In Dothan AL I just saw 4 very mature Livenstonia Chinensis (12-15ft clear trunk) that saw temps near 20 and suffered about 80 percent leaf burn. The other 20 percent or so of the foliage is still nice and green. Apparently these get burned but are still a solid species for zone 8. Also, at my house I had a low of 19.8 and had two queens that had been in the ground over a year. Both of them were covered...both of them are now toast. I am replacing them with mule palms. Phoenix Canariensis, Phoenix Dactylifera, Trachys, Butia Capitatas had no damage at all. For some strange reason, my small Sabal Palmetto had a new spear coming out that fried and then pulled...I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I went to a nursery today and looked at a chinese fan palm. I am 100 % sure that a chinese fan palm is nothing like my Windmill. I also have never seen a Windmill sucker before. I have a friend who field grows Windmills for resale. I'v never seen them doing it eaither. A chinese fan palm might sucker. I am for sure a chinese fan palm is not a Windmill. At least not like they have in SC.

It doesn't look terrible from the pic, but it probably isn't enough light, even though these are tolerable of low light indoor conditions. First off, I don't see the light so I don't know how big it is, second, it's nowhere close enough to the plant. Technically grow lights should be about 1 foot from the plant unless you have an actual grow room with a lot of lights. You probably will only need to water when the soil is dry on the top, probably no more than once a week, maybe even less. Fronds don't regenerate, the only grow from the center growing point one at a time, although you technically have many palms in the pot. Livistona are single stemmed palms. Never cut a palm frond unless it is completely brown, green fronds are it's natural food source. Hope this fragmented response helps!

Yes, I've grown two Livistona chinensis clumps outdoors over this past winter in the High Point area. They were inexpensive plants bought at Wal-Mart for an average of about $6-7 per pot. Dr. Francko's book (Palms Won't Grow Here . . .) suggests that they are die-back perennials, and so I gambled for less than the price of an average New Guinea impatiens or clump of Purple Fountain grass (they would die over winter, anyway). The only protection I provided was a little Wilt-Pruf, copper fungicide, and a Wall-O-Water for each of them. They're in a shady location with a lot of W/SW winds. So far, the leaves at the base look fine, but anything sticking out of the top has turned brown, as you might expect with lows getting down to about 18 in December and February (still only a mild zone 8b, but anyway). They had looked good until temps reached the low 20s. If Dr. Francko is right, they should come back in the spring after I cut off the dead leaves, but the jury's still out on that. If they can recover over the summer to their previous heights (leaves about 4 feet tall or so), I'm guessing that they might be medium-term survivors with protection, such as burlap, mulch, etc. (until there is a *bad* winter). Wal-Mart often has these on sale for less than $5, so at that price, it may be worth a try for you even as an annual, as they are very beautiful plants for a dappled-shade location. On the other hand, if you want something more permanent with lesser maintenance requirements, Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill Palm or Chinese Windmill Palm) and Sabal minor (Dwarf Palmetto) sailed through this winter with no protection except for copper fungicide. Home Depot on Wendover currently has many 3-gallon Trachycarpus fortunei for about $24, and 7-gallon ones for about $60. You can also find them on eBay. LA Reynolds on the west side of Winston-Salem had lots of Windmills and Sabals last year, and Camellia Forest and Plant Delights in the Triangle have all of these and then some (including Rhapidophyllum hystrix, the Needle Palm). There will probably be even more selection in a few weeks. In any case, good luck!