Architectural Plants. Christine Shaw

of the trunk. If the cuts are all made carefully and to the same size, a pattern starts to form, which gives each palm a cared-for appearance (see photograph, below right).

      If you have plenty of space in the garden and a reasonably generous budget, instead of just planting individual specimens, go for a more natural look. Palms look so much nicer planted in groves of all the same type but of many different sizes. With a bit of imagination, palms grouped together in various stages of maturity can give the impression of having been there for years, with the smaller trees the result of seedlings produced by larger ones.

      Although large palms aren’t the cheapest plants around, if they are looked after properly, it will be money well spent, as healthy palms can live for many decades. Palms should always remain a focal point of the garden, adding more of an exotic presence with each extra year’s growth.

      Palms are low-maintenance plants that suffer very little from pests and diseases. If grown under glass in a greenhouse or conservatory, red spider mites can be a problem. Outside, if the climate is too cold and wet for the chosen type of palm, then leaf spot can become unsightly and spread throughout the entire plant if left unchecked.

      If a very cold winter is forecast and the hardiness of palms selected for planting outside is in doubt, emergency tactics can be applied. Gather all the palm leaves together vertically and tie them up fairly tightly with string. Then wrap hessian, horticultural fleece or any suitable porous material many times around the whole lot and fasten it securely (see page 155). This should protect the most vulnerable parts of the plant – the innermost younger leaf shoots – until the worst of the cold spell is over. Do not use bubble-wrap or polythene, as this could trap excess moisture and lead to rotting.

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      Manicuring palm leaves using a pair of secateurs removes any brown leaf tips that can look unsightly.

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      Butia capitata has had many old leaves removed over several decades, leaving a tidy arrangement of leaf bases.

       Brahea armata

       Blue Hesper Palm

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      The unusual colouring of Brahea armata makes this palm a desirable acquisition.

      SYN. Brahea glauca

       Erythea armata

      A beautiful silvery blue desert palm, native to southern California and Mexico, and named in honour of Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer. It is one of the prettiest palms that can be grown in colder climates, and is often in short supply due to popular demand.

      As well as being one of the most desirable palms, it is also one of the slowest-growing: it can take 15 years to reach 1.8m (6ft) and is therefore usually one of the most expensive to acquire. Buying a decent-sized specimen is essential unless you have great patience and youth on your side.

      In its native environment, Brahea armata can cope with temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F), but the desert conditions mean that it is used to dry, crisp air with just short spells of really cold weather. If it is grown outside in places that experience high rainfall, foggy conditions and prolonged periods of cold during the winter months, then it becomes much trickier getting it to survive.

      Unless warm, dryish winters can be guaranteed, the best way of cultivating Brahea armata is to grow it in a large container. It can then be put outside during the summer and overwintered under glass. Make sure the compost has masses of grit stirred into it to make the drainage exceptionally good. Soil-based compost is preferable to peat. Water the pot well during late spring and summer, and keep fairly dry in late autumn and winter. It is important to feed any palm, especially if it is grown permanently in a container. A couple of handfuls of blood, fish and bone applied in late spring will keep it looking healthy. If Brahea armata is grown outside all year round, choose a warm, sunny spot in a sheltered position.

      Although some huge 12m (40ft) tall specimens can be seen in the wild, Brahea armata palms in general cultivation are unlikely to exceed 3m (10ft).

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      A close-up of the blue, fan-shaped leaves.

       Butia capitata

       Jelly Palm

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      Butia capitata has elegant, arching blue-grey fronds, and is a good choice for mild gardens.

      SYN. Cocos australis

       Cocos capitata

       Cocos corinata

      Butia capitata is an impressively sturdy palm, with large, blue-grey leaves that take the form of arching, feathery fronds. Plants that are raised from seed have a wide colour variation, ranging from greenish-grey through to a pale silvery blue.

      Away from its native habitats of Brazil and Argentina, it is maddeningly slow-growing if planted outside. Regardless of its size when purchased and how long it is nurtured and loved for, the wretched thing seems to stay exactly the same size. Each year new fronds are formed with the promise of adding a little extra height but, as they unfurl and arch gracefully downwards, no visible increase in stature is ever observed.

      With this in mind, buying a good-sized specimen is essential. In temperate climates, plants over 4m (13ft) are rarely seen. Although not very hardy, Butia capitata is such a splendid palm that it is well worth considering even for a cold garden. Planted out in a sunny, sheltered spot, it can be cosseted during the winter by pulling all the leaves up vertically and tying them together, then surrounding the whole plant with layers of horticultural fleece (see page 155). This will keep it cosy until warmer weather returns.

      Alternatively, plant it in a container – the larger the better – and wheel it inside under glass when the temperature drops. Mature plants can be rather weighty, so the purchase of a purpose-built, plant-moving sack barrow would make this job less of a chore. Stand containers in the lightest, sunniest part of the conservatory or greenhouse, where the palms will be quite happy for several months. As soon as the very worst of the winter weather is over, move them back outside. If left for too long inside, they can become susceptible to attacks from red spider mites and scale insects.

       Chamaerops humilis

       Dwarf Fan Palm

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      The leaf stems of Chamaerops humilis are covered with sharp barbs along their entire length.

      Instead of the usual palm tree shape of a mass of leaves on top of a single trunk, Chamaerops humilis is a low-growing, bushy palm with numerous stems coming from the same root system to create its own natural grove. The foliage is made up of copious, stiff fans that form a dense clump. Each leaf petiole (stem) is covered with sharp barbs along the entire length. The leaf colour ranges from green, silvery green to almost