We have a couple of windmill palms and I'm not a big fan. When they first come from the nursery, they look fantastic, but then, after a few seasons they start to look a bit ragged - at least ours has. This must be somewhat common since I purchased a landscape design software program which allows you to create 3D designs by placing different plants from their library. When I retrieved the windmill palm from the library, it looked exactly like ours - brown-tipped fronds and all.
I think the Europen Fan Palm is an excellent palm for a low-growing palm. They are very cold hardy and not tempermental at all. For a slightly larger space, Pindo is a good choice - they seem indestructible. Another one that has done well for us is the Lady Palm. It requires some shade, but it has a neat, refined look to it and it is reasonably small. We have two and they both have survived the cold winters quite well. Our Queen Palms have survived the cold winters of several years ago quite well, but I am getting tired of pruning out the dead fronds and seed pods as they grow.
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