Sago Palm Trees
The Sago Palm is cold hardy and can tolerate cold down to 5-10F. It is very slow growing and suited for USDA zones 7b-11. Brunswick County, NC is USDA zone 8a.
The plant will survive these cold temperatures but the leaves will turn brown when temperatures drop below freezing.
In the spring you can cut the brown leaves off and expose the center to the sun.
When the temperatures at night consistently stay above 60F (the end of April or first of May in Brunswick County), new leaves will push out. They will be soft and bright green at first. After about two weeks the leaves will harden and turn a darker green.