Washingtonia filifera.

The last item described how the pampered Washington Palm was moved outside of the Orangery at the Holkham Walled Garden and and cosseted against the cold. These plants have been around for some considerable time; the BBC website carried a feature last week of a  sale on at Bonhams in New Bond Street in London on the 19th January of a double palm frond from Wyoming in the US which is more than 55million years old. It is expected to sell for between £30-50,000 and is pictured below.

All wrapped up

 

The Head Gardener, Tim Marshall is taking no chances with this plant during the winter. How snug it must be beneath all that straw, but what is it and why grow something that needs such cosseting?

This plant is actually a Washington Palm; it should be reasonably hardy but this particular specimen had been leading a pampered life of luxury inside the Orangery and is not used to the cold. It had grown so well that it had been pushing against the glass in the roof so had to be moved outside.  Moving it to its new location proved to be an interesting task, Writtle College horticultural students were roped in to dig out and drag the one and a half ton plant on to a trailer and plant it in the new home.  Has anyone got a photo of the move? It must have been quite a sight.