Hi all,
My Mom read in a gardening magazine that the fernbush (chamaebatiaria millefolium) is hardy to zone 4. Is this true?, because she wants one now and I'd hate to see her disappointed.
Thought I'd ask the tropical specialists :))
Fernbush question
Well, it's not a tropical so if you want more info you may want to check some other forums. It's a xeriscape plant and it is hardy to zone 4 according to High Country Gardens. But since it's more of a desert/dry climate plant, if your mom lives in an area where she gets a lot of rain it may not do well for her. According to HCG, it does best with under 30" of rain per year, can be grown with up to 40" of rain with care (by which they mean you MUST have perfect drainage, but if you have an rainier than usual year it may die anyway).
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/35240/
So it would do fine maybe under the eaves where the rain doesn't land...I have to water this area....cool, thank you!!!
It also likes full sun--will it get that under the eaves? This is one of those plants that does great baking in desert heat, so a cool shady location under the eaves may not make it happy.
oh, it's hot there, south-west exposure....the only I am leery about is the winter lows....the zone guide says I'm 5a, but we do get temps of -35F for a few weeks....but I could probably mulch real good, no?
Plant Files lists it as hardy to 4a so I think you should be OK. I didn't grow this one when I lived in a colder climate (and even then I was in zone 6) so I don't have any personal experience. But I'd look at what the normal lows are listed as for 4a and if you get colder than that then I'd worry, otherwise probably not an issue. Given its love for dryness, I'm not sure that piling a bunch of extra mulch on it is going to be a good idea, could make it rot easier.