Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

Can I Grow Palm Trees in Georgia?

“Can I grow Palm trees in Georgia?” Question from Debbie of Norcross, Georgia

Answer: Yes! There are several palms and palmettos that will grow well in your USDA Hardiness Zone 7 to 8 location. Most won’t reach the grand heights of palms grown in truly tropical regions, but all will add interest to your landscape. I opted to include palms in my list rather than scrubby palmettos.

Five Hardy Palms

Pindo Palm Tree (Butia capitata): This slow-growing palm bears edible fruit that can be used to make jelly. Mature specimens can reach 15 feet.

Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Bulgaria’ or ‘Columbus’): If you are looking for a more classic looking palm, plant windmill palm, which is hardy up to Zone 7. Average specimens reach 25 feet.

Sago Palm Tree (Cycas revoluta): Though not a true palm, this cycad is hardy in Zones 7b-11 and has elegant, palm-like good looks.

Blue European Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis v. cerifera): This very hardy palm reaches a maximum of 10 feet and is hardy up to Zone 7a.

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta): This large palm can reach 70ft – 100ft, but its Zone 8 hardiness puts it just on the edge of hardiness where you live. But, if you have a protected sunny location near your home, try planting one!

Good sources for these and other hardy palms include Plant Delights and Palmco. If planting your palms in large pots, make sure your mix drains well and has a slightly acid to neutral pH between 6.2 and 7.6. Black Gold® Natural & Organic Potting Mix with added perlite is a good mix choice.

Happy palm growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

About JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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