Today's visit to the local nursery yielded some unusual finds. From a bunch of small (~4" diam.) plants on display, I picked out the following, not knowing how appropriate they might be to Z5b. Having checked up on some info available by way of Google, it appears that the odds might not be that great. They weren't expensive though, so I don't mind taking a bit of a chance. Please provide your thoughts on the chances : Podocarpus totara aurea Cunninghamia konishii Little Leo Cryptomeria japonica Elegans nana Incidentally, its interesting that despite a relatively mild winter here (more like a zone 6b/ 7a than the normal 5b), there is a lot of conifer damage evident in this region. Presumably this was due to the very unusual warm spell in mid-January, which may have interrupted the dormant period of the plants, which were subsequently hit by minus-18C temperatures.... The mid-Jan. warm spell temps were well above zero -- lots of people (myself included) went for bicycle rides.
Hi, podocarpus won't survive outdoors there except in summer, but do try to keep it in a cool, well humidified place indoors. The cryptomeria may have a chance but I'm not sure, and I don't know the other one at all. Montreal is not 5b, BTW, but more like 4b, unless you're in a very particular microclimate (protected on all sides by close-in fencing and have a tiny garden, etc.).
Thanks Rima, I guess I will have to dig out that Podocarpus in the fall :-( Regarding Montreal zone, I'm not sure, but one indicator I found is these two maps, shown in the attached images :
The Cryptomeria and Cunninghamia cultivars - being dwarf cultivars - will be OK, if (and only if) you can be sure they remain buried under winter snow cover throughout any cold spells. Any severe dry cold without snow cover will likely damage them badly. Podocarpus totara - not a chance. Zone 8-9, and difficult to grow indoors because it requires year-round high humidity and cool, moist summers.
Jaro - I'm from Mtl., now live in NS in a 5b area, and believe me, Mtl. gets a lot colder (even these days :-).
Thanks Rima, According to the hardiness zone map at http://nlwis-snite1.agr.gc.ca/plant00/index.phtml NS certainly has some colder regions in the north & east, designated the same zone colors as some of the areas around Montreal (5a/ 5b). Your comment suggests that there is something wrong with those maps -- I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time. Likewise, I find a noticeable variation in climate severity between the north of Montreal (where I used to live) and the south, near the St.Lawrence river, where I live now: The river, combined with wind, has a moderating effect on both extreme summer heat and winter cold. Sometimes in the winter, when its very cold, the river "steams" and covers the trees along the shores with frosting..... The map shows a small 5b patch on the south shore, but I doubt that there is any difference between the north & south shores of the river. Note also that the 1967 version of the map had a much larger area designated 5b -- with the global climate warming, I suspect we're heading back towards that climate. This would seem to be borne out by this past winter's temps which, as I said earlier, were more like zone 6b/ 7a.
Hi - I'm in the S and a bit W of NS. Certainly the eastern part (Cape Breton) or parts closer to N.B. are somewhat cooler, and the SW corner even warmer. I was just going by experience (as much of seeing other posters from Mtl. on various forums, etc.). The thing is, while it may be Z5-6 for a lot of the time, just a couple of nites in Jan. at -10 Fahr. (I can't do celsius!) will kill some things, so it's better to be safe...
Hi, I had a Cunninghamia konishii 'Little Leo' in a sheltered corner of my garden here in Britain where I think it is a bit warmer. It didn't like the frost, the wet or the snow and sadly died a death. It seemed to rot near the base and the foliage was really badly scorched by the frost. It may be ok if you have a cool greenhouse to drag it into during your winter. Luke
Jaro_in_Montreal, I moved from zone 6a to zone 5a-b I brought several none hardies with me. The key I founds was drainage with the ability to hold water as well. Many rock garden plants are well, rock hardy but you put them in ordinary soil at ordinary levels you really shouldn't expect them to survive the winter even in zones that are warmer from which they came. For and instants my Fig comes up every year for the past 7 and just as the fruit ripen they disappear whether is is Racoons or chipmunks I don't know. This I do many plants can survive out of their zone with all things are perfect. Like the soil you put them in should be well drained especially around the trunk if they are larger like say " Albizia jubrissin" Hardy Mimosa even in Zone 5 it is iffy so make sure you plant in a slightly protected spot where it won't get both the brunt of the winter wind and the sun in winter. it is okay for one or the other but both are even deadly to Althea syriacus a common zone 5 plant. Most successfull plants I've seen either planted in where they receive a small amount of shade on their lower trunk during winter or where they are protected from the worse winter wind plus drainage is excellent. Much of what is hardy in higher zones will be hardy if you give the right conditions. Soil I work in a generous amount of leaf mold into at last the top 4 inches if the soil drains badly I might shovel away those 4 inches and go another four I give a root run of a plant 5 times larger than the one I'm planting. I make sure that any soil near the truck is sloping gentil away from the truck plants can loose much of their other root system but they need their trunk or stem to be free of rot. Supposedly digging a hole to improve the soil is foolish as you might be making a bathtub to drowned you plants in but I have earth worms here because I reusue my fallen lives the next spring or summer the worms seem to spread out the weath a bit more than science has accounted for in their studies. I have never lost a plant to improving the soil though sometimes the plant does grow faster than I want. The soil I have now drains wonderfully very few areas have drainage problems here where as my zone 6b was plagued with drainage problems. Hope this helps. Dean
