Sorry Clive, I may have to take issue with you there. There are now
several species that are recognised as being suitable for many gardens
in the UK *provided* they are not planted in frost hollows or on very
heavy clay soils. Firstly, the ones you mentioned:

Trachycarpus fortunei:

Very hardy throughout the UK, but very prone to wind damage and can
look a total mess in exposed areas. The large, rich green 'fans' can
grow to around 1.2 m across in well grown specimens. I have a
love/hate relationship with this plant because it is extremely
difficult to find a really pristine example. Good ones are fabulous
but rare., The commonly seen wind-tattered examples are extremely
ugly. Eventually it can grows to around 12 - 18m. high in the UK but
is very slow growing in colder regions. Expect up to 30cms of trunk
extension per year in the far south-west and half or a third of that
in the north. Full sun or light shade for this one, plus a rich, well
drained, but moist soil. This species will tolerate clay, but hates
being water-logged for long - especially when young.

Chamaerops humilis:

(Cham. excelsa is the old name for Trachycarpus fortunei) is a
moderate sized palm, most often forming broad clumps of green,
glaucous, silvery or even blue foliage according to origin.
Occasionally you will see plants with a main solitary stem plus a few
secondary 'suckers', but most form broad domes of foliage, There are
dwarf forms found in Sicily that grow to no more than 1.2m high, but
you can also see massive plants even in the UK. Some of the largest
are here in Torquay where they grow to 4m high and across. The fans
are more finely divided than those of T. fortunei and often have a
waxy-white scale on the leaf undersides. The leaf stems (petioles)
are toothed whilst those of Trachycarpus are smooth. The most
colourful form of this species comes from the Atlas Mountains in N.
Africa and has icy blue leaf fans. Afforded varietal status,
Chamaerops humilis 'cerifera' is very hardy, forming a dense clump in
time. It's a fabulous small palm and ideal for those wanting to try
something different. Full sun for all forms of Chamaerops and a
sharply drained soil gives best results. Drought tolerant when
established, it grows better and faster with summer irrigation. Hardy
in many parts of the UK

Then we have….

Trachycarpus wagnerianum:

A better choice for exposed spots, but can still suffer leaf damage
from harsh, winter winds. Slower growing than the above and not quite
so hardy, but you would only notice that in an exceptionally cold
winter. The leaf fans are smaller and more leathery. they are also
carried closer to the trunk, giving the plant a more compact
appearance. It hasn't been grown widely in the UK until recently and
there are probably no plants around that are more than a few metres
high.

Jubaea chilensis - Chilean Wine Palm

Probably the hardiest of all 'feather' palms bearing long, rich green
fronds on massive, fat, smooth grey trunks. A solitary species native
to Chile, it is desperately slow in our climate, but proven to be
hardy down to minus 10C or more for short periods. It takes half a
lifetime to reach trunking size and eventually reaches 15 - 8m in the
UK. Very few were planted in Victorian days, the largest (also here
in TQ) in mainland Britain is now well over 120 years old. It is a
wonderful species with very finely divided fronds to 2.5m. long,
semi-erect in young plants but gracefully arching on trunked
specimens. If you can afford the heroic prices charged for
youngsters, plant in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot in rich, slightly
acid, well-drained but moist soil.

Butia capitata - Pindo or Jelly Palm.

Arguably the second hardiest of the 'feather' palms and distantly
related to Jubaea. Depending upon where you live, this is a moderate
to slow growing species bearing very strongly arching fronds to over
2m. long. Leaf colour varies, but the most commonly seen plants have
glaucous foliage. The green leaved forms are thought to be slightly
hardier and will continue growing throughout the year in more
southerly counties. This species eventually develops a solitary stout
trunk, heavily clad in old leaf bases and can grow to 15m. in warmer
countries. Here, 5m. would be a good size, but there are none of that
height at the moment. In terms of hardiness (bearing in mind that
winter rains can do more damage than cold) It can be grown in most
regions where winter lows remain above minus 7C. A well drained, rich
soil and a sunny spot suits this palm well. It is quite wind tolerant
and an excellent choice for south coastal gardens.

Phoenix canariensis - Canary Island Date Palm

This has become widely planted in the past 5 years and is now becoming
recognised as being far more cold tolerant than originally thought.
About the same in hardiness to the above, it resents cold, heavy wet
soils and really must have full sun to grow well in summer.
Eventually massive, it produces bright, glossy green fronds to well
over 2.5m in length. The trunk is big, growing to 80cms. or more in
diameter before commencing any upwards growth. The tallest in the UK
is about 12m. high (again here in TQ) and is over 115 years old.
Ultimate height can be 20+m. but we are unlikely to see that in this
country. Sadly 'Designer Gardeners' have a tendency to plonk this
species amongst ferns and the like in light, moist shade. Foolish
boys! The plants have little chance of making any growth since they
crave summer heat. Find a hot, sun-baked corner and be prepared to
shift everything out of the way as it slowly increases in size.

Brahea armata - Mexican Fan Palm

If you live in the east where winters are cold but rainfall is low,
this might be the one to try if space is limited. Cold hardy down to
around minus 8C (when dry) it carries spectacularly silvery-blue (I
prefer the to describe the colour as iced turquoise) fans to around
80cms. across. Most often seen as a solitary trunking specimen, old
plants develop several trunks and can become quite bulky in time. It
is a slow species - especially in the UK and is far more likely to be
damaged by winter wet than cold. Give it very sharp drainage and a
hot sunny position for the fastest growth. I doubt whether plants
would reach much more than 5m. in this country, but there are a few
that are already nearly 4m. high.

The above plants are grown with considerable success as far north as
South Yorks and beyond. Each year, the growing band of UK based palm
enthusiasts report remarkable successes in places previously
considered impossible. Those living in the milder, near frost free
regions of the country have upwards of 30 different species from which
to choose. I had to chuckle at the BBC earlier this week when they
made claims that palms will become widespread with the increasing
warming of our climate. This is very old news - they are already
being grown throughout the land and have been 'marching' inexorably
northwards for the past decade at least!
David Poole
TORQUAY UK