Pushing the limits of cold hardiness..

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:57 am

lucky1 wrote:I can see the headlines now:

"canadianplant house swallowed by 300 plants that GREW"...

Good work!
Barb

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:25 am

UPDATE!!!!

My thought-it-as-dead olympiad hybrid tea rose is alive, with about 8 new stem buds. As well as my giant canna ( indica purpurea), sprouted. ALso my calla "mango" sprouted as well. My Phyllostachys has 6 new shoots. My rose"the hunter", is growing like a weed. Everything is speeding up like mad. Im outta town this weeked, ill post some pics on Sunday.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:32 am

Is a tea rose "pushing the limits of cold hardiness"?
What zone are you in and what are these tea roses you speak of rated?
Just curious

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:14 am

Jim- He's in Thunder Bay, WAYYYY up on the North Shore of lake Superior... The growing season up there is short, it HAS snowed every month of the year, and the cold is a solid zone 3, based on long-term data... Not exactly the 'best' climate for growing anything! Actually, the climate there makes my own look like the Carolinas!
And yet, he managed to over-winter a zone 5 plant (F. rufa) this previous winter! Quite an accomplishment, I think (it's akin to you over-wintering Trachycarpus in your area)!

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:15 am

Nice!

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:21 pm

Thanks all for the comments. The hybrid tea rose, is said to be zone 6, zone 5 if im lucky.

Its true, the city is rated zone 3...... at the airport. My house is 10km from the airport. The areas closes to the lake, are actualy rated zone 5 ( ive talked to many gardeners here shoppin fer plants). The closer you are to the lake, the more the zone goes up. Im not on the lake shore, but its a 20 minute walk, if that to the lake. Its barly a KM from my house.

The back yard seems to be quite the microclimate. There were nights when my yard was 5 C or more warmer then the surrounding area, and the odd few times 10C warmer then the airports readings ( thats where the majourity of the sensors are, and where enviroment canada takes its weather data from).

My grandma, has an almond bush, who she grew from a cutting from her BF daugter, whos had it for years. She lives a bit further inland then I do as well. The things is 8 feet tall and around. Not to mention the fact im about 90% sure my aunt has 2 silk oak trees, whick looks like theyve been here for a while .

Some wisteria is hardy here. Wegelia are hardy here as well. WE have royal red maples here, which are hardy to zone 4, and they dont even get top killed, even with the windchills. With a little ingenuity, luck, and knowledge of your area, you can do some crazy things. Im gonna over winter the Phyllostachys, and the new FArgesia Scabrida ( the phyllostachys is rated at -32C, so im good ( thats top kill)), and the fargesia is rated warmer then my rufa, but not much. Different sources state its AS hardy. Apperantly tissue cultures specimines arent as hardy as naruraly derived plants.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:27 pm

There are these kind of iris, I THINK they are called ladyslipper iris. Their hardy to zone 6 ( from what ive found), and they come back here, year after year. Its amazing what you can do if you really try. Im gonna try to obver winder some coryline, as my next experiment. Apperantly they grwo back from the ground in zome 5/6. Just fer fun too, im gonna try to get my yucca guatemalensis to sprout from the ground too. Theres no harm in trying!!!

If the Musa Basjoo work here, the next step is a needle palm * very very evil laugh

ROBRETI · Post by **ROBRETI** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:54 am

Hi Canadinaplant,

We are all with you, wishing you good luck and asking for a lot of picks!!!!
Take care,
Rob

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 1:09 pm

My ginger ( eating kind)

Weigela

Close up

8 new Phyllostachys Aureosulcata alata shoots

different angle

the "dead" olympiad rose

Unknown passiflora, labeled as "Blue and WHite Passion flower" "Passiflora sp."

Musa basjoo in the bed with the roses and passiflora

Roseman coles Canna, with Canna Indica Purpuraea ( giant Canna) in the back

Other basjoo in the canna bed

The canna

more to come in a sec..

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 1:18 pm

Clematis "henryi"

Calla Lily "Mango"

5 foot tall Peoney

Clematis "the President"

Fargesia Scabrida

Dragonwing Beginia

Rose "the Hunter"

Philodendron offshoots

RAndom Iris

TAro

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 1:18 pm

THanks for the encouragement. I wish you luck as well.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:24 am

UPDATE!!!!

Nothing really new, just things are growing like weeds. I think I have to pull out my Canna "the president", and one "roseman coles Canna". They look very sick. My peony exploded with growth, ill post some pics today when I can......

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 8:35 am

[quote="canadianplant"]UPDATE!!!!

Nothing really new,

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:29 pm

LOL

Heres the peony, updated Basjoo, and my hot peppers...

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:45 pm

Looking good-keep up the good work!

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 4:22 am

Well, the heatwave is here. 33C before humidity yesterday, around 36-38C when you factor in the humidity. Today is supposed to be the hottest day this year so far. The plants seem to love it, especialy the cyperus, musa and passiflora:D

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:58 pm

Heres some updated pics... to many to caption..... just ask if you have any quetions:D

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 7:07 am

Everything has just gone nuts............... Weve had more lightning and more normal precipitation ( lightning puts nitrogen into the soil and the air, instant plant fert

)

1 - Calla "Mango". The flowers, definetly arent mango, but, out of 2 bulbs, I have about 8 plants now.
2 - Canna "Tropicanna Black". Growing like a weed. This thing is sick, but is no worse for the wear.
3 - Assorted morning glory ( With Chocolate, heavenly blue, and double sunset serenade), These things are about 14 feet tall, starting to trail along the army net. The leaves are 2/3 the size of my hand, and they grow an inch a day.
4 - "Mammoth Dill" - This sucker is up to my eyebrows, so its jsut under 6 feet tall.
5 - Rose "The Hunter"
6 - Daylily "Crimson Pirate". Only one flower stalk this year, but next year im lookin for it to double
7 - Random millet or grass. Its all over my yard, and is actualy a great way to shade. The birds go nuts for it, so i left it all.
8 - Morning Glory ( Moonflower, Chocolate, D sunset serenade, and heavenly blue), Phyllostacys aureosulcata alata, the bottom lef, is only 2 cherry tomato plants, which have taken up almost 20 square feet of space. The bottom right are red peppers.
9 - Cyperus "King Tut", Passiflora, Nicotania, Musa Basjoo...... one side of the one bed
10 - Wegelia, and the other side of the bed
11 - Passiflora

12 - Morning glory, Yucca, and others int he other bed
13 - Canna, daylily, you can see a small datura in the bottom left, as well as Clematis Henryi in the back....

14 - Daylily, that have naturalized here....

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:24 am

Looking good!

You'll have way more cannas next year the tuber eyes grow so fast underground. In the picture with your banana what is the plant that looks like papyrus?
How hardy is it?

Nice job, pretty soon you can munch on tomatoes when you walk around out there.

Bill

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:18 am

if you mean this pic... http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TscQW3i

Yes its Cyperus Papyrus "king tut". They were selling them at superstore fer 7 bucks, at 3 feet tall. I bought 3 of em LOL. There only hardy to zone 8 or 9. But they may grow back in zone 7, im not 100% sure. Its a super good grower, and its even seeded ( im not sure if their viable or not). Im gonna dig up half, and try to keep it like bulbs... iin the basement.... And im gonna keep one potted up as well.

The canna are diseased. The ones that are left are the ones that are growin despite. I applied a few dosages of 10 000: 1 dose of ACA. It seemed to help. All subsequent growth obbver the last few weeks has been stonger then last, and it even appeears to have less damage. So to stop the spread, i will no longer be doing a mass canna plating. They will be spread out induvidualy. Studies have show that most canna diseases werent spread more then a few yards away. Im glad ill have more bulbs....... the tropicanna black is growing like a weed. So is the roseman coles. The puperea is goring a it sloer, its at the back , and is shaded a bit by the morning glories. I would move it, but as you can see im running out of room.

My garden isnt as organised or "pretty" as most, but im trying to let nature do most of the work. So im letting soem "weeds" do their job to amend the soil, pull up nutrients, and attracting benificial species. Each pasing day, i have to do less and less work. No new weeds are poping up, becasue they cant, they are now outcompeted by the larger shrubs and perennials.

Thanks fer look"D

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:19 am

and.. i just planted my Pseudosasa Japonica, and i bought a rose of sharon.... muhahahah

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:08 am

Im home sick this week, so... heres some more pics LOL. I used a meter stick so you can gauge the size a bit better....

1 - My rufa, in all its glory
2 - same
3 - My new rose of sharon.... "Luna red"
4 - Calla "mango", are growing faster every day
5 - Datura "double queen". Sprouted about a month ago........
6 - Tropicanna Black flowers
7 - Daylily, the name has escaped me. The whole thing was supposed to be that dark purple, with the yellow inside.... fail on the nurserys behalf...
8 - Morning Glory, you can just see the meter sick, the bottom right........ their pushing 15 feet, easy......
9 - A shot of the leaf... yes thats right 7x6 inch leaves :S I had no idea they got that big
10 - Either a musa velutina, or Musella Lasiocarpa.... i moved the pots around like an idiot...
11 - Now the white square pot is supposed to be colocasia.... i think not.... and the bottom pot is supposed to be Gloriosa lily ......
12 - Rose "the hunter"
11 - Phyllostachys Aureosulcata alata. Rebounded nice after how bad it looked........ Has 13 new culms, not quite as large as the ones on it. Im waiting fer next year

12 - same thing.... close up
13 - same thing
14 - Ginger
15 - Potted palms and larger view
16 - The sheltered bed
17 - more potted plants...
18 - Fargesia Scabrida, still shooting......
19 - same thing........
20 - same thing
21 - 6 foot tall dill and others

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:16 am

22 - the rest of that bed
23 - 4 oclocks that self seeded here....... crazy basterds...
24 - Clematis Henryii...... all of my clematis are growing like weeds now.... just waitin fer thir late summer flowers

25 - Rosemand Coles Canna, about to flower
26 - Crimson pirate daylily
27 - Dragon wing begonia
28 - The musa in the sheltered bed
29 - Musa in other bed.... it getrs a bit more shade then the other one
30 - The yard rom a back veiw... you can see how weird shaped it is.......

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:41 am

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand my pseudosasa japonica

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:26 am

Just a few pics.....

I got a hibiscus labeled as " rose of sharon". By doing some research, i found out its the swamp mallow. ITs native to southern ontario, and is appreanty naturilized around here. Blooming like mad.....

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Tue Aug 03, 2010 4:58 pm

random hail storm, and 100km/h winds.......I wasnt home... nothing got it to bad, the canna, banana, and the Philo hav e some ripped leaves. Ripped down one Canna. Couldve been worse

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 5:05 am

My passiflora is abou to flower, same with 2/4 clematis. My rosemancole and richard wallace canna flowered

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:40 am

Nice cannas! They will flower for a while now. I have some yellow ones too, I should plant a few to see if they come back, I think they will.

Bill

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:50 am

Whith what you over winter.... you shouldnt have a problem lol.

I jsut got my palm seeds in the mail. Tracy Nanus, Dypsis lanceolata, dypsis arenarum, Dreceana Cambidia ( sp), Agave montana, And a ficus SP.

The dypsis lanceolata are all sprouted too!!!! Gonna have to pot em up.

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:17 am

Good deal, you should try a fig tree.

Bill

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:02 am

Ive thought about trying fig. They can apperantly grow back romt he ground, as a dieback perrenial ( like some eucalyptus). Any suggestions to waht species? The one I remember was Ficus Csomething ( memory span of a gold fish). You have any figs outside?

ITs hard enough to get any palms for outdoors or any other musa besides basjoo ( so far), let alone fig, or anything else... I have to ship almsot everything in, including seeds. THats what I get for my city being 8 + hours away from any larger city....

THe seeds i got, hd mroe seeds then expected. I got 20 Dypsis Lanceolata instead of 10 and even more happily, 12 Nanus seeds instead of 10 Hopefuly in a year or 2 a few of them can go outside...... and see how they handle it here....

Next year is when the real experiment starts..... IF these bamboo survive, and the Basjoo, im planting a Trachy. Unless i happen to get my hands on one this year....

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:51 pm

Just some updated pics.... Been hot an humid. Was about 34C in my yard, and was probably 43 or more with the humidity.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:40 pm

Great results, especially with the papyrus.
Mine croaked, must need lots of humidity (which we don't have).

You'll soon have no place for a lawnchair.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:36 am

Thanks

Im trying to figure out a way to over winter it. I dont have very many south facing windows, and the one is gonna be taken up by the musa.

If I had it my way, there wouldn tbe a lawn, or deck, or garage........ LOL. Lawn isnt the greatest thing to have anyways, take up too much nitrogen, and creates a savannah like enviroment, which makes it easier for "weeds" and unwanted plants to grow, due to lack of trees and shrubs.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:05 am

Well, the fall /late summer tasks start. Potted up my alocasia, colocasia and one of the Basjoo.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:49 am

Potting up early?

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:13 am

Ya....... My frost date is sept 20th. If its a fall like last year, middle of october. The musa wasnt getting enough light, and neither were the elephant ears. This makes it easier to climitize them to shadeish, and if its colder at ngiht, and warm during the day ( which out falls can be), i can brign them inside, and leave them out during the day. If it stays warm, oh well, theyll grow well any ways

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:41 am

Sept 20th is early.
Seems a lot of Ontarians were playing golf till nearly Christmas last year!
But with climate change, doubt anyone can be sure anymore.
Barb

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:43 am

Ya, it wasnt cold here at all. No snow, we had a zone 6 mabey 7 year here last year. ID rather be safe then sorry with my plants

ROBRETI · Post by **ROBRETI** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:30 am

Hi Canadian Plant!

I myself am experimenting with fig in Oakville, ON, basically GTA. It grew like crazy in the summer. I am originally from Hungary, where we have only one growing period, say, until end of July and then all plants are simply getting ready for the winter. Here in Canada, I can't believe my eyes: all of my plants have shooted out again: the Magnolia grew another 20 cm (Little Gem - dwarf variety!) and the same with the fig.

The trick is overwintering, since figs are OK until about -15C. Methods:

A./ Lazy approach: throw 50 cm mulch over its trunk and wait. Chances are that you might end up having a bush, with shoots about 1.5 m long and maybe one set of fruits in August.
B./ Bulgarian/Portugese approach: pull down its flexible stems to the ground and bury them, about 20 cm deep. Throw mulch over them and wait. Chances are that you'll have a small tree next year. You now want to mention the fact that figs as any other plants grow until they die so time will come when the shoots will become branches then thigh thick trunks. Well, the Portugese figured that out, too and they actually made small ditches next to the figs, cautiously lifted part of the root systems and then were able to lay down the whole plants to the ground level. They also figured out a special pruning technique whereby they let only very small shoots grow on the trunks and as a result, these smaller shoots are easier to lay.

GOOD LUCK!!!!! And go for the Brown Turkey variety, if possible.
Rob