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Examples of pseudo-palms are the various dracanae (dragon tree) species, often grown in UK as indoor plants (popular in restaurants), and cordylines, grown outdoors in many UK gardens and often called cabbage palms or New Zealand palms. Cordylines are neither cabbages nor palms, although some species do originate in New Zealand. They have long strap-like leaves at the top of a bare trunk, and grow much faster than palms. They are attractive plants, but they are not palms.
Many authorities regard this as the hardiest true palm (it is generally accepted that it is the hardiest trunk forming palm), and it is the only one at all widely grown in Britain. It is common in public parks around the south west coastal areas of England and is also grown in south west Scotland. The Royal Horticultural Society is widely regarded as the ultimate fount of all wisdom on horticultural matters in Britain, and its "Gardeners' Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers" classifies it as hardy down to -5C (23F). (The book has only 4 categories: tender, down to 0C (32F), down to -5C (23F) and down to -15C (5F)). Huw Collingbourne, who grows it in north Devon, England, claims it can take -15C or lower, and says it has been known to survive -20C. Richard Woo, in Canada, rates it the third hardiest palm and puts it in the category that can take 5F to 10F. Leonard Holmes, in Virginia says it loses its leaves below 10F and is killed below 5F. Mine is still thriving (2010) after having survived our coldest January for 10 years in 1997, snow again on several occasions since (132,822 byte picture) and our coldest winter for 30 years at the begining of 2010, followed by an even colder period in November and December of that year.
This plant produces separate stems for its male and female flowers. Mine produces male flowers every year, a mass of tiny yellow flowers in a solid wodge which I have seen described as looking like a smoked haddock! (See the second and third photos below.) Mine produces several of these wodges each year. The female flowers are a much less obvious loose spray with a young berry at the end of each twiglet. I have only seen them on my plant twice in the sixteen years I have had it.
This is the plant I would recommend as the key feature for any exotic garden in the southern half of Britain (and perhaps beyond) other than the mildest parts of Cornwall where more tender plants will thrive. The alternatives are either less effective or less reliably hardy. These photos give some idea what it looks like (click on the thumbnails to see larger images).
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The RHS book does not list it, so no guidance on hardiness is available there. Huw Collingbourne says it will stand -15C (5F) or lower. Richard Woo rates it the hardiest, capable of surviving 0F to -5F (-18C to -20C)! Leonard Holme also gives this temperature, but for established plants, and adds that it likes warm summers. It may well be that it is less hardy in Britain, where summers are cooler and winters wetter, than in Philadelphia or Canada.
The RHS book classifies it as standing 0C (32F). Huw Collingbourne says it can take -10C (14F), and this is also in Britain. Richard Woo classifies it with Trachycarpus fortunei in the 5F to 10F range. Leonard Holmes gives no temperature range for it except to say it is rated as a zone 8 palm. He also says it likes dryish winter soil and gives it very well drained conditions "as for a cactus bed".
The RHS book, however, says it needs a minimum temperature of 5C (41F). Huw Collingbourne says it can stand -10C (14F), not significantly different from Leonard Holmes who says it is often killed below 10F. Richard Woo puts it in the 10F to 15F category.
Andrew Withey, who grows it in his garden in Reading, says it is "probably hardy to about -10C. I wrap my specimen up well during winter as I have found that, whilst the plant does not seem to mind them, hard frosts cause unsightly spots on affected fronds".
I may be tempted to try it now the Phoenix has failed (see next item).
Small specimens were widely available in ordinary shops around here during summer 2000, so compared with most palms they were cheap to buy. I tried a larger specimen from a nursery and planted it in a raised bed with added grit. During the winter I tied the fronds together and wrapped it in several layers of fleece to protect the growing point from frost. We had an exceptionally wet, mild autumn and winter, so much so that at one time it was standing in water. In spring the younger, central fronds rotted at the base, leading me to think it had drowned, but in late summer it produced several new ones. The following winter (2001-2) I left it unwrapped to encourage air flow in the centre - of course we had a drier, colder winter and it died.
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