Does anyone know if pygmy date palms come back in zone 8b... or have I wasted my time and money yet again.... seems like I can't win with any plants this year....

This may give you some answers

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/p...

We get frost here in Florida zone 9a/9b but frosts are usually few and far between. My Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii) has been hit by frost a time or two and one winter a few years back we even had a very hard freeze with a lot of ice (which is rare) and the P. roebelenii was fine with a blanket thrown over it. I'm doubtful they would be able to withstand continuous temp's below @ 50º unless grown in a container and moved indoors during winter.

Here's the link in our database, which says they're hardy to zone 9a. So you're pushing the zone a bit but not bad.
Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)

I can tell you from my personal experience that they do stand up to a fair amount of frost, but probably not a hard freeze. We had two bad winters in a row here, 2009 and 2010. A lot of the more tender palms died, but the pygmys were fine.

If you haven't already planted them, choose a site on the south side of a building or even a large clump of trees. That can provide at least a zone's worth of protection for a lot of plants. They are sheltered from the cold wind on the back side of a cold front, and also if next to a building, or even a solid fence it acts as a heat sink to retain heat through the cold nights.

Thank you all, but I believe the damage is already done to mine.... guess I'm just gonna hang tight and see what happens with them...

Got a picture, Sheree? If the terminal bud is still green, and they are showing new green growth there they may be OK.

There is no green at all...

Was this planted in the ground or was it is a pot? If in a pot, yes, it may be a 'goner', but if it's in the ground, please allow some time as it may yet come back.

Ok I planned on waiting done time to see if it comes back... I'm just excited about planting and getting the yard looking good.. but I'm gonna wait... thanks for your advice...