Category: Palms

Friends, besides the  good-old dependable Windmill Fan Palm or Chinese  Fan Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), there IS another palm just as hardy for the PNW.  It is a close cousin called Trachycarpus wagnerianus, or “Waggie” for short (by the way, trachycarpus means “hairy body” or hairy trunk in our case).

Waggies have smaller, tighter, stiffer palms than fortunei.  The crown as a whole isn’t as wide, and some people think the overall look is more elegant and handsome.  You should decide for yourself.  While somewhat slower in growth, it will have no problem reaching a height of 30′ or 40′ or more, just like its cousin.  And,  most important, they are just as hardy.

It is the exciting to know there are more choices!  And here at Raintree Tropical we’re excited to be raising waggies from our own seed. Our first generation,  germinated in 2013, is now at 5 and 7 gallon size, 2 – 3′ in size.  We also have some planted in the ground in our fields (and they are alittle bigger).

This is the cycad Macrozamia reidlei.  Cycads are cool because they are the primitive palms.  They were around when Dinosaurs dominated the planet.  They are rare to see in the PNW.  The one most people are familiar with is the sago palm, Cycas revoluta, but there are many more, diverse and beautiful, as only a cycads can be.

Macrozamia reidlei is big and brawny, but doesn’t like freezing wet weather.  It goes inside for the winter.  It is found in western Australia, with winter lows at 40 degrees.

They need good drainage and have compact root systems that don’t mind confinement in a small pot.  To swallow them in a big pot with a heavy peat potting mix is certain to induce root rot.    Like all cycads they are slow growing and one flush of a rosette of new leaves a year is good for our region.  Good light with alittle afternoon shade (in August) makes them happy.     And don’t forget to feed it now and then.