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When most people speak of Palm trees their thoughts automatically bring them to warm tropical regions with sandy beaches where fruity drinks with silly colorful umbrellas stuck in them are the norm. Little do they know that there are palms hardy enough for such places as southern Russia, London, Edinburgh, Seattle and Portland. Needless to say those aren’t tropical areas even with global warming. So, with that in mind, let us discuss the various types of Palm trees and surely we can find one to grow in our own neck of the woods or at least indoors.
Date Palms are mostly tall, stately plants with long feathery leaves which fall off to form patterns on the truck. The female palms of 3-6 years of age produce dates from the tiny yellow flowers growing on loosely hanging branches but only when pollinated by a male tree nearby. These grow their leaves in wide, graceful crowns on the top of thick straight trunks sometimes growing in clumps. They can range in height from the dwarf Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix Roebelenii) which makes an exceptional houseplant slow growing to 6 feet tall to the Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera) which originates from the Middle East and grows in the desert to 80 feet high. These are wonderful as specimens planted in rows along avenue and roads.
The Coconut Palm has a curving, leaning trunk, smooth and reaching to 80 feet high with 20 foot long fronds, feathery. Quite a beauty as it waves in the lazy breeze. Great for the seashore, not good in the home garden as the coconuts when they fall can really hurt someone and can become deadly missiles during hurricanes.
Fan Palms have leaves that form a fan shape. Washingtonia Filifera, California Fan Palm grows to 60 feet high with leaves 3-6 feet long standing widely spaced in a full crown. As the leaves die they lay back to form a skirt around the trunk. Hardy to zone 8. Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea Armata)grows to 40 feet tall but slowly. Canopy is 6-8 feet wide and leaves have a blue-silver tint and creamy flowers. These take high heat and arid conditions. Sabal Palmetto, Cabbage Palm, grows slowly to 90 feet. Rather cold hardy, this native to North Carolina has leaves 5-8 feet long, densely packed in round crowns.
Fishtale Palms, Caryota Mitis, slowly gets to 25 feet tall with very tender finely divided, light green foliage. Often grows in clusters.
Triangle Palm (Neodypis Decaryi) likes things on the dry side but will tolerate some water. Stiff upright growing fonds are a gray-green color which curve at the ends giving it a graceful silhouette. Grows 18-20 feet high. Gets its name from triangular shape of trunk formed by leaves growing in three ranks around it.
These are just some of the thousands of Palms growing all over the globe. Visit http://www.justpalmtrees.com for more information and a great selection of Palms from all over the world.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For fun garden facts, amusing stories and a peek at an unfinished novel come visit http://www.helium.com/user/32782
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