Only Mostly Dead

In April 2009, I planted two palm trees in my front yard.  I was assured by the guy at the farmer's market that they were cold hardy.  They seemed to make it through the winter just fine, even under quite a bit of snow.  When spring came, however, they both dropped all their leaves and looked completely pitiful.  Since I'm such a pathetic gardener, I just let them sit there all spring and summer.  I kept meaning to dig them up, or at least cut off the dead leaves, but, well, I never did. 

Last week I was looking at the website for the Southeastern Palm Society.  There I found out that some palms do drop all their leaves after a harsh winter, but that all hope may not be lost.  I need to cut off all the dead leaves, and maybe it'll sprout new ones by the end of the summer.  Really?  That's cool.  Sloth can be a good thing.  This weekend, I finally got around to excavating one palm from under the black-eyed susans, only to find a new leaf!  Yay!  The other one (out in the middle of the yard) has no signs of life yet, but I'll be patient for a little longer.  At least I cut off all the dead leaves, so it doesn't look so neglected.