| The Cold Hardy Windmill Fan Palm tree originated on | | | | A coarse green wax covers the leaves and stems to |
| the island of Chusan off the east coast of China, and | | | | make the Windmill Palm tree even more cold hardy. |
| the Windmill palm tree is often called the Chinese or | | | | The Windmill Palm tree is most often grown as a |
| Chusan Fan Palm. Robert Fortune smuggled Windmill | | | | solitary, single trunk plant, however, some Windmill Palm |
| palm plants from China into the Kew Horticultural | | | | nursery growers offer double or triple trees growing in |
| Gardens and into the Royal garden of Prince Albert of | | | | the same container as large as 100 gallons. These |
| England in 1849 after the Opium Wars of China ended. | | | | huge 10 foot tall Windmill Palm trees are choice, tropical |
| The Windmill Palm tree was named in Latin, | | | | looking specimens for malls and at entrances to |
| Trachycarpus fortunei, after Robert Fortune, and after | | | | governmental buildings. The Windmill Palm tree can be |
| 158 years, in the year 2007, these Windmill Fan Palm | | | | easily shipped by UPS on short orders, and large |
| trees are still growing gracefully as a distinguished, | | | | Windmill Palm trees can be shipped by semi-truck, |
| exotic, rare tree at Kew Gardens, a palm of noble | | | | motor freight lines. Shipping Windmill Palm trees can be |
| bearing. | | | | easily done any season, and the survival rate is |
| From Kew Gardens in England, the Windmill Palm tree | | | | excellent for large specimens. Very large specimens |
| was spread throughout Europe, from the | | | | of Windmill Palm trees have been recently installed at |
| Mediterranean hot climates of Italy and Greece to a | | | | the entrance of the new Cloister Resort Hotel-a 5-star |
| cold hardy testing ground in the landscape gardens of | | | | hotel-located at Sea Island, Georgia, where the Windmill |
| Switzerland and Bulgaria, where the Windmill Palm | | | | Palm tree is not only tropical in appearance and cold |
| trees have remarkably survived, leaves even | | | | hardy, but completely resistant to the Atlantic Ocean |
| remaining green when covered with ice or snow. | | | | salt water air problems. The Cloister hotel has grown |
| During the past seven years, truckloads of Windmill | | | | smaller Windmill Palm trees at various out buildings for |
| Fan Palm trees have been transported and planted in | | | | past years successfully. The expense of installing large |
| Canada and have survived the extreme cold winters | | | | Windmill Palm trees can be offset by planting small |
| in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, and | | | | specimens that can be expected to grow about one |
| Michigan. | | | | foot each year. Because of the recent success of |
| Although most Windmill Palm nursery growers are | | | | planting large specimen trees of the tropical looking |
| conservative in recommending the Windmill Palm tree | | | | Windmill Palm tree in Canada and Northern U.S. States, |
| planting to be restricted to growing in zones 8-10; other | | | | many gardeners are now experimenting with planting |
| Windmill Palm Nursery growers recommend and | | | | small Windmill Palm trees in the North, before the plant |
| guarantee this rare palm tree to grow in zones 3-10. | | | | has developed a sufficient dense fiber covering to |
| There has been a rush by Northern nursery retailers to | | | | make the tree cold hardy enough to survive the deep |
| plant Windmill Palm trees for the home gardener, who | | | | freezes in the Northern States. |
| wants that tropical look and accent around his pool or | | | | Typically the Windmill Palm tree has a history of |
| patio. The Windmill Palm tree is planted at plant | | | | surviving over 150 years of age in the Western World |
| nurseries from seed, where they grow about one foot | | | | at a height of 40 feet, but accurate reports of Windmill |
| each year. The slow growth of the Windmill Palm is | | | | Palm trees, native to the Island of Chusan in Eastern |
| partially responsible for its cold hardiness. Another | | | | China, do not exist in translated texts, but conceivably |
| characteristic that is inherently cold hardy is that the | | | | could reach 100 feet in height. The rapid growth of |
| fibers that cover the trunk insulate the growing center | | | | Western influence on the development of China will |
| of the tree. The brown-gray color of the burlap-like | | | | undoubtedly reveal many more interesting botanical, |
| fibers cover the trunk like a wool covering in winter, | | | | developmental facts concerning the Windmill Palm tree |
| and the dark color attracts the warmth of the sunlight. | | | | in the near future. |