Palms don't grow here

Not true. They thrive in Zone 6 providing you pick the right variety and plant them in the right spot. In fact, they grow so well you have to pay attention to where you put them.

This is a Windmill Palm I planted-- oh, fifteen years ago from a tiny gallon pot, and now it's barely clearing the house eaves. (As John reminds me each time he walks by it.) It's supposedly a slow-growing tree that can eventually reach 40 feet. The trunk is covered with fiber that looks and feels like burlap. The fronds are beautiful and now that it's mature it grows a strange yellow flower cluster that dries up without fruiting. Who knows? Maybe it needs tropical bats for pollination. But the best thing about the Windmill is it's hardy to 10 degrees or lower, and each time it snows I can't resist taking another picture of the bizarre sight.

This year I bought it some special palm food for the first time. I probably paid less than $10 for this tree when it was tiny, but the large specimens are valuable. I was shocked to see the on-line Palm Tree Store sells 9-foot Windmills for a whopping $769.00! Plus shipping and handling.