I know I've seen references (on Gardenweb) in the past to carambola trees in the Houston area. I'm wondering if anyone here has had success growing these trees in ground and protecting them from our more recent freezes.

I remember in particular somebody mentioning one growing and fruiting in a parking lot near work (I imagine that one got little freeze protection). Many articles I read say mature trees can sustain temps down to 26 - 27 degrees with little damage which strikes me as not much different from many citrus trees (navel oranges and lemons) which I see growing happily in my area (I'm on the south side of the city).