Some winter pics from zone 4b/5a Kingston, Ontario, Canada – Page 2 – Cold Hardy Palms – PalmsNorth.com

Paul Ont · 2013-02-25T10:42:34Z

Popped some stuff open this weekend just to see how it's doing. Only the palms have artificial heat (in the form of mini-lights). The hardiest plants have no protection, other plants are protected from the deer and rabbits which can decimate my entire collection over the course of a winter. So. mags were given one wrapping with frost cloth, and one wrapping with burlap. Sabal minor NE texas, seed grown:Another of the same, this one is top killed:Yet another. This one is fine:Sabal minor 'Brazoria', top killed and maybe completely killed:This Aucuba has been planted for ~5 years. I thought it was killed years ago but the damned thing keep coming back. Apparently was in the new palm house this fall. Who knew?Banana is still fine, though hoping for better days!Looking at the back yard. Old palm house is in the middle. It's frozen in place so I wasn't able to get a pic of the inside!Phyllostachys aureosulcata and P. auerosulcata 'Spectibilis'. Some clums have been top killed, others look like they 'may' leaf out again:This is why I bend them to the snow, leaves in snow are fine:Aucuba japonica 'Himilaica', leaves 100% fried, unsure if the stems will leaf out again:Ilex pendunculosa male. I think he's less hardy than the female.I. pendunculosa female, looks so much like a Ficus:Magnolia grandiflora 'Kay Paris" (I think, I have 2 new So. Mags, and the tags are buried...). 99% leaf burn and I am 80% sure that there is stem die back:M. grandiflora 'Spring grove #19' came highly recommended by zone 5 gardeners in the Northern USA, I think I can see why! (They also recommended Simpsons Hardy and Poconos, but I wasn't able to find those cultivars). Certainly some leaf burn, but there seems to be no damage to the flower buds or to the vascular tissue. I'm VERY impressed with this tree, so far. This is less damage than I had on BBB in a milder winter AND with heat added:A little leaf burn on Rhododendron maximum (I have another with no damage):A little leaf burn on Wyndach pink (Or whatever it's called):Rhododendron brachycarpum ssp. tigerstedtii. The single toughest BLE that I grow. Apparently it took -45C in Finland without damage. AND, it had large glossy leaves. 1 of 2 remaining I. opaca. This one might be 'Carnival'. It's about 1' tall after 5 years in the ground. Maybe it will actually grow this year?Some other Rhodies. Most of these were bred by a friend in Orono, ON, and are particularly robust in continental winters! Why these aren't the plants of choice for local garden centres I don't know...This is what happens when I don't burlap edible plants. Deer ate this Kalmia...Seed grown Yucca 'elata'. The wrap is to keep the rabbits from eating them:Tieing the leaves up is about 80% effective, this is one of Tim's Yucca recurvfolia x filata seedlings trimmed to the ground:This hybrid was grown from seed collected from a Y. alofolia, 'Southcaost Yucca' looks pretty good so far!The cactus bed:Ilex x. aquipernyi is a winner. So far.All pics from Feb 24th, 2013. USDA zone 4b/5a border near Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Low to date was -27.7C (thermometer here registered -24.4C, but I doubt it was so mild). Several weeks below freezing.Thanks for looking!

Paul Ont

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The succulent bed is fine! Most of the species that I grow are mountain things that are used to snow cover all winter long! The Agave do have a hard time, though (too wet for too long, the cold is nothing for them!). When spring does come the cacti will bounce back and put on a real show!

The brazoria version of Sabal minor is kind of disappointing. It out performed my 'Birmingham' last winter (the 'Birmingham' dies last winter), but it has nothing on the northern populations of the species.

Posted : 02/03/2013 6:38 am

TimMAz6

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I hope those Aucubas come back for you. Looks like Rhodo's are a good BLE for your area. I'd keep messing with the big leaf hybrids.....perhaps you'll get one to survive in your area. 8)

Posted : 02/03/2013 6:54 am

Paul Ont

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I've just got access to the tags on the Southern Magnolias, and my analysis was backwards. The Kay Paris is the small leaved one and the larger leafed one is Spring Grove #19. Sorry for the confusion! I've changed it in the original post too!

Posted : 04/03/2013 2:08 am

igor.glukhovtsev

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Paul, would you please show last summer picture of your Aucuba japonica 'Himilaica' . I have some new aucuba with dark green glossy leaves.

Posted : 04/03/2013 3:24 am

Paul Ont

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Not a great picture, but:

We shall see if it recovers. I prefer the solid leaf colour on yours Igor!

Posted : 04/03/2013 4:47 am

igor.glukhovtsev

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Thanks Paul, mine is not the Hymalaica for sure. Next time if any of my friends will go to Toronto I'll pass you some cuttings from my dark-green buster. I love the colour too.

Posted : 04/03/2013 4:57 am