Architectural Plants. Christine Shaw

and Robinson Crusoe. It is one of the most frequently planted palms in the world, and is seen by numerous holidaymakers on their travels, who then wish to have their own specimen as a souvenir of a sunny vacation.

      What a pity, then, that its hardiness is not that good. In temperate climates, this palm is reliably hardy only in warm inner cities and mild coastal regions. But, because it is so beautiful, many gardeners are prepared to take a risk and plant it anyway. If this is the case, purchase a plant as large as possible – the bigger the palm, the hardier it is – and find the sunniest spot in the garden.

      For a palm, Phoenix canariensis is fairly quick-growing, so keeping it in a pot is a difficult task. If the winter is fairly dry, it can endure quite low temperatures. If it is a wet winter, this can lead to trouble, as the vulnerable part of the central growth point can rot and never recover. Wrapping the plant up for the winter can help: tie all the foliage together vertically and cover it with something warm but porous, such as hessian (see page 155). With all the leaves huddled together, the tougher outer ones shelter the more delicate inner ones.

      When brown-bitting becomes necessary (the removal of the lower leaves that have become tatty with age), you will need a large saw. Every time a leaf is removed, saw it off at exactly the same distance away from the trunk and at exactly the same angle as all the others. This leads to quite a pleasing decorative effect around the trunk as it ages. Take care when getting too close to the ends of the fronds: they look soft and harmless but can give a surprisingly painful jab.

      Older plants in colder climates can form trunks 4.5m (15ft) tall in around twenty years. Mature plants also form massive clusters of beautiful lush orange fruits. These are inedible, so leave them on the tree.

       Trachycarpus fortunei

       Chusan Palm

      SYN. Chamaerops excelsa

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      Trachycarpus fortunei is the hardiest palm in the world.

      An essential palm for all exotic gardens. This is by far the best palm for temperate gardens because it is the hardiest palm in the world. It is also one of the easiest to cultivate, coping with a wide range of conditions. It is usually on a single trunk, but multi-stemmed plants are sometimes seen. The entire trunk is covered with coarse, shaggy hair, making it instantly recognizable. The leaves are large and fan-shaped. Named in honour of Robert Fortune, the plant explorer, Trachycarpus fortunei is native to central China.

      Although happiest in a sunny spot, this palm can be grown in light levels almost down to full shade, where it remains quite healthy, even if it grows more slowly than it would in a brighter position. Any well-drained soil will do, whether it is clay, loam, peat or chalk, but rich, fertile conditions will always give the best results. It is a greedy plant, and poor soils would benefit from regular applications of well-rotted manure in the spring and early summer.

      Avoid planting where the ground can become waterlogged, as this would be detrimental to the roots. Also avoid planting in a position where it is constantly windy, such as on the seafront or the top of a hill. Although this won’t cause any harm, it will give a battered appearance to the leaves, as they easily bend and shred if exposed to strong breezes, and the whole plant can end up looking miserable.

      Considering that it’s a palm, Trachycarpus fortunei can tolerate ridiculously low temperatures. As long as it is at least 1.2m (4ft) tall, it can cope with winters down to -20°C (-4°F), which is astonishing for such a tropical-looking tree.

      Older plants can produce attractive flowers early in the season. They start off as lumps of yellow close to the trunk and emerge as large arching shapes, which have been wittily referred to as smoked haddocks. The flowers are small but numerous, and gradually ripen to blue-black berries. The whole flowering cycle is interesting to watch, but while this process is happening, the tree is having its energy drained. Ideally, a hardhearted approach should be adopted and the flower buds chopped off at the first sign, so that all available energy can be devoted to leaf production instead.

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      Large, luscious fan-shaped leaves emerge from the top of a hairy trunk.

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      A healthy plant could produce ten new leaves each year.

      Very little maintenance is needed, apart from removing any older leaves as they turn brown. But for those who like a challenge, there is an interesting technique that can be used on the trunk. Popular though Trachycarpus fortunei is, few people would claim that it is beautiful. Its large, hairy trunk. just isn’t that pretty. However, by removing all the hair and exposing the lower waxy layers, you can transform it into a much more tropical-looking addition to the garden. Removing the hair is in no way detrimental to the palm and doesn’t appear to lessen its hardiness. A plant stripped in this way nearly eight years ago and growing in a frost pocket remains perfectly happy.

      The instructions given opposite for this technique are for right-handed gardeners.

      1. Starting at the base of the trunk, tear away at the hairy fibre at ground level until you uncover the first leaf base.

      2. Hold the leaf base in your left hand and slice the right-hand side of it downwards using a very sharp, good-quality, serrated bread knife. Slice around the entire trunk clockwise while peeling away the fibrous surface.

      3. You can now see the very first orangey-cream layer.

      4. This photograph shows the trunk after three leaf bases have been cut away.

      5. Repeat the process, working your way up the trunk.

      6. This photograph is a close-up of the trunk with more of the leaf bases removed.

      7. Keep working your way up the trunk. This photograph shows the finished result after an hour’s work.

      8. Just one trunk will yield a barrowful of fibre. There must be lots of uses for this material but, so far, I’ve failed to discover any!

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      The leaves of Trachycarpus wagnerianus are much stiffer and much more beautiful than those of Trachycarpus fortunei.

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      Trachycarpus ‘Breppo’ is a smarter, tidier form of Trachycarpus fortunei, and it also has a much fatter trunk.

      There are a couple of interesting forms of Trachycarpus fortunei that are well worth mentioning. The first is Trachycarpus wagnerianus, which was once thought to be an entirely separate species.

      The leaves of this palm are smaller than those of Trachycarpus fortunei, but straighter and stiffer, giving the tree a much tidier appearance. It can cope with windy positions slightly better, too, without tearing quite as much. It is slower-growing and can be fairly difficult to track down, which makes it more expensive to buy. If seeds are taken from one of these plants and germinated successfully, usually around 25 per cent will come true to form. The other 75 per cent look exactly the