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Trachycarpus fortunei (Chinese Windmill Palm): Hardy Palm for Temperate Gardens

Chinese Windmill Palm: Tropical Elegance in Cold Climates

One of the hardiest palms, Trachycarpus fortunei (Chinese windmill palm) features single stems topped with large, 4-foot-wide fans of sword-like leaves. It produces large plumes of yellow flowers in early summer; female plants develop bluish-black fruits. This evergreen palm is native to mountainous regions of subtropical Asia.

Key Attributes

Height: Over 30 feet at maturity
Spread: 6 to 10 feet
Growth Pace: Moderate
Light: Full sun to part shade
Moisture: Medium, well-drained soil
Maintenance: Low
Hardiness: Shoot-hardy to Zone 6 with 10 inches of mulch
Features: Showy flowers, showy foliage, showy fruit, evergreen

Care & Propagation

Plant in fertile, well-drained soil; tolerates clay. Shelter from strong winds. Sow seeds at 75°F in spring or fall. Watch for spider mites, scale insects, leaf spots, and root rot.

Other: Trachycarpus Fortunei Yellow Leaf Tips: Nutritional or Environmental Stress; Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora): Large Shrub with Showy White Summer Flower Spikes; Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa): White Flowers, Purple Fruit, Wine-Red Fall Color; Cyrtomium fortunei (Japanese Holly Fern): Evergreen Fern for Shade Gardens; Hosta 'Fortunei Albo-marginata' (Hosta 'Fortunei Albo-marginata'): Green Leaves with Creamy White Margins; Robinia hispida: Rose Acacia; October Daphne (Sedum sieboldii): Mound-Forming with Rosy Flowers & Blue-Green Leaves; Viburnum trilobum (American Cranberry Bush): Maple-Leaf Foliage and Red Fruit; Viburnum × burkwoodii 'Conoy': Fragrant Spring Flowers and Evergreen Foliage; A Showy Winter Garden at Sooke Harbour House

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