I would wait in you area to plant your windmills till early may. In zone 7 I planted mine in early march and they saw some 30s with no damage at all. I would say to plant when it looks like the danger of frosts have passed even tough it will tollerate some 30s. During the winter they will need lots of protection in your area. You will probably need to bulid a heated structure. You can use anything for heat I have heard X-mas lights, haridriers, spot lights, screw in light bulbs, and heating tape for pipes all used as protection. Since your plants are small they will be easier to protect. I will use a garbage can to cover mine when temperatures go below 15. It is important to plant in an are away from wind so it does not get dehydrated or burnt. they will tolerate only temperatures to about 15 before damage and wont go below 5 until well established, or with protection. Also you would probably want to put a heating source in your structure to keep it warm. Another option for trunked individuals is to wram with heating tape or lights and then wrap burlap around the trunk at least 4 or 5 times according to thickness. then plastic will help. ALso the key is to keep it dry. The dryier it is the better, but it does not mind a little moisture and will prefer to have some when temperatures warm up a bit. They also like summer moisture.

good luck

Thank you for the advice. I will wait to plant it in May. Looks like a few different ways to winterize it, that will be fun... thanks again....: )

If you have the extra money, I'd recommend getting a bigger tree if you want to plant it in your yard. I have one the size you describe, but I'm keeping it in a pot until it matures a little more. I have a larger one planted in the yard, and it looks great! The larger they are, the more cold hardy they say they are. It looks like you caught the trachy bug, and like me, you will likely end up with several! (I own 4 total right now, only one is in the ground) One benefit to the smaller one you got is how easy it will be to cover it in the winter, if you do choose to plant it. It won't take much to build a box for that size tree, you might even find something made of styrofoam that is all ready to go. Get a heat source, and you are all set. Christmas lights work well, but you have to get more creative as the tree gets bigger. There is a lot of good info about wintering these trees in this forum. Read away... Reading/lurking here is where I learned a lot about these trees. Good luck and have fun.

Thanks for your reply, I would love to get a larger one or 2 or 3 : )......They are becoming quite popular in our state.... But they do seem to be quite expensive... My uncle now has about 5 tall ones in his yard and they are doing quite well, he has some to give me, but they are also small in size. I am looking for a couple palms about 4 to 5 feet in size but pretty expensive.....thank you for your advice on wintering them......

Ironically, I picked up my 4th trachy yesterday. It is 4 feet tall, about a full foot of thick, 6" diameter woody trunk. It was $45. These are never available anywhere in my region (Minnesota), so I was stunned to see two of them for sale at a large independent garden center I had stopped at to pick up some tomato seedlings. It is a cool garden center about an hour north of where I live, we often stop there on the way home from up north at the lake/cabin. In the summer, that place has the absolute best sweet corn in MN!

If you shop around, you should be able to find a bigger one. The one I just picked up would be a good size to plant in the yard, but I'm all screwed up on what I am doing with the yard now. I changed course, I actually have to dig up my 5 1/2 to 6 footer that's in now, and I'm going to pot it, and bring it to work (I own the business). This to accomodate a much larger one I have coming this week, a 7-footer, with a massive trunk. My large needle palm remains in the ground and is happy as can be. My (already getting pretty big) basjoos are going in ground this weekend.

If you were in MN, I'd recommend going up and getting that one remaining $45 trachy. I almost bought both... You can get 5-footers from Ryan at Collector Palms for about $70 delivered (including shipping). They are not as stocky and thick though, kind of lanky with tall-reaching fronds. Shade grown I guess. Trunks have not really thickened up a whole lot yet, but they are healthy and nice trees nonetheless. They look nice and will fill out nicely I believe, if put in a good sunny location. Worth it if it is within your budget.

Thanks for the info on the palm and the great place you got yours... If I lived in Mn I would jump on it. But I live in Washington ST....but I will check out garden centers in our area, thanks for the advice. My next thing was going to see how ordering them would be if I couldnt get them at a decent price here. I used to live in Minneapolis as a child. Loved it there. Fond memories of the beautiful Seasons...