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Trachycarpus fortunei
windmill palm
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Image © Great Plant Picks |
Printer-friendly Fact Sheet
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| Outstanding Qualities |
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For a decidedly exotic appeal, plant windmill palm, Trachycarpus fortunei. This palm is the most widely available of dependably hardy temperate palms. Giant fan shaped leaves 3 to 4 feet across can’t help but attract attention. The leaves sit atop a single trunk that is covered with the fibrous remains of old foliage. Plant windmill palm singly as a dramatic focal point or in groups, it combines well with grasses like Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’, Stipa gigantea, Molinia caerulea ssp. arundinacea ‘Variegata’, and large leaved perennials such as likehostas, ligularias, gunnera, and rodgerias, for a decidedly tropical appearance. It also looks good when planted with other bold leaved shrubs like Fatsia japonica, Mahonia x media ‘Charity‘ and Viburnum davidii. |
| Culture |
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A very accommodating plant which will grow in full sun in most well draining soils and is drought tolerant. Plants survive transplanting well with relatively small root balls though the fibrous root systems are extremely difficult to cut through. Most plants are sold in containers from one gallon to 6 foot boxes. |
| Growing Habit |
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A single trunked palm to 8 feet in ten years and ultimately 30 feet at maturity with extremely old specimens reaching 50 to 60 feet. |
| Hardiness |
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USDA zones 7 to 9 |
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© 2009 Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden