I hope you don't already have this tree covered. That windmill will LOVE the cool damp 50's & 40's of the zone 5 fall.

Flordia Wannabe,,I do have the structure up minus one of the large south facing windows,,this is the only way to get access. I know what your saying, but we have been having nothing but cold rainy days . I mean an inch each day. Remember we have lake effect this time of year. I will leave the window out till it gets into the 20's.Thanks for responding,,Bill

"I will leave the window out till it gets into the 20's"

Yep, there you go. Good idea. And PLEASE keep us updated too.

Instead of straw on the ground, go for 2 inch styrofoam boards. Cut a hole in the centre and place it around the stem. This will reflect the earth-heat, and insulate better than straw. For good looks you can allways add straw on top!

On milder days you might open the box and ventilate. Windmills can be cooked if kept too warm. Its probably hardy to 5 degrees anyway...

I probably won't protect mine until December.

Mrbungalow,
Styrofoam boards are a great idea. Thanks for the tip. They're much cleaner than using any type of mulch, and are easily removable. I plan to coil rope lights on the ground around my palm and I did plan to insulate it with mulch, but styrofoam is a much better idea.
Thanks

Also, I agree with Fred Grow. It's probably hardy to around 5 degrees. While I was down in Virginia, I stopped at a palm nursery, and the lady who owned the place told me they're hardy to around zero, but up here, I bet 5 is a little more accurate, since we don't warm up as quickly as they do.

The two Trachycarpus I used to have in zone7b were severely damaged by 15 degree cold. They suffered visible frond damage and the loss of several spear leaves upon the arrival of spring. Both are dead and removed from the garden. They were of a rather relaxed leaf form, and probably not not as hardy as what has recently been offered by the same nursery as where i bought my fairly large palms in 2002. Good luck with your palms! Understand that these palms can die of exhaustion from repairing severe damage repeatedly, according to a Colorado palm grower/researcher. Hot summers are crucial to palms for repairing winter damage. The first summer my trachys were in the ground, they faced a spring and summer so cool that many Crape Myrtles failed to bloom here in the Cape May area of New Jersey!

One of the things to really watch out for is over fertilizing prior to winter. Too much new growth in the Fall can spell disaster in the winter. I would wait until it gets below 15F. Don't protect too early as it will lessen the hardening off effects. Treatment with fungicide is crucial for post winter damage, so spear pull does not equal death automatically. Palmfan, how many palms do you have?