The Palms Plaza

First off let me say that when they built this new retail area and called it The Palms Plaza and planted all these palm trees, I was a bit perplexed. I still am. It just doesn't seem to go with the general ambiance of Vancouver, Washington! There are numerous palms planted there, and so I had to look them up. Near as I can tell they are a Windmill Palm, a cold hardy palm tree. Many local landscapes feature this palm, as I have seen them before. But the overall look of this retail space seems to be trying to capture a desert oasis, and when I see it, I am perplexed all over again. They do have many trees with this burlap wrap on the trunk, to further protect it, I assume.

I got the idea to do this blip from another blipper, While On My Runs, who talked about the native New Zealand palm. I thought..Aha! I can stop by this shopping area on my way to the video store.

I waited until the temperature cycled 'round again, so you can see that at Noon, on this day in April, it is 51 degrees (F, not C). Yes, this is officially the 2nd coldest April on record.

This place is anchored by a big 24 Hour Fitness, which is where our son played a lively pick up game of basketball a few years ago and blew out his ACL and did the surgery and rehab and the whole 9 yards. Thank heaven he works at UPS and has excellent insurance.

This is also my official "tree" blip for Missymoo's challenge.

Windmill Palm
The cold hardy Windmill Palm is sometimes referred as the Chinese Windmill Palm and is also known as the Chusan palm. The Windmill Palm can be found at the foothills of the Himalyan Mountains. As such, the Windmill Palm is a cold hardy palm, which has adapted and acclimated to extreme cold temperatures through-out the year and is one of the cold hardiest of palms. Windmill Palm is very tolerant of the sun and tolerant of partial shade. Enjoys well-drained soils and can grow is virtually any environment given the right care and maintenance. The Windmill Palm along with other plants should be watered regularly. The Windmill Palm looks great as a stand-alone palm tree or encompassed by smaller palms. The Windmill Palm is an exceptional palm tree for colder climates. Gardeners will agree, the Windmill Palm is great for the Northern United States and for its durable nature to overcome most disease and insects. The Windmill Palm is also a great indoor palm tree and even greater for a Conservatory. The Windmill Palm has similar characteristics as the Mediterranean Fan palm. They both are acclimated for cold weather and both have a fibrous trunk which keeps the cold at bay. The Windmill Palm is also great for the pool area, patio, or even a Zen garden oasis.