Hi Josh!!! Thank for the kind comments! This was a project that I kept putting off until I finally felt so bad looking at the massive roots in this container. It is a great feeling to know it is free of all of the congestion and the huge roots circling around the container. I feel better and I am sure the tree is very happy now that it can continue to grow and thrive in the same home, but with more room to grow. So nice to see you and thank you for your comments! ;-) Uaskigyrl... Thank you ! I love this tree too! Take Care, Laura

Thanks, Laura, I'm on my way (in fantasy land, I'd love to see your place!!) The 3 that were left (and the hitch-hiker) happened to fit exactly in the hole left when I pulled out the pot of Irish moss that some people may remember being in here, looked like a grass circle. Realized I think it looked dumb there, so don't know if I like this better, but if not, I'll change it next spring. (And no, the mini isn't progressing since my last post on it. It's on hold until monsoon season is over...)

What part of the RR/Austin area are you moving to? The winter lows are moderated nearest the downtown area and nearby neighborhoods due to a small urban heating effect on calm, cold nights. I can't say I've seen any ponytail palms in the ground in the Austin area. Without winter protection, I doubt they would last too long in the ground; but one could always try. There are a few good sized Queen palms planted near Taco Cabanas at two locations: south of the lakes downtown & some on highway 79 neat Redbud lane. A cold winter could certainly kill them without protection, but if they are near a building facing south and have some added heat, they can do alright at least for a few years. I have one in front of my home for 3.5 years. I planted it as a 7 gallon palm from HD that was perhaps 6 feet to the tallest frond. I've put C9 Christmas lights (w/o a sheet or tarp to trap the heat) on it to protect the trunk and bud from the winter. The coldest it has seen was 17 degrees for a low temp. Some tips were a little brown on the fronds, but it didn't lose those fronds. It is now about 22 feet tall to the topmost frond and the trunk is about 1.5-2 feet in diameter at the base. Drip irrigation and fertilizer help a lot. I have some smaller ones in my backyard on the north side that were planted as 3 gals 2 years ago, they have handled the cold without any protection and are growing at a good rate. Others in my neighborhood have planted Queens in the past few years and they are doing well. They don't cost very much at these small sizes, and seem to grow pretty well, so you might try them as an experiment. These queen palms might be a slightly different variety compared to those from Florida as the Texas varieties seem more robust, but perhaps that is just due to the soil and nutrients available. If you can find them, there are hybrids between the Butia and Queen (and some other combos as well) that should handle the worst of the cold weather better than a Queen and grow faster than a Butia. As other posters mentioned, if you want trunk forming palms, the California and Mexican Fan palms do well, with the California being much hardier to the cold and ice here. The Butia (Jelly) plams do fairly well except in heavy limestone and are cold tolerant. Sabal palms are also very tough. Windmill palms seem to grow well and are pretty cold hardy. Date palms seem to grow well, but a record cold outbreak cold kill almost any palm, with a trunk, as the all time low is below zero. Good luck.

Those pictures are amazing! Since this is for the front entry-way, picking a pot that works in the space was a big part of the equation. Too wide, and we would have to be really careful about how we get into the front door - it will be just inches away on either side. And yes, we could pick other plants, but I think the ponytails will look spectacular for a few years until they outgrow the pots. Luckily, in my area, I can plant them in ground when they get too big. :)