That will be a spectacular garden!
I've grown a few of those...
Passiflora cearulea : this is the first winter so I'll have to let you know in a couple months if it came back. It did not "act" like I expected in late Fall. It kept growing and flowering as if winter was not on the way. I did not see any sign of "dormancy". The leaves stayed green after the first freeze and for a day I thought it was an evergreen. No, just a confused plant. The crispy leaves are all still on.
Zingiber officiale: I tried this one for the first time in a sheltered raised bed on the South side of the house. I sited it where it would get some afternoon shade, but no good. It was just too much sun and heat. I don't know if that will be a problem for you. I'll try again but in a container where I can adjust the microclimate easily.
Pampas grass: the ones I planted a few years ago promptly died. I replaced them with Miscanthus in the same spot which have done very well.
Colocasia: do very well. I used to lift them in the Fall and overwinter inside but in November 2008 decided not to bother and they came back very strong last Summer (2009). This winter has been much colder. Also, the chickens have recently uncovered the roots and are eating them. They are so tough I expect them to come back anyways. We'll see.
Bamboo: My golden bamboo (aurea) has done great in the previous couple of winters but is "crispy" now. Some culms are still green near the ground. Completely defoliated, though. I grew P. nigra previously and it seemed hardier, so I'll plant some this Spring. I'll have to drive ~100 miles in my truck to buy large specimens of the more exotic bamboos. Still doing research.
Musa basjoo: does great. Killed to the ground, but has always come back strong when the soil warms. We'll see after this winter, but I expect it to be fine again. Musella lasiocarpa also comes back down here. I have not been able to get it to flower, however.
Hibiscus moscheatus: one of mine died last winter after suffering terribly in Summer heat; the other did fine. I added two "Texas Star" Hibiscus. They loved the Summer heat. I'm hoping they come back this Summer from the ground.
Canna: I treat like Colocasia. I used to dig and store, but left them in the ground winter 2008/2009 and they did fine last Summer. We'll see if they made it this Winter. I did nothing for them at all.
Palms: I hope to buy large specimens of both those species this Spring. I want at least a few palms I don't have to worry about....

LOl thanks lucky 😀

Thats good o know about the castor bean thanks alot

I had NO idea that morning glory were wild in canada... I thought they were celtral/south american!! And id gladly steal some if I were there lol

As for the wisteria. My grandma has had it for 10 or 15 years, and it hasnt flowered. BUT this winter was relitivly mild... I think it has a good chance this year... especialy after i "trim " it lol

Tendral Thanks for the input!!!!

I belive the ginger needs semi shade, and protection from afternoon sun. I have a fence that block most of southers sun, but still lets some sun get through. And if it reaches over 3 feet, it will get more..... The fence is a great place for the clematis as well.... And the Elephant ear, as its a low point in the ground.... so it tends to stay a bit more moist.....

Thats good to know about the pampas grass....... I have been reccomended the miscanthus... but havnt seen ANY seeds at all......

I always thought hibiscus likes heat :S..... LOL

As for my fargesia..... the way the snow is melting I HAVE to uncover it and get it ready to pop out some culms....... as its an early starter... mabey april or may here????

THanks again all 😀

also tendral... show is an EXCELLENT insulator...... so if you got all that snow before it got cold.... most of you things especially the bamboo will be awsome......

The snow that fell Dec. 24 stayed around a couple of weeks which probably helped a lot.
We have not had snow on the ground since mid-January, but we have also not seen lower than the mid-teens since then, either.
In most winters, snow melts the same day it falls as our soil temps are "always" above freezing all winter.
This winter was the exception....

Im pretty confindent that everything should come up perfect. Mabey not as many canna..... although some are hardy to zone 6ish.....

We also had about 30CM of snow ( about a foot) fall on christmas here, but it was very very warm this winter.... with the exception of mabey 2 or 3 weeks...... and MAYBE a weeks worth of below -25C at night, mabey one or 2 nights it was -30C. This is quite mild for this winter. And becasue im fairly close to the shore.... im about 5C warmer then those temps...... so im flirtin with zone 5B.......... Needless to say id think the temps are about 1-5C above average here.... and this is north of you..... The eastern states all got more snow then most of central and eastern canada.... with the exception of the maritimes....... and the BC mountains.... where it s actualy been around 3-9C warmer then normal all winter.......

In vancouver... the cherry trees started to leaf up and get fowers a week or 2 ago.... around a month ahead of scedual... not to mention bulbs, and some banana, and bamboo there from whta ive heard....... Now concidering how bad you guys got it this year down there, and europe, and northern china....... its odd how mild some of canadas winter has been, while the south is comparably colder........

Hello... Just a quick reply after skimming through this post... Here in zone 6a southern Indiana, the Adam's Needle Yucca grows like a weed, and is certainly a tropical-looking plant, so look into that one... Also the musa basjoo banana, I've had these in the ground for 5 years with amazing performance, just cover them with plastic trash bags and a foot or so of mulch to over-winter them. You might also try the hardy hibiscus and a few of the hardy crape myrtles. Another one that I would recommend is the castor bean, grown as an annual (they can get 15 feet in a single growing season around here) Best of luck!

Thanks for the replies

The yucca, I have looked up before. It says its hardy to zone 5, which this winter i was in, or flirting very close. In my town its hard to get anything worth wild here, Id have to order it online. As fo the basjoo, Im trying to locate a canadian dealer for one, I dont wanna have to pay fer photo sanitary certificates, and cross border taxes.

I listied 2 hardy hibiscus....... are these the ones your talkking about? Mostechtos?

Cape myrtle??? THats from the SE states isnt it? Or the mediterranian? HArdy to zone 5 or 6 I belive? They are quite nice.........

As for the castor bean. They are very nice, and very tropical looking. Im a bit leary on how poisonus it is though.. If i cut off the seed pods before they grow, that pretty much gets rid of the possibility of poison right???

Here's a good explanation of "ricin" (the powerful poison) in castor beans.

http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050508/news_1hs08castor.html

We're all hoping a Canadian supplier "gets with it" and stocks exotics and tropicals.
To most Canadian nurseries, a Trachy is "exotic", LOL.

Jova, good suggestions.
If the Adam's Needle is a weed for you, you can probably grow Yucca rostrata and others with some winter protection.
They're trunking and gorgeous.

Barb

canadian plant, I looked up the hibiscus moscheutos, and it seems to be the same thing that I planted here, and that everyone grows around here without problems. The crape myrtles are from the SE USA. Most people around here just cut them back to the ground every year, but I'm experimenting with covering mine with leaf piles so I can grow them much larger, we'll see if they made it through the winter here in a few weeks:) As for castor bean, if you just cut off the seed pods, shouldn't be much of a problem I wouldn't think.

Barb, thanks for the recommendation on the yucca rostrata. I've always loved the way those look, just haven't gotten one yet because if I remember correctly, they were rather expensive last I checked. I'm putting in a cactus/desert bed this year, so maybe it's time to invest in that yucca:)

Ok- Just got caught up on this thread... I'll have a quick look through and give you a run down on sources (Canadian) and thoughts on some plants.

Ricinus- Start them now. Think about finding the 'zanzibarensis' form. I may have misspelled the name of that.

Passiflora- Easy to germinate. You'll need to really pour the mulch on it if you want to overwinter it.

Pink Pampas Grass - NIce looking, but definately get a Miscanthus gigantus from hortico instead. Hortico is a good source for grasses, and they probably also have some good stuff that you can't get elsewhere.

Fargesia Rufa "green panda" - Did you see the pic of mine (exposed) that is crunchy after exposure to -22C? I would think that if yours has been covered by snow it will be fine...

Arundinaria gigantea ‘Macon’ - Mine died, so I can't say anything about it. Brad S. of needmore bamboo says that this is the only bamboo that can take -20F and have 'some' green foliage...

Fargesia murielae- Mine died in summer. Rated 'B' in Indiana...

Fargesia scabrida- Never tried it. Rated 'D' in Indiana...

Phyllostachys aureosulcata- Try it. Mulch and snow.

Phyllostachys bissetii- Try it. mulch and snow.

Phyllostachys nigra ‘Hale’ (Hardy Black)- Don't bother. It probably will be a poor performer.

Phyllostachys nuda- try it. mulch and snow.

Musa 'Basjoo' - Many online nurseires carry it. Try to get a 2 gallon size for it to have a shot at overwintering.

Sabal minor 'McCurtain' - Mine did first winter in the ground. Protected with leaf pile... It got too wet/cold. Even more moisture intolerant than needle palm.

Rhapidophyllum Hystrix - Try it. But you'll need some serious protection for it to overwinter well.

Yucca:
Yucca rostrata- I've killed maybe 10 of these, including a larger one that I had moisture protected. Maybe get a bunch of seed and hope for a hardier one... Or cross it wiht Yucca glauca to get a hardier rostrata like Yucca.

If I were you (I think I posted this earlier too) I'd try Yucca glauca an elata first, then move on to the non/less hardy types.

Others:
Hibiscus moscheutos- Tried it twice, killed it both times... Myabe have been too dry.

Canna Musafolia - dig up oand pot during winter. Yup. I used to grow this but was never pleased with its performance here... Maybe it's just not hot enough?

Gingo biloba- Should be hardy for you most years.

If you do plant Castor seeds now they need maximum sun or they will get leggy.

They also have no tolerance for cold,esp when small so be careful.

I like to get a jump on these too but have found it problematic unless you have a g-house-
they love warmth.

This is my fargesia rufa. Just unbudried it today. The snow was melting too much, and it was icing, and weighing it down.... But its ALIVE MUHAHHAHA ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!

This is what i did, after. I put the peaves back on. The ground is fairly frozen. But the snow has been melting and freezing.

I deciided to put the plastic back over it, and put some snow down to weigh it down. Since the snow is melting, and freezing.... im going to put some old shirts around the perimiter, to help soak up some of the water.....

This is my fargesia rufa. Just unbudried it today. The snow was melting too much, and it was icing, and weighing it down.... But its ALIVE MUHAHHAHA ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!

This is what i did, after. I put the peaves back on. The ground is fairly frozen. But the snow has been melting and freezing.

I deciided to put the plastic back over it, and put some snow down to weigh it down. Since the snow is melting, and freezing.... im going to put some old shirts around the perimiter, to help soak up some of the water.....

Good move covering it back up! It certainly hasn't been exposed to temps below -18C!!! You should try some of the hardier Phyllostachys with the same protection method! Nice work!

It looks completely untouched by winter cold...nice!

Love your protection! Where there's a will there's a way. Look into the ground heating cables in my washy post, it will really help from keeping the ground from freezing. This will be the next step in keeping Non hardy things alive through winter Even washy robustas right Paul 8) LOL!

Bill