" I once had one survivea cold winter in Siuth Jersey in which it reached -6f! ,,,The mulched Sago flushed a new set of leaves to replace the leaves it lost in the bitterly cold winter." What was it mulched with, 3 rolls of corning fiberglass lain in a criss-cross pattern, forming a 6' high, 15' diameter mound? Yes enough mulch can protect almost anything, within reason, but it eventually becomes a not practical thing to do. At least with a plant like that. Probably more impressive: I had a small Cycas panzhihuaensis recover from 3F with very little mulching. Alas, I gave up on getting them to survive around here because it's a little wetter in winter here than western suburban DC and they just need to be drier than I can give them, apparently. Furthermore that might be a plant that doesn't get much hardier with age, or even gets less hardy with age...for various reasons too complicated to go into. Definitely more impressive: the last C. panzhihuaensis I had came back up from the ground after a full two years of "playing dead". Apparently it has some ability for the growth point to go into a long term senescence or dormancy. Maybe an adaptation to things like volcanic eruptions which caused brief mini ice-ages? They have been on this earth for a while. Alas, not surprisingly polar winter #1 finished it off for good. In retrospect I probably should have dug it up and coddled it for a few more years, but I was tired of dealing with them by then. (yes I know that post was from 2006, so it was a rhetorical reply) BTW you see large ones along the Gulf, and inland to some degree like Baton Rouge, so they can survive down to 15F as long as it's infrequent. Probably a zn 9 plant but cultivated in some sheltered, warmer parts of 8. I'm pretty sure that mature outdoor ones do _not_ defoliate with a brief dip to 25F.

I've seen several ads, articles and postings about "cold hardy coconut palms" on EBay, Garden Forums and Misc Websites. It is likely that what you saw at Home Depot is most likely this: (from EBAY) Parajubaea sunkha, common name: Bolivian Coconut, Zunca Palm *A stunning palm from the foothills of the Andes Mountains, Bolivia. Rare in cultivation as seed has only recently been made available, and is still quite expensive. The Bolivian Coconut, so named because of its resemblance to the common coconut, and producing edible fruit(much smaller than the common coconut, yet similar in taste), has proven to be cold-hardy into the high teens Farenheit. If you like the look of a coconut, grow this one, it's 20 degrees F more COLD-HARDY. A very robust grower, capable of taking full sun at an early age, these are easily adaptable to a Tropical, Mediterranean, or Arid type garden. A very rewarding plant to grow. Or this: (From Wikipedia) Beccariophoenix alfredii, also known as the High Plateau Coconut Palm, is a recently discovered species of Arecaceae (palms), endemic to Madagascar. It is in the genus Beccariophoenix, and is closely related to the genus Cocos. Beccariophoenix alfredii is very similar in appearance to the coconut palm, although somewhat cold hardy, making it a good look-alike for the coconut in cooler climates.

Wow!!! Josh your palms are amazing!! I hope they do well for you. Sounds like your palms are doing very well virginian. I have one Trachy. that survived 4F last week. I have been putting a box over it whenever we go below 20F and also wrapping the trunk with a sheet when we go below 15F. This is my first try at growing any type of cold hardy palm here in Tennessee, but it seems to be doing well so far. I also have a sabal minor I am going to plant this spring. I can't wait to see what it does for me! One other thing, I'm also growing spanish moss outside for 99.5 percent of the winter season. Cold hardy tropicals are the best!

Needle palms are the most cold tolerant so that's the best place to start looking. No matter what you read, they are only reliably cold hardy in zone 7 and up. They will handle subzero temperatures when older, but cold winters in zone 7 can have subzero temperatures which is why I think that they are probably safest there. But with protection, you can grow a ton of palms in a zone 5b (and by a ton I mean a few haha). Really it all depends on how much protection you are willing to give your palms. Most cold hardy palms are also hardy to many other things and are very tolerant of being given winter protection without ill effects. Windmill palms, Sabal minors, and European fan palms are just a few other examples of palms that are very cold tolerant. With the right protection, you will have no problem with those and even more tender plants. Check out Jim's pics. He lives in a zone 5 also and is growing a ton of incredible things. Good luck! -Alex