I have two Rhapidophyllum Hystrix and a Sabal Minor McCurtain thriving in Long Branch, NJ just a block and one half off the beach. One needle palm is almost six foot tall. The needle palms are in a small alcove and the McCurtain is out in the open. The latter survived a six foot snow drift on top it during its second winter. None of the Palms have ever been protected by blankets or mulch. All three have a Southern Exposure. There is a large hedge to the west of the McCurtain protecting it from Northwest winds. They were all planted in Spring. The former in 1999 and the latter in 2002. All of my specimens came from Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, NC. They have a lot of experience dealing with cold hardy palms. www.plantdelights.com. The fact they were raised in the middle of North Carolina and not in Florida has a lot to say about their cold hardiness. This year, I hope to plant Trachycarpus Takil (Wagner variety) and the Tennessee Form. Also Sabal Minor Louisiana. They are currently wintering in a cold frame since I got them too late last year to plant them in the ground. Planting in the fall would be a disaster. In the late 70's through to about 1987 I had Needle Palm growing in Hopewell Township NJ near Pennington (north of Trenton). They laughed at temperatures below minus five. They were on the south side of the house. I saw the pictures of the Palms growing in Willingboro. Why are they so close to the wall? These things get big, hopefully, and they can possibly and regrettably damage the wall. The power of trees growing is enormous. They can crack sidewalks and damage the foundations of houses.

Recently sprouted some Christmas Palm and Florida Sabal palm seeds and it is quite exciting ! I would love to have any unwanted palm tree seeds (especially cold hardy) for experimenting with. I only have Florida Sabal Palm seeds to trade but may have something else you'd like. Email me if you have any fresh seeds (I am told they float if they're fresh enough to germinate) and what variety they are.

Hello, My name is Jazz, I live in Amherst, Massachusetts (down the road from UMass) and I am 16 years old! I have done tons of research online and I have purchased my own palms with what pocket money I get. At first I didn't believe that palms could grow outside in New England, but hey we discover new things everyday! Once I learned about the windmill palms, needle palms, sabal palms, pindo palms; I couldn't stop talking to people about it. At one point my mother asked me if I had OCD over palms! HaHa! I watch everybody's channels on cold hardy palm trees on you tube. I even have one of my own! My profile name is Coconut Kid and I have a handful of videos of my Palm/Tropical collection. Right now I have 5 Virginian trachycarpus fortunei seedlings in nursery pots that I am going to put outside next spring and then protect them in the winter with maybe a burlap coat (maybe mulch or both) and a bucket over them. I also purchased a needle palm from Florida on eBay that I will put outside in the spring. I will probably only but burlap around the trunk of it in the winter. I also currently am waiting for 12 British Colombia, Canadian trachycarpus fortunei seedlings in the mail from Banana Joe from Salt Spring Island. The reason I am working with smaller palms is because I don't have a lot of money to spend on cold hardy palm trees, but I can assure you that I am capable of growing palms in the New England terrain and weather! My you tube channel link is below. Thank you! Here is a link that might be useful: Coconut Kid Channel

They could be needle palms, but I would imagine that they would have to be taking a ridiculous amount of neglect. Most bullet proof cold hardy trees cant grow along the beach (Ive only seen hollies and pines growing close to the water around here) so for a marginally hardy palm tree to be growing well is pretty impressive. Any chance that they weren't yuccas. They are very very popular here (I have seen at least 10-20 species) and they can handle a lot of neglect. A pic might help a lot or at least a location so someone can check them out! -Alex