I agree with your local nursery about too much water. I have a potted 3 footer that did the same thing, because the soil I had it in inside the pot was too heavy and held water too well. I went on vacation last summer, and had a sprinkler set too close to the palm, and when I got back I found standing water inside the pot. A few weeks later I started to notice new roots forming from higher up on the trunk, and now I have the same issue you're having with exposed roots. Not sure if I should cover them up with soil or leave it as is.

I have seen that IF you add some heat into the shelters in winter that a Windmill palm can survive and do great. Heat is a string or 2 of incandescent Christmas lights woven into that shelter and use a "thermocube" or a "pipe heater" that you can find at any Home improvement store in the plumbing Dept. It comes on once the temps reach a certain temperature, like the ones at Home Depot come on when it goes below 39F and shut off once it reaches 59F. I use them in my greenhouse inside a small mini greenhouse for my tender plants since I am in zone 6a hardiness cold zone. Look on Youtube-" Growing palm trees in Avella, Pa". You'll see the shelters and the way the lights are used to provide heat inside the shelters. Avella, Pa is close to Pittsburgh, Pa so it is a zone 6b there and it will all work in zone 6a or maybe even lower since heat is added when needed, BTW, "incandescent" bulbs in Christmas lights are NOT LED lights, and I have ONLY found them at Home Depot stores, MOST places ONLY have LED lights and LED lights will NOT give off any heat. I hope this info helps someone.

The lights simply need to suit the size of island, the size of table and the HOUSE and your kitchen style. There are at least a billion pendants and chandeliers available in ORB. A six foot island can take no more than two pendants at no more than ten inch width. Or three at less than that width. Or a single linear at 36inches. You can also use a black iron. You don't need exact matches to fans, Post the fan you selected, and it is very important to know your ceiling heights at island and dining. You haven't enough information provided to intelligently advise, right down to how "craftsman" you want your home to feel............ Cabinet style, flooring, finishes, wood trim? Painted? What?

It's a novel concept but no reason why it shouldn't work. You can use just about any living support system you like! Plants only......animals don't work so well :-) And a couple of comments about growing clematis. The recommendations for planting deeply are pretty universal. It encourages additional stemming from the root crown. More stems = more flowering and also makes the vine less vulnerable to mechanical damage. It also reduces the risk of clematis wilt on those vines that are prone to it. And clematis wanting "cool roots" is a bit of a myth. What they want is a consistently moist root run....they dislike drying out. Shading the base with rocks or mulch or low plantings will reduce surface evaporation and help to maintain soil moisture. I grow a lot of clems in containers that are exposed to sun and therefore heat on the root zone. As long as they receive the water they need, they do fine.