USDA Zone can be misleading!

And you might be discouraged from taking a chance in pushing that zone and having that "borderline hardy" plant perennialize for you by going strictly by what you read.

Here's why I say that:

I went to the State Climate Office of North Carolina website and pulled up the climate report for the last 30 years for the city I live closest to and I was surprised at what I found. My 7b climate was closer to 9b! That's the same as, for example, as Brownsville, Texas and Fort Pierce, Florida as far as the normal minumum temperature (given for each day!) Whoa! This is very exciting news to me.

Now with a warm micro-climate, proper soil preparation and mucho-mulcho, and so on, that opens me up to considering a lot more plants than I normally would consider based solely on the zone information given on a tag or in a book.

Now, I'm not to go crazy with this, but I think you know what I mean as far as zone pushing, no? While I wouldn't risk an expensive plant or bulb if I had no back-up plant to fall back on, I would be willing to risk a LOT of others. I have had some amazing survivors come through without having taken any steps to help them survive our winter lows, so with TRYING to get them through, there's just no telling what might "come back". After reading thru Tony Avent's Plant Delights' catalogue and other anecdotal accountings here and there, I'm going to be doing a LOT more zone pushing. I just don't have the indoor space and I want to have a lot of plants for more than just one season and not have to decide which ones I'm going to hold over.

Until get a greenhouse (if ever, says the churchmouse) I'm going to be doing a lot of thinking about zone recommendations!

Robert.

Amen to that, I am successfully growing a number of zone 9 and 10 plants. I have found it is important to have just a bit of shade as the tree canopy helps to prevent the frost from settling.
Unfortunately, our hot nights prevent us from growing a number of plants that will do very well on the west coast in the same zones.

Oh yea, I have a Lemon Grass that goes dormant every winter but it's been in the ground 3 years now I think? Also have Indian Summer Rudbeckia that will overwinter as long as it's not too cold.. Last winter was so mild I had a Palm 'bulb' (not sure what they're called) survive that I forgot and left outside!

Nicole

Ardesia~

I agree about southern heat being a problem for plants that aren't troubled by the cold. A lot of the Mediteranean plants just hate out heat-humidity combination. The ground just bakes in a full sun exposure. Part sun and mulch sure help.

ncgardenaddict~

I'm so glad to hear about your lemon grass overwintering. I had heard that before but only grew mine in pots. In spring, I bought five stalks at a Asian food shop and rooted them in water and later potted them. I put three in the ground (see pic) and left two in pots. They all have flourished. Do you mulch it? I plan to anyway as there's a lot of plants that ned it in that area, so I'm just covering the whole lot.

This spring when I was raking leaves, I uncovered a 12 inch piece of Christmas cactus that was in perfect condition, I mean not even yellowed! It had fallen there some time in the late summer after it broke off a plants I was dividing. I was amazed. Also had all three potted brugmansias come back. I am going to mulch them DEEP to protect as much of the stems as possible. Maybe I'll use a wire form.

Not to brag, but to add to how plants can survive and surprise us, I left a pot of Aloe chinensis out on the front porch one year and though I lost the main plant, 4-5 offsets survived. I have had a 2 gallon pot of Stevia (sugar herb) survive several winters. I've finally put it in the ground. I think what helped it thru was the total neglect--no water but what fell from the sky for the Stevia or the Aloe. The Stevia would die to the ground but would reach full height and flower each year.

Love it when a "tender perennial" shows that designation to be incorrect!

Robert.

Oops, forgot the lemongrass pic. That's it in the middle, left of the nanners.

Hi Raydio!! Yes - I mulch it HEAVY.. The plant dies off and one year I cut it down and mulched that - the next year I didn't cut the dead off and mulched it. It didn't seem to care much either way as long as the mulch was there. It's beside my house too - I believe that helps. Well since you're so close if yours dies you can have some of mine! LOL! I do keep some in a pot as well that I bring in every year. Believe it or not I bought mine at Michigan Bulb of all places when I first started gardening. That makes it over 10 years old... Of course it was the ONLY thing that survived from that disaster of a company!! :)

Nicole Here's mine - this pic is over a year old but I can't remember exactly how old.. It's bigger now.. YIKES!

ncgardenaddict~

What a glorious clump! Just so bee-yoo-T-Full!

Do you do anything "practical" with it, cooking etc.? I don't do a lot of cooking, but I may have to add some to a tea or throw some into a stirfry.

Robert.

edited for spelling, tee-hee.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2006 2:10 PM

I don't either Robert. I just like it!! I like all grasses actually since they don't mind the sun and wind at my house.

I've used it a couple of times in my cooking but I find it's so tough. I am sure it's because I don't know what to do with it. I am no cook!!

Nicole