Road trip to southern Virginia... any suggestions?

[Jova]

Next month, I'll be driving to the Virginia beach area to visit family. I've heard that there are a few palm species native to this area, or just a few hours south. I'd like to get some palms to bring back with me, whether buying them at local places or digging them up in the wilderness (which I have no idea what the laws are like on that aspect). Anyone have any suggestions on what to look for or where to go/what to do? Zone 6a is home for me, and I'm trying to get palms or other tropical looking plants that I can grow here in the ground with winter protection. Any and all comments are appreciated. Thanks!

Eric

[hardyjim]

I think any palm you could dig up would not root in time for winter as the roots would not recover in time.
If you do find some palms you just can't resist in the wild or someones yard by all means dig them up,bring an 18 wheeler and dig,dig,dig! The only reason to dig as far as I am concerned is-planting a palm or digging one up that you like from someones yard that you don't
Better yet,there are a lot of great nurseries there that I'm sure would have some great deals and would appreciate your buisness,now is a great time to plant as soil temps are as warm as they get and plants recover quickly,just remember to offer a little shade after planting,water in well and over protect for a few years.I would recomend Sabals,Needle palms and Trachys(with protection)Foretunei,Wagnerianus,Naini Tal,Fortxwag,if you can find one.Good luck!

[wxman]

Don't forget about Washingtonia Robusta. Easy to protect and grow like nuts in the summer.

[BILL MA]

I agree with Jim, it's to late in the season for palms to establish after being dug up. All of those palms mentioned are great and it should be easy to find most of them. Don't forget about musa basjoo they should have huge ones for cheap that late in the season. You can cut them if they don't fit in your car, the most important part is the corm.

Bill

[Paul Ont]

Then only palm native as far north as northern NC is Sabal minor... It has, historically, been found on a few islands in S. Virginia, but I don't think it's been confirmed in over a hundred years... There might be some more recent info on that, but I can't seem to find it. As for diggin up a Sabal minor, they are notoriously difficult to transplant from the wild. It can be done, but the roots are huge (it basically has a subterranian trunk) and damage to the main root will usually result in death. Your best bet is to go to a reputable nursery and pick up some container grown specimens. I planted out a large needle and S. minor here in zone 4b/5a last July and then protected them overwinter without problem.

Oh, Sabal palmetto is native as far north as Bald Head Island in south coastal N.C. If you want to make the trek down there to see them...

If you have the opportunity, I would check out Gary's nursery in New Bern, N.C. (maybe best to email ahaead). He is a long time palm man, has a massive selection, and a high quality product. A lot fo the more northerly retailers are actually selling his palms, and I even bought a 1 gallon S. minor mccurtain here in Canada that was originally from Gary's.

As for W. robusta, you can get it anywhere, so don't waste your time looking for one dwn there. Check a local HD or Lowes, as they often have them. I must admit, it's not my favorite palm, if I'm going to try a zone 9 palm, I'm going to try Phoenix canariensis or something really tropical looking, not a Washy robusta... The one positive thing I will say about Washingtonia, is that they are fast growing... But then so is Phoenix!

[taylor]

Hello from Virginia Beach! Definitely visit the beach, First Landing State Park, and Pungo Palms if you have time (www.pungopalms.freeservers.com or something). Just driving down the road you should see a few palms on almost every street. Unfortunately, a lot of places and people don't take care of them so they don't look all that great.

Here are some pictures from the beach last month:













Sorry for totally dropping a bomb on your thread, but I hope they help somehow. There won't be much to collect this time of year in terms of seeds, but there should be plenty of opportunities to find something at a nursery for a good price. Trust me, there are no palms in the wild here. In North Carolina, you'll find some Sabal minor in the wild, but nothing here. Further, the only one native to our area is Sabal minor (very arguably).

I just posted some things for sale here on the site, so check it out and if you want any of it, we can work something out. I might post a few update pictures later if I get to it.

Lastly, visit Norfolk Botanical Garden (google them)! Always worth it, and right by the airport.

Have fun!

[turtile]

There are native Sabal minor in VA but they only exist on the southern most portion of VA on an Island which I think is a refuge or some sort of protected land. I wouldn't dig up anything unless the land is under development. I second going to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. They have tons of palms and other cold hardy plants.