My local Botanical Garden grew there Plumeria outdoors last year and we had some freezing weather,and they lived .Has anyone else had any luck growing them outdoors in zone 8b ?
Anyone in zone 8b?
i'm classified as 8b, but more like 9a. did you ask them how uch protection it got? near a heat source? near water or under trees or some other source of insulation/radiant heat? did they cover it? if i get ahold of a plain plumie, it may get to be a guinea pig!
my friend puts hers in the garage for the winter and i am sure out garages get to freezing once or twice each winter---i wonder if it is an extended freeze to watch for?
No they didn't do any of the above unless they covered it. It did look like they had cut it back to one stalk. If I can get anoter one I am going to try it outdoors. Live or die...lol When I get a chance I thing that I will go back over there and ask them,,,,that would be a good start. I'll let you know when I find out.
thanks
They must have covered it. Sustained freezing temps will cause branch dieback and death. Brief freezing temps can cause tip damage. Flowering will be sacrificed for the year with tip and branch damage if the trunk does manage to survive. There were record-breaking freezing temps in Southern California last winter, and collectors had massive losses with temps of 28 for several hours, several nights in a row. These are tropical trees and cannot survive freezing temps without some protection. If you have any doubt, here are some graphic pictures: http://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10074&hl=damage I personally experienced damage when several nights went down to 32, and it reached 28 for two hours one night. Most of mine were covered, but the ones that weren't showed damaged all season long. There are two threads on cold damage in the FAQ Sticky Thread for further info.
Edited to fix spelling.
This message was edited Nov 2, 2007 10:53 AM
Clare,
All the plumeria pictured in the link you sent are in pots. It is MY BELIEF that plumeria in pots are much more susceptible to frost, than those in the ground. It got down to 30 degrees fahrenheit in my yard for over five hours on two different nights. I had no damage to my plumeria in the ground. I didn't cover them or heat them. Most of the plumeria around town, also planted in the ground, came through with no harm. There was only one tree, that I know of, that had to be cut back because of the frost.
Was the plant in the botanical garden able to survive the winter because it was in the ground?
Again this is my opinion, and not fact,
Davie
but wouldn't that only affect the roots, and not the branches?
Stronger healthier roots , stronger healthier plant. A plant with a week root system is more susceptible to disease, drought, rot etc... maybe it applies to frost tolerance. Like I said before this is my opinion.
Davie, you may be right that in-ground plumerias are a little better protected for brief freezes due to the warmth of the earth, but a hard freeze will freeze the ground and root systems as well. I have friends that lost large planted trees here in Southern California as well.
Not necessarily. The ground rarely freezes in many areas. I lived, for many years, where we had regular hard freezes during the winter but the ground never froze. The cold is so sporadic and the warm temps in between cold spells keep the ground warm.
Dbrooks the I went back to the botanical gardens today and took another look and yes they are in the ground just where I saw them last year. We did get some freeezing weather early this year. I thought that they only had one Plumeria but they had three is somwhat of a circle. So that means all three made it through the winter.I didn't get to talk to anyone about it,as I had some people with me.Whist that I could remember how long that we had cold weater.
Linda, I am right below you. Just for an experiment last year, I took one of my plumerias and put it in the ground next to the house where it would get some heat that radiates from the house. It did die back to the ground but came back. It was late coming back and had to come back from the ground, therefore it did not bloom. I did not protect it so I imagine that the Botanical Garden had to have protected it somehow. This past winter for us was kind of middle of the road. Was not as mild as the year before but we did have some freezing weather. I have been to that Garden since my family is from Slocomb/Dothan and have never thought to ask them how they do it. I always try to hit their big sale they have every spring.
rylaff if you ever go over to the gardens in Dothan you can see what I am talking about.Also i have not lived here long anf wat to grow some orege trees. do youknow if they will grow here,if so what kind ?
thanks,linda
I usually go there in the spring when they have their big mg sale. You can grow Satsumas and kumquat.
MAybe I'll bump into you this spring..lol I will look for the Satsumas.
thanks,linda
I have my satsumas right up against the house so that they get the heat that eminates from the bricks. Seems to help.
rylaff ,where is a good place to buy them ?
I got mine here in Niceville, but I think I saw them at Buds and Blossoms a while back.