JuniPerez
04-21-2010, 07:04 AM
Hello!
I got a huge surprise this past weekend when I visited my local Walmart. I was browsing their gardening department when some bright blue containers caught my eye. Our Walmart here sells a lot of, and only, Queen Palms for some reason... BUT these guys looked like windmill palms! AND THEY WERE! The label said Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). Then I noticed another one across the isle, a Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix)... then a European Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis). I was in heaven! There were also cycads like Sago and Coontie, but these palms stood out for me. All were in 3-gallon pots (a little less... like 2-point-something) priced at $18.88. Yet the trees seemed slightly bigger than the 3-gallon palms I've bought online and much healthier looking. I picked up a few, except the Euro fan - apparently someone got bored and snapped the fronds and I wasn't going to try to save it, much less pay full price! I hope they got pricked!
Back when I started collecting cold-hardy palm trees & bananas, about 5 years ago, I asked at this Walmart if they had any or could see if any other stores do. The guy in the gardening department laughed and said "Cold-hardy palm trees? Palm trees are tropical... tropical means warm... warm means not-Rochester!" I haven't seen him there lately but I so wanted to shove one of these palms up his behind and do the I-told-you-so dance in his face.
I guess cold-hardy palms have gone mainstream. Has anyone else seen these? The pots are blue (might vary... dunno) and are sold under the brand name "Cold Zone". Label claims they're grown by Costa Farms in Florida. I wonder if they also sell the cold hardy bananas and other tropicalesques.
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I got a huge surprise this past weekend when I visited my local Walmart. I was browsing their gardening department when some bright blue containers caught my eye. Our Walmart here sells a lot of, and only, Queen Palms for some reason... BUT these guys looked like windmill palms! AND THEY WERE! The label said Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). Then I noticed another one across the isle, a Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix)... then a European Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis). I was in heaven! There were also cycads like Sago and Coontie, but these palms stood out for me. All were in 3-gallon pots (a little less... like 2-point-something) priced at $18.88. Yet the trees seemed slightly bigger than the 3-gallon palms I've bought online and much healthier looking. I picked up a few, except the Euro fan - apparently someone got bored and snapped the fronds and I wasn't going to try to save it, much less pay full price! I hope they got pricked!
Back when I started collecting cold-hardy palm trees & bananas, about 5 years ago, I asked at this Walmart if they had any or could see if any other stores do. The guy in the gardening department laughed and said "Cold-hardy palm trees? Palm trees are tropical... tropical means warm... warm means not-Rochester!" I haven't seen him there lately but I so wanted to shove one of these palms up his behind and do the I-told-you-so dance in his face.
I guess cold-hardy palms have gone mainstream. Has anyone else seen these? The pots are blue (might vary... dunno) and are sold under the brand name "Cold Zone". Label claims they're grown by Costa Farms in Florida. I wonder if they also sell the cold hardy bananas and other tropicalesques.
Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter (http://www.twitpic.com/1guwib)