He also sent the same basic message to the CFPACS forum and the Cycad Jungle forum. You must be very enthusiastic about this site if it is not your site because it took a lot of time to search out these sites and send the message to all those people, especially if you have no financial interest in it. Since I see that you are a palm expert, we will all be very happy that you are here, and can answer everyone's palm cultivation questions as time goes on. Having the first post be something commercial just looks bad, but I'm sure we will all see why you are here once you start answering everyone's questions without any commercial content.

Mike , glad to hear of the success you have had with tropicals in your area. You should visit these forums below for reading about many others in your area that grow palms and share experiences. Site no. 1 is the 'most popular' in the Unites States Site no. 2 is geared more for cooler zones in the Central and Midwest areas of the United States. site no. 3 is regional for New England and SE Canada Board 1 Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board Board 2 Hardy Palms in Temperate Zones Board 3 Hardy Palms and more in the Northeast

I think treeguy's suggested temperatures for start of leaf damage to these hardy palms are even a bit optimistic. Siting, wind, and cold duration can affect the damage to palm fronds. Last season we hardly got below zero here in 7a, but the incredible duration (no winter warm-ups) and winds did a number on all my minors and trachys. Needles fared a bit better but still showed some cosmetic damage, depending on siting. You may want to consider large-leaved tropicals used as annuals (or dug and stored), if you have the inclination -- plants like Elephant ears, bananas, castor beans, cannas, coleus, and smaller blooming annuals and foliage plants for a riot of color and variety of leaf shapes. Or large-leaved deciduous hardy trees/shrubs. If you want hardy broad-leafed evergreens, you're going to be very limited in zone 6. Everyone has a different idea of what 'tropical' means too. Some even consider Tree of Heaven to be rather tropical.

Make sure the palm is able to withstand cold. Good palms for this would be Needle Palm, Sabal minor, Saw palmetto, maybe even chamaerops humilis. The bananas will likely die every winter, but all you have to do is cut away the dead stuff and it grows right back! For the palm trees, depending on what palm trees you get, will need winter protection.