Trachycarpus - Hardy Palm Growing Guide - 'Chusan Palm'

Trachycarpus fortunei, Chusan Palm or Windmill Palm
By far the easiest hardy palm growing in most parts of the UK. Trachycarpus fortunei occurs naturally in Northern China where it grows on wooded hill sides able to cope with sun and shade whilst being tolerant of heavy rain and damp soils - Perfect for the UK!
Trachycarpus fortunei have big palmate leaves and a hairy fibrous trunk they are head and shoulders above all other hardy palms for growing here in the UK if you want to try a palm this is the one! Amazingly tolerant of most conditions and able to grow quite fast I think every garden should have one (or two) just bear in mind that with such big impressive leaves choose a spot where your chusan will get a little shelter from strong winds… It will grow in exposed positions but always looks better with a little shelter - Invest in one now!!
We grow Chusan Palms in our heavy wet (in winter) and dry (summer!) clay. They positively flourish growing as much as 30cm of trunk a year whilst looking magnificent. People often ask ‘I’ve got a chusan palm what should I plant next?’ my reply is always ‘plant another!’
It should be noted that there are at least nine other species of Trachycarpus in the world along with several different cultivars. One that we consider pretty tough alongside fortunei as a good hardy palm is ‘Wagnerianus’ yes a silly name but a good palm! Waggy’s as they are often known are sometimes described as dwarf trachycarpus, not really the case as the trunks get pretty tall, over 3m but the leaves are smaller and stiffer on stout stems, I like the look of these palms when they are young though they tend to look a little less stunning as they mature, a better choice if it’s a bit windy for fortunei.
Another is Trachycarpus takil with large deep green leaves and eventually slender trunk free from the fibre seen on fortunei.
In my opinion if you really want to collect different Trachycarpus species that’s fine but Trachycarpus fortunei itself is very variable, have a look at a crop of young palms and you will see lots of variation in both colour and leaf structure so my advice is choose a fortunei you like the look of and be happy its going to grow well, be hardy and look spectacular for many years.