Your probably in zone 7b so you can grow trachycarpus (windmill palm) sabal minor needle palm and Yuccas. with some protection anything is possible

if you want a palm from florida that dont get to big that could survive in your area i would choose a sabal etonia or just a regular sabal minor! it shouldnt get no bigger than your 8ft. x 5ft. space & if it does come close to that your talking about maybe 25+ years! plus they have no spines or anything to poke your children. you have a beautiful backyard & what ever you choose to put will only add more beauty, happy growing!

Needle palms are nice but slow growers and shrubby. So you would buy larger ones if possible and place them in a nice visible out of the way spot because they have needles.

A tracky fortuni would be perfect to but plant closer to the house south facing if possible to block winter winds.

This would be GREAT for you to try a Pindo Palm (can get large over time)taking the same precautions as for the tracky palm. EZ winter care for your zone would be to just cover the pindo and tracky with plastic and keep dry and vented on sunny days. It will look tropical for sure.

Go for it! You have the perfect space for it.

Thank you all for the great ideas!! I have a list I can take to the nursery this weekend!! I don't mind covering and caring for it, I know the kids would love being reminded of our family times in Florida!! :)

Thanks!!
Tara

...and if a palm doesn't seem to work,you can't beat a banana plant for a nice tropical effect!

I am sure what ever you decide on will look nice!

Definately try a pindo palm, even if they have one, shop around south of your area.

The banana is a great idea too! The Japanese variety comes back every year and grows to ~10 feet in one season and re-emerges every Spring. Jimhardy know the name of them.

Basjoo

dear lmhall , trachycarpus fortunei is growing quite well here in birmingham , in fact it is blooming again this year.one of these trachys is a ? bulgarian seedling from oikos nursery, and the other one is from home depot.both are growing quite well.in our clay soil be careful not to plant too deep,but conversely,don't plant too shallow.(one palm fell over in a strong wind,?maybe small tornado,it's propped up now)also,put your palms in place in the ground soon,so as to be more acclimated to our winter temps.hope this helps.

lmhall2000, you could try jubaea, chamaerops also.

I think pindo palms, windmill palms, needle palms, sabal minors, musa basjoos, and other tropical plants in pots would really liven up the spot and give it a tropical feel. Pindos will need protection and windmill palms might need some for the first year or 2. Needles and sabal minors could also use some protection, but if they werent greenhouse grown, they should do fine. If you want something a little more exotic then Jubeas are a great idea, but a challenge to grow, but more of a challenge to find at a decent size.

I could see some crape myrtles growing all the way at the end of the screenroom to the left of the slides. They bloom very nicely when older and do fine in my zone 7.

good luck!
-Alex