Question
I am in zone 7 in Gainesville, GA just north of Atlanta.  I have planted some windmill palms and some Loquat trees.  I am curious if you have any suggestions to help protect the Loquat trees if my temp. were to drop below 20 degrees F. which as I understand is their limit.  

I also have lost some of my windmill palms, but that happened prior to cold weather.  I am not sure why.  With two of them I think excess water might be the culprit, but with two others windmills very close to them seem to be doing fine.  Any thoughts?

I have some bananas that I think will come back this spring and would certainly be interested in any other tropicals (or tropical look-a-likes) you might suggest.  

Thanks for your help.

Mike

Answer
Hi Mike,

Loquats are root hardy down to around 5 degrees but will suffer significant foliage damage at these temperatures. Your first line of attack is to make sure you have your loquate planted in the warmest microclimate that you have, close to a south facing wall, enlosed courtyard, etc. A loquat planted out in an exposed area will almost certainly suffer some sort of winter damage in an average zone 7 winter and a colder than normal winter may kill it outright. Loquats can grow large so winter protection can be difficult. If you have a seedling just a foot or two tall, a heavy mulch and covering it with a trash can or similar on nights when temps are predicted to drop below 15 degrees will be sufficient. Be sure to remove the covering on sunny days or you run the risk of cooking the plant. Larger plants will require some sort of phyiscal but temporary structure built around them. A simple wood frame covered with a couple of layers of plastic should suffice in most winters. Make sure there is some sort of ventilation available on sunny days or again, you will cook the plant.

As far as your windmills are concerned, it is unlikely that they were overwatered as long as your soil is fairly well drained. Chances are you have vole damage. Voles will eat the roots causing eventual death. There really is no definitive control for these pests although a cat sometimes helps. Literature suggests that you keep mulches at least three feet away from the trunks of trees as voles like to live in the mulch. Another option to lay down 1/4 mesh wire around the base of the tree for several feet around to prevent the voles from digging their tunnels in the area.

Some other sub tropicals you might consider are gingers, many of which are hardy with deep mulch. Alocasia, colocasia and xanthosoma (elephant ears) grow fast and are very tropical looking. In mild winters, with a mulch these will overwinter as well. Try some of the variegated leaved cannas for foliage contrast. Look for Musa zebrina, the blood leaved banana. It is not hardy but it grows rapidly and produces large deep burgundy and green leaves which make for a super tropical look. Get a Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia) if you don't have one already. Their large fragrant blooms and waxy stiff foliage will certainly become one of the focal points of your garden. They are perfectly hardy as well. Another option is some of the trunk forming yuccas like Yucca rostrata and carnerosana.Definately look for brugmansia for their huge trumpet shaped flowers and fragrance. These are not reliably hardy but they root easily from stem cuttings placed in water and grow fast. You can also grow these in large pots and bring them into a cool basement or garage for the winter and keep them in a semi-dormant state.    Don't overlook annuals to fill in gaps like coleus (cutting, not seed grown), wandering jew, castor bean, impatiens, various grasses both annual and perennial and caladiums.

I hope this information was of help to you.

Regards,

Vito