Planting palms in not-quite-tropical climes

Q: I just returned from a two-week vacation in Maui and am going through withdrawal of tall stately palms; palm fronds that flow in the breeze; short, chubby ones; and all the other varieties we were able to check out. Is there a palm tree I can grow in my garden in Seattle?

A: Well, not those gorgeous tall palms that seem to define the tropics but, yes, there are a couple of palm trees that are dependably hardy in our climate. If you drive down by Alki Beach, or other warmer areas near the water, you'll see big old palm trees that have made it through our coldest winters.

Two of the hardiest palm trees are Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) and Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis).Windmill palms have thick trunks, wider at the top than at the bottom, and grow quickly.

The fan palm is one of the very hardiest, able to withstand temperatures down to 0 degrees (briefly) and tolerate strong winds. It grows much more slowly than the windmill palm and is shrubbier, with sprays of foliage growing out all along the trunk. It has bluish-green leaves and nasty spines on the leaf stalks. I've seen both of these kinds of palms for sale in larger nurseries.

Always be careful when you plant or transplant palms; unlike other plants, if they lose a root, it won't grow back. Soak the root ball before carefully and gently moving a palm into a pot or into the garden.

Q: I have room on an arbor for one climbing rose. What kind would you choose? I'd given up on roses but am resolved to try one more time.

A: It really doesn't matter which one I'd choose — what is it you want in a rose? Fragrance, healthy foliage, a specific color? One of my favorite climbers is 'Sally Holmes,' which has old-fashioned, open flowers in shades of apricot through ivory and is sweetly fragrant.

If you can put up with the nasty thorns, I don't think any rose is prettier or healthier than 'Westerland,' with masses of intensely fragrant, hot apricot-orange flowers.

Q: My forsythia was beautiful when it was in bloom, but now that that's over, it looks sad. How can I prune it or take care of it too minimize how bad it looks 11 months of the year?

A: No sight is more welcome on a dark February day than forsythia's bright blast of yellow flowers. But the plant itself is awkwardly large and gangly, and its foliage is about as plain as a leaf can get. One way to deal with forsythia is to plant it at the back of the border where you won't even notice it when it isn't in flower. Or use forsythia as a scaffold to grow clematis, so you'll get a second season of bloom in that spot.

To control forsythia's size, you can prune it back to 6 inches high every few years after flowering. Or take the best advantage of forsythia's natural shape by cutting out a third of the branches every year, which will encourage it to develop a fountain shape, which is about as good as forsythia gets.

If you get tired of dealing with your unruly shrub, take heart in the fact that a new, diminutive forsythia should be in nurseries soon; Forsythia 'Golden Peep' tops out at a cute and manageable 3 feet high.

Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.