John Innes No. 2

thanks for that mate how do you get your palms to survive the winter outside over here. I have some small palms and lost a couple over winter do you wrap them in the winter and would i be right using John innes no.3 for my phoenix canariensis and my fan palms cheers Rob {tropicalplant} bristol. ps that palm you got is brilliant.

Ah, well that palm is in a client's garden, not mine, Tropicalplant, but you're right, it is rather magnificent. In a very, very sheltered back garden which is paved and very sunny in that corner.
John Innes No. 3 is fine for mature plants, if not so mature, stick to No. 2.
Re winter survival, the only reliably hardy palm over here is Trachycarpus fortunei - all the rest can be vulnerable, some more than others. For instance, people have grown Cordylines in this country for years, but this last winter, which was unlike any of the recent mild winters we've been having, thousands of Cordylines either died or were killed back to the base. Advice with those is to raise all the foliage up and tie it, then wrap in fleece for the winter outside, done in late autumn, but mostly we've been getting away with not doing that for years in the south.
Phoenix canariensis really does need a lot of protection, needs removing to a frost free greenhouse or similar, so most people grow them in pots for ease of moving around. For other palms, bubble wrap round the pots, and thick, or several layers of thin, horticultural fleece around topgrowth, move to sheltered areas if in pots, preferably somewhere mostly out of the rain. Against the house wall is a pretty good place, out of the east or northerly winds and on paving is best too - stone is warmer than soil in the winter.

ok thanks again bamboo for your valid advice i now feel confident that my favourite plants will survive the winters ahead. kind regards rob tropicalplant

I forgot to say regarding over wintering, it also depends where you live in the UK - near the sea is a lot warmer than inland, and south is obviously a lot warmer than, say, Yorkshire, lol!

Tropicalplant
Also put some straw or an old jumper in the crowns of palms and tree ferns to stop the water freezing and killing them ..

thanks bamboo i live on the edge of sunny bristol and is probably a bit warmer than yorkshire and thanks also to mushybanana for that advice will give plenty of tlc cheers !