Sequoia sempervirens

What's the lowest hardiness range on the Sequoia sempervirens? The plantsdatabase says zone 8 but does any one know of it being lower?

I would LOVE to try growing some in my neck of the woods. Mid-Atlanic.

Dirr lists Zone 7, Western Garden Book says Sunset Zone 4. I'd say you'll be fine with it there. There are a number of trees here and I know it exists in Prince Rupert, B.C. (bottom of Alaska Pan Handle). The Western Garden Book talks about the importance of summer water. I drove through long stretches of it in September from Northern California through Oregon on the coast and I was surprised how much fog and how cool it was. Amazing trees when their trunks are wider than your vehicle! I really like the ferny soft foliage arranged horizontally. When I looked in the Western Garden Book they list a number of cultivars from a form that is as blue as the Colorado Blue Spruce (Filoli or Woodside) to 'Majestic Beauty' which has dense foliage with pendulous branchlets. They are beautiful trees.

Sorry, you can't expect it to do well in zone 7 - I've seen plants in zone 7 and they were very sorry looking, the foliage gets burnt off brown in average winters, and the whole tree killed to the ground in severe winters, only re-growing from root sprouts.

If you are going to try it, give it maximum shelter (preferably dense evergreen) from cold dry northwest winds and overhead shade while it is young.

Resin

CaptMicha, Sequoia sempervirens are native to the western Coast Ranges, southern Oregon and Northern California (Sunset zones 4 - 9 and 14 - 24) They would also grow well in the "warmer parts of zone 32." According to Sunset National Garden Book, zone 32 extends from New Jersey down to Alabama and Georgia. Brookeville, MD is not within the "warmer parts of zone 32." It doesn't do well in alkaline soil either. I've spent most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area and have seen some spectacular specimens. These trees are fast growers and can get up to 90' tall and 30' wide in a gardener's lifetime. They grow best in groves. Single trees are damaged by dry winds.

You may want to try Sequoiadendron giganteum. It is not as graceful as Sequoia sempervirens but has a better chance of succeeding in your area. It too gets quite large.

Oooooh! I'm not dissapointed at all with this alternative!

Does anyone know a source for a small specimen of Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Hazel Smith' or another super-hardy cultivar? I've tried random seedlings a couple of times witout success, but some tree friends have suggested there are some selections that might make it here in our ever-warming climate. I saw 'Hazel' at Powell Gardens in KC but no one there had any idea where they got it.

Guy S.

I did a search on ebay but all I got were species.

I found 4 sources for Sequoiadendrom giganteum 'Hazel Smith':

http://www.tripleoaks.com/wpgdisplay.php?id=248
http://www.tagawagardens.com/tgtreeslist.htm
http://www.iseli-nursery.com/Plantdescriptions/Sequoiadendrongiganteum.htm
http://www.porterhowse.com/availability.php?genus=Sequoiadendron

Attagirl BettyDee!
Have you tried any of them? Any preferrence?
Guy S.

OK, thanks to BettyDee, I just plunked down some more big bucks (well, "big" is a relative term, but it was big for my budget!) on a Hazel Smith. I chose Triple-Oaks Nursery, partly because of their name and partly because the guy was very helpful on the phone. Well, alright, I admit I chose them solely because of their name -- but he was helpful, too!

Thank you CaptMicha and BD for helping. Now wish me luck here in Zone 5.

Guy S.