N.S. community planted 7 palm trees as an experiment. None of the trees survived

It appears, perhaps predictably, that palm trees cannot survive in Nova Scotia.

In 2018, Halifax Regional Municipality experimented with planting seven palm trees across Dartmouth, a community of just under 100,000 people that borders the eastern shore of Halifax harbour.

The trees normally associated with sandy beaches and coconuts stood out in the landscape, drawing the curiosity of locals.

Municipal spokesperson Ryan Nearing said the intent of the project was to see if the tropical trees could adapt to the province's Maritime climate, known for its wild weather fluctuations driven, in part, by the Atlantic Ocean.

Six years later, it's clear they cannot.

"Unfortunately, Nova Scotia winters proved to be a little too cold for them," quipped Nearing.

The trees came with an initial cost of $4,000 and the varieties were selected because they are known to be more tolerant to cold. 

Two towering windmill palms would become the most well-known and revered, having been placed in the popular municipal spaces of Sullivans Pond and Shubie Park.

Five smaller species — which included pindo and needle palms — were pronounced dead following the winter of 2021-22, said Nearing.

One of the windmill palms also did not make it after that same winter, and so it was replaced. It was pronounced dead this spring.

The final windmill palm died after the winter of 2022-23 and was replaced last spring, but it too could not withstand the harsh Halifax weather.

Nearing said staff took special care of the palms during the winter, insulating the trunks and encasing them in wood boxes in an attempt to shelter them from the province's relentless and ever-fluctuating weather elements.

But to no avail.

"They really did a fantastic job keeping an eye on these trees and regularly checking in on them over the winter and really exploring different ways to potentially salvage them," said Nearing.