Aw come on, I use them on my citrus for 2 or 3 nights every year when it is going into the 20s. I can't let 2 or 3 nights determine that something doesn't belong when it *does* belong the other 363 days! (I would be out tons of oranges and a lot of money by now!) Not to mention all the plants I drag into the garage for a day or two. There is no way I would use the "oh well" philosophy. Don't you do *anything* to protect any of your plants when the temperatures really dip?

Billheink, I see what you are saying and in general you are correct. Inland central Florida does not tend to be hospitable for royal palms (Roystonea regia). I feel Royals in coastal locations from Merritt Island on the east coast and Clearwater on the west coast are safe from all but the worst freezes. Even in 1989, I am sure there were some immediate coastal specimens still alive from and south of the aforementioned locations. Metro Orlando has been progressively built up during the last 50 years, continuing in earnest during the past 20 years. While average temps are lower than south FL, extreme minimums in the metro area in recent years tend to be more consistent with South FL locations such as Fort Myers and West Palm Beach (in some cases a bit higher). The urban heat island has a PROFOUND effect on winter lows in Orlando and I have watched many would-be freezes only bottom out at 33-35 in metro Orlando, while outlying areas, even to the south, reach well below freezing. I have two large royals (regia and borinqueana) and a large foxtail in-ground here in the northern Orlando suburbs. All were defoliated but had no problem pulling though the 25F we had early (and again in late) 2010. The executive airport, meanwhile, did not drop below 28-29F during any of the 2010 freeze events. I even feel that the city should frequently use Roystonea regia as a mainstay landscaping choice downtown, as I don't see this area getting cold enough to kill a royal more than once or twice a century now. Central FL microclimates adjacent to large bodies of water have similar results with royals and other 10a palms and those in these areas who want to attempt to grow such palms should not feel discouraged. My point is, these palms can survive and thrive for many years in coastal, metro and lakeside areas of Central FL. Coconuts are more marginal and anywhere in Central FL other than the immediate coast and large lakes in southern Central FL will have a difficult time with long term success. I do, however, know of a Coconut palm near Orlando that survived 2010. This post was edited by williamr on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 1:14

Howdy Greg, By my name you can identify me as a Houstonian. That's in SE Texas. The two Caryota species I grow are different from the clustering Fishtail you are growing(likely Caryota mitis). It is said Caryota obtusa sny. C. gigas will tollerate temps down to 27F when established, but Caryota no is far more tropical. I have seen burn on the leaves at 35F. I bought these two without the understanding that they are the two largest species of Fishtail. Now the question is what to do with them in the next couple years when they get too large for me to protect from freezing. It is possible, i suppose to grow my Fishtails in full sun over the next couple years, but they will shurely show burn from the sun. Although this summer we have been recieving a great deal of daily rain, we ordinarily endure searing heat throughout the long summer. Fishtails look far better when growing in partial shade while small. This is a "stock photo" of a Caryota no in Fla.

Nope, many times internet facts can be misleading. I grow queens and grew a foxtail at one point. Queens will get slight frost damage at about 27F but can survive to about 20F or a bit less with considerable damage. It can take over a year for them to recover and have a full crown. I know this from experience. Because of this long recovery time period, an annual hard freeze (below 20F) would spell out death for a queen palm. Like David said, Foxtails will not tolerate frost at all. They are definately a strictly tropical palm. I lost mine to fungus after they experienced low 30s. Keep it as a potted plant on your porch or patio and bring it indoors in the winter. or you can use it as an annual if you'd like. Believe me, they do not survive in zone 9b, just like David said.