"What's the matter with you? Don't you know what you're saying? -- Dr. Emilio Lizardo (Buckaroo Banzai, 1984)

I admit it: I was skeptical. Several people had asked me about offering palm trees as a tropical complement to bamboo. I'd just shake my head and mumble something about remembering the Blizzard of '93. I envisioned a tropical beauty turning to frost-bitten mulch with the first cold snap.

Good news! The Windmill Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei, is a cold-hardy palm tree from east Asia that shrugs off icy temps down to 5 degrees. Easy to grow, the Windmill can quickly reach heights of about 20 feet. The trunk is covered with a burlap-like fiber and grows well in clay -- especially important here in Georgia.

We have a limited supply of Windmill palms in 3-gallon containers. Send an e-mail if you're interested. For more information about palms that grow in the southeast, visit the Southeastern Palm Society web site.