Search found 1386 matches

by Paul Ont
Thu May 15, 2014 8:16 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: End of winter report from Manzanita OR after first zone 8 wi
Replies: 10
Views: 4627

Thanks for the update! That C. radicalis is a winner, and is very suprising!
by Paul Ont
Sat Apr 26, 2014 3:32 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Some survivors
Replies: 4
Views: 4477

Jesse I'm not sure what we're supposed to see in pictures 1 and 4. Unfortunately the Agave that I see in picture 2 looks rotten, the Fargesia looks good!
by Paul Ont
Mon Apr 21, 2014 7:08 am
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: need some good nurseries in s Ontario and montreal
Replies: 6
Views: 6139

Not too far? Try Humber nursery near Toronto, any of the Sheridans are OK and they generally have blue pot palms... I don't know anything near mtl or enroute...
by Paul Ont
Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:15 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Southern magnolia dropping most leaves. What to do?
Replies: 3
Views: 4251

If the stems still have some flex then the tree is probably OK, if they're brittle, you've got stem kill. So mag's are like pines in that they can look good for a long time while actually being dead!
by Paul Ont
Wed Apr 02, 2014 5:36 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: mixed results
Replies: 38
Views: 18990

Thanks for the update.

I'm jealous that your Birmingham has made it, mine died in its second winter last year:( I'm sticking to needles and minors now!
by Paul Ont
Wed Apr 02, 2014 5:31 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Winter Damage 2014
Replies: 6
Views: 5050

We'll see how the deciduous trees fared in a month or so. My thought are that the paw-paw and paperbark maples will all be fine. I'm more worried about the willow-leaf oak and Magnolia! Sabal minor seems to get tougher and tougher. They must have seen -17C this winter (dry mind you) but they don't h...
by Paul Ont
Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:06 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Winter Damage 2014
Replies: 6
Views: 5050

It's a zone 4b/5a near Kingston, so 1/2 to 1 zone colder than the GTA, but the extremes seem to be much lower, consistantly... It's actually remarkabl similar to Montreal!
by Paul Ont
Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:31 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Winter Damage 2014
Replies: 6
Views: 5050

Winter Damage 2014

Hi all. Cold winter this year, lots of damage to many plants. I'd rate this more of a zone 3b/4a winter. Low was -32C, was below -30C twice, many days with highs below -20C, only a couple of breaks. I think maybe Jesse and I change climates for a year! A really tough year. Ilex aquipernyi, I'd rate ...
by Paul Ont
Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:17 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: could my trachycarpus have survived-16
Replies: 12
Views: 5909

Spear pull is not necessarily an indicator of death; a spear can pull and the palm survive, or the spear can remain intact and that palm can be dead... The latter is found often if the plam freeze-dries or if it dies of drought...
by Paul Ont
Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:26 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: could my trachycarpus have survived-16
Replies: 12
Views: 5909

When you're above 0 (freezing) give it a treatment with a fungicide just in case it is alive. -16F is probably going to be lethal (depending on duration establishment, etc), -16C is survivable but almost certainly would cause a lot of damage. If it saw anything like -16F in or near the meristem ther...
by Paul Ont
Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:37 am
Forum: Germination
Topic: Beginning the germination process! - Part II
Replies: 176
Views: 221480

Too many to post now, but I've got a bunch of cactus and Yucca seedlings humming along, some Magnolias, Kalopanax, and too many rhodies to list... TIm, I see you have a brachy x (yak x rex) x rex pot of seedlings. Those could have some zone 4 winners with huge leaves... If they win the genetic lotte...
by Paul Ont
Tue Feb 25, 2014 7:00 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Designing 'Test-beds' for dry-climate plants...
Replies: 10
Views: 8760

Cam- NO protection! I want to evaluate for hardiness, and I don't think that overhead protection will help me evaluate that:) Barb- Yaaa, I could use a little more moisture in summer for Magnolia and Rhododendron growth, they get a little dry here come July and August. I'll see if I can't get a pict...
by Paul Ont
Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:54 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Designing 'Test-beds' for dry-climate plants...
Replies: 10
Views: 8760

Hey Barb- There won't be any trees nearby, if there are any (Damned European buckthorn) I'll cut them down. These will be put in a field setting with full sun. I think I will raise the beds perhaps 5-6" above the soil level to get the plant parts high and dry above the 'wet' soil. The wet soil ...
by Paul Ont
Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:40 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Growing tree ferns from spore : Cyathea vieillardii
Replies: 7
Views: 5821

Yes! But you have to wait until they form the liverwort looking things, then giv them a good misting with a spray bottle!
by Paul Ont
Mon Feb 24, 2014 9:57 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Designing 'Test-beds' for dry-climate plants...
Replies: 10
Views: 8760

Designing 'Test-beds' for dry-climate plants...

Hey all, I'm thinking about how I will find space to test a bunch of dry-climate plants in my cold, wet, USDA zone 4b/5a climate... I have a bunch of Opuntia hybrids and selections to trial (p.s. if you have extra seeds of any cacti or Yucca please let me know!), both my own and from Tim, as well as...
by Paul Ont
Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:55 am
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: New RPS order: 2014
Replies: 12
Views: 6294

Banana seeds: If you have a heat mat put it on a timer so that it goes off at night. The fluctuation in temperature seems to be the key with stubborn bana seeds.
by Paul Ont
Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:27 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Growing tree ferns from spore : Cyathea vieillardii
Replies: 7
Views: 5821

Make sure that once you see the gametophytpes (the green blobs, look sort of like tiny liverworts) that you mist them with sterile water (boil water, let it cool and then mist them) to allow the actual sexual reproduction to occur (the spermatazoids need water to be able to move). This will lead to ...
by Paul Ont
Thu Feb 20, 2014 6:22 pm
Forum: Anything Yucca
Topic: Yucca flaccida x 'reverchonii-thompsoniana'
Replies: 98
Views: 116920

That is among the best colour I've seen in the genus. Let us know how they develop!
by Paul Ont
Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:55 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Rhododendron rex..........wow
Replies: 10
Views: 6308

Looks really good! How much have the lights been on?
by Paul Ont
Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:40 pm
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

You sure that's Iowa and not Alberta Jim:D What a hell of a winter, it's been almost as bad here in Toronto, and worse in Sydenham!

Looks like you had a blast out West!
by Paul Ont
Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:01 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: Another polar blast on the menu for next week!!
Replies: 74
Views: 47998

AND EVERYWHERE ELSE IS WAY ABOVE NORMAL!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! Even the damned arctic sea ice is below normal extent overall, it being way beyond normal in NA is more than made up for by the mild winter on the other side of the world... Worse then '93-94'? Probably not here. Worse then the early 80's? Pro...
by Paul Ont
Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:23 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Eucalyptus debeuzevillei
Replies: 114
Views: 89401

That one Euc looks ok (snow gum), wonder what they'll look like when they thaw? It'll be a testament to their resilience if any survive this... And I will be requesting seeds!
by Paul Ont
Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:48 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

I can come close, Kingston hit -29C last night. That means that my garden must have hit at or below -30C, which will be the coldest in 12 years. Yikes. That's -22F, a zone 4b temperature. And here I was getting ready to finally admit to zone 5a status:( Toronto hit a hot and humid -20C last night. I...
by Paul Ont
Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:15 am
Forum: Anything Yucca
Topic: Y.elata growing in January!
Replies: 9
Views: 7672

These plants don't really have a true dormancy period like many cold climate plants (Yucca 'may' but palms certainly do not)... Maybe the light coloured leaves are due to the plants trying to grow with low light levels (as Cameron suggests) combined with the colder then usual weather and COLD (froze...
by Paul Ont
Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:53 pm
Forum: Anything Yucca
Topic: Y.elata growing in January!
Replies: 9
Views: 7672

I doubt it. In cold climes we often observe the 'whitening' of the middle of a Yucca... Still don't know why!
by Paul Ont
Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:30 pm
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

I do like that map! Methinks it is a little generous in some areas (extent of zone 5 along the shore of lake ontario and the st. lawerence river; only the island airport in Toronto gives a 6b rating, Pearson is a 5b). Best option available though! Thanks for the link.
by Paul Ont
Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:56 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

The zone rating (USDA, I don't use the Canadian map, it just causes people to underestimate how cold they get) is based on the average extreme minimum temperature that you are likely to experience each year. So, for markham the average winter will hit -26C or whatever. However, it's possible that yo...
by Paul Ont
Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:23 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: -15C (5F)
Replies: 16
Views: 9726

Palms look great, so do the Agaveaceae, with the exception of that americana which might be soup!
by Paul Ont
Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:20 am
Forum: Anything Cacti
Topic: Just a cactus
Replies: 29
Views: 30023

Aaron, don't feel too badly. Sclerocactus turn to mush here during their first winter! If that doesn't kill them the next summer will, they can handle so much heat but, like Pediocactus, if you get hot, humid, days and nights (esp. nights above 20C), they'll boil and suffocate themselves to death. L...
by Paul Ont
Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:32 pm
Forum: Anything Cacti
Topic: Anyway to tell what opuntia I have without a bloom?
Replies: 9
Views: 5848

I'd say the Opuntia is one of the Opuntia phaeacantha types, following Andersen (He lumps many of the 'species' like O. chisoensis and similar under phaeacantha), and, ya I agree that is NOT A. parryi. Probably A. americana. That Opuntia 'may' be hardy, depending on it's origin within the species ra...
by Paul Ont
Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:46 am
Forum: Anything Cacti
Topic: Anyway to tell what opuntia I have without a bloom?
Replies: 9
Views: 5848

With a picture we'll be ablt to (probably) get an I.D. for your Opuntia.
by Paul Ont
Sat Jan 11, 2014 7:31 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

Just wondering who here has actually had a temp this winter BELOW their zonal rating?
Toronto- z 6a, z. 6a low.
Kingston- z4b/5a, z. 5a low.
by Paul Ont
Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:20 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Some pics from the drive out...
Replies: 14
Views: 8838

Damn it Jim! You make me miss the Southwest so much!

Thanks for sharing.
by Paul Ont
Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:40 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Rock garden pics
Replies: 33
Views: 20242

teebee- If you remind me I can send you seed from the hardiest Agave around, A. utahensis ssp. kaibabensis, from above the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (The North Rim is closed in winter due to snow)... Probably a zone 4. I've not had any luck with them, but they do germinate readily. I also may st...
by Paul Ont
Thu Jan 09, 2014 8:07 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Rock garden pics
Replies: 33
Views: 20242

Excellent plants. Man I wish Agave were hardy here!

Have you tried Agave montana? If not I suggest that you do. I'd say they "almost" survive a zone 6 winter as smallish seedlings. Probably hardy for you.
by Paul Ont
Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:53 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

We hit -21.5 here in downtown Toronto last night (-6.7F, zone 6a, it is a zone 6a). The airport hit -24C or -11.2f, a zone 5b temp (it is a zone 5b!)

Coldest thus far. Kingston has been lower than both, in the zone 5a range.
by Paul Ont
Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:06 am
Forum: Wanted
Topic: Canada Crape Myrtles?? Where?
Replies: 5
Views: 4839

Crape Myrtles: A person to ask is Kevin at Southcoast gardens. He has the most experience of anyone that I know, with the widest range of species. I know that last year he had a few plants with little to no die back... I doubt they would be alive above the snow after this recent cold! Southcoast is ...
by Paul Ont
Fri Dec 27, 2013 6:44 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Ice Storm Pictures
Replies: 7
Views: 6290

Ha! Cam, no the power here is below ground so we did not lose it at all. Neither did my place in Toronto (luckily). The ice is thick but it's perhaps 1/2 to 2/3rds the amount we had back in '98. We have 2 days forecast to be above 0C so there's some hope that some of the ice will be gone in a couple...
by Paul Ont
Thu Dec 26, 2013 7:52 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Ice Storm Pictures
Replies: 7
Views: 6290

Ice Storm Pictures

Kingston: It's been COLD since the ice storm hit about 4 days ago. We've been below -20C probably 5 times already. However, we do have a solid snow base under the ice layer (which is thick enough to easily support human weight), and there's more snow arriving today. More low temps on the way too aft...
by Paul Ont
Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:08 am
Forum: Weather & Climate
Topic: The Lowest Winter's 2013-2014 Temperature so far...
Replies: 179
Views: 2938349

I can't find the downtown data here, but Pearson has hit -18C so far. Kingston tells me that it hit -28C, but the data is coming from Watertown, NY, which is colder... Hmmm... Where has the Canadian weather data gone?