what about some arums? they might not be evergreen, but they're green in the fall and going through winter!

Hi Paul,

very cool Petasites 'gigantea'!! I've always wanted to try one......do you like yours?

Jesse- I've tried only Eucalyptus seedlings. They died the first winter. I do still have some high altitude Eucalyptus seed kicking around. I might as well plant those. Fig I have not tried after seeing how it fared in warmer climes. In Halifax there was one on the SMU campus that was killed back to the ground each winter and regrew to between 3 and 5 feet. It never looked good. You can get them to resprout to ~10 feet here in T.O. (or more) but, to me, they aren't worth the effort and there are better plants to try. If you completely protect it you can have a decent tree by the end of summer. Below is a pic of a tree in downtown Toronto. Originally I thought the tree was unprotected, but subsequently I learned that it is trimmed up, dug out of the ground, and stuck in a garage for the winter. It is massive for a zone 6 Fig (esp. considering that it is only top-hardy to between -12C to -15C):
<img src=" " alt="Fig Tree">

Tim- Petasites is very easy. It needs constant wet and fertility to get the giant leaves. I do like it, but, be wary if you choose to plant one. I've seen them completely take over large areas in a matter of years. Definitely one you want to give some room!

Hmmmm good to know about the eucalyptus. Mabey an earlier start and or bigger plants to start with will give them a chance. Apperantly with eucs, if you confine the roots, you instantly stunt the plant for years. I was going to protect it like most people do musa:

Cut it down when it s dormant, wrap the trunk with pipe insulation, and multch the roots. Givin the right microclimate, and that protection, i should get a head start on it.

I could do the fig that way as well but " the old italian method " is to bend the branches to the ground and bury them in soil. Givin that brown turkey is root hardy to -20 or -23C ( depends on source), you could make a decent tree grow in areas that shouldnt be able to grow em. Then again, its quite a bit of work, to get them to really survive AND thrive in areas like ontario.

Paul was that you who tried passiflora?

*** That fig is very nice.... how tall?

EDIT

sorry paul.. What about different forms of clematis? Most are rated to zone 4, and I have a few types, what kind of luck do you have down there?

Jesse- That fig was between 15 and 20 feet high. For a similar look and far less trouble I would go with something like Castor bean! Do you guys grow tree peonies up there? They are everywhere down here, but would really make a splash in areas a little colder...

Here is where my laziness shows. The only reason I can see growing eucalyptus is for the bark, which is stunning. For me, it makes more sense to focus on hardy alternatives, which are nice, but certainly not to the same extent. I have paperbark maple, Heptacodium (hardy Crape Myrtle), three-leaved maple, etc. I also am looking at hybridizing some of the less hardy Rhodo's with excellent bark colour to try to get that trait in a hardy plant. Also, the best time to show off this feature is in the winter, and, if the plant is wrapped up, you lose that ability. Just my 2 cents, don't ever let me stop you from growing anything (in fact, I can even send you some seed if I can find it). I'm also considering some other hardy plants with exfoliating bark. These might not be the big tropicalesque plants that we all love, but certainly do have a place in the 'exotic' garden. Things like Parrotia, Clethra, Stewartia, all of which I will be trying if sources can be found.

Clematis is rock hardy here. Never a problem over wintering the deciduous forms anywhere, even through the brutal winter where we hit -32c. As far as I know the evergreen types are not hardy at all.

I have not tried Passiflora in the ground. I have a plant of P. incarnata which is rated to zone 7. I could easily take a piece off and try it next spring...

Lastly, I am also looking in to winter-flowering plants. It can be pretty boring in the garden up here in the winter, and one of the goals of exotic gardening should be to have garden interest 12 months of the year. The BLEs help, as do the plants with exfoliating bark, however, having plants capable of flowering 12 months a year is also a goal. Things like Parrotia can help (exfoliating bark and in the with-hazel family), but I wonder what other plants I could try. Francko suggests Erica (Heather) which might be an option. I also have been looking a bit at some of the different witch-hazels... Does anyone have other suggestions?

I still have an unopen pack of castors. Im going to grow them next year... As for the fig.... well theres no harm in trying... That place in BC you showed me as 2 gallon plants for 10 bucks.... not to bad...

Ive never seen tree peoney.....Although peony grows very very well here ( mine were 5 feet tall this year with bloom s8 inches across). There were a few tree peony left at the end of the year for half off that i should have grabbed..... theres always next year...

Personaly, id grow eucs for their foliage ( of course their bark is a great contributer to the landscape). So i wouldnt personaly loose to much if i covered them. In your situation, I can understand why you wouldnt want to. I was thinking of trying a japanese maple, but to be honest it isnt tropical enough for me ( I almsot orderes balsa seeds for some annuals)..

Thats good to know about the clematis, every source ive read said the types I have are hardy to -32C ( The president, henryii and crystal fountain).

Im sure youve thought about camellia ( sinensis and others).

I have found a hardy ginger paul... .Zingiber Miooga ( also the variegated form "dancing crane". Root hardy to zone 6 UNPROTECTED. IT is absolutly sexy, but so far impossible for me to find ( i really dont want to get it rom ebay). SOme Hedychium is root hardy to zone 7, so you might be able to push it in your area if its beside your foundation.

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.

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).

Paul, unfortunately the evergreen Viburnums are not available here in Kazakhstan. You might mean V.tinus or V. darvini but they are suitable for Zone 8 only. You didn't mention the Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium). It must grow in Kingston!!!
Another but decidious large leaf plant - Astilboides tabularis. I've bought mine at the Lost Horizons nursery (Acton, ON). They have a lovely collection of a various plants.

Jesse- To each his own! To be honest I've never gotten in to gingers. Not that I find them unappealing, just that they haven't struck me... Yet... Japanese maple is one that is really over planted down here. They are EVERYWHERE. The local loblaws was selling them for something like 6 bucks recently... I did not buy. I do have 3 planted, but I only got them because they were on sale. In Kingston they are getting to the very edge of their hardiness, and big trees like you see here in T.O. are rare. They are interesting, but nothing to write home about. I do, however, have a variegated form that is slightly better to look at. The problem with it is the stem tip die-back, which means pruning each spring, which is a pain.
Even better than fig or castor bean is Kalopanax. I can't find it anywhere in Canada, but, if you look at var. maximowiczii, it looks like Fatsia (with bigger leaves) and is hardy into zone 5. Again, if you find it, let me know!

Igor- I am referring to some of the hardy evergreen types, like:
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/v/vibrhy/vibrhy1.html
Burkwood viburnum (V. X burkwoodii)
Viburnum pragense
and others.

Oregon grape is one that I've been avoiding. It looks good 6 months of the year, but get badly burnt here and really likes to hold its leaves. I might consider some of the different types of Mahonia which are probably better perfomrers.

Thanks for the suggestion, Astilboides is one that I will look out for!

HAs no one mentioned paw paw?? It may not be tropical ( even though its related to a tropical genus if im not mistakin), but it sure as hell looks like it. There is one growing here, about 15 feet tall, beautiul shape, low fat trunk and huge branches, and huge leaves....

Anyone ever grow stuff from the grocery store? Taro, ginger, papaya and many others can be grown ( yes some take a decade to get a decent size). If they arent hardy there, you could let them go dormant and stash em in the basement ( assuming their in pots, but then again, digging them up would sort of bonsai them, dwarfing them possibly which is a benefit). Most wont grow as permanent plants but would still add to the yard.

Paul, I'm a student at SMU and I wish they still had that euc! They do still have a 4 foot tall Asimina triloba (paw paw), along with a selection of magnolias.

I just looked up the Kalopanax.... Looks like marijuana x castor bean LOL. Its a nice lookin tree.

Ive got some euc seed ( 10 each of 5 different kinds i belive, all seem to be very hardy ( from info online)) Thanks for reminding me i have to stratify em... LOL

I don't know why no one grows Paw-paw around here... If you get northern selections they are 100% hardy. Here is mine, ~5 years old. It sailed through -32C:
<img src=" " alt="197">

Cameron- That's good news about going to SMU, old Robie street high (kidding, of course). Take a look for the fig, it was planted right next to another tree at the end of the track (between the chain-link fence around the track and the asphalt path)... I did not see it last time I was there.

Another plant you should look out for is the big-leaf magnolia that is planted, not in the public gardens, but in the maintenance yard across the street (can't recall the street name right now, but it might be along the north side)... If you don't know John W., you need to. Look up the Atlantic Rhodo society and when their spring plant sale is. This would be an excellent place to find some difficult to locate plants for a very reasonable price. Last time I was there I picked up a new generation F. nitida seedling (hardiest bamboo I'm growing), a very hardy Pieris, and a Magnolia sieboldii form that has taken temps down to -30C.

Here is an old pic I took of the putative big-leaf (though from the distance, it could be any of perhaps 4 species):

<img src=" " alt="SmallBigleaf">

Wow it looks happy. Isnt that a bit small for 5 years though? I heard they are fast growers.....

I was loking in one of my books, and it mentioned " winter jasmine" hardy to zone 6. Im assuming it flowers in the winter..... and its a slight push for you down there to get it to grow, ( i cant remember the latin name).

Ive thought about magnolia, but id have to drive down there to get one, im 90% sure no one in my city actualy carries them , although one of their websites states they carry M " Merrill" They also apperantly carry the following kinds of azalea:

Golden Lights, Mandarin Lights, Orchis Lights, White Lights

And rhodie

Mikkeli, Purple Gem

Thats a nice Magnolia !!!! that isn NS correct??

Lastly, I am also looking in to winter-flowering plants. It can be pretty boring in the garden up here in the winter, and one of the goals of exotic gardening should be to have garden interest 12 months of the year. The BLEs help, as do the plants with exfoliating bark, however, having plants capable of flowering 12 months a year is also a goal. Things like Parrotia can help (exfoliating bark and in the with-hazel family), but I wonder what other plants I could try. Francko suggests Erica (Heather) which might be an option. I also have been looking a bit at some of the different witch-hazels... Does anyone have other suggestions?

Early blooms in my garden:
Daphne mezereum
Withch Hazel
Rhododendrum
Crocus
Mahonia
Cornus mas
Forsythia
Rh. ledebourii
Rh. sichotense