Zone 4 winter is over!

Paul Ont · 2015-05-05T10:19:09Z

Used to say I was on the border of zone 4b and 5a. I think I can't claim that anymore after another winter with a low in the -30C range. Located near Kingston, Ontario. Winters are long with sustained cold. More than a dozen nights will be below -21C, and sustained sub-freezing cold can last a month or more without going above freezing. Here's what things look like now that the snow is gone. Was 25C the day I took these pictures (last weekend):Yucca thompsoniana x filata, damaged but still alive. Interested to see if these will be hardy when they grow up:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17150399597" title="DSCF1011 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7747/17150399597_21cd789726_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1011"></a>Very little damage to the cacti. Here are some Echinocereus (rechenbachii mostly):<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17357827715" title="DSCF1010 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8808/17357827715_8f6426fb35_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1010"></a>Cylindropuntia whipplei 'Snow leopard':<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17150440027" title="DSCF1008 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7785/17150440027_51e8e97971_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1008"></a>Finally found a few forms of O. phaeacantha that seem to be solid in zone 4 winters. Many of my older phaeacanthas show a lot of rot, not this one!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17357915225" title="DSCF1007 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7657/17357915225_de44e4494f_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1007"></a>O. polyacantha 'Dark Knight':<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17357979385" title="DSCF1004 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8713/17357979385_db3d54c776_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1004"></a>Cactus garden looking back toward the house:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17357647101" title="DSCF1003 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7734/17357647101_5fbd30da38_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1003"></a>Pediocactus simpsonii tends not to do too well in the humid east. I guess my night time summer temps are low enough! Will bloom this week:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17357959765" title="DSCF1005 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8726/17357959765_298ae91710_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1005"></a>Seed grown Yucca "elata" (company must have mislabeled these, my guess is they are a form of Yucca glauca stricta). A little over a foot of clear trunk now, the one on the right sent up an aborted stalk 2 years ago and it now 3 headed:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17150584627" title="DSCF1001 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8687/17150584627_c88ffafef9_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSCF1001"></a>Sabal minor, protected with minilights in a poorly insulted "palm house":<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/16725049163" title="Sminormay2015 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7724/16725049163_df881a5a7f_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Sminormay2015"></a>R. hystrix, was in the same house. Lots of damage, I imagine most of the stems are done:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17157941570" title="Needlepalmfrommay2015 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8831/17157941570_7d1912b8e7_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Needlepalmfrommay2015"></a>Too cold here for most BLEs, but I keep trying anyway. Ilex pendunculosa wants to be a ground cover here :(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17138272147" title="Ipendunculosamay2015 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8745/17138272147_0ced88f575_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Ipendunculosamay2015"></a>My only remaining Ilex opaca. Green is mostly below the snow line, the leaves above are burnt about 70%<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17158168770" title="Ilexopacamay12015 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7744/17158168770_c848a5d8fe_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Ilexopacamay12015"></a>Kalmia latifolia is harider than most BLEs. Deer seem to leave them alone too:<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/93526030@N02/17319713726" title="Kalmialatifoliamay2015 by p_ont5a, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7789/17319713726_71ba82ebdd_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Kalmialatifoliamay2015"></a>Another S. minor with ba...