Palms for South Florida zone 10

I'm wanting to give my relatives in zone 10 a Christmas Palm to replace a few trees they lost in the last big storm. I've heard that this palm is susceptible to Lethal Yellowing. I'm also looking at the below list. Any suggestions and guidance on type and a good place to buy palms in south Florida these days (near Ft Lauderdale) would be greatly appreciated. Medium size smooth trunk medium growth rate or large specimen slower growth rate. Thanks ns

Christmas Palm.
Macarthur Palm Ptychosperma_macarthuri
Florida silver palm, silver thatch palm, silvertop coccothrinax_argentata
Areca palms, golden cane palm
Mountain Thatch Palm  Thrinax parviflora
Sealing_wax_palm
Buccaneer palm Sseudophoenix_sargentii
Teddy bear palm Dypsis-leptocheilos
Foxtail palm

I can't comment on all those palms since I don't know Florida all that well, but I suspect you could easily handle any of those except Sealing Wax palm (gets too cold there for that one- struggles even in the Keys). I am even less familiar with lethal yellowing ( I know about the disease, but since we basically don't get it here in California, I don't have a good handle on which palms are susceptible and which aren't... but I am pretty sure Thrinax and Coccothrinax are resistant, as is Pseudophoenix. Palms are very cheap in Florida relative to California, so you shouldn't have a problem finding some nice examples of most of those. Expect to pay a lot more for larger Pseudophoenix and Coccothrinax, though as those are slow palms. Pthycosperma, Thrinax and dypsis lutescens (areca palms) should be very cheap and easy to find just about anywhere there. There are multiple palm societies in florida... look on palms.org web site for listings of the palms societies, and you will get names and numbers, and from that, you can find out where best to buy those palms.

I've only been in FL three years and have only been serious about palms in the last year and a half, but I'll put my two cents in anyways. The arecas, foxtails, teddy bears and christmas palms can be commonly found in nurseries and Home Depots in the So. FL area. Typically they are all reasonably priced. The other species are not scarce, except for the sealing wax, but it make take some time to find a nursery that stocks them. For them I would suggest checking out Exotic Palms. The owner, Steve, has a website with all his contact info and a list of his commonly stocked palms. It is www.rarepalm.com. He is also listed in the Garden Watchdog.

I live in zone 9B, but I can tell you all but the sealing wax will do well in your relative's yards. Many of the species you listed are grown up here. I haven't been here long enough to comment on whether or not it's wise. However, if they survive in my zone they should prosper in zone 10A/B. The sealing wax can survive in their area, but not without an extreme amount of care. There it would need many nights of covering it and keeping heat on it. They also need a lot of water, fertilizer and fungicide. I have one in a pot and can attest to the care they require. An interesting option would be Areca vestiaria, it's similar in appearance, but not as touchy about a chill in the air. As for the Christmas palms, it doesn't sound as though Ft. Lauderdale is a friendly area for them. Lethal yellow is still common there, and reports I've seen suggest this palm is highly suspectible to infection.

Chris

Dear Palm Bob and Chris,
Thanks for your suggestions. Much appreciated.
ns

If lethal yellowing is the concern, then the Christmas palm is by far the worst on your list. you should be OK with any of the rest. Why not try a Bottle palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis). I think they're cool.

Try Jesse Durko's, or Jeff Searle's- both will have anything you need. Both these nurseries are in the phone book, abd both have superior reputations because they have good quality plants, reasonably priced, and they know what they are talking about.

Christmas Palm- I have several Christmas palms that are many years old, and I have never lost a one. I like them because they stay a sensible size.

Macarthur Palm Ptychosperma_macarthuri- These will in time get very tall, and are also common looking- not one of my favorites.

Florida silver palm, silver thatch palm, silvertop - great choice, slow growing, but that is good because they are darlings while smaller.

coccothrinax_argentata- one of my very favorites, although mine have gotten much taller than I anticipated and I got much more enjoyment out of them when they were smaller.

Areca palms, golden cane palm- Avoid. Common. Yellow. Ugly. Blech. You can grow nearly any palm in the world here so why get the most overused species in the history of all palms?

Mountain Thatch Palm Thrinax parviflora- Any of the thatches are great choices.

Sealing_wax_palm- Very pricey, like $300 for a decent clump. I have one ten years old and it is surviving but not thriving, and I have babied it every year. Probably not worth it for the casual gardener.

Buccaneer palm Sseudophoenix_sargentii- I love these, but they are pricey as well, and slow growing. Say $200 for a good sized five gallon size.

Teddy bear palm Dypsis-leptocheilos- Easy, beautiful, though not very hurricane proof. Mine have survived, but a couple of them have had to be propped back up after storms.

Foxtail palm- #1 choice for a feather palm. They self prune, are drought tolerant, stay a decent size, have gorgeous fronds and just can't be beat.