Growing palm trees in South Carolina
South Carolina runs USDA 8a to 9b, about 10F on the cold end and 30F on the warm end. Winter low is the number that matters, so a nursery tag from a mild coast does not travel inland. Needle palm and windmill are the usual outdoor bets where winters still freeze. Pick a city below to score each palm against that winter.
South Carolina climate
Pick a city or a USDA zone. The palm list follows that winter.
South Carolina covers USDA 8a to 9b. Highlighted zones are in the state.
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Hardiness zones
Zones in South Carolina
Palms for South Carolina
Click a lane or a filter. Cards link to the species page when we have one.
Headings below are palms that clear the warmest-city winter. The rest are houseplants.
Nothing here lives in the ground through winter. Keep these in pots and bring them inside before the first freeze.
Nothing in this lane for that filter. Clear a chip or pick a warmer city.
Needle palm
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Hardy to about 0F · USDA 7a+
The sure thing in the Southeast. Trunkless, and fine if the crown drains.
Dwarf palmetto
Sabal minor
Hardy to about 5F · USDA 7a+
Native wetland fan. Looks like a cabbage palmetto that never grew a trunk.
Windmill palm
Trachycarpus fortunei
Hardy to about 5F · USDA 7a+
The tall palm that actually works in cold states. Hairy trunk, not a Chinese fan palm.
European fan palm
Chamaerops humilis
Hardy to about 12F · USDA 8a+
Clumping Mediterranean fan. Give it sun and drainage.
Pindo palm
Butia odorata
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8a+
The cold-hardy feather palm people want when they buy a queen. Edible fruit.
Cabbage palmetto
Sabal palmetto
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8a+
Southeast coastal native. Ugly winters inland.
Sago palm
Cycas revoluta
Hardy to about 15F · USDA 8b+
A cycad, not a palm. Toxic to dogs. Wrap where winters freeze.
California fan palm
Washingtonia filifera
Hardy to about 18F · USDA 8b+
Tougher than Mexican fan. Still a warm-zone and courtyard plant.
Canary Island date palm
Phoenix canariensis
Hardy to about 20F · USDA 9a+
The big date look. A 20F night marks it.
Medjool date palm
Phoenix dactylifera
Hardy to about 20F · USDA 9a+
Same cold story as Canary date. Fruit is a long shot in humidity.
Mexican fan palm
Washingtonia robusta
Hardy to about 23F · USDA 9a+
The skinny skyline palm. Fine until a hard freeze.
Chinese fan palm
Livistona chinensis
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9a+
Often confused with windmill. This one wants a mild winter. Check the Latin on the tag.
Queen palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9a+
Sold everywhere. Needs nights that stay near 25F. Buy pindo if you want this silhouette.
Bismarck palm
Bismarckia nobilis
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9b+
Silver and huge. A showpiece that looks stupid after one freeze.
Caranday wax palm
Copernicia alba
Hardy to about 18F · USDA 8b+
Collector fan for heat. Not a box-store plant.
Majesty palm
Ravenea rivularis
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9b+
A houseplant that people plant outside and then replace. Keep it in a pot.
Foxtail palm
Wodyetia bifurcata
Hardy to about 27F · USDA 10a+
Florida look. Container only anywhere with a real winter.
Pygmy date palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Fine in a bright room. Not a landscape palm outside the true tropics.
Royal palm
Roystonea regia
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Miami cement trunk. Needs a frost-free climate.
King palm
Archontophoenix alexandrae
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 10a+
Another tropical street palm. Keep it as a young indoor plant or skip it.
Kentia palm
Howea forsteriana
Hardy to about 28F · USDA 9b+
The hotel lobby palm. Best indoor look if you can spend a little.
Lady palm
Rhapis excelsa
Hardy to about 22F · USDA 9a+
Shade indoor fan. Patio in a pot, then inside for freezes.
Ponytail palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Hardy to about 25F · USDA 9b+
Not a palm. Fat base, dry soil, bright window.
Houseplants only here
These do not take the winter low in the warmest part of South Carolina. Keep them in pots.
Adonidia merrillii
Hardy to about 30F · USDA 10a+
Pretty red fruit, no cold tolerance. A porch palm that comes inside.
Cocos nucifera
Hardy to about 35F · USDA 10b+
The dream plant. Not an outdoor plant anywhere with frost.
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Hardy to about 30F · USDA 10a+
The grocery-store palm. Bright room, no draft, no backyard in freeze country.
Chamaedorea seifrizii
Hardy to about 32F · USDA 10b+
Clustering indoor palm. Handles lower light than areca.
Pachypodium lamerei
Hardy to about 40F · USDA 10b+
A spiny succulent, not a palm. Indoor or summer patio only.
Ravenala madagascariensis
Hardy to about 32F · USDA 10a+
A banana relative with a fan of leaves. Not an outdoor plant in freeze country.
What actually limits palms here
- Arctic or inland blasts that drop below what a mild-coast tag promises
- Wet soil or clay that holds water against palm roots
- Box-store queen, majesty, and coconut palms sold far north of where they live
South Carolina has needle palm, dwarf palmetto, cabbage palmetto, and saw palmetto as natives. The coast can look like Florida. Upstate winters still pick the winners.
South Carolina palm questions
Can I grow a coconut palm in South Carolina?
Not in the ground. Coconut wants nights that stay near 60F. Grow it in a pot and bring it in, or pick a hardy fan if you want something outside.
What actually lives outside in South Carolina?
Needle palm, Dwarf palmetto, Windmill palm, European fan palm, Pindo palm, Cabbage palmetto, Saw palmetto, Sago palm, and 16 more live outside in the warmest part of South Carolina. Pick a colder city and the list shrinks. Everything else stays in a pot.
When do I wrap palms in South Carolina?
Wrap a young hardy palm when a night near its kill number is coming. Wrapping does not turn a tropical palm into an outdoor plant.