BLE zone 5b/6a update in snow

Banana Plants, etc

Moderators: lucky1, Alchris, Kansas, Wes North Van, Laaz

Post Reply
DarkNight
Sprout
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat May 16, 2015 11:39 am
Location: Riga, Latvia, Zone 5a(often)-6a (officially), latitude 56°

BLE zone 5b/6a update in snow

Post by DarkNight » Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:26 am

So far this winter in Riga temps were down as low as -23 Celsius (-9.4 F).
For the last 3 weeks Riga hasn't seen a day with temperatures above freezing.
Mostly it stays around -5 up to -10 during the day and drops to -10 or -15C during the night.
A proper winter.

First Eucalyptus gunnii. I planted 4 plants. 2 in my garden, the other two in various places in Riga.
So far one of them without any protection is doing well. The protected one seems fine as well.
Little to no leaf damage.
Image
Image


Elaeagnus x ebbingei
This is the biggest surprise, because I didn't expect it to last one bit.
I couldn't seen any significant leaf damage.
Image
Image


My cacti - I think Opuntia. I gave it a bit of protection from rain and sleet.
Doeasn't look too bad.
Image


Viburnum davidii
This is not from my garden, but it does extremely well. Some Rhodies at the background.
Image
Image

Ligustrum, it seems that it does drop some leaves, but not all of them.
Image


Mahonia in an inner block of a city - doesn't suffer from freezing temps.
Image


Cotoneaster dammeri
Does drop some leaves, but stays green all winter long.
Image


Prunus Laurocerasus Novita.
Some lower leafs are brownish, top leafs are slightly better.
Image
Image



User avatar
Paul Ont
Large Palm
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston

Post by Paul Ont » Sat Jan 16, 2016 4:14 pm

Good so far... My only advice is to reiterate an old saying: "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"... It's especially true for BLEs, they look alive for a long time, then they thaw out! It'll be interesting to see how they look in June once it's been warm for a while. Good update! Keep 'em coming!

P.S. we've had about ~ -18C at my garden (zone 4b), not a real winter yet, even the Phyllostachys are still green.

DarkNight
Sprout
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat May 16, 2015 11:39 am
Location: Riga, Latvia, Zone 5a(often)-6a (officially), latitude 56°

Post by DarkNight » Mon Jan 18, 2016 3:21 am

You're 100% right about being cautious.
I plan to water them in mid with warm water in February regardless outside temps. Because soil will be frozen too deep to get some water to leaves on sunny days.
The low temps is the test nr 1.
Nr 2 is the length of the freezing temps.
Nr 3 will be taking the spring sun while soil is still frozen.
So at least 3 more months to go before some conclusive damage/survival facts can be reliable

User avatar
Paul Ont
Large Palm
Posts: 1384
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:58 am
Location: zone 6a Downtown Toronto and zone 5a Kingston

Post by Paul Ont » Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:08 pm

Awesome! We'll compare in the spring!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest