Good test subjects.

Let's see what happens as the heat hits.

Barb

Very cool. I'd love to put my huge Chinese fans in the ground rather than drag them up to the thrid floor office every year, UGH! They are monsters.

Well, we'll see if they do come back and if they do how much growth they will get. Both the Cat palms($2 each) and the Chinese Fan($11.98) were cheap enough to use to find out.

keep us updated on their progress. 8)

very interesting. I usually find majestys half dead or dieing at lowes and use them as annuals if these come back or lived through could be a few more I plant out..my chinses fan is a monster would be nice to leave it outside in winter as well.

Last one uncovered tonight. A Cat Palm that I didn't cut back when covered by mulch and semi clear plastic barrel. The spot this Cat palm is in is 90% shade so will be really surprised if it comes back and looks like anything. Will keep you all posted.

May 28th 2013

I think FINALLY I don't have to worry about anymore snow and cold, although we did have a last gasp earlier this month.

EVERYTHING plant wise is still weeks behind here in the Omaha area, so not surprised to finally see some activity from a couple palms I planted in the ground last year coming back.

As a reminder, last spring/summer/fall was tough on all plants from the sever heat and lack of normal rain so the 2 Cat Palms and 2 Chinese Fan Palms didn't look their best all year.

Winter protection was only 3 bags of mulch each layered over the top after cutting palms down almost to ground level, although one Cat palm had a semi transparent barrel over it with mulch covering the bottom.

Neither one of the Cat Palms came back at all.....not overly surprised.

Both of my Chinese Fan Palms are just now showing signs of life by pushing more up out of the ground. I know the season won't be long enough to where they will look anything like when I got them but it showed me that species CAN over winter and if we would have had a normal summer last year and winter/spring this year they would have been much further along.

I will post current pics and report again towards the end of summer.

Pic below is where Cat palm was planted last year but didn't come back, so replaced with a $2 special replacement Cat Palm again this year.

Two pics of SE corner of house where Chinese Fan Palm was over wintered and coming back...slowly

Pics of West facing Chinese Fan Palm was planted and also coming back.

Last pic is showing a Queen Palm I planted where Cat palm was over wintered. I won't leave Queen in the ground over the winter. As a matter of fact, it's still in it's grow pot just sitting in the ground.

What did I learn from all of this ? Humidity was my number 1 enemy, not the cold. Wetness and fungus damage was a issue on any of my palms that I over wintered. For the unheated Chinese Fan Palms in the ground this coming Winter? I will put a thick base of straw down first before stacking the bags of mulch over the top which I'm sure will help.

so what was the coldest temps and how long did you have them for the winter? seems the chinese fan can take some cold and moves faster than most after winter.

YEah, realistically that isnt to bad at all. The midwest did have a long spring (So did we up here in N ontario) and a bit of a wet one so far from what ive seen, not to mention a fairly cold winter. At least you have an idea of how well they can take what would be a very bad winter. I hope with some straw and some luck weather wise they can take off.

We had some sub zero temps, but didn't have a lot of snow until mid/late spring. Again, condensation caused a lot of fungal damage, and when I removed the bags of mulch in late March..assuming we were done with snow like in most years, we would have a couple of warm sunny days followed by cold, cloudy days with snow thrown in that got on the exposed plants. I may have lost two of my 3 Needle palms as a result (the one that is fine I bought and planted in the spring, while the other two were year end closeouts I planted in August, but suffered a lot of damage)

I wish they were larger, but in reality just glad they made it through the winter with just bags of mulch on top of them for protection and the cold wet spring we had held back growth as well. One season hardier, I'm sure they will be further along this time next year.

taken 7.9.13 Close up shot and standing back a few feet. Chinese Fan Palms

You think they will come back again next year or go into decline?

Oh, I think they will come back next year even better. Going to over winter them a bit different so they don't have to battle the moisture and fungus issues they had to this year and no way could we possibly have a another crappy spring lke we did this year.

Quite the experiment, Scott.
Would've thought there'd be more damage.

Congrats on the good siting.
That could've been the clincher.

Barb