Palm trees for the pool – vacation atmosphere in your own garden
In today’s blog entry about palm trees by the pool, I would like to focus on the plant world in our garden and, in particular, our pool oasis. But do palm trees even grow in our latitudes? And what about in winter?
The lawns have been laid out and are regularly maintained and the hedges of emerald thujas and hornbeams are growing steadily. Now it was time to add some Mediterranean flair and bring a few exotic plants into the garden.
Palm trees in the garden – is that possible in Germany?
Thanks to the palm lover of a friend, I was able to borrow an interesting palm book(Winterharte Palmen by Mario Stähler) and study the advantages and disadvantages of the individual species.
The aim was to permanently plant a hardy palm which, in addition to the relatively dry summers, would survive the cold winter months with temperatures as low as -20 C°.
Although temperatures have rarely been in the double-digit minus range in recent winters, there have of course been outliers here too, with -25 C°.
Possible palm trees for the German garden
As I didn’t want to store the plants in the cellar later during the cold winter, the classics such as coconut palm or hemp palm were ruled out. Instead, we opted for a Wagner palm (Trachycarpus fortunei Wagnerianus).
The plant originates from the high Himalayan mountains. However, it was probably imported from Japan. This cultivated plant can withstand temperatures of -18C° (down to -6 C° at the root) and should preferably be placed in a wind-protected, semi-shady spot.
Well, the planned planting site was neither shady nor protected from the wind in any way.
Nevertheless, the high frost tolerance and easy-care properties speak in favor of this palm.
Buy palm trees and accessories online
The purchase of the palm tree went smoothly online and the delivery was fast and in relatively good condition.
I initially planted the palm in a slightly larger pot with palm soil, clay granules and palm fertilizer and placed it in a semi-shady spot in the garden.
As these plants usually come from the greenhouse, I wrapped the palm in a fine protective fleece to prevent sunburn.
Gradually, I placed the palm in the pot in its future planting location and hoped that it would acclimatize well.
After a good 4 weeks of acclimatization, I planted the palm tree in the garden.
- Gesamthöhe 100-120 cm, Stamm 25-35 cm, Topf Ø 30 cm
- Immergrün
- Winterhärte: Schützen unter -13°C
- Bewässerung: Mäßig Wasser geben
- Standort: Leicht Schattig/Sonnig
Planting a palm tree by the pool
First, I dug a suitably sized hole in the ground and filled the bottom with clay granules. Then I added a good portion of palm soil which I had also mixed with clay granules beforehand.
To ensure effective irrigation, a 50 mm drainage pipe was inserted into the hole, which spiraled up the walls of the hole. The palm can later be supplied with water through the upper opening right down to the deeper roots.
Last but not least came the root ball, which I fixed in the hole with the palm soil. The sun protection fleece initially remained over the leaves and I removed it slightly every two days.
After a thorough watering, it was done and we had to keep our fingers crossed.
I laid out weed fleece around the trunk, which I fixed with a round partition made of flexible lawn edging.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 26. July 2024 um 04:45 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
Lava granules instead of bark mulch for the palm tree
And while I spread my white Carrara gravel outside the circle, I first tried dark bark mulch in the inner circle.
However, I had to remove the mulch from the palm tree after a good two months as it was very damp and almost rotten underneath. Although the huge quantities of earthworms I found there were certainly a good sign, the smell of mushrooms was probably less so.
The mulch simply stored too much moisture and deprived the plant of air. The risk of rot and harmful fungi was simply too high. Something else was needed.
I have therefore replaced the mulch with lava granules. Similar to clay granules, the granules store moisture without retaining moisture. It is also heavy enough not to be blown away by the wind.
But the main reason for this decision was certainly the totally brilliant look! Green palm tree on black granules – surrounded by white marble gravel.
Overwintering palm trees in the garden
Disillusionment set in over the following months. The main shoot showed little enthusiasm to produce another leaf and I had to be happy if the plant didn’t die on me.
I also had to plan for winter storage in advance. To this end, I came up with the bold plan to build a mobile and heated greenhouse. I still had squared timber in stock and the double-skin sheets were bought without further ado.
With a base area of 70 x 70 cm and a height of a good 175 cm, the wooden frame was first screwed together and then sealed from the outside with the twin-wall sheets. I left one outer side open so that I could later slide the mobile greenhouse sideways over the palm tree.
I attached the lid on the top with hinges. This gave me the opportunity to ventilate by opening the lid in several positions.
To seal the individual sides, the lid and the door of the greenhouse together, I glued all the transitions with sealing tape.
With the onset of frosty days, the palm greenhouse was then pushed over the plant and protected against wind and weather. I stuffed winter fleece into the joints at the bottom to prevent the cold air from passing through.
The plant itself was also carefully wrapped again in the root area and on the trunk.
An electric heating hose should then provide the heat for forest protection. These heating cables are normally used as forestry protection in rain gutters and water pipes. Its use in gardening is not unusual either.
I laid the heating cable in a spiral around the roots and the trunk under the fleece. The heating hose switched on automatically from +5°C and switched off again from +10°C.
The electricity costs for the following winter months 11.2017 – 03.2018 came to around 50.00 euros.
A thermometer installed in the greenhouse simplified monitoring. And while the lows in the garden were around -15°C, the values in the greenhouse were just under -5°C.
I was a little too quick to remove the winter protection in March, as the first two weeks of spring were followed by another severe onset of winter. The Wagner palm then had to survive this without help – which it did.
As of summer 2018, one year after planting, I can say that everything went well.
The fourth leaf is currently sprouting and a fifth is due.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 26. July 2024 um 04:32 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
Dwarf palm for the garden – Chamaerops humilis
By the way, shortly after I bought my Trachycarpus fortunei Wagnerianus, i.e. Wagner’s palm, there was a special offer at ALDI.
There, dwarf palms (Chamaerops humilis) were offered in pots. Although these palms can also survive -10°C for a short time, they should be brought indoors in winter.
As the price was very reasonable at under 10 euros, I couldn’t go wrong here.
The new dwarf palm was placed in a well-protected, sunny and fairly warm spot on our terrace in front of the house. The palm tree already sprouted a few new leaves in the first few months.
In contrast to the Wagner palm, the dwarf palm spent the winter in the cellar, where I watered it regularly at around 15°C.
Since April the Chamaerops humilis has been back in the garden in the blazing sun with the house wall behind it.
After I repotted the plant in a larger and nicer container, it now sprouts vigorously at least one leaf a week.
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