After seeing some of the zones you people live in I checked out the hardiness map for Michigan. I wonder if any other state has such a hodgepog map. I'm actually in zone 6b but wouldn't dare plant any plants other than those that can take zone 5 temps. Last winter was extremely cold here!!
Don't think we can put much stock in our map.
hardiness map for MI
That is true Anita. I'm with you.
The climate seems to be changing. Money is precious these days and I would only plant things hardy to either my zone or a zone or two colder than my zone. I bought a lot of apple trees this spring and they are hardy down to zone 3 and I'm zone 5.
We seem to live in a wind tunnel and the cold winter wind will kill things faster than anything else. I plan to burlap a couple things this year and put rose cones over the roses. It will help with the bunny rabbits too who like to nibble on them.
Some of the things I've gotten from nurseries came from southern states and sometimes they don't make it here. I think it's smart to buy from nurseries that specialize in northern climate plants and trees.
I do own a "zone up bag" that I bought years ago. It's insulated and will provide coverage over a plant to take it up one zone. That's it claim anyway. I think I'm going to put it around my hydrangea that I have a hard time getting through winter.
Yes, Loon, I've had trouble with hydrangeas blooming until I moved them to a more protected spot. Never heard of your zone bag but hope it is large enough to accomodate a mature plant. lol Basically I live in a pretty good area because Lake Michigan usually protect s from the extremes . It can get pretty cold at times in the winter but we are always a few degrees warmer than inland. I'm not familiar with your location. Where are you?
I'm in mid Michigan. If you look at the "hand" of Michigan I'm near the base of the index finger on the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. I'm about half a mile from the bay. We get a lot of wind here. It's like living in a wind tunnel. That cold winter wind will kill stuff faster than cold temperatures. We always pray for a good snow cover. That helps protect the plants.
The zone up bags come in different sizes. I don't even know if they still sell them. I've had mine for at least ten years. I was able to overwinter a tropical pampas grass with the big white plumes for three winters before it bit the dust. The last year it had 82 plumes on it. Everyone wanted to know where I got that. :) Of course we had those warm El Nino winters those three years and that helped plus it was planted right by the cement drive and cement walkway with big rocks around it to hold in the heat. :) One night we got a big wind storm and my zone up bag blew away. I bribed my son to go look for it. I had paid $25 for it! He found it three blocks away up against the chain link fence of the school. ha ha ha
i;ll rather have alot of snow than those winter winds. Last year I planted a perennial fushia and wondered about it making the winter so I mulched it good but then we had tons of snow and now it is blooming.
I have about 25 rhododendrons that are happy here but I bet maybe you can't grow them as they don't like cold wind. My neighbor has a rhododendron nursery - sells all over the country. After her wholesale orders are out she has a sale open to public with her less than perfect plants. Can get a large plant to $15. She also grows azaleas.
rosebaynursery.com
im close enough to the bay to be a zone 6
we get some cold and warm from the lake=its crazy what the waters influence on the weather is!!!