Texas palm lovers, please help me. I'm contemplating buying a mule palm, but I'm afraid it won't survive an unusually cold zone 8a winter here in central SC. Does anyone know of any x butiagrus - aka 'mule palms' that survived the historic Texas freeze of 2011? All feedback greatly appreciated.
x butiagrus - hybrid mule palm question
donnacreation,
I haven't heard of any larger specimens surviving long-term unprotected except in zone 8b+ areas. I have a 1gal seedling here in north Texas (Z8a) which I started during 2011. It has come through fine so far but it does have a couple cold-damaged strap leaves. 2009 and 2010 were far worse winters than 2011 here.
Thanks for your response, cstart. I don't think I'm going to spend a lot of money on a palm that is marginal, at best, in zone 8a. Dave's garden is rating this hybrid as cold hardy to 10f, but that was in Gainesville, Fl, where the palms were already large and long established. And I'll bet temps were back in the 70's within a week of their cold spell. Thanks again, and good luck with your mule palm.