Sabal var. Birmingham

So it might be apparent by now that I have a bit of an eccentric side. But the acquisition of this palm was even a little extreme for me. I learmed that a nursery in Central North Carolina carried this cold hardy strain of Sabal Palmetto. The problem was that they don't ship. Sounds like the makings of a road trip, right?

800 miles (round trip) later, I was the proud owner of two S. var Birmingham. This one is cited in my back yard micro climate, protected from the direct north winds by my neighbor's garage. It did well last winter with a moderate amount of protection (plastic enclosure, no heat). It suffered no leaf damage, and I think that by the fourth winter, I'll give it a go alone. It's sending up new fronds and seems to love the location.

Anything that can survive in my back yard is indeed hardy - the soil is actually a 100 year old collection of various forms of trash, from shredded beer cans to old bottles of poppers. Certainly an ecclectic collection of urban mulch, wouldn't you say?