BLE's?

gunnera? paulownia?

Jim, bacon, lettuce, and egg sandwiches. Probably a Canadian thing. 😕

As for broad leaf evergreens, magnolias are hard to beat. Im trying 'alta' this year. Supposedly hardy to -10f.
Also growing little gem, teddy bear, and the classic grandiflora (the biggy).

Gunnera and paulownia......killer leaves but unfortunately not evergreen.

I should have read the post a little slower because I missed "BLE" only 😆

Huh? BLE? What is it?

BLE- Broad Leaved Evergreen... Though I did include Cunninghamia which is a conifer...

Cameron I have a Paulowina and a Gunnera. The Paulowina is killed back to the ground each winter (I posted a really good research article on Paulownia hardiness in a different topic); my Gunnera made it through last winter with only a leaf covering, but it really suffered this summer (lack of water, methinks) so I have it potted to regain some vigour.

Hi Paul,

Aucuba himalaica sounds interesting.....who offers it?

how about this plant:
http://www.westonnurseries.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=1471

Evergreen shrubs: (click on pull down menu for ever green shrubs)
http://www.westonnurseries.com/index.cfm

Weston Nursery is located west of Boston....I imagine they are in USDA zone 6a or 5b.

Ever messed with Petasites giganteus? Pretty cool looking and very rare in our area! Rated to zone 4!!

Ok Tim, that place looks awesome. What a huge selection. They have Ilex pendunculosa, which is 100% unavailable in Canada 😈

Has anyone ever heard of Aucuba japonica borealis, I read about it last night and it is, apparently, a hardier form from higher altitudes and more northerly areas. It is also supposed to have a dwarf stature. I have never seen it for sale.
Here are the results of a google search:
http://www.woodlanders.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=282
http://www.rarefindnursery.com/index.cfm/action/productdetail/product_id/4865.htm

The other plant that sounded interesting was a hybrid Ivy (Hedera sp.) and Fatsia. I had never heard of this before, but it sounded interesting, so I looked it up and it is rated to zone 7... One for you to try Tim.

Hi Paul,

the hardy Aucuba sounds like a winner for northern gardeners. I have one of those (hybrid Ivy (Hedera sp.) and Fatsia) plants. It's barely hardy here in zone 6b.....don't waste your time........nothing special. It has die back every winter........about 1/2 the plant dies. I have it plastered against a north facing wall (house). I planted it in 2005? and it's still only 3 feet tall and needs to be staked.

Thanks for that note Tim. I won't bother wasting my time with the hybrid. Now, to track down a source for those Aucuba's!!!

Paul, I grow my plants under the similar conditions you have in Kingston. It might be even milder 'cos your long lasting fall and the spring without April and May cold spells. You should be OK growing Aucuba japonica that I've having for 20 years already. My Phyllostachys sp. survived many winters below 20 degrees (even minus 30). Of course Eonimus radicans in many varieties that you are growing already. Try some evergreen berberis like B.juliana. As for a hybrid of Fatsia and Hedera hibernica (XFatshedera litzei) unlikely if it would survive without good protection. I tried it for a few years... I'm not familiar with the plants English common name but if you mean Laurus nobilis it should be fine with a very heavy mulching. Try the Hederas (hibernica, colhica).

Paul, would you please provide me with more information regarding your Gunnera. I've got one recently planning to start growing it outside next year. How do you overwinter your plant?

Igor-
As for Aucuba it has been a dismal failure in my climate. Just a little bit too cold for it. The 'borealis' variety and A. 'Himilaica' however are going to be tried (and likely killed) in the future.

For the Gunnera it only survived one winter (low was -23C or so) in the ground was almost completely killed. It was covered with a thin layer of mulch (3") then topped with 6"-12" of fallen deciduous leaves. If I was to do it again I'd stick a few 2L bottles of water under the leaves and wrap 'pipe heaters' around those to keep the soil from freezing. It did not come back until June/July and was much smaller than the previous year.

Here it is beside my Petasites 'gigantea' or whatever (it's the small floppy looking plant.), August 2010, shortly before I dug it up and put it in a pot:
<img src=" " alt="213">

And, here it is the previous summer (August):
<img src=" " alt="DSC00151">

I've just been reading about evergreen barberry, definitely worth a try. Have you any experience with evergreen Viburnum? I have about ~8-10 species and selections of bamboo growing. It is only a little too cold for them to hold their leaves most winters. I think they will hold up better in future years, once they have the chance to spread their roots and build up some carb reserves. Laurus nobilis= Bay Laurel. Killed outright here (not just to the ground). I don't think I will try it again (unless a super hardy cultivar is introduced).

Ive never asked paul, have you tried eucalyptus or fig down there at all??