Gainesville Palm Tree Nursery

Gainesville Palm Tree Nursery

Some people think it’s difficult to grow palm trees in North Florida.

On the contrary!

The palm tree nursery at Palmco on Pine Island grows over 600 acres of palms, many of which are well-suited to Gainesville and the rest of Alachua County, despite the region’s wide temperature fluctuations.

Gainesville, Florida has a warm humid subtropical climate with hot summers and no dry season. From May through September (the warm season), there are light to moderate rains and thunderstorms nearly every day.

The wettest month ever recorded in the entire state of Florida was in Gainesville in May 1891 when 30.9 inches fell.

During the cold season (from December through February), the area receives drizzle or light rain on most days, but temperatures rarely dip below 42°F. Every few years, however, the city has about two weeks of temperatures at or below freezing. Gainesville also experienced light snow in 1989, 1996, and in 2010, but the all-time record low of 6°F occurred on February 13, 1899.

What does all of this climate information mean?

The USDA Hardiness Zone for Alachua County straddles USDA Hardiness Zones 8b and 9a. In terms of growing palm trees, you will need varieties with cold tolerance, called cold-hardy palms.

Believe it or not, there are some palm tree species that can withstand deep winter freezes in subzero temperatures.

Described below are several of the beautiful cold-hardy palms we grow at Palmco.

Cold Hardy Palm Trees