Question
Hello.  I live in Moultrie, Georgia, which is in South Georgia.  I live in hardiness zone 8.  I am an avid gardener and love working in my yard.  I have a garden and also have a lot of fruit trees in my yard.  Last season I bought four Majesty Palms from Lowes.  The card on the plant said that it was an inside plant and not to plant them outside.  I read on the Internet that contradicted this statement about keeping them inside.  I read a lot of articles saying that they can and should be planted outside.  Because of what I read on the Internet, I planted them outside.  They grew pretty well during the summer months.  It snowed during the winter and we had a lot of freezing temperatures for a couple months.  I cut them back a few months ago.  They aren抰 looking good.  Actually, they look as though they are dead.  Do you think the freeze killed my Majesty Palms?

I have seen a lot of beautiful tropical plants that I would love to plant in my yard.  Are there any tropical plants that can be planted outside in hardiness zone 8 that won抰 die as a consequence of our cold winters?  Is there a website that shows a list of tropical plants that can be planted in hardiness zone 8?  What part of the year is best to plant them?  

Thanks for your help.

Frank

Answer
Hi Frank, Majesty Palms will survive down to 30 degrees with just limited cold stress, but a hard freeze will do them in (the ground freezing); I would plant them in a container and start working them back inside gradually around November. Inside care requires indirect light and continual misting to deter spider mites. There are numerous plantings for your zone that will give that special tropical flare you are looking for; go to "turtlegabys tropical oasis" a site that offers an array of tropical plants and seeds by zone. Nick