Growing palm trees in the UK, no need for plastic
As a Spaniard, paying frequent visits to the U.K., I am very surprised at the shoddy design and limited imagination of your resorts on the South Coast.
In Spain, seaside towns present the most beautiful architecture and delightful promenades, all designed to attract lots of tourists. In England, the reverse seems to be the case.
I went to Brighton this weekend to see the famous new marina and couldn't believe my eyes. There are gigantic palm trees all over the place - and they are all plastic! The marina itself has to be entered via a huge car park which rivals your Spaghetti Junction and there are strange built-up road levels everywhere which disfigure the view from the houses around the marina.
50 species of palm trees which can withstand England's cold weather
Come on councillors of Brighton, surely you can do much better than this? There are about 50 species of palm trees which can withstand England's cold weather and strong winds, so planting plastic trees is just a tacky unappealing and unimaginative.
Maybe they should try planting Washingtonia Robusta (hardy down to -6 degrees Centigrade) or Phoenix Canariensis (hardy down to -9 degrees Centigrade) or Butia Capitata (hardy down to -10 degrees Centigrade) or even Trachycarpus Fortunei (hardy down right down to -17 degrees Centigrade!). Plastic is not fantastic!
By: Joaquin
Comments from visitors
Hi Joaquin: I've lived in Britain for 40 years lived abroad previously, but buy into your opinion. Would it be possible to plant any of the palms you mentioned in a container? Why? I'd like to bonsai them.If you can bonsai an oak, why not a palm? I'd be glad for any info, I'm not a natural gardener, tho' like everyone I have my ideal garden in mind. Thanks in advance :)
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Wow! thanks for the info. Can any oth the 'hardy' palms be grown in a pot? I don'tr want a 20ft. palm with 15ft of trunk. Would love a plam only 6ft x 4ft spread. Is this possible. If one can bonsai an oak, can I bonsai a palm? Info anyone?
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England sooo doesn't have warmer winters! :D It's ridiculous to just think that! Check your sources!
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may I just point out britain has a warmer winter than spain. Check your climates.
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I dont think so - 23-Dec-10 19:15
England does not have cold weather, in the summer, plenty of palm trees can live in britain and already do so were I live - london. But im totally with you on the more palm trees thing
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Too much rubbish in your bin? You could be locked up for that, then the state will take care of you and your rubbish.
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there is no way I would let the council fine me for to much rubbish in my bin and the bin out to long. who do they think they are its unjust unlawful they cant do it they seem to forget they work for us every one needs to stand up and say no
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free woman on the land - 3-Jun-10 14:06
Re: MGZ's comment below...
I take it you are not English? Yet you yourself are nasty, aggresive, violent and vulger!?
I can only assume you are a jealous foreigner, explains a lot ;-)
And yes many palm trees grow here in the south of England, real ones too...
I take it you are not English? Yet you yourself are nasty, aggresive, violent and vulger!?
I can only assume you are a jealous foreigner, explains a lot ;-)
And yes many palm trees grow here in the south of England, real ones too...
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Hi. I would like to point out that I too feel like britain needs more palm trees (I am a local welshman after all). Mind you, I have a feeling that you (Joaquin) havn't been to Worcestershire yet, I've seen quite a few fan palms there (though I have not yet been able to identify them yet).
I've been thinking about going to cornwall recently, purely because I want to see if you are right . My mum went there and said she saw lots of palms and I want to see if she's right. If they are all plastic, mum's stumped. If she is right, your'e stumped (yes that's you Joaquin), and i'll have to say 'Jupiter likes you Ganymede!'.
I've been thinking about going to cornwall recently, purely because I want to see if you are right . My mum went there and said she saw lots of palms and I want to see if she's right. If they are all plastic, mum's stumped. If she is right, your'e stumped (yes that's you Joaquin), and i'll have to say 'Jupiter likes you Ganymede!'.
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Cai James Williams - 20-Dec-09 15:46
I have to agree, the plastic palm trees look ridiculous, care needs to be taking though on suggesting Trachycarpus Fortunei whose large leaves will be browned and shreded by the cold winds. Phoenix Canariensis seems to be the most reliable fastest growing palm for an English maritime climate.
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...so it's true...Palm trees DO grow in England?! I'm a native New Yorker,spent a March week in London and was surprised to see flowers in bloom outdoors! It's amazing the strange things you obsess over in foreign lands.
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boogywstew@aol.com - 1-Oct-09 21:01
So true. There is absolutley no imagination, and understanding of what people like. Even many of the postcards show little imagination from the photogrpahers at many places of interest in the UK.
In Torquay, where Palm trees do grow, I read where, I believe it was the mayor, wanted to chop them down because of - yes, you got it - 'health and safety'. No, not a coconut falling on someone's head, but a leaf that might poke in someon'e eye. He needs 'removing' as a health hazard to the town's economy.
In London, you see many palms in people's terraced house small gardens.
No point in having climate change if we don't seize some of its benefits.
England has now become a growing, wine growing nation, with some quality wines that rank with the best. You don't believe? - True!
The coconut palm found profusely all over Florida is not a native of the State.
It was brought there by almost certainly the early Spaniards. Can you imagine Florida today without palm trees.
So come on sea-side Britain, inject some imagination and lets have some real palms along with our piazzas, and sidewalk cafes. We don't expect the coconuts, but....who knows.....one day. In our changing climate, and our virtual real world, anything can happen - with some IMAGINATION!
In Torquay, where Palm trees do grow, I read where, I believe it was the mayor, wanted to chop them down because of - yes, you got it - 'health and safety'. No, not a coconut falling on someone's head, but a leaf that might poke in someon'e eye. He needs 'removing' as a health hazard to the town's economy.
In London, you see many palms in people's terraced house small gardens.
No point in having climate change if we don't seize some of its benefits.
England has now become a growing, wine growing nation, with some quality wines that rank with the best. You don't believe? - True!
The coconut palm found profusely all over Florida is not a native of the State.
It was brought there by almost certainly the early Spaniards. Can you imagine Florida today without palm trees.
So come on sea-side Britain, inject some imagination and lets have some real palms along with our piazzas, and sidewalk cafes. We don't expect the coconuts, but....who knows.....one day. In our changing climate, and our virtual real world, anything can happen - with some IMAGINATION!
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Brighterbritain - 16-Jun-09 11:08
I'm from Holland and live in the South East. We have a sea climate, but here in the south east it's more of a land climate. We had a very cold winter. We had several days with -15 degrees centrigrade and my Trachycarpus Fortunei was compeletly covered by snow.
The leaves were brown so I thought it didn't survive the harsh winter, but in april new leaves were growing out. So yes, if my palms survive such a winter, palms at the south coast of the UK should be no problem at all.
The leaves were brown so I thought it didn't survive the harsh winter, but in april new leaves were growing out. So yes, if my palms survive such a winter, palms at the south coast of the UK should be no problem at all.
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Real palm trees are the way to go. The fake ones, look fake first of all. Second they do no give any aroma of life inside. Third, they collect dust and are hard to clean when of coarse the fake palm tree is big and tall. Fourth, they don't look as good as a real one. Fifth, is they cost more then the real deal. In my opinion a real palm tree is the only way to go when designing the inside of your home or office or hotel or anything in that matter. I'm not sure about you but I found this great website that has pretty much everything your looking for. A community forum, a place to buy palm trees, and they even give you design ideas for the inside of your home. I thought it was neat and even neat enough to put the website name here. I usually don't do this but here it is. Real Palm Trees All the way...<------thats not it (lol) Its realpalmtrees.com
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theoneandonly - 17-Sep-08 05:33
I agree with Joaquin. I've never been to Brighton but if they plant shoddy plastic palm trees I wouldn't watn to. What misers! If you're going to do a job, do it properly. If there are 50 species of palm trees that withstand our weather then there is no excuse. They would have done better to leave the place bare!
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I agree with Joaquin
My brother visited Brighton Marina and they said they looked tacky and cheap The leaves were unnatural in shape and colour. He has palm trees at his house, so he should know. Why not plant real large palm trees? You are right many will survive the UK climate. I also have over a dozen at mine in the South East of UK, the biggest of which is about 23 feet (7m). Large mature Washingtonia Robusta which actually survive -9C!
Bob
My brother visited Brighton Marina and they said they looked tacky and cheap The leaves were unnatural in shape and colour. He has palm trees at his house, so he should know. Why not plant real large palm trees? You are right many will survive the UK climate. I also have over a dozen at mine in the South East of UK, the biggest of which is about 23 feet (7m). Large mature Washingtonia Robusta which actually survive -9C!
Bob
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criticism is the only and best source for improvements.
how many in the UK are educated to know that?
and Why are English people always so nasty, aggresive, violent and vulger! is it a racial genetic defect?
how many in the UK are educated to know that?
and Why are English people always so nasty, aggresive, violent and vulger! is it a racial genetic defect?
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Spain should use real fish in their paella, they should keep their pubs, give british tourists a sprinkle of their culture, also PLASTIC palm trees, there [i]are[/i] 50 specias, and seeds can't cost quite as much as plastic ones.....
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Eddie: Hi there - here's a turn up for the books, I thoroughly agree with what you say. It is an absolute disgrace that we have such filthy, lazy people in our midst that can't be bothered to take their litter home with them. I live in the middle of rural Northamptonshire, in a very beautiful area of countryside. Frequently we get people driving out to a beauty spot at the bottom of our village, parking up, and having a picnic on the set aside with their kids and dogs. Great, lovely to see people sharing our beautiful countryside. And then what do they do? Pack up all their plates, cutlery etc. very neatly into their car - and drive off home, leaving empty cans, bottles, paper and plastic behind on the grass.
This baffles me, it really does. I despair of some people. How would they feel if I scooped up their detritus, followed them back to their house and dumped the lot in the middle of their beautiful flowerbed? Outraged at a guess. And yet they consider the countryside to be a convenient dustbin for their rubbish. I have seen people actually stopping in a lay-by - where there is a perfectly good wastebin, and empty their ashtray, sweetie papers etc. out onto the road and then drive off. It's unbelievable.
This baffles me, it really does. I despair of some people. How would they feel if I scooped up their detritus, followed them back to their house and dumped the lot in the middle of their beautiful flowerbed? Outraged at a guess. And yet they consider the countryside to be a convenient dustbin for their rubbish. I have seen people actually stopping in a lay-by - where there is a perfectly good wastebin, and empty their ashtray, sweetie papers etc. out onto the road and then drive off. It's unbelievable.
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Real palm trees do, still, grow in Cornwall because of the warm currents off shore. Great place to visit. Much nicer than Spain and keeps the economy at home.
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