What seems to be the problem. Little cold weather aint going to hurt you now, is it? What do you mean teens, we are still in summer down here.

5* feels like 5 degrees less than 10*. Its cold. But its better than 0* and not as cold as -5 or -10. . I hope I have cleared this up.

It is only September, but I spent the weekend up near Cadillac, MI where it dropped to 34F WITH FROST on Saturday night! Brrrr....is this really summer??? Still back home the coolest we've had this season is only 54F so it's still summer here. Man does Michigan get cold early!

Orchiddude-
It's still technically summer up here as well but it could easily be in the teens up here in 8 weeks. Our average first frost is about October 24th.
Oppalm-
All I know is it's damn cold and it could be 10 weeks away. Someone bring this post up agian in January so I can see how sick I was.

Andy - cold is relative. I'm thinking that both you and I would be happy to have a 50* day in January 2007. Enjoy the cooler temps while you can, fall is agreat time of year. Of course, fall gives way to Winter (why is that not a four letter word?) we should rename it to wntr (a four letter word). Now thats creativity, and its still before noon. Oh well, I guess I'll quit for the day. Can't do no better than that.

Yes temperature is relative. I'm happy if it hits 40 in January. I love fall, the colors, football, cooler but not cold temps. Halloween is my favourite holiday. But when November hits look out. Hopefully we'll have a mild winter. This will be my first attempt at overwintering outdoor palms. It would be nice to come through it with no foliage damage.

I love fall.. and even like to see a little snow for xmas but Jan. and Feb. are terrible! By that point it's always bitter cold with gray sky and the pretty white snow has turned to brown slush built up from all the plows. I love it up here in Michigan through all the season but every Feb. I consider moving south. I'd be all set if I could just drop Jan. and Feb. from the calender.

March is my least favourite month (and my birthday is in it). At lease in January and February you know what you're getting. Cold, cold, and more cold. In March it could be 60 one day and 16 the next. It's a teaseand is typically brown and ugly.

andyandy,we in the Zombiezones of 5 or 6 are all in this togeather. I have 6 bamboos,2basjoos, 1needle, and a small trachy in the ground, all first year. I have a few trachys from 1 to 5 gallon. The one in the ground is a 1 gallon,so thats most likely a goner. We do what we can, thats the fun. Theres always football!

Very true but those random 60 degree days give me a little hope for the warm weather coming soon.

O Lord, now we have to hear you whine......ROFL

Just think of me, I am stuck in the middle of yall and Miami. :-) Half of you can do it, the other half cant do it, and I am well....I am here.....ROFL

orchiddude, at least you can stick one of your butias in the ground down there, the most we can hope for is a needle palm or trachy. I would rather be in 7b anytime. i know you don't care for palmate palms,but in the ground they are pretty attractive. What is your lowest average temp?

Well, we see 20's every winter, and in the last 10 years we have seen teens about 3 times. 20's come and go in late Jan/Feb. To me that is COLD, too cold. I hate 20's.

wow orchiddude, I didn't think 7b got that low.Better than zone 6, but still cold. Iam nearthe coast in Massachusetts and havn't seen zero for a few years, but that could change

Orchidude--with lows only in the 20s each year and sometimes the teens really opens up a lot of possibilities. Even with some of the Zone 8/9 palms, the winter protection you would need would be very short lived.

What I'd give to actually be in a zone warm enough to complain about 20s!!

Here is the problem, it seems that no matter what zone we are in, we want that plant that is in the next zone or 3. So, in my case, all the palms that I have in pots could not be in the ground. I want zone 10 or 11 or 12 plants, so I have to do what I have to do. Now if I would settle for something else, well, maybe I could plant one but why plant one that you kinda want when you can have one you really want. I look at it this way, I am only going to live about 40 more years or so, and as slow as some of these plants grow, I might as well have what I want and I want the feather leaf palms. Forget the windmills, sabals and the zone 5 plants, LOL, I want something from the tropics. I got the sun, the rain, the cool nights, the hot nights, I got it all except I have winter also. Darn! So, I guess I have to grow my stuff in pots, big pots and a big greenhouse.

You know, thinking about it, the palms I grow, really dont grow that fast, I guess they might be fast for a palm tree even if some of them are putting on 5 leaves a year, but you know that really isnt that fast, so you could really have some of these plants around for a long time and they would never need to be put in the ground. Cocos might be the exception to this rule, I'll get to see in about 3 years how to handle that one. My christmas palms seem to be doing great too. They might be on the faster side. I would love to see some of them get some height to them in the next 5 years.

Lifes to short to grow ugly plants....ROFL

I hear ya on the tropical palms. While needle palms would probably survive in my zone, I just dont have the desire to grow them. I'd rather focus my time and energy (and $$$) on something worthwhile.

Growing in pots is fun but trying them inground is even better to me despite the risk.

Don't sell needle palms short, I think they're actually an attractive palm. They push up 3 ot 4 fronds per summer and the fact that they can be left in the ground with minimal protection is just a bonus.

I'm with you andyandy, I think they are a good looking palm. Iwish they weren't so painfully slow growing. They are worth the effort just to shock the neighbors to see a palm (or maybe a banana) growing in the ground up north.Potted palms are great too, but not as challenging.If I was orchiddude, that pindo would be in the ground, but to each his own.

What pindo? I dont think I have a pindo. Do I?

I plan on moving to a new house in 3 years anyway, so it wouldn't be good to stick anything in the ground just yet.

You know what would be cool, if you could build a giant greenhouse bulb thingy that you could put up over your whole yard during the winter. It would prbably cost millions to create but you could grow royals and queens all day long.....LOL

Pindo...?????? I dont think I have one of those, I better check for needles too.

sorry orchiddude, I think I meant butia(jelly) palm.I thought I saw one in one of your gallery photos. Don't mind me, I just have zone envy!

"Here is the problem, it seems that no matter what zone we are in, we want that plant that is in the next zone or 3. "

Truer words have not been spoken on this forum!

I am not sure what zone my basement is, but the temperature nevers goes below like 60 or 65. It just so happens I have to lug my palms and tropicals in and out of that zone twice a year. Not bad for living in the middle of the country. Plus I enjoy visiting my basement a couple of times each week. Now only if I could put some sand down there and get a tan........

Winter?

I think I read about that somewhere...

Sonotaps-
Is there such a thing as zone 13? I thought there were only 12 zones. The 12th being equatorial.

Sunset zone 13 is completely separate from the USDA zones, which do have just 2. Sunset is less generic than the USDA definitions and take many more factors into consideration other than average low temps. The Sunset zones are more based on the plant's thrive-ability rather than survive-ability.

There goes them words again. I think I am in sunset Z 15 because of my pots....LOL

If I were a single man,I think I might just quit my job,and move and live and work in the Bio Sphere,haven't heard much on that place in a long while,has anybody?

Sometimes I think being stranded on a south pacific Island wouldn't be too bad. Just so long as I have plenty of Labbats and I hot woman LOL. Sunny and 85 everyday, Beer, and a hot chick! (nothing like a fantasy at work after lunch).

If I were a rich man, I'd say SCREW THE GREAT WHITE NORTH and move to someplace with a zone 10 or more.

But, po ol' me' be stay'n here. :(

Com on blondy....you can move down south, cant get through customs. LOL.... I had to say it.