Unprotected palms in late January

[TerdalFarm]

Sounds grim, right? Actually, not.
Today W went to our old farm out in the country. It has not sold yet for complicated reasons I don't want to go into. She took some snapshots of the palms I was not able to dig up due to my back injury. They were left to their fate.
These palms have received no care since August. No water despite days of 102 F / 40 C; no fertilizer, wilt-pruf, mulch, cover, etc. Basically, a worst-case scenario.
Except for one thing: after the hottest summer, ever, we are having an unnaturally mild winter. Like, at the nearest airport, the low so far has been +17 F / -8 C with every day above freezing.

First two photos show my Chammie, in the ground for several years.

After that, a couple of the Sabal "Lou" with the little Sabal minor NE Texas (from Amazing Gardens). In one, you can see the remnants of W's Washy robusta.

Then a Trachy.

Finally another Washy robusta.

Conclusion: Chammie, Sabal and Trachy do fine in zone 8b conditions. Washingtonia robusta do not. No surprise....

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1 ... site"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Gvg ... C_0287.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/1081357507 ... ite">Palms January 2012</a></td></tr></table>

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Then a windmill.

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Great shots, Erik! Hopefully the new owners will like palms, and will be motivated enough to at least mulch them in the winter! Maybe one will survive long-term this way.

[coconutmike]

These palms look very alive-Good Job! A little yellow but from what you mentioned these palms are true survivors
mike

[lucky1]

Yeah, Washies may love heat but they love water too.

Quite the test for them all.

Thanks Erik, that must've been hard...

Barb

[TimMAz6]

I wonder if a W. filifera would have survived the mild winter in your area?

[coconutmike]

That's a good point about the tougher washy. It is only a couple of degrees tougher and sometimes that is all it takes
mike

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Erik, nice palms BTW!

[zomble]

I was Interested in the Trachicarpus,

Having bought my first I was going to be worrying about it surviving this winter, the label says -18....-2 at the moment.

These palms have received no care since August.

Wow, thats so amazing!

I hope your better now.

Lovely palms Erik, thanks for sharing them!

[hardyjim]

Any thoughts about digging some up still....or has that time pasted?