Cold Hardy Tropical Plants

If you would like to see this forum added.Please visit "Dave's Garden" forum.Its listed under "Dave's Garden Community".Thank-You,Edge

This message was edited Mar 28, 2009 11:12 AM

I'm curious.... what sort of plants are you thinking of?

Hardy bananas,palms,cacti.`Zone pushing.Tricks and techniques.Tropical looking plants.Creating a tropical looking gardens for us northerners.Perennials and annuals,vines that sort of thing. Edge.Maybe there is no interest or its not really needed.I thought it might be interesting to find out,if others would want it.Edge

I've always been interested in tropicals and so far just stick to houseplants. Would be nice if we could expand it into our garden.

Edge- I wouldn't even try. Unless everything is going to be in a container. I live in the deep south and this last year my elephant ears wilted and withered at 35f. We had one day of snow (something that happens only every 4-10 years) and had to run around like crazy covering almost everything with laundry baskets, garbage bags and sheets. You live in zone 5 I'm in zone 9....so, yeah, only if yer willing to keep everything in a pot. Sorry.

I was just going to suggest that such a forum not be called "Cold Hardy Tropical Plants" (because they aren't, and it would be misleading). A better title would be something like "Tropical Plants in the Garden"...

If it is for Northern gardeners, I'm interested. Would love to know more about "zone pushing". :)

Its not going to happen,I am not getting the support,I need.Sorry,Edge

Maybe you could try to keep your own 'zone pushing' thread going. Maybe research some info to get it going and see if anyone has any ideas to add.

Musa Basjoo is a great tough plant hardy to zone 5a if well mulched each winter. I have one and it has survived the last two years but is currently sleeping for the winter :)

Hardy Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon and a few others are beautiful, look tropical and will take a freeze. I may be replacing most of my tropicals with them after the one week of freeze we had a couple of weeks ago.

Don't give up on your tropicals yet--you'll probably be surprised by how many of them will come back for you in the spring. They may look awful now, but chances are a lot of them aren't dead.

The above mentioned won't take the cold and freeze here! You must have spesial cold hardy varieties. I would love to know of tropicals that can take the cold.