I have read they are hardy to zone 7. I bought one a few years back from plant delights nursery. It was pretty small. It lived for 2 years but declined the whole time. I bought another one this year from Yucca Do nursery. It was obviously several years older and larger than the previous one I had bought. Hoping for better luck with this one.

thank you for your reply jaynboro. Is this palm hardier than the windmill palm? Also, is yucca do nursery reliable? And how big is this palm you just received? Would I need protection for it in zone 7a/7b?

Sabal Birminghams are probably about as hardy as trachys, maybe a little bit more. If I bought one I would protect it for the first 2 years and if it did well I would leave it alone after that. They should be fine in a zone 7 once they are a nice size (unless it's a really harsh winter!)
-Alex

Here it is next to an old shoe for scale. It wasn't potted up in this container but wrapped with a good sized rootball in newspaper. I ordered this sabal Birmingham and a sabal Uresana. Was surprised at the size of both when I opened the box. I was happy with the order.
Jay

I also have two birminghams from yuccado. They both did great last winter in the ground. I also bought a 7 gallon one from chilly palm tree co. It went thru last winter unprotected. Although its a much larger palm than the ones from yuccado, its still extremely slow growing.

Thanks for your replies guys. I will order a one gallon sometime soon from yuccado. 7 gallon is too expensive. So you all think it should survive fine in zone 7a?

It needs a lot of heat and wind shelter in zone 7-a. Although I don't have a sunny and sheltered enough spot, here's one in Trenton.

Really? I heard they were hardy in zone 7a? Do they really need protection?

Small seedlings like the one you will get from yuccado should be covered by at least a pot or something during the 3 first years in ground. Mine haven't been covered yet, but our lowest morning was only 23F. Anything in the low teens. Especially if its raining or snowing.

Thanks for your replies. Mine will be in a sheltered spot so i might just use mulch. What about the sabal brazoria. is that also good?

Mine is also a seedling from PDN. Its been outside for over a year. Last winter I kept a 5 gallon bucket over it. No protection this yr. Its gonna take awhile for these to start growing. My sabal louisiana and savannah Ga. from yuccado are already producing split fronds after one yr in ground.