great news for all of our eight listeners there.  For the 130,000+ listeners here in the U.S.,  there are hardy palm tree varieties that can survive where winter temperatures drop regularly to below freezing. What are those hardy varieties?  Warren Roberts of the UC Davis Arboretum has some suggestions.

Transplanting palm trees, whether in pots or in ground, can be a tricky proposition. Our favorite retired college horticulture teacher, Debbie Flower, has some palm transplanting advice, plus we take the usual scenic garden bypasses to talk about the difference between monocots and dicots. Palms, like grasses or corn, are monocots. Don’t worry we’ll explain. And if you’re doing any transplanting or propagation of plants, should you use a product containing Vitamin B-1? Here’s a hint: there’s something you already have that works just as well at aiding transplant shock.

It’s all on episode 87 of the Garden Basics podcast, brought to you by Smart Pots. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!

Pictured:
The lady palm, Rhapis humilis. This lower-growing variety is suitable for permanent planting outdoors where the overnight lows tend to stay above 22 degrees. For colder climates, have the local high school football team haul it indoors for you in Autumn near, bright indirect light. Photo courtesy Great Valley Palms.

Links:

Smart Pots
palm care
hardy palms
UC Davis Arboretum

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