Though Florida winters are relatively warm and sunny, when cold weather does come to the state, it can damage palm trees and other tropical plants. Check out the resources below to learn about how cold affects palms and what you can do to prepare.

• For information on the types of cold weather that affect palm trees and how to treat damaged palms, see Dr. Timothy Broschat’s UF/IFAS Extension publication Cold Damage on Palms.
• For information on selecting palm trees best suited for cold weather, see Drs. Edwin Duke and Gary Knox’s UF/IFAS Extension publication Palms for North Florida.
• Don’t know whether a plant will tolerate the climate you live in? Check out the USDA’s interactive plant hardiness zone map to see which zone you live in. Then, when selecting plants, make sure that they are hardy enough for your zone.
  • For example, if you live in one of the northern Florida counties where the hardiness zone is between 8a and 9a, you should select plants that can tolerate these zones.

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