Just picking nits..

Cordyline Australis is a native tree in New Zealand where it is commonly
called the cabbage tree. It is not Australian. Australis in this context
means southern. They do survive and flower in Berkshire but the occasional
hard winter (some time ago) has killed them. They are also quite common in
Ireland.

Wonderful photo - probably the best flowering cordyline I have seen.

Steve

"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
ps.com...
My palm trees are a variant of Cordyline Australis, an Australian Palm.
Known as Torbay Palms in Devon, and not surprisingly, Cornish Palms in
Cornwall.

There are large variety of palm trees grown in Cornwall. As Nick says
many are fairly hardy, but in my experience -5C is the absolute limit
if they are wet, as the ice seems to kill them.

www.trevenacross.co.uk/shop/page4a.htm shows some of the palm trees
grown in Cornwall.

Graham

Dave.C wrote:

Is that what is known as a Torbay palm, Graham? Do you know what its
latin
species name is?

ta,
Dave
"Graham Easterling" wrote in message
oups.com...
Totally OT but I've never known the palm trees so smothered in flowers.

The largest tree in our garden, which after many years without a severe
winter is now well 20 feet tall, is a mass of flowers, and the scent
is amazing.

Picture at www.easterling.freeserve.co.uk/palm.html

The photo was taken around 15:00BST today, notice the deep blue colour
of the sky. Absolutely fantastic now the dirty air has been pushed away
eastwards.

Graham
Penzance