With the right protection you can grow anything. I just googled winter protection for palm trees the other night and got a old post from a guy on here (artictropical) in zone 4. He has all kinds of stuff and there was great detail on the boxes and lighting used to protect the palms and bananas.

Without protection you can always dig up your plants for the winter if you have the space. Even here in zone 7 I dig up some plants just for insurance incase of a bad winter.

What a shame, I was hoping we would be neighbors!

Good luck in KY!

Don't worry! I have had Musa basjoo in the ground here in Lexington and it cme back with just general mulching. I also had two hary to zone 6 Colocasia's in the ground that came back. Sabal minor will do awesome here and I hear Needle Palm will as well. Windmill can work sometimes... I had to look up Shelbyville because I wasn't sure where it was. Looks like it is almost halfway between Louisville and Lexington. I can tell you that Lexington hasn't had that many lows near or below 0f in the last few years. We are a cold zone 7a. Generally if we have a below 0f temp it is only down to -5f at most. Mostof the time that has to occur with snowcover and anything colder will be with a lot of snow cover. Snowcover is good though because it will insulate your plants.

Any other questions ask me or checkout my blog. I haven't updated it much lately, but plan on it.

Jake

Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog

Hunter, looks like you have a good, new built in mentor with Jake since he lives close by and has experience.

For now I'd concentrate on your potted palms and not invest too much in outdoor semi tropicals right away. As you said you don't know how long you'll be there. Hardy palms are rather expensive by comparison and supplies for winterizing the more tender varieties will also bite into your budget.

That being said, listen to Jake. Maybe your folks can take you to see his garden palms for ideas. He suggested hardy banana, sabal minor and needle palms. I suggest starting small, simple and affordable at your age. You probably should winterized the sabal minors and needles palms the first year or two anyway. That will provide you great experience when it's time to expand or zone push with some other palms on your dream sheet. From there I'd move up to windmill palms since they're pretty rugged and most zone 6 and 7 gardeners
on this site have success with them with some minor winter protection.

Use this winter to learn more from books, the web and other gardeners. By spring planting season you'll be ready for your first in ground palms. Good luck!

I'd hold off on pindos, Mediterranean fans, sabal palmettos and California & Mexican palms until you gain more "in-ground & winterizing experience. Also avoid the temptation to plant this season. It's too late in most zones north of 8 or 9 to get hardy palms established before winter. When you get settled into your new Kentucky home, study your garden for best protected locations, improve the soil quality if necessary and watch where the sun is and where the shade is and where the prevailing winter wind blows from. Ask questions of your new neighbors who are gardeners. In the winter, look to see if you have micro climates. Those will be where you plant more tender varieties that need maximum protection from cold and wind.

Looks like you can still grow most of what you wanted! It will take a little more work, but still definitely doable! Musa Basjoos should be okay with mulch. Some are more cold tolerant than others, but most seem like they can handle zone 6 with protection. The important thing is to mulch them enough to keep the roots from getting below freezing.
I would also start simple with the cold hardy palms (needles, Sabal minors, Trachys) and then after you succeed with those, move on to the nicer and more tender palms!
Good luck!
-Alex