Beginner Gardening: Which is cold hardier?...China Fir or Deodar Cedar, 2 by ViburnumValley

ViburnumValley wrote:
Hi scottslandscape - did we recently speak at a Louisville nursery expo?

I think one can easily say Cunninghamia lanceolata is hardier than Cedrus deodara, based on the number of plants found growing to any mature age in the Ohio River valley region.

You can look around Louisville for a very long time, and find few or none of the Deodar Cedar that have any age - meaning, older than the last real cold snap of 1994.

Conversely, you can find quite a few China-fir with decades of age. Examples can be seen at Bernheim Arboretum, Cave Hill Cemetery, and similar landscapes.

I know where one relatively young Blue China-fir is growing rampantly over in the Deer Park neighborhood. Rather attractive it is, what with the house behind it echoing the color scheme.

It will be interesting to compare the relative performance of these two species after this present winter, with its more severe low temps and steady winds (compared to many previous). The truly tough plants will survive and recover, and the pretenders will spiral toward death.