Harvesting and eating homegrown veg is one of life’s joys. Whether it’s picking leaves for a winter salad or harvesting sweetcorn for a summer barbecue, there’s something special about eating veg that you have grown yourself. Not only does it taste so much better than shop-bought, it also couldn’t be fresher or more healthy – or better for the environment, with no packaging or food miles involved. And of course being out in the fresh air and getting your hands in the soil growing your own veg is great for the soul. You don’t need a lot of space either as a container on a sunny doorstep will make a great spot for growing your own tomatoes or chard. Here we share some of our favourite veg to grow. Our choices include recommendations from the Gardeners’ World team and familiar faces from across the gardening industry.
How to Grow and Care for Mexican Fan Palms
23.12.2023 - 19:19 / gardenerspath.com
How to Grow and Care for Mexican Fan Palms Washingtonia robusta
Belonging to a group of plants known as the fan palms, Washingtonia robusta, aka Mexican fan palm, is the largest of all of them.
As the name suggests, this titanic tree is native to Baja, California and west into the Mexican state of Sonora.
Despite its relatively narrow native range, this beloved behemoth is grown the world over in arid, sunny climes from San Diego to Dubai to the Cote d’Azur in France.
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All fan palms love warm weather and W. robusta is no different. This species is eager to grow and is capable of putting on four feet of growth in a single year.
You can learn more about how to grow fan palms in our guide.
If you live somewhere with ample sun and minimal cold weather, read on to find out more about growing your own Mexican fan palm.
And for those of you with a brightly lit corner indoors, never fear! You can take a crack at growing this beautiful specimen inside as well.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Cultivation and HistoryNative to the Sonoran desert and Baja, Mexico, this drought-resistant palm can grow to 100 feet tall.
The crown bears a dense cluster of glossy, green leaves, each about five feet wide and shaped, as the name suggests, like a pleated fan.
The foliage is arranged in a tuft at the top of a tall, unbranched trunk, making it look like a giant upside down mop. It’s this somewhat comical appearance that gave it its common name, “skyduster.”
The genus name, Washingtonia, is a dedication to General George Washington. Dr. H Wendland, a prominent botanist in the late 1800s, bestowed this name on the genus and had to fight
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