dukeofdoom where are you located? I want to grow strawberry trees here, prob too cold though :(.

I'm in Windsor, ON which is the same zone as you .. maybe a bit milder because I'm very close to water. I put the arbutus tree in the ground late in the fall this year. I was going to take it out and put it in the garage before winter cold really hits, but then I read how these trees can't stand being moved. So now I'm thinking of trying to protect where it is. Last year it only dropped to -15 once for a few hours .. if it's the same this year I might not even have to protect it that much. Its on the south side of my house which should also help. If it makes it through winter, I'll post an update with a picture.

Canadianplant,

I've seen a dwarf verity of filberts here, but not Witchazel.
Don't really have much experience with these plants.
Do you have these in your garden?

No... not yet at least. Ive wanted a witchhazel/hazel nuts for a while though. I know hazels bloom VERY early. There are some very nice cultivars, like the contorted hazel:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/66582/

I cant remember exactly when filberts bloom, in S ontario, they bloom around march according to the ontario agro site.

Andym,

That's a nice looking plant .. never seen it before. I don't think these are hardy in my area?
What's the coldest your Hebe withstood so far?

They are native to New Zealand. That one in the picture is of the more succulent variety but is amazingly hardy surviving our month long December '10 freeze which in the UK killed many Trachycarpus Fortunei just north of me. I think it has also a good microclimate on a slope protected by my large Trachycarpus. Hebe" Midsummer beauty" has huge flowers, very scented and even bigger leaves. Sadly that did not survive that Winter but I took cuttings that easily root and has now grown into a nice plant. My lowest that Winter was -12C but more damaging was the length of time spent below freezing which killed all my "hardy" Schefflera species.

Thanks for your responses. I now found a website that will let me search by blooming time ... for anyone looking for the same:
www.plantlust.com