Erik... I would presume they are root hardy? I bought one in January this year believing it to be ultra hardy. We had a two week Siberian freeze in February and the plant was left out in its pot. It certainly suffered but not fatally. Some dead leaves, a spear pull and a flower spike which grew just above the leaves but flowers never opened (cold Summer). 🙄 Sabals don't grow well in our cool Summers but I still love them to bits.
BTW the lowest temp in that freeze was 12F.

have not watered or fertilized it, or protected it at all last winter, not even mulch.

Not watered during that heatwave?
Thought Sabal likes swampy conditions.

I have a couple of little Sabals and they sure love the heat.

Barb

Andy, not sure about the root hardy. While Oklahoma gets cold snaps, they are brief and so soil rarely freezes deeply even when the air is very cold.
Barb, they are busy. H works on drilling rigs; W tends the cattle and horse breeding operation. So, no water in steep rocky "soil."
Yes, I think of them as swamp plants. The wild population in Red Slough (another thread here on PN) exemplifies that. But down in McCurtain County, I've seen them growing wild on steep rocky terrain. I guess my point is that these are tough, hardy, versatile palms. Too bad they grow so slow. 😆

They would not be as tough if they grew faster,slow and steady wins thee cold hardy trophy..

Erik,
I remember those other Sabal pics from your trip to McCurtain (and that reptile fellow) .
A beautiful palm with those long strap leaves.
Rocky soil obviously sends scarce water straight down to the roots when it does rain.

From the leaf debris, presume they get some shade too.

Barb

Great work! Maybe they will have a cold winter this year to test the palm 😆

Barb, yes, shaded by oaks. Virtually all of the wild Sabal minor I've seen in McCurtain County are under shade trees.
Cameron, maybe, but I doubt it: 2012 is well on its way to being the warmest calendar year ever in OK. No doubt a few days of arctic air in January (almost always happens), so cross your fingers for another "colder than the south pole" event like in January 2011. 😆

Erik, and all those oak leaves would make the ground fairly acidic with time.
With those nice long strap leaves, they must love a low pH.

My little potted Sabals are finally starting to grow.
Sorry for lousy indoor pics...very bright sunshine, which otherwise is a good thing:

The S.mexicana:

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8215145104/" title="014 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="600" height="800" alt="014"></a>

S.riverside:

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8214058323/" title="015 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="600" height="800" alt="015"></a>

Barb