Juania australis at 53° N latitude

Written by David Robinson in 2000 for the European Palm Society, Chamaerops No. 43–44, Autumn Edition 2000. © Karen Foley 2026

“Take this palm, Juania australis – it won’t survive with you. It doesn’t even grow at Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, but try it anyway.” These were the parting words and friendly challenge from Chris Bailes, Curator of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Rosemoor, Devon, England, as I left following a brief visit to the gardens in September 1995. The young plant had been raised from seed collected in Chile by Lady Anne Berry, who had donated her renowned three-hectare garden at Rosemoor to the Royal Horticultural Society.

Back in Ireland I tried to find out something about my new acquisition, a small pinnate-leaved plant about 40 cm high in a 20 cm pot. Information was non-existent in my usual reference works, including the New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening and W. J. Bean’s Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles. Information in books on palms was sparse, although I learned that Juania australis is native to the Juan Fernández Islands (Robinson Crusoe’s island) and is now practically extinct there.

I planted the palm in a sheltered location about one metre from a 1.5-metre-high wall. It receives some morning and evening sun, but is partly protected from midday sun by a five-metre-high Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’ to the south, and from northerly winds by a ten-metre-high self-seeded Eucalyptus cordata. Planted in September 1995, the Juania has grown well and has shown no signs of cold or wind damage. It is now about 2.5 metres tall, with leaves up to 2.2 metres long.

Although warned that Juania was rare and difficult to grow, I treated it no differently from other trees and shrubs in my garden. The roots were carefully disentangled and spread in the planting hole, but no fertiliser was applied, either at planting or subsequently. The plant was kept free of competing weeds by careful spot treatment with glyphosate, and the soil was not disturbed to avoid root injury. No supplementary watering in summer or frost protection in winter was provided.

I do not use insecticides or fungicides on ornamental plants, as these are generally unnecessary under our cool, temperate conditions. In any case, the Juania showed no signs of pests or diseases and proved completely trouble-free.

As can be seen from my website www.earlscliffe.com, my garden is situated on a peninsula just north of Dublin, Ireland. The Hill of Howth rises to 180 metres to the north and provides shelter from cold winds. To the south, the land slopes to the shoreline. This setting, together with the influence of the warm North Atlantic Drift, creates a favourable microclimate.

Air frosts occur regularly from early December to mid-April. The lowest winter minimum is usually about −4 °C, but in December 1995, three months after planting, the temperature fell to −7.5 °C, the lowest recorded since records began in 1969. The winter of 2000–01 was also exceptionally severe, with temperatures falling to −7 °C and remaining below −3 °C for three consecutive days. These conditions had no apparent adverse effect on the young plant.

Summer temperatures are moderate due to the proximity of the sea and rarely exceed 25 °C. The absolute maximum recorded since 1969 was 27.5 °C in August 1995. Average annual rainfall is about 650 mm, evenly distributed, and periods of drought are rare.

The soil is derived from Cambrian shale and quartzite, containing approximately 25% clay and 4.5% organic matter in the top 8 cm. It is mostly acid to neutral (pH 5.0–6.5), in contrast to the alkaline soils common in much of County Dublin.

At present, Juania australis is growing more vigorously in my garden than any other member of the family Arecaceae. The Chusan Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) is normally regarded as the hardiest palm in Ireland, but its growth rate is much slower than that of Juania. I also grow the Mediterranean Fan Palm (Chamaerops humilis) and the Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis), but these, along with genera such as Brahea and Butia, are slow growing.

The complete article from Chamaerops No. 43–44, Autumn Edition 2000, can be accessed here.