Hello! i was wondering if someone could give me some insight on which palms would o well given these lows some winters are extremely mild some are down to 9 to 5 not as common and never get down to 0 almost ever lowest temp recorded -8F What would do good? in this zone and these lows. Lowest Temperatures in Hickory by Year Like a sabal palmetto hardier hybrid? would windmill palm do good in this? cause below 10 i know windmill palm is eh kinda hardy give me your thoughts!

There might be something your looking for on this site.

Category:PALM GENERA - Palmpedia - Palm Grower's Guide

If you're taking about 5 degrees and lower you want to go for the most cold hardy palm. Windmill palms and maybe Sabal Minor would survive 

 

With a little bit of planning and care, and minor protection, you can get a few species in Hickory.
Windmills for sure.  These are very common at nurseries all around Raleigh, and probably Greensboro as well.  I would invest in like a 15 gallon one vs going smaller.  If you plant it on the south side of your house/structure, getting full sun, it should do fine with no protection.  Same with the S. minor, and some of the more hardy Sabal species

If you are willing to do a little more work, you could get a Sabal palmetto, Butia, and some other exotics.
I live around Raleigh and have all mentioned above, as well as a Washingtonia filifera and Livistona nitida.  Zone 8a.

The Africa section of the NC Zoo is a great example of palms in central NC.

windmill palm out of the question they are kinda hardy but sometimes 5 degrees can wreck them also no protection at all soo yeah maybe like sabal birmingham or sabal miamiensis dont really know though the hardiness obs sheet only has one obs and i think its like 20 some degrees no damage lol 

i thought Chamadorea but you need to have most winters above 15 to have it at a decent size most of the time

29 minutes ago, NCkey-bar9831 said:

With a little bit of planning and care, and minor protection, you can get a few species in Hickory.
Windmills for sure.  These are very common at nurseries all around Raleigh, and probably Greensboro as well.  I would invest in like a 15 gallon one vs going smaller.  If you plant it on the south side of your house/structure, getting full sun, it should do fine with no protection.  Same with the S. minor, and some of the more hardy Sabal species

If you are willing to do a little more work, you could get a Sabal palmetto, Butia, and some other exotics.
I live around Raleigh and have all mentioned above, as well as a Washingtonia filifera and Livistona nitida.  Zone 8a.

The Africa section of the NC Zoo is a great example of palms in central NC.

A nitida? thats cool!

Also thinking fishtail palm since its foliage isnt hardy at all but the root system is and it can sprout back after some cold! mostly listed as 8a right?

Years ago there was a windmill palm that survived in Hickory for about 50+ years. It was 30+' tall.  Gary H. has reported on it in times past but it went into decline and is no longer there. 

still died from cold sooo

Oh yeah needle palm no brainer LOL

2 hours ago, Palmerr said:

still died from cold sooo

I'm not so sure about that. You asked the question so if it's that important to you, maybe follow it up with Gary of Gary's Nursery.  Otherwise just plant a minor and forget about it.

23 minutes ago, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

I'm not so sure about that. You asked the question so if it's that important to you, maybe follow it up with Gary of Gary's Nursery.  Otherwise just plant a minor and forget about it.

well yeah i forgot maybe a kinda marginal palm sabal minor would do good but needle palm would probably be the best bet?

5 hours ago, Palmerr said:

still died from cold sooo

Think it was removed.  

I believe it survived some twenty years or so after seeing -8f. 

8 hours ago, Palmerr said:

Also thinking fishtail palm since its foliage isn't hardy at all but the root system is and it can sprout back after some cold! mostly listed as 8a right?

Agree. You seem to know what you like. Don't waste real estate on Trachycarpus. Go for the Caryota and that L.nitida. If yo have space, maybe a Phoenix.

From what I read here and your description of the place I wouldn't try a Trachy and rather take some of those North American - native species like cold hardy Sabals or a needle. A Trachy would become too tall to protect at a certain point and -22°C will kill them.

Sharing some pics from the NC Zoo is Asheboro.  They had (probably) a few 100 windmills on the grounds, and dozens of Sabal minors.  Random areas with European Fan Palms.  Then some other exotics in containers.  I know that 2018 damaged some windmills around Raleigh, but most all survived.  I would assume these are 20+ year old windmills in the picture...so they have probably seen single digits 10+ times since then.

 

hmmm changed my mind a bit i will try them!

I live in Valdese like 20 minutes west of Hickory and absolutely unprotected needle palm sabal minor and most windmill palms planted on the south side full summer sun microclimate etc will be just fine. Maybe a little help with frost cloth Christmas lights etc. on these nights like we’ve recently had wouldn’t hurt but I see many windmills in the area go completely unprotected. Check out Allen’s YouTube TN TROPICS. He has a lot of great videos on palm protection in cold climates

There are already a lot of windmill palms in the NC foothills; and some are really old. I would assume Sabal minor, R. hystrix and the cold hardy Sabal oddballs like S. brazoriensis would do well.  

 

Edited January 24, 20251 yr by NC_Palms

On 1/22/2025 at 10:03 AM, Palmerr said:

Also thinking fishtail palm since its foliage isnt hardy at all but the root system is and it can sprout back after some cold! mostly listed as 8a right?

I never knew about fishtail palm being this cold hardy. If anyone else can confirm this, I might try planting on in the spring. 

Anyways, if you want a good "die back" palm. Look into Livistona chinensis.  I am not sure how much cold the roots can truly take, but I am aware of people in states like Maryland and New Jersey who grow it without much problems. I have one on the other side of the state and it does well (although I am in zone 8b)

I'm in Charlotte, NC and very near the city center so I believe we are a touch warmer than Hickory. Unprotected I have windmills, needle, Mexican fan palm, mediterranean fan palm and sabal minor. I would imagine all of those would do well in Hickory. I've seen unprotected pindo palms around town and cabbage Palmettos (SC state tree) also unprotected. I have a queen palm that is in the ground and although this is it's first year, it's survived so far and is looking actually pretty good. I have a high plains coconut that has the same hardiness profile as the Queen and it seems they are doing fine as well. I would think that with some protection they would be ok in Hickory.

 

On 1/22/2025 at 12:16 PM, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

Years ago there was a windmill palm that survived in Hickory for about 50+ years. It was 30+' tall.  Gary H. has reported on it in times past but it went into decline and is no longer there. 

This is the windmill in question, allegedly planted in 1946.  Unfortunately it was removed sometime in 2013 by the new owner of the property.  Mr. Hollar told me he wasn't sure if it actually died or was just removed for aesthetic reasons. 

 

As for the potential to grow other trunking palms in Hickory, maybe it would be worthwhile to experiment with Sabal palmetto.  Here are some in nearby Salisbury (same hardiness zone) which seem to be doing very well: 

17 minutes ago, NCFM said:

This is the windmill in question, allegedly planted in 1946.  Unfortunately it was removed sometime in 2013 by the new owner of the property.  Mr. Hollar told me he wasn't sure if it actually died or was just removed for aesthetic reasons. 

 

As for the potential to grow other trunking palms in Hickory, maybe it would be worthwhile to experiment with Sabal palmetto.  Here are some in nearby Salisbury (same hardiness zone) which seem to be doing very well: 

I would also try sabal mexicanas. They handle the cold much better than the palmettos in our zone 8 Texas winters and I would imagine the same would be true out there. 

6 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I would also try sabal mexicanas. They handle the cold much better than the palmettos in our zone 8 Texas winters and I would imagine the same would be true out there. 

I have a couple 3gal potted mexicanas but they never seem too happy.  I'm not sure if it's a humidity/over-watering issue, or just me doing something wrong.  I've never had any issue keeping my potted palmettos healthy with the same soil mix and watering regime.  Do you have any tips?

26 minutes ago, NCFM said:

This is the windmill in question, allegedly planted in 1946.  Unfortunately it was removed sometime in 2013 by the new owner of the property.  Mr. Hollar told me he wasn't sure if it actually died or was just removed for aesthetic reasons. 

 

As for the potential to grow other trunking palms in Hickory, maybe it would be worthwhile to experiment with Sabal palmetto.  Here are some in nearby Salisbury (same hardiness zone) which seem to be doing very well: 

lol  I found those same palms in Salisbury a few months ago

1 hour ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I would also try sabal mexicanas. They handle the cold much better than the palmettos in our zone 8 Texas winters and I would imagine the same would be true out there. 

Interesting, I've always heard that sabal mexicanas aren't as hardy as regular palmettos. Not sure though, I've never had a mexicana. I do have a Brazoria and those things are tough, as are regular palmettos. Both of mine are small though and beginning to trunk, so hardiness may decrease as the bud becomes more exposed. I may have to look into a mexicana. 

On 1/21/2025 at 10:53 PM, Palmerr said:

Hello! i was wondering if someone could give me some insight on which palms would o well given these lows some winters are extremely mild some are down to 9 to 5 not as common and never get down to 0 almost ever lowest temp recorded -8F What would do good? in this zone and these lows. Lowest Temperatures in Hickory by Year Like a sabal palmetto hardier hybrid? would windmill palm do good in this? cause below 10 i know windmill palm is eh kinda hardy give me your thoughts!

I think they should be okay this has happened to   my young  sabal minors and they were fine. Oh crap ignore this message I put it in the wrong forum sorry

3 hours ago, NCFM said:

 

Never thought Sabal palmetto would do so well in Salisbury. 

And is that a European fan palm behind the second palm on the right? If so, this would be the tallest trunking Euro I have seen in inland NC 

2 hours ago, Zone7Bpalmguy said:

Interesting, I've always heard that sabal mexicanas aren't as hardy as regular palmettos. Not sure though, I've never had a mexicana. I do have a Brazoria and those things are tough, as are regular palmettos. Both of mine are small though and beginning to trunk, so hardiness may decrease as the bud becomes more exposed. I may have to look into a mexicana. 

In 2021 when temps were 0-5F across north and central texas and below freezing for 100+ hours  Sabal Mexicana was the clear winner by a considerable margin. I know your climate is different though. They also tend to be a little bit slower growing until they develop a fat trunk. Kind of like how Filifera growth rates compare to Mexicana 

On 1/24/2025 at 3:36 PM, Dan Johnson Jr said:

I'm in Charlotte, NC and very near the city center so I believe we are a touch warmer than Hickory. Unprotected I have windmills, needle, Mexican fan palm, mediterranean fan palm and sabal minor. I would imagine all of those would do well in Hickory. I've seen unprotected pindo palms around town and cabbage Palmettos (SC state tree) also unprotected. I have a queen palm that is in the ground and although this is it's first year, it's survived so far and is looking actually pretty good. I have a high plains coconut that has the same hardiness profile as the Queen and it seems they are doing fine as well. I would think that with some protection they would be ok in Hickory.

 

There is a difference between hickory and Salisbury and charlotte low temps.. Charlotte a lot milder Salisbury near the average lowest temp. It has gotten to 6,4,8F since 2017 Most other winters being mild in Salisbury which gives a bit of hope for Sabal palmetto maybe Mexicana too in Hickory? There is a nursery in Memphis i really want to visit (Foxtail palms maybe 10Feet tall sagos, Christmas palms, Windmill 15 Gal Windmill 6Ft trunk!) ill send a link. On a side note, i dont know where to get a decently sized sabal palmetto! maybe 7 Feet of trunk from somewhere other than Atlanta Palms. Recommendations on that, cause i want to have a Sabal Palmetto in my garden! (Protection from Dec 26th to Around March 15th or so.)

Cool news! we hit like -6F according to a PWS on Weather underground! My dad did a squish test it didnt budge it had mulch over it black mulch it reached i think 8F all the leaves browned with some green spots so i cut them all back and mulched it inside of a small chicken wire circular cage with burlap and a cover to protect it from rain and melting snow around it (No heat! didnt have the waterproofing so they didnt allow it) then on the 22nd of Jan it fell to -6F 4 or so houses down much worse than anticipated!) Hope it survived fingers crossed! (Lowes said if it died i can bring it back and get a new one so if it dies i will just replant it) The last one was planted a little late around Middle of July but still! Very hopeful!! Personal Weather Station Dashboard | Weather Underground

18 minutes ago, Palmerr said:

Cool news! we hit like -6F according to a PWS on Weather underground! My dad did a squish test it didnt budge it had mulch over it black mulch it reached i think 8F all the leaves browned with some green spots so i cut them all back and mulched it inside of a small chicken wire circular cage with burlap and a cover to protect it from rain and melting snow around it (No heat! didnt have the waterproofing so they didnt allow it) then on the 22nd of Jan it fell to -6F 4 or so houses down much worse than anticipated!) Hope it survived fingers crossed! (Lowes said if it died i can bring it back and get a new one so if it dies i will just replant it) The last one was planted a little late around Middle of July but still! Very hopeful!! Personal Weather Station Dashboard | Weather Underground

So you're in Hickory Kentucky and not Hickory North Carolina? Well that changes things. I would go with needles and minors. Then it becomes what are you willing to protect and how? What will you do if/when the palm you choose gets really tall? What will be your plan B, should you lose power? These are all reasons why I don't protect things and don't really have any desire to do so, beyond some mulch, etc... In fact, during this last cold spell, I did lose power for about 3 hours when it was around 10'F. These are things to consider.

I wish you the best whatever you decide to do. 

No I'm in Lexington KY she's in Hickory NC! Whoops lol

Btw my home has never lost power in the 7 years I've lived here so many severe thunderstorms (60MPH Winds, Hail. Maybe a Tornado!) Don't know about her though she won't protect anything so don't have to worry about that lol but I'm in KY she's in Hickory NC Zone 8A i will try to protect next year cause I will have things that i need to protect Ima try and grow  Dwarf Orinoco Bananas and Owari Satsumas both handle 15F just fine Satsuma set the Temp to not go below 30F Till it is done fruiting then put it down to 18F and Dwarf orinoco Banana it will die back to the stem after first frost around Late Oct which it will have some decent fruit by then Ima cut it down right under the leaves and protect it in a chicken wire enclosure to keep it above 15F so the stem doesn't die back too. Inspiration?  Millenial gardener On the southeastern coast of NC Zone 8b harvests oranges and bananas (Only protects the satsuma during fruiting period then just lets it sit all winter.