john_ny

I think a big factor in survivability of basjoo, and other plants, is how well they are established. Our local botanical garden had a mat of basjoo that they protected every winter for years. Then, once, they decided they wanted basjoos in a different location, so they planted some in the new spot, and didn't bother protecting the old mat anymore. One of the people, there, told me, "We don't even cover it anymore, but it comes back fine, every year." I think it's because it has a large established root system, and that newer plantings would have to be protected, at least for the first couple of years.
I've seen the same thing with figs. I know people with huge trees, who never do anything with them, and they come back fine. I've had a couple, where I forgot to cover them in the first winter after planting, and they were toast, but now I have a fig that I had been covering for several years, and didn't get around to it last year, but there was no problem.

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John