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November, 2001
Palm of the Month
Coccothrinax
argentata
"The Silver Palm"
 As
watering exotic plants, (including our gorgeous selection of water-hungry Southeast
Asian palms), becomes a luxury practice that more and more homeowners cannot or
will not continue, our sights turn towards native plants! For November, 2001, we
turn to a Florida & Bahamas native palm: the Coccothrinax argentata, or Silver Palm!
Florida's native Coccothrinax argentata can sometimes
be found growing with its roots wedged within cranks on limestone outcroppings, or its
trunks blackened by Everglades' brush fires: that's durability and hardiness, palm
lovers! This species which is native to Florida, Hispaniola, and the Bahama Islands
can be neglected (although care is always likely to produce a "lusher" palm),
and will STILL be a dependable landscaping specimen palm, in Zones 10, and 11!
Its attributes that have won it Palm of the Month
kudos, are the following:
1. salt tolerance is high (great for seaside planting!)
2. very high drought tolerance (good for xeriscaping!!)
3. tolerant of numerous soil compositions!
4. moderate light requirements (light shade is "OK!")
5. no feed for a regular palm feeding program (survives on its own)
6. small size is easy to maintain, and is "just right" for the
average  homeowners' lots!
7. NO PEST PROBLEMS.
8. Perfect for specimen use in a tropical-looking garden bed!
9. No irritants to humans (including spines or barbs!!)
This is a palm of grace, form and admirable
stature! It is an "ideal" palm for an exotic "Florida or Caribbean
Look" without the copious amounts of watering, and/or fertilisation, that Southeast
Asian palm specimens often truly demand! In this new Millenium, supplemental
watering will most likely be banned, or certainly, severely restricted. "The
Silver Palm" serves our needs well in these times of limited water resources, in many
of the palm-growing regions of the world, including the Caribbean, Florida, and Queensland
Australia! It deserves your consideration and has justly earned the
"crown" of November, 2001's:
Palm of
the
Month!
Paul,
"The Palm Doctor!" |
