Colorado state is way too cold for growing palm trees. Colorado is made up of mountains, foothills, high plains, and desert lands. It has semi-arid and alpine climate climate depending on the elevations.
Extreme weather is very common for Colorado. Winters are very cold and snowy with average temperatures ranging from 16° to 43°F (–9° to 6°C) in January. Summers are cool and dry with average temperatures ranging from 59° to 88°F (15° to 31°C) in July. The highest temperature recorded in Colorado was 118 °F (48 °C) an the lowest was −60 °F (−51 °C).
Colorado gets hail storms, thunderstorms and tornadoes. Colorado USDA Hardiness zones range from 3a to 7a.
Colorado USDA Zones
Growing Palm Trees in Colorado
Colorado is one of the coldest states in US. Because of the extreme weather conditions, even the cold hardiest palm trees are unlikely to survive. Needle palm is one of the hardiest palms and can tolerate temperatures down to -15F. If you can create a microclimate with temperatures warm enough, you can try growing it but be realistic.
- Needle Palm Tree – Zones 5b-11 (-15 to -10F)
More Palm Trees»
Major Cities in Colorado
Arvada – Hardiness Zone 6a
Aurora – Hardiness Zone 5b
Boulder – Hardiness Zone 5b
Colorado Springs – Hardiness Zone 5b
Denver – Hardiness Zone 6a
Fort Collins – Hardiness Zone 4b
Grand Junction – Hardiness Zone 5b
Lakewood – Hardiness Zone 6a
Littleton – Hardiness Zone 5b
Pueblo – Hardiness Zone 5b
~Susan Brian
P.S. If you have any questions, leave me a comment below and I do my best to answer them as soon as I can.
So it says that needle palm trees can grow from zones 5 b – 11. Here in Pueblo, we are 5 b. Does that mean we would stand a chance?
Thank you!
The front Range of Colorado is actually quite warm and sunny. In fact, the major cities along the front Range are among the sunniest cities in the United States- I think every one of them is in the top 10 or top 20. Temperatures here are typically much higher than quoted here in this article. It is warm enough that some years we have kept our outdoor swimming pool open as long as 8 to 9 months out of the year. We do have the possibility of getting snow in the city, but snowfall amounts are usually minimal and the sun usually melts it within a day or so. The rare actual snowstorm is seen maybe once every 10 years if that. In the last five years, I think each year we’ve gotten one to two snowstorms in the city that each amounted to less than a couple inches of snow that was gone within a day. During the winter, temperatures in the 60s are very common and in the summer, expect daytime temperatures in the 80s to 90s. It very very rarely approaches freezing even during the night in the dead of winter. We have had very little problems growing tropicals here outside.