There are hardy palms like needle palm and Trachycarpus Fortunei both need added protection and should be established well. I can't advise where to buy any, got mine from seed and another at a garden centre a few years back.

I've been down that road with Needles and Waggies, both failed, I know of others who have had similar experiences in London's zone 5/6. If you want a tropical screen musa basjoo is the way to go, for sure. I can hook you up with large corms if you want you want to come and dig em up, they'll be 8-10 feet in the first year. If you want palms go with Fortunei in a pot, they grow well in containers and are relatively easy to overwinter indoors.

There are no palms that will survive in Ontario/Zone5-6. Palms are not really feasible under zone 7. Even in zone 7, they are limited to Sabal minor, Louisiana, Needles, and Trachycarpus (Windmills). Clumping bamboos can make a nice tropical-like screen but I am not sure if species of Fargesia are hardy in your area.

Actually (no I'm not a Canadian), but farther south in the States, sabal minor and needle palm do fine in Z6. It may be due to longer summer seasons?

The only way anything like that would survive is with heating cables or a strand of lights and to be covered. Even basjoo needs protection. Search this up on youtube- palms planted in zone 5/6 you will see the work it takes.

I had (admittedly a freak weather condition lasting couple of days and snow cover) -27F with both and no real problem.

Thanks to all. I will definitely look into musa basjou.

To protect basjoo in late fall just chop the stem at around two feet high, get yourself some dried mulched leaves place around the stem out two feet minimum, pile them about a foot over the top of the stem and cover with a tarp. Open back up mid-April and cut back the mushy stuff, there should be plenty solid material left above ground and next years growth will have a head start from that point. These plants pup or sucker, so thin and divide liberally once established (2 full seasons). Heeman's nursery in London always has them mid May.

dbarron - its a combination of a number of factors. Cold, wet, especiallly the freezes and thaws - that kill off plant cells (the roots for example). Zones are just indicators to help guide but its not the only factor to consider. A Canadian zone 5 for example is close to a US zone 4.

Incidentally, basjoos are not palms. These are non edible banana trees from northern Japan which does experience mild winter weather and these are herbs and the mother will die after a couple of years. they produce pups which are then replanted. winter protection methods

Yes, I'm familiar with them, My neighbor has a large clump of basjous. The title was palms though.

I was just addressing the issue with palms and zones and snow. In very cold climates where the freezes penetrates deep in the soil it makes it all the more necessary to protect the roots from the unpredictable weather - we do suffer huge temperature swings. That's the reason why our winters can be more severe compared to other areas with the same zones. In fact A layer of good & dry snow can act as an insulator & keeps plants protected from temperature changes. It's actually preferred. I pile up snow on my garden beds.