Palm trees evoke thoughts of warm climates, endless sunny days and fruity tropical drinks. Just the sight of palm trees can inspire exotic visions of the tropics. Palm trees can grow in many temperate regions of course, but is it possible to grow palm trees in Dallas? The answer is yes, there are several varieties of palm trees that will grow and thrive in Dallas, Texas. Texas is usually thought of as hot and sunny, but that’s not always the case. The Dallas area can see Winters with freezing and below freezing weather and even snow. This is not the best environment for the most common palm tree varieties, like the Mexican fan palms.
Luckily, there are some varieties of very attractive and cold hardy palm trees. A visit to a tree farm in Dallas is an excellent way to get to know some of them. There are two kinds of palm trees – fan palms and feather palms. Within these two groups, there are several choices of Palm Trees Dallas gardeners will love. With all these choices, the only difficulty in finding palm trees suitable for Zone 7 will be choosing from among them.
The dwarf palmetto is native to the Dallas region and grows quite well in bright shady or partly sunny areas. This slow growing fan palm, which is hardy to about -5F degrees and grows to about 6 feet, has the bonus of being drought tolerant. That’s only one example of cold hardy Palm Trees Dallas gardeners can incorporate into the landscape. The Chinese fan palm is another example. Growing to 25 feet, the Chinese fan palm is cold tolerant to 12F degrees and is also drought tolerant. This specimen does best in full sun.
The parlor palm is a slow growing feather palm that can withstand cold to about 15F degrees. The dark green leaves and growth height of 4 feet make the parlor palm a good choice for container growing on a patio, deck or porch. The taller queen palm grows to about 20 feet, has elegant blue-green feathery leaves and produces edible dates.
Adding a tropical touch to a landscape in Dallas is easier when you know what to look for in palm trees. Plant a palm tree appropriate to your hardiness zone, then sit back and relax with a tropical drink to enjoy them.