roughly how big will a Phoenix Canariensis be after 10 years?

Hi i have a 1ft tall Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix Canariensis) which i have just planted in the ground. i'd like to know roughly how tall and how wide it could be in the next 10 years? i am on the north east coast of the UK, but we only get an absolute low temperature of around -8 deg C in a winter.

 

Personally I dont think it stands a chance.:th_scifD36:

I'd be interested to know if you have any big ones, of long standing, growing in your area?

I've never managed to establish one here in Kent, but then I'm inland and not on the coast, I have seen some old and large ones growing in very small front gardens in coastal towns around Kent.

I think you need to start with a large plant if possible, but maybe you could protect yours for a few years during winter.
As I said not managed to establish one so cant help on how big it might be in 10yrs, but if they like you they get very wide before going upwards, so they need loads of space.

 

Hi there Teen Gardender and welcome to GC and gardening.

If you were here where I am in Portugal, your little plant would be ten times it's size in ten years .. but as Pete says .. it aint gonna happen there kid!

 

If you want a palm, go for Trachycarpus fortunei, or T. wagnerianus.

Both will survive -8C quite well.

 

I guess only time will tell Teen, I hope you can come back with a picture of a 20foot tall tree in ten years. Good luck to you.

 

Great palms but not hardy in the vast majority of the UK.

Will probably plant a couple of small ones as part of a bedding scheme this year but wont expect them to be any more than plants for this year.

Fast growers though, so if you want it to stay with you for a few years then it may be worth keeping in a pot and putting somewhere safe for winter, you wont get tree like proportions in a pot but at least you can enjoy it for more than one summer.

 

Lost all of mine now, I had one that lasted from 1998-2008 in a very protected spot. :(

Trachycarpus is your best bet, love mine. Even my very well established Chamaerops humilis has taken a beating to the core, I hope it survives ! :(

 

Likewise BM my cidp croaked and I spear pulled one of my Chamys and they were a fair size and age.

Another winter like this one would kill a small (1ft high) Phoenix outright.

A Trachy is more expensive than a Phoenix but it will be an investment.

 

thanks for the info everyone, since it's quite vulnerable i'd be happy with always having a small plant. if it does die for whatever reason, B&Q is only 5 minutes away so i'd go get another one anyway

and yeah i think i might try a Trachy, but i'd buy a big one just to be safe :D