The Windmill Palm is a small palm tree with a straight, slender trunk and orbicular, fan-shaped leaves. It is one of the most cold hardy palms and can be grown in areas that receive snowfall. It is the hardiest palm tree that has a trunk. A few other species are slightly hardier but they are shrubby species that usually have subterranean stems. It is grown as far north as the coastal Pacific northwest, northern Georgia and coastal northern Virginia. It is an attractive palm that has dark green, windmill-shaped leaves and clusters of bright yellow flowers. It is a good plant to give a tropical atmosphere in a temperate garden, along with hardy bananas and large-leaved magnolias. Native to Asia. It is also called the Chinese Windmill Palm and the Chusan Palm. Hardy in zones 7-12.
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Growing Instructions for the Windmill Palm
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- Soak the seed in water for 24 hours. 2. The seeds like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. Water the mixture so that it is moist but not wet. 3. Put the seeds on the soil. 4. Cover the seeds with a ½ inch thick layer of soil. 5. Water the seeds. They take 1 to 3 months to sprout. 6. Place the pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun or part shade. 7. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.