Arbutus x Marina hardiness?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by Anna Kadlec, Jun 26, 2017.

  1. Anna Kadlec

    Anna Kadlec Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    South Surrey, Canada
    Well I couldn't help myself... I recently purchased one of these trees and I'm waffling about what to do with it, given that it's just borderline hardy in our area. Has anyone managed to over-winter one that's been planted in the ground in the lower mainland of BC through a particularly harsh winter? I'm in the South Surrey / Crescent Beach area where we tend to get away with pushing the zonal boundaries a little more than most of the lower mainland (and I have a tendency to try to push it a little more than most). Would I be better off trying to keep it in a pot?
     
  2. hortus

    hortus Member

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    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    I hadn't heard of this variety before but some googling indicates that it's less hardy than the native arbutus. I used to live on the mainland but don't remember whether the native arbutus grows in the Crescent Beach area. Here on the island, their range ends somewhere north of Nanaimo if I remember correctly.

    My guess is that the stress of a relatively large tree trying to grow in a pot would be much worse than if it's planted in the ground and takesits chances with bad cold weather in the winter.
     
  3. Anna Kadlec

    Anna Kadlec Active Member 10 Years

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    Thanks. It would be nice to know whether other Arbutus marinas have survived any unusually harsh winters (like the last one) in our area, before I devote scarce garden real estate to a large doomed tree.

    PS, There are several native Arbutus trees growing in my neighbourhood, so the native Arbutus is hardy here (though it has its difficulties unrelated to hardiness).
     

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