My needle palms all saw 9F last Winter with no damage, I don't protect them at all here.
They are pretty amazing.

Crispy, Let's switch hardiness zones, even just for winter, sound like a plan? I'm joking, but that would be great. My last winter was really horrible. I forgot to take the palm picture. Last winter here, I had 8 separate prolonged -10 F day/nights. I had 3 "late drop" live oak trees that did great the previous winter, in zone 6 Pa, my yard. Last winter killed the main plant, and they came up from the lower trunk. Even in a normal winter, I will protect my needle palm. Crispy, did you have a colder than normal winter last winter? That's 2013-2014. Mine wasn't too horrible til late Feb, into March maybe early April. March was what I believe did things in.

You obviously "win" the Winter horror story contest.
The temperature got down to 9F one night and a handful of low teens in Jan/Feb.
The previous 5 years or so the low was around 11F, but even then, not as prolonged as last Winter.

There was a late freeze that killed all the blossoms on my peach trees.

I love those needle palms though, I bought another last weekend and planted it. That makes 5 I have.

Okay, Crispy and anyone else, I FINALLY remembered to take a pic of the Needle palm. It's in a raised bed by the main entrance door to our house. There are also some other plants.

Somehow my Calla Lillies survived last (brutal) winter in the ground. You can see the Callas foliage, it is closest to the camera.

Is that a South facing wall? All that brick ought to help store some sun warmth for the nights and keep those plants a bit safe than ones out in the open.

It is a north facing wall/bed. So surprisingly, The calla has put out 1 flower this summer. The other plants in the bed are Hostas and ferns, all are hardy in zone 6.

I have had them in my garden for years here in Stamford CT zone 6 ..in different exposures .. I wrap them in burlap and then a black plastic trash bag , and then burlap again to prevent overheating..

gets most of the leaves thru the winter just fine and then they put out several leaves each summer .. the strongest plants being those in the hottest open exposures

I have 16 of them around the garden .. deer proof

also have a Trachycarpus that has been out several years right against the house ,,, about 4 feet tall , it lost it's leaves in this brutal winter , but put out three larger ones

it was covered with burlap then a trash can over it and them more burlap to disguise it

In zone 7,NE Oklahoma, I had one for years (I since sold the house...and it got razed:(), it had minor winter damage one winter, and never again...it went through -27F with snow cover once.
No protection....they're tough buggers...but so slow to grow.

Another photo .. Stamford Connecticut ..

I was afraid to cover mine, that they would get rotten from moisture not being able to escape. If I ever get another, I really don't have anything to lose by covering it. It will likely do better covered. When i didn't cover it it croaked, so if covered if it gets some fungus on it, it should be better than freezing to the ground and croaking. Poaky1

I have 5 or 6 more Needle palms now, they are babies, I have them potted. I will be putting them in the basement this winter, they only have about 4-6 leaves on each of them. We are going to be getting a solarium cover over our porch soon. I was wondering if I can keep a Needle palm or 2 in an unheated porch curved roof solarium? My main question is "Can I keep a needle palm at about 7-8 feet tall"? It will likely be no taller than that. I may be able to plant one of them in a raised bed by the house, and cover it, but, I will need to plant the Needle palm in a large planter and keep it in the unheated solarium. I would suppose it is hard to answer this question without precise facts. Guesses are welcome.

I had a needle palm in Chelsea, OK. It survived for ten years (I sold the property) quite well. One winter it lost a spear, however with snow cover (which was rare), it survived -27F without blinking.

Both it and sabal minor did well for me, the sabal grew enough to flower/fruit before I sold the property. Both had been planted as small one gallon plants.

Thanks dbarron, I have enough of them to try the planting in a raised bed, and protect in winter, and keep the others potted in the solarium when we get it built. basement until the solarium is built. Maybe if the snow help yours survive -27 I can cover mine and it'll do good (the outdoor planted one), but are you sure you are zone 7 if you did get the -27F? I guess the hardiness zone map says you are, and you likely are most of the time. Maybe that was a very rare occurance? I do know the last windmill palm I tried croaked last winter after -11F here.

Okay, sorry dbarron, your zip says you are 7a. I guess all of our US states have occurances of horribly low temps that have happened, that are out of character for the states. I have a Quartz mountain Live oak that i am trying here in zone 6 Pa. I am using protection against the winter, (which i've been told will be a mild one this year) Christmas lights and a pool styro-noodle around the trunk.

Well me again, I still have several zone 6b-7a Needle palms, but I am trying to offer these plants to some more marginally hardy people.

Yes Poaky, it was that horrid polar vortex that spun us about 36 hours of unbelievable temperatures and a 2 1/2 to 3 foot blanket of snow. This was about 4-5 years ago now I'd say.

I had a q. virginiana that got to ten foot, before a winter (maybe that one) chopped it down for good...I actually do think it was that winter.

I'm trying to reaccquire a needle palm, where did you pick yours up ?

I have an extra couple, I can send you one or 2. BTW, did you guys just get some snow? I could swear my local news said you did in Ark a few days ago.

Well, last night, we got about 20 flakes of snow on every above ground leaf...that's about all.

I'd be happy to receive them if you can send. I'll PM you with address information and you can tell me what I would owe you for them.Err, well I would if your settings allowed me to send you private messages.

You should have an email from me...and thanks again.

I got your email and sent you one. Okay, now I can see that you tried a Quercus Virginiana and it died in a bad winter. If I were you, I would try a Quercus Fusiformis. If possible a Quartz mountain Q. Fusiformis. But you may be fine with a Q. Fusiformis (regular Fusi) in Ark, especially if you kept a Virginiana alive for several years. I am shocked that as far south as you are that a Virginiana died on you. I will dare to mention the :Late drop" Live oak from Mossy oak natives. I had one live for me through winter 2012-2013 ( I THINK so) my memory is crap, but, anyhoo, it was a milder winter here that never went below 0F. We got to 12F, and higher. I just gave away 2 of them already that came up from the roots in my zone 6 yard. If you go onto "Mossy oak natives nursery" and look at the "late drop" Live oak. They are available for purchase, but, you have to spend $20-$25 bucks minimum. It is your choice to look them up, just mentioning I got them there and they do NOT say they are any hardier than regular Q. Virginiana, but, I tried seedlings of reg Q. Virginiana from coastal Virginia, where the Q. Virginiana grows fine, and in a not so harsh winter, even after protection, they croaked. Another thing Db, I have a Q. Fusi from Arizona, that has died back to the ground for the last 4-5 years, it has stayed at about 3 feet tall for those 4-5 years, because it keeps coming up from the ground EVERY FRICKIN YEAR. If you want I will dig it up, and send to you in the spring. It is never going to be a tree here in my yard. I have another Q. Fusi from Joe in Mo, (not the Quartz mountain Live oak) if it dies back to the ground again(reg Fusi) I just may ask if he minds if I send it to someone who can give it a chance to be a majestic tree, you know, zone 7 and up person. The Quartz mountain Live oak is the only Live oak in my yard that I want to keep, the others have top died/killed. The Quartz mountain Live oak is my last try at growing a Live oak in Pa zone 6. I do have the "Compton's oaks" hybrids of Quercus VirginianaX Quercus Lyrata. I've mentioned them a bazillion times already. Well, Danny I will send out the 2 Needle palms, if that is what they really are, Dec 28 or 29. Let me know about if you have room for the Q. Fusiformis I got from Arizona 4-5 years ago.

Hey Dbarron, I didn't realize that I posted things with you before we posted each other on the tree forum. I also, must say I hope the Needle palms from me to you do great. I have 1 Needle palm from the 6 (if I recall correctly) MAYBE 2. I am going to definitely try the burlap and garbage can thing once I plant them into the ground. As of now, the remaining (I think) 1 Needle palm, is still in a pot and I will put it indoors for the night. Micheal zone 6 New England, I will be trying your cover method next winter, BUT, I wonder, with those same plants, a couple years since your last post, what is the most bitter cold these covered (or uncovered) palms have done good through? Later

saw this again ,,, this past winter i just wrapped them in burlap without the plastic and they did better ,,, no leaf rot at all ,,same for a trachycarpus that i have had in the ground for years against the house ,,,and we had several nights of temps below -5 this winter...

I have several little Needle palm babies to spare. I'll be keeping a few, maybe 5-6, but, I have some to spare. Anyone want a few? I am sick of catering to all of them. Anyone email me at julie.gogola@yahoo,com.

i have 14 of them .. the oldest being about 10 years old ,

,, the ones that get most, and hottest , sun are thriving and strong, and about 4' tall now with lots of leaves.. they are growing on a rock shelf. in poor soil with great drainage. . in a garden of yuccas that are not watered .... open windy exposure.

just wrapped them in burlap this winter without the plastic and they did better

if the plastic could be removed earlier in this area, it would be fine,, but leaving on it too long , allows it to heat up too much during the day and if it is moist under it, you get steamed palm fronds

when the snow melts in the Spring and the ground is wet, it can dry out covered in the burlap

rather than use the plastics double up the burlap on the windy/northern side ,,,,

I keep a mulch of oak leaves around the base a; year ,,

I have lost several that were in beds with flowers with enriched soil and they were never drying out enough in between waterings .. and lost leaves over the Winter under the plastic , or the main trunk died and the small suckers survived, but never really recovered ,, they look like mini palms to this day .. cute

the ones in more shade, in a more protected exposure,

rarely have more then 3 or 4 leaves, , . and also lost leaves over the winter when covered ..

Thanks for the info Poaky, I have a few seeds again but never have had any luck sprouting them so in the meantime I'll check ebay!