Would you grow palms on your Tennessee lawn if you knew you could? (Memphis: appointed, 2015)

[Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.]

I understand if you believe they seem out of place here. I'm not making you grow anything you don't want to, but please at least hear me out:
--They're native to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Nevada, which aren't coastal states.
--If you really want a beach of some sort, you could move to the lakefront, or else make a swimming pool or natural pond with or without sand by it. Besides, why move to the actual seafront if you're just going to be forced by hurricanes to leave again or rebuild?
--Even in person, I've heard many people talking about how they value plants in the South you wouldn't find in the Midwest nor New England. Sure, we can't grow Southern Live Oaks and Spanish Moss, but there are other Deep South plants palms often grow near in the wild and are common here: Southern Magnolia, Bald Cypress, Eastern Prickly Pear, Adam's Needle Yucca and some pines. If you really like the South for its plants but don't see them much, why not grow them yourself?
--I also hear some people talking about how they don't like things going dormant in winter. Japanese Bananas, Crepe myrtles, Cherry Blossom trees and Bald Cypress all do, but palms don't.
--They're not going to become an invasive species. Needle Palms and Dwarf Palmettos are slow-growing anyways, not to mention still native to several states adjacent to ours. In fact, these maps actually show that one or both of them are even native to at least one county BORDERING Tennessee.
--Lastly, for those of you who feel like palms are a Sun Belt plant, Tennessee IS in the Sun Belt. The majority of the state (including four of six major cities) is south of the 36th parallel, and many medium and major cities in the state don't feel so northern.

Or maybe you have tried them, but had terrible luck/experience and given up? Some tips:
--It's best to plant early in the growing season (May, late April) so roots have time to establish.[/color]
--If we're unlucky enough to have a polar vortex winter (2018, 1985, etc.), you may fail by pure chance. However, these are usually pretty spaced out, so many seedlings have plenty of time to grow; and the adults are tougher and often survive these.
--It's best to water them until hot weather ends, especially during droughts. You only have to do this in the first year while new roots establish.
--It's best to set them at the planting site for a week, and minimize exposure roots have to air to reduce transplant shock.
--Tennessee doesn't really have a suitable climate for TREE form palms, except of course around Memphis. However, Needle Palms and Dwarf Palmettos are shrubs and have several long-term specimens statewide, even being native to similar climates. Plus, who's to say shrubs aren't good too; yews are usually thought of as trees, but they're grown as shrubs everywhere in Nashville.
--You may not have chosen the right palm. (This goes with the previous tip.) Chinese Windmill Palms, though hardy, are actually less (not more like most palms) hardy in hot-summer climates. It makes me really sad to see people who've tried these, lost them in a few years and replaced them with deciduous bananas.
--Also, even if you've chosen the right palm, you should be careful about seedling/seed sourcing. "Blue Pot" Needle Palms aren't nearly as hardy because they're pushed hard, so watch out for this. Also, seedlings exposed to more similar conditions (as in Arkansas, Virginia and Oklahoma) are generally well suited for a similar climate (as in Tennessee and Maryland), as opposed to ones shipped all the way from Florida to Massachusetts that simply are not acclimated.
--Our soil isn't a problem, either. Needle Palms often deal with poorly-draining/waterlogged soil in the wild, temperate/subtropical evergreens are usually better at dealing with poor soil than their deciduous counterparts, and some parts of Tennessee have silt rather than clay.

What do you think?

As always, I'm not making any of you grow something you don't want to. I have no right to. I was just wondering whether knowing the full details may make a difference for at least some; but it's your yard, so you're entitled to your own preferences.

Spoiler

P.S.: Even once I heard about palms being able to be grown in Tennessee, I was skeptical despite my belief. I sought to prove it by finding somewhere I could see it in person, which in May 2018 I did at The Streets of Indian Lake in Hendersonville. Sure, the Chinese Windmill Palms died, but the Needle Palms beside them looked completely healthy.

Also, it just crossed my mind right before sending this. Evergreens are more efficient at absorbing carbon than a deciduous tree/shrub of the same biomass, the reason being their year-round activity as opposed to having a dormant period. Thus, they could be somewhat more effective at fighting global warming too.

[DubbleT]

I just don't associate them with this part of the country, I've seen people trying to grow cactus here too and to me it looks... forced, for lack of a better word. I feel like trying to grow them in most parts of TN would take a lot of effort and year round dedication.

[Serious Conversation]

I like them and would grow them if we could.

[BamaDave]

Windmill Palms should do pretty well in the warmer parts of Tennessee, especially Memphis and Chattanooga. As you mention, they actually thrive a little better in places where the summers aren't quite as hot; however, clay soil seems to help with that. The Birmingham Zoo is full of Windmill Palms, and I have two good-sized ones about 25 miles north of the city in a semi-rural location that really isn't much warmer during the winter than Memphis. They appreciate some shade and protection from wind, but unfortunately they often get stuck out in full sun, exposed locations in front of Mexican restaurants, motels, and other places going for a tropical look that can look tacky if not managed properly.

The shrub palms you mention, Needle Palms and Sabal minor, should do well almost all over the state. Needle Palms are really beautiful when grown in some shade. Cold hardy palms can integrate well with the normal landscape plants of Tennessee. I think the secret is to blend them in with other "normal" plants as opposed to showcasing them in very exposed locations.

[An Einnseanair]

I'm not a fan of anything that is purely decorative, and I always prefer natural, native plants. With trees, that means I like deciduous trees that provide shade in the summer at a minimum. Or trees that provide some other sort of benefit, such as fruit or nuts, even if only squirrels and deer eat them.

About the only purely decorative tree I would plant would be a Dogwood or Crepe Myrtle (I have lots of both).

I realize that some palms have date-like fruits, but no, I'm just not interested. But if you are selling them, the I wish you luck. Lots of people prefer more "exotic" looking plants and would love a palm tree in their yard.

[Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.]

Originally Posted by An Einnseanair

I realize that some palms have date-like fruits

I'm not growing date palms. They won't grow here, I'm not interested in trying dates, and date palms have poisonous thorns.

Plus, I'm not growing my Needle Palms for fruit. That would be ridiculous; I don't even know if they're edible, and growing everything for fruit would be like raising everything, even dogs and cats, for milk and/or meat. I just prefer a variety of evergreens for biodiversity and winter greenery, of which especially palms and conifers have always felt almost spiritual to me since a very young age.

[An Einnseanair]

You don't have to personally eat something for it to be useful.

I have a large German Shepherd trained as an alert dog. My wife is perfectly safe at home with her on duty. I know people who own and train dogs with specific hunting abilities (tracking, retrieving, etc.), all of which are useful. I refuse to own a genetically mutilated yappy dog whose only purpose is to eat and poop.

I refuse to get a bird-and-wildlife-slaughtering suburban house cat, but I would definitely have a cat if I lived on a rural farm with grain stores to protect (retirement dream, probably just a fantasy).

I don't eat the hickory nuts or acorns in my yard, but the squirrels and deer do enjoy them. Hickory nuts are tasty, but it's a royal pain to extract the meat from the shells.

I'm also a big believer in biodiversity. I have the standard suburban mono-species front yard because it's a cultural requirement, but that's the only reason. My hidden back yard is much more natural, and most of my suburban neighbors would be horrified if they saw it. I have a large variety of trees, bushes and perennial plants, including some whose only "usefulness" is that they are pretty. I didn't plant those; my wife did.

I don't think palm trees are pretty.

If you like the look of palm trees, then by all means grow them. It's your yard. But personally I would not, and answered the poll accordingly.

[keithps]

No palms, even dwarf palms, are native to Tennessee. Your map shows some in Whitfield County, GA, however the USDA disagrees with them being present there (https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SAMI8#). I am mostly against planting any species that are not native to the area, so I would be totally against having palms in TN. There are plenty of struggling native species that we should focus on first.

[kemahkami]

The no votes baffle me. Isn't Tennessee considered subtropical? Those types of areas are THRIVING with palms.

[Sun Belt-lover L.A.M.]

Originally Posted by keithps

No palms, even dwarf palms, are native to Tennessee.

I didn't say they were native to Tennessee.

Originally Posted by ScrappyJoe

The no votes baffle me. Isn't Tennessee considered subtropical? Those types of areas are THRIVING with palms.

Exactly! I can't really say I'm surprised, but certainly disappointed and of the belief that many of these people just don't understand.