When I was little, our family would travel down U.S. 41 to go on vacation to Florida. My older brother and I spent the long hours in the car playing fierce games of "I Spy" and cow poker (note to Johnny: A tombstone display is NOT the same as a cemetery and should not have canceled my cows).

Another of our contests was who could spot the first palm tree, that exciting moment when you knew that Florida and the ocean weren't far away. Apparently things haven't changed much in 50 years. Atlanta attorney Alex Woollcott says his children always look for the first palm, as well. But May Collins, 13, and Anna and Benjamin, both 9, say their father has taken the fun out of the drive to Florida. The reason? They can look out any window of their house on a residential street in northwest Atlanta and see dozens of palms of every size and shape.

Alex Woollcott / Special (ENLARGE)

Alex Woollcott's favorite photo of his side yard in late summer.

Alex Woollcott / Special (ENLARGE)

When Alex Woollcott purchased this spreading Canary Island date palm from an indoor garden center four years ago, it came in a 3-gallon container. It is thriving in a mound of pure sand.

Martha Tate / Special (ENLARGE)

A windmill palm.

RELATED LINKS: • Photos: See more of these palms • Check out our garden channel • See more garden galleries

Woollcott, who grew up in a gardening family in Asheville, N.C. (and yes, he is related to the famous Alexander Woollcott of The New Yorker), has become a proponent of growing palms and tropical and subtropical plants in Atlanta. His passion, he says, began five years ago when he noticed a windmill palm at a house on West Paces Ferry Road.

"After seeing how healthy that palm looked here in Atlanta, there was no going back for me," Woollcott said.

In the years since, he has added both hardy and tender palms to his landscape, along with citrus and banana trees and "plants that look tropical, but aren't."

Woollcott says that while many of the palms he grows are perfectly hardy in Atlanta, he does push the limits on some others. In winter, he strings up rope lights and wraps many of the tender specimens in frost cloth (never clear plastic). He also keeps a small mountain of sand on hand for planting.

"The windmill palm is perfectly at home in clay," Woollcott said, "but some of the others need a sandy soil."

Woollcott uses temperate plants such as Japanese maples, camellias and irises with his tropicals, but he said there has been a "palm explosion" in Atlanta in the past few years. He cites several examples of specimens planted around European-style homes and at restaurants with tropical themes. In his own case, gardening with palms has served as a connection to childhood memories of his mother's home in Palm Beach.

"Tropical plants remind me of good times, of warm breezes and vacations," he said. "I can look out of my window, and I'm transplanted to a different place. I'll spend five days in my office negotiating deals, and on the weekend, I can feel like I'm in Miami."

MARTHA'S PICK: Windmill palm

Botanical name: Trachycarpus fortunei

About the plant: This is the world's cold-hardiest palm tree (the shrubby needle palm is the world's hardiest palm). The windmill palm has a fiber-covered, single trunk and a crown of large, palmate leaves. It grows rather quickly in the Atlanta area and will eventually reach a height of about 20 feet (though it can grow taller). Native to China.

Use in the garden: Lovely as a specimen tree or in a grouping. Excellent for lending a tropical look to a landscape.

Planting and care: Windmill palms do not like sand, but they do need well-drained soil. Plant in semi-shade, away from windy sites. This palm does not thrive below northern Florida and is not salt-tolerant.

Source: Randy's Perennials & Water Gardens, 523 W. Crogan St., Lawrenceville GA 30045. 770-822-0676. www.randysnursery.com

HOW TO RAISE PALMS

The new book "Hardy Palms for the Southeast, a Guide to Growing Palms Outdoors North of Florida," by Tom McClendon, Will Roberds and Joe LeVert, contains everything you need to know about palms in the Atlanta area — how to grow them, which ones are hardy and how to use them in landscapes. Order from www.sepalms.org for $32.95. Proceeds go to the Southeastern Palm Society.

Martha Tate is a writer who lives in Atlanta.