Are there Palm Trees in Madrid Spain?
 

I am visiting Madrid for the first time in November. By that time I suspect most of the trees that lose their leaves will have gone bare. But when I think of Spain I think of warm sunny weather. Maybe Madrid has Palm Trees and other types of greenery that will stay green year around.

So, are there palm trees in Madrid?

Madrid is on a high plateau and is colder than coastal Spain. Check it out--it will surprise you.

This is not the Caribe....for sure !!

Hi, I grow palms in Florida and at one time had over 230 different varieties. I have seen palm trees as far north as Tofino, British Columbia, Canada.

Many palm trees can not handle a frost. I lost several coconut palms due to a frost back in 1989 in Florida. Obviously, these palms would not grow in Madrid. A few did survive in my yard, but they lost all of their green frons for awhile.

However some palms can handle cold nights and temperatures 5-10 degrees below freezing as long as they don't persist. I remember seeing Canary Island Date palms in Madrid. There are many other palms that will grow in Zone 7, 8 and 9, which are zones where frosts occur.

Believe it or not, there are thousands of varieties of palms.

There may be some palm trees in Madrid, but I don't recall seeing them and they must not be common. Common trees in parks there are cypress, sycamore and magnolia, and some pine trees. You just have an incorrect understanding of Spain's geography and climate and are probably influenced only by stories about very southern Spain or something (like Seville).

Having just checked out Weatherbase for a 20 year averge for Nov. the answer is high of 58 low of 39---hardly tropicl.

Here is a link with a photo of a palm tree in Madrid. Enlarge the first photo for the palm.

www.aviewoncities.com/gallery/madrid2.htm

If you email Spanish authorities, telling them how much you love the palm trees and how much you would miss them, may be they can plant some just to make you feel home.

Ireland however does indeed have palm trees.

hehehe, wally...in the botanical garden LOL

Seriously, maybe there are some (I have to say I haven't seen them when I lived in Madrid) but it's not the kind of greenery that usually grows there.
If you want to see palm trees..go to Elche in Alicante's province, the biggest palm tree garden in Europe.

Did anyone look at the link with the pretty palms?

Yes wally34949, I looked at the link - some very nice photos there.

But I really think a solo palm in the botanic gardens or inside the railway station is quite what the OP meant by "Plam Trees in Madrid".

Madrid Parks, Parklands, Gardens: Parks and Gardens in Madrid Area ...Madrid Parks and Gardens (Madrid, Spain) - featuring parks, gardens open to ... to be reassembled piece by piece amongst palm trees and other exotic flora. ...
www.madrid.world-guides.com/parks.html

Hi distant6 traveler:
I have no idea how may palm trees there could be in Madrid but Wally3949's guide to a photo in the Botanic Gardens is a large palm of the Phoenix Canariensis OR Canary Island Date Palm with a smaller one growing to the right.

PalenQ's guide to photos is more obscure as the main plant variety directly in the middle of the photograph is of Ravenala Madagascariensis or more commonly known s the Travellers Palm. This palm variety is very evident on the island of Singapore.
Just in passing: I have in my garden here in South Africa, two Arecastrum romanzoffianum/Cocos plumosa OR simply Cocos or Queen Palm that are well onto one hundred years old!

A couple pictures for you to look at:

http://tinyurl.com/2qlclf

http://tinyurl.com/3y9yg3

http://tinyurl.com/36ma2m

Lobo, don´t give ideas to our town mayor. He might decide that planting palm trees is a good idea after digging up the whole town ...

Seriously, it will depend on how quick the autumn goes. Last year it was late, so we had leaves on the trees until fairly late in the winter. Right now weather is very wet and windy, so I cannot promise you anything.

But the Botanical Gardens are always interesting.

Rgds, Cova

There are palm trees around Templo de Debod, an egyptian temple 2200 years old moved from Egypt and rebuilt in Madrid before been flooded by the building of Assuan dam.

Spain is a very varied country in meteorological terms...Madrid is hot in summer but very cold in winter, so be prepared for at least chilly weather in November.

Last time I was in Madrid in April and it was damn cold..
..in November it will be similar. A winter coat, scarf and gloves will be appropriate. Expect fresh snow in the mountains surrounding Madrid.

The palm tree in the Botanical Garden (Wally's picture) will be moved into a glasshouse.

I was surprised that there were palm trees in Ireland! Not the tall graceful kind but the short stubby kind. It seems that the nuts fall from the trees into the Mediterranean and get carried by the Gulf Stream as far as Ireland. Whaddayuh know?

The nuts come in carefully sealed botanical boxes to Ireland. They grow there (and even in Scotland) because it never gets really cold there because of the gulf stream. In fact, on the British isles there is hardly any difference between summer and winter: it is always raining.

"In fact, on the British isles there is hardly any difference between summer and winter:"

On a trip to Whales a few years ago I was informed that there is a substantial difference between summer and winter weather!!

In summer the rain is vertical
In winter the rain is horizontal

I think it was the guide on the hop on, hop off bus that said they floated there. Maybe they float there in carefully sealed botanical boxes! :-d

(I guess I shouldn't believe everything I hear from a tour guide!)

Let's go back from Ireland to Madrid.

They have a different problem. The stream there, Rio Manzanares, is called "charco ambulante", which means "moving puddle".

Yes there are palm trees in Madrid, not many though, but they can grow, Trachycarpus fortunei, the hardiest of palms, them, Chamaerops humilis(also quite hardy) washingtonia, and phoenix canariensis. The last two can suffer a bit in a very cold winter, but Madrid doesn´t seem to suffer very cold winters, only ocasional. But also the centre of the city has what's called urban heat, which means the temperatures are a little warmer than the outskirts or suburbs. So they can grow more tender plants and trees.

There are palm trees in Atocha station, if you need to see a few.

this thread is from 07. Adu is right, though.

The palm tree in the botanical gardens, the Canary palm, I have seen them growing freely in Toledo province, is one of the most commons in the south, and along the Granada and Malaga coast they are all dying attacked by a red bud that's eating them from inside. It seems the bugs (a flying scarab)came with an uncontrolled import from somewhere. The date palm (very similar) and the washingtonia are the other common varieties here, and they seem to be inmune so far.

TYPO: I repeatedly corrected bug, not bud, but my keyboard thinks for itself.

Hello,

Madrid is the second highest city above sea level in Europe, not sure which city comes first. It is extremely cold in winter and very hot in summer with a more like desert platuea, i do recommend a visit, However the palm trees could be found in Barcelona and the costal areas of Spain, i havent been everywhere in Spain but i currently reside in Barcelona and for sure there are lots of palm trees here!

Enjoy your trip!

Lifestyle Barcelona

There are a few palm trees outside the Principe Pio mall/station, on the plaza - they may be in large (make that huge) pots, I don't recall, but they are there for sure.

kanadajin

Madrid can be cold in winter, but I think "extremely cold" is a bit ridiculous. I'd save that for Moscow.

Yes, it can get cold during the winter in Madrid, relative to Barcelona, but lifesylebc tends to exaggerate somewhat.

And yes, you can find palm trees growing in the garden at the Thyssen, and you'd see a number of them in the Basque country and Green Spain, if you ever venture up that way.

If you consider Madrid cold in winter, I wonder what you would say about my hometown :) We would consider that in January, anything remotely approaching (from below, not above) the freezing point would feel absolutely balmy !