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Palm · Arecaceae Draft — unreviewed

Windmill palm

Trachycarpus fortunei

Also called windmill palm.

Compact, hairy-trunked fan palm and one of the hardiest trunked palms. Brings a palm silhouette to the upper South and sheltered mid-Atlantic gardens.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 4–9 m (13–30 ft) tall and 2–3 m (7–10 ft) wide; slow growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #15 install size.

02468mPlanting1.5 × 1.0 mYear 33.0 × 1.5 mYear 105.0 × 2.0 mMature6.5 × 2.5 m

Design notes

  • Prefers shelter from drying winter wind and afternoon sun in hot areas.
  • In zone 7 cold snaps, wrap the trunk and protect the bud.

Regions

Native range: China and the eastern Himalaya.

Not recorded as native to any of the three pilot regions.

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Mediterranean fan palm
Chamaerops humilis · Palm · 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft)
Date palm
Phoenix dactylifera · Palm · 12–20 m (39–66 ft)
Cabbage palmetto
Sabal palmetto · Palm · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
California fan palm
Washingtonia filifera · Palm · 9–15 m (30–49 ft)
Mexican fan palm
Washingtonia robusta · Palm · 15–25 m (49–82 ft)
Glossy abelia
Abelia × grandiflora · Shrub · 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft)

Plan with Windmill palm

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden