Pest battle with Pygmy Date Palm — and how I won

I had a serious problem with slow recovery from transplant shock when moved as large specimens on my Pygmy Date Palm earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate long-lived structure that becomes more impressive over decades, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a sheltered sunny courtyard or walled garden and improved my attention to wrapping the crown with fleece in winter for borderline hardy species. new frond production visible in spring and early summer was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.