Palm Trees In Sc (Columbia, Charleston: landscaping, trip , hospital)

[innocence123]

About In What Location Geographically Do Palms Begin To Grow? What Hardiness Zone Is Columbia In? Are They Plentiful In The City. I Know They Grow In Abundance Near The Coast, Charleston And Myrtle Have Their Fare Share But What Other South Carolina Cities Have Palmettoes In Abundance? What Type Of Vegetation Grows Well There?

[roanoker 4]

Palmettos should grow in that area. I lived in NC, north of Wilmington and they are quite common, although not as great as Myrtle Beach south along the coast to Charleston. I understand there are some palms that grow here in
southern VA, but not of the spectacular variety. Some palms are quite hearty to cold temps.

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by innocence123

About In What Location Geographically Do Palms Begin To Grow? What Hardiness Zone Is Columbia In? Are They Plentiful In The City. I Know They Grow In Abundance Near The Coast, Charleston And Myrtle Have Their Fare Share But What Other South Carolina Cities Have Palmettoes In Abundance? What Type Of Vegetation Grows Well There?

I live just north of downtown Columbia and I did quite a bit of research before planting Palms in my yard. I have Mexican Fan Palms, Pindo (Jelly) Palms, Windmill Palms and a Palmetto Tree. They have all survived temperatures as low as 9 degrees and snow, except for the Palmetto and my 2 largest mexicans. I planted all but the Palmetto and 2 of the Mexicans when they were small and they all survived that 9 degree winter and heavy snow except for 2 smaller Mexican Fan Palms.

No Palm Trees grow naturally in the Columbia area, but they are very much a part of the landscape, especially downtown and especially the Palmetto variety (the state tree). The northwest half of the metro area is in zone 7B and the southeast half of the metro is in zone 8. Where I live would be considered 7B, I think. All of the above Palm Trees will grow here, but Columbia is marginal for the survival of the Mexican (Washingtonia) Fan Palms. The others listed will thrive here if they get full sun and preferably a southern exposure and some wind protection during the winter. For instance, if you live on top of a hill and plant the palms in a shady spot with northern exposure, they won't do very well. It also helps if you plant them in the late spring or early summer so they have time to get established before cold weather. Try not to plant trees less then a few feet tall or they will have trouble surviving a very cold winter. Some pictures of mine are below.

Chinese Windmill Palms


Pindo (Jelly) Palm


Mexican Fan Palm


A Palmetto flanked by 2 larger Mexican Fan Palms

[innocence123]

Oh Those Pics Are Lovely And I Knew That Columbia Had To Be In Zone 7a If Not 8. I Love Palms They Give Any Area A Tropical Feel And It Makes Me Excited To Take A Trip Down And See All The Beautiful Palms You Have There.
When I Move Down I Want To Start Growing Palms. Can I See Some More Photos Of Palms Grown Around The Columbia Region???

[waccamatt]

Originally Posted by innocence123

Oh Those Pics Are Lovely And I Knew That Columbia Had To Be In Zone 7a If Not 8. I Love Palms They Give Any Area A Tropical Feel And It Makes Me Excited To Take A Trip Down And See All The Beautiful Palms You Have There.
When I Move Down I Want To Start Growing Palms. Can I See Some More Photos Of Palms Grown Around The Columbia Region???

Here ya go:

[innocence123]

thanks waccamat. so what is the frequency that you see palm trees in cola are they in most neighborhoods? on alot of sights they dont show enough, but afterall south carolina is the palmetto state. can you list locals of where you can find palms and what variety of palm they are. i think i saw a few mexican fans, one shot of a jelly palm and of course the Sabal Palmetto

[waccamatt]

I would say you see more Palm Trees, generally speaking, downtown, because they are part of the streetscaping on Main Street and Lady Street. There are also many Palmetto Trees on the State House grounds. The other types of Palms, as well as Palmetto's, are also used in residential landscaping around the city.