I lost one last winter, and it was right next to some pretty iffy plants that were untouched. Like the Butia below that survived the 1998 winter without any damage. To be fair, this Butia x Jubaea I had was still producing undivided leaves and I planted it in September or October of 2009?

Tender x Tender = Temporary.

Jubaea is not tender by any means. If you do some research on that species, you can see it's probably right behind Trachycarpus fortunei in cold tolerance. It has been shown time and time again, to be much more cold tolerant than Butia capitata, the palm pictured above growing in my yard. I am not suggesting that Jubaea is foolproof in our region, I am only trying to give some additional information on the freeze worthiness of Jubaea chilensis.

"Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis) - A contender for the hardiest pinnate-leaved palm, it is hardy to about â12 °C and has been cultivated successfully as far north as London in England. This palm does not perform well in hot, humid climates but has proven hardier than Butia capitata in cooler, maritime climates in such places as Great Britain and the Pacific Northwest. Chilean Wine palms have a very small native range, grow very slowly, and thus it is exceptionally rare to find fully grown examples outside of Chile.[citation needed"

-Wikipedia

When they say hardy to about -12c, they are talking about small specimens that are unprotected. When they get large, there are examples trees that have withstood 0F. When they get large, they have a trunk the size of a decent sized Redwood tree.

Hardy x Hardy = Boring!

That's my feeling, but having said that, having a garden of all tender plants exposes you to a dead looking garden after a weather event like last December. Having hardy plants as a back bone to your garden will help prevent that.

I enjoy the exotic tropical look. You can achieve that with hardy rhododendrons, bamboo (clumping if you don't want to fight the runners), and windmill palms. There are plenty of other hardy evergreen plants that can add to the look. Then add in plants that are labeled as semi-hardy to tender to finish the look. If they die, no big deal. Try something different next time or replant. That is how many plants that were thought tender have been shown to do quite well in the PNW west of the Cascades.

I enjoy reading the success and failures of people like homernoy (Brian) and others who test these limits. A person can learn a lot from them to achieve a exciting and exotic garden.

I bought this cross and have been nuturing it along for a couple years, bringing it in during the winter. So far so good, but an unheated sunroom is no test. Once it's too big to move I'll plant it outside.