Hi grapogardener, I also live near Roch. and love tropicals but so far only have them in the house. I just bought a crape myrtle and am going to plant it outside. We'll see what happens. When my husband and I were out a couple of weeks ago we went by this house and I was stunned to see 4 very large, planted in the ground, what looks to me like banana trees. I really thought I had to be wrong so I just drove by again yesterday and there they were. The house didn't seem to be very welcoming so I didn't want to stop by myself but, I figure these people are just asking for strangers to stop if they have BANANA trees in Webster, NY. In the next day or so I will take my husband back with me and work up the nerve to stop and ask about them. I would also love to know of any palms that will winter outside up here. Good luck this winter. Is it your first one up north?
denise

If you have a nearly perfect site you might be able to grow needle palms out side. You may even be able to do a sable minor ,"in exactly the right spot,." Sablem minor vr mccurtain has growns as far north as KS so you might have a chance. You'd have to protect both of them from direct wind and would probably do better against a wall etc.
I'd say you both could also grow mussa basajo ," spelling?" I've seen people on the boards that grow it in Canada so NY shouldn't be too much of an issue for it.
There are some others you could grow but, you'd have to do some work for them to make it through your average winter ,"whatever that means anymore."
hth and I don't have a lot of experience so hopefully someone else will answer as well.

No, this isn't my first winter up here. I grew up in the Rochester area, and moved away five years ago, for Florida. I lived in Tampa for two years and loved the beaches there! I then moved over to the East Coast for the last three years. I lived in Palm Bay.

I have to get used to this 50 degree weather DURING THE DAY! This was the weather that we might have in February at night!

So why am I moving here? My family all live here and I really wanted to get back to a more natural cycle than Florida offered. I guess you can't take the New York out of me! So now I can learn to snowshoe near Lake Ontario, sample wine in the Finger Lakes, and see all of the fall foliage at Letchworth!

In my Florida garden I had a beautiful Bismark palm, several foxtails, bottle, spindle, triangle, queen and teddy bear! I will have to try a needle palm here when I'm more settled as I adore the palms.

Isn't there a book out on "Crape Myrtles Won't Grow Here--and other myths"?? I think I have to get this one!

DGordon...let us know about your crape myrtle here! At least they offer more year round interest than the powdery-mildew prone lilacs. It's sad to say, but I'm not impressed with the look of the lilac plants this year.

What variety did you buy?

Christinpalm...I will have to look up that sabal palm in my books! I just think, even if it's a slow-growing palm and not a twenty foot tree, it will be interesting to have that in the garden here!

Thanks guys

Mark

dgordon, the bananas you saw were most likely musa basjoo, the most cold hardiest palm known. thousands of people are growing them in every state. when a big frost kills the leaves you can do several things. You can build a wire cage and stuff it with leaves to save the Pseudostem (false trunk), or simply cut to ground level and cover with a foot of mulch OR dig it up and store the whole stem and corm in a cool dark dry place ( almost like a canna) Or bring the whole plant in for winter. they also thrive in pots, but will not obtain the large heights this banana is capale of. Try one, they are on ebay all the time, they grow very fast!

oooppps! sorry it is a banana, not a palm. too lazy to type the original response over again.

Hi Mark,

crepe myrtle is muskogee. The tag said good to -10 degrees. It will give me something to baby over the winter.

Muskogee! In Florida this was what gardeners most commonly call "Florida Lilac"...This is probably the most popular of all crape myrtles.

First of all it is very mildew-resistant (something I which I could say of lilacs here in Rochester, NY). Secondly, the trunk was interesting in the way it would flake to reveal cinnamon! Third, they would reach a nice size--25 feet; not overwhelming. Fourth, they bloomed almost non-stop from May to September.

DGordon...please let me know if this plant works for you!

Mark