waggie palm tree

Question

I live in Missouri(Jefferson county)which is in zone 6. I have a waggie palm which I kept inside for the first year then planted it outside last spring. We have had some unusually cold temperatures this year, around teens and 20″s with wind chills no more than -8. My waggie palm looks likke it is dead. I mulched it heavily in the fall but I was under the impression that it was cold hardy. It doesn’t look good. Do you think it will be ok in the spring? We are not suppose to get anymore frigid weather but what do the weather men really know right? What can I do to save my palm? It is about 2.5ft tall.

Answer 1

The only thing you can really do now, is let it recover. The problem is that it is hard to know if it stayed cold enough to effect the roots. These plants can only survive down to 13 degrees, and not for very long. so during these times, it is best to cover it with burlap until the temperatures let up some.

Just care for it as you would normally. and it has a chance of putting out new growth when it warms up some.

Here is an article for the care of these: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rhododendron/rhododendron-care.htm