It seems to do well without too many leafs falling into the pool; very minimal with beautiful white flowers that my dog likes to snack on. I'm very pleased with the decision :) thanks to everyone!

Yes Sheila , its spelled something like that . I was there agin about a month ago . You have to check out the house plant room . They have cactus to the ceiling , 8 feet tall and some plants I've never seen before . The only problem is they dont put any prices on anything . Make sure you look poor when you get there , maybe they'll sell it cheaper , lol . Rick

I have two Rhapidophyllum Hystrix and a Sabal Minor McCurtain thriving in Long Branch, NJ just a block and one half off the beach. One needle palm is almost six foot tall. The needle palms are in a small alcove and the McCurtain is out in the open. The latter survived a six foot snow drift on top it during its second winter. None of the Palms have ever been protected by blankets or mulch. All three have a Southern Exposure. There is a large hedge to the west of the McCurtain protecting it from Northwest winds. They were all planted in Spring. The former in 1999 and the latter in 2002. All of my specimens came from Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, NC. They have a lot of experience dealing with cold hardy palms. www.plantdelights.com. The fact they were raised in the middle of North Carolina and not in Florida has a lot to say about their cold hardiness. This year, I hope to plant Trachycarpus Takil (Wagner variety) and the Tennessee Form. Also Sabal Minor Louisiana. They are currently wintering in a cold frame since I got them too late last year to plant them in the ground. Planting in the fall would be a disaster. In the late 70's through to about 1987 I had Needle Palm growing in Hopewell Township NJ near Pennington (north of Trenton). They laughed at temperatures below minus five. They were on the south side of the house. I saw the pictures of the Palms growing in Willingboro. Why are they so close to the wall? These things get big, hopefully, and they can possibly and regrettably damage the wall. The power of trees growing is enormous. They can crack sidewalks and damage the foundations of houses.

Im not sure where you live, but if you are in the Dallas area then you can definitely grow palms WIndmill palms can grow to 30 or 40 feet tall eventually and are cold hardy to 15F without damage and eventually down to 10F. Mexican fan palms can eventually grow to 100 feet tall (after at least 50 years) and begin to get damaged around 20F and usually die around 15F. Mediterranean fan palms slowly grow to 15 feet tall and are a clumping palm. They begin to get damage around 15F and are cold hardy to about 10F. Pindo palms, unlike the fan palms mentioned above, are feather palms and also make edible fruit (its occasionally called a Jelly Palm in the southeast). It begins to get damaged around 15-20F and is cold hardy to about 10F. Sabal palmettos are probably the most popular palm in the southeast and are native. They are cold hardy to about 10F or so and are cheap at tall heights (often only around 300 dollars for a palm with 6 feet of trunk). However, I recommend that you find a Sabal palm that has a full crown of fronds and looks healthy because it will establish faster and worth the extra money. The cold tolerance of a palm varies by many different conditions. Cold moisture, especially if a hard freeze follows can kill a palm because of rot of the growing bud. A cold wind can de-hydrate the fronds of a palm and that can kill them too. Needle palms and sabal minors are definitely cold hardy to at least 10F and when established, they can survive around 0F. You might also want to look into bananas for a tropical look. Musa basjoo bananas will die to the ground every winter, but they will come up in the spring, especially if given some mulch and kept from getting too wet. It is not an edible banana however. There are many many other plants you can grow for a tropical look and palms are a great start!