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Finally had time to get the plants wrapped and the palm houses in place this past weekend. I've also realized that I keep having less and less wrapping to do as I select for hardier and hardier plants, that still have that 'exotic' feel, at least here (Kingston On, USDA 4b/5a)!

The ONLY survivor from a planting of ~20+ American Hollies perhaps 7 years ago. Ilex opaca:
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Rhododendron 'Sandra hinton':
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How you overwinter half-hardy bamboo (P. aureosulcata 'spectibilis') in cold high snowfall areas!
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Yucca in their winter "protection"... Only from the weight of the snow, which seems to be their primary enemy here!
Seed grown Yucca gloriosa foreground, various hybrids and Y. glauca in back:
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Seed grown Yucca 'elata' (probably a hybrid of some sort):
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Another seed grown Yucca gloriosa (left), Yucca filata hybrid (back middle), and probably another hybrid middle front:
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Opunita Dark Knight in its winter colour:
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Thanks for sharing!

You know, way down here in Oklahoma, those plants you are protecting are the very ones we don't have to worry about (well, except for 2011, but let's not go there).

The ones I don't show are the palms in their houses (with mini-lights) and the Agaves which I've given moisture protection... Only the first year BLEs are getting any protection any more, if they can't take the cold they're not worth growing!

It' a whole new ball-game in an area where -20C is a regular occurrence and even more so when -30C (or lower) is a possibility (as you now know!)

Hi Paul,
Thank you for sharing your winter protection methods especially the yuccas, I will try that on some of mine.....I'm hoping for a mild winter but it rarely happens here

Hi Paul, your photos look great... my Agave is giving me trouble.. how do you protect typically and keep dry.
It sent off a few pups this summer (1st yr in ground), would hate to lose it. Thx

Edmar- Ya, a "mild" winter, good one! Methinks we'll be lucky to escape the winter this year without hitting -30C again. Do try the leaf tie, I used to moisture protect, but I think the insulating snow layer is too valuable to ignore.

As for Agaves, they're always trouble in wet climates. I've only ever had luck moisture protecting them with a lean-to glass covered barrier that completely excluded snow and rain during the cold weather. This year I have a mass plant-out of small seed grown Agave utahensis ssp. Kaibabensis from above the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, ~8000ft elevation (The North Rim will hit -30C on occasion and gets snowed in every year, even so these Agaves are not proving any tougher than the Agave parryi I've grown previously). I am protecting these plants (maybe 50 of them?) with a wooden box structure covered in frost cloth and topped with a large tarp. The tarp will help keep the moisture off the seedlings and the frost cloth will, I hope, help keep the daytime temperature a little warmer... Anyway, to answer your question, the thing with Agaves is to keep them DRY, DRY, DRY. The 'soil' they grow in in the west is usually more like gravel mixed with sand and giant rocks, so rocket-fast drainage is essential. In winter I think that, in any area where snow can stay longer than a day or 2, the key is keep all moisture off the plant, especially snow. Ideally you'd have a set up where you have a clear waterproof barrier (plastic or glass) surrounding the plant.

Oh, and make sure it's a hardy species, if you've planted an Agave americana outside it's a goner unless you can heat it over the winter! Hope that helps!

I put clear plastic tubs over my agaves and the do fine, except last year I let snow get on them in March and they rotted, except for the agave utahensis v kalibabensis

Hollies took a hit last winter here too.

Awesome response Paul. Appreciate it. I will follow those instructions and keep them dry. I'm growing a Blue Americana, in which I lost the mother plant last winter due to wetness, however a pup survived. I then transplanted the pup which grew 2 more this summer which I don't want to lose either. I have a large clear plastic tub over it with xmas lights around for added warmth, under another clear canopy for double protection. If it fails, I will get a much larger specimen and start from scratch. I won't be getting any variegated ones as they are more fragile. Cheers

That opaca's a beauty, Paul.

-20C we've had it, but you haven't.

You may recall that last year I inverted a plastic garbage can over my unknown yucca (thought to be elata).
A nice shoot emerged from the roots this summer as winter almost killed it.
This winter it's in a clear plastic cover with a couple C-9 incandescents lying on the ground.

IMO if yuccas receive daylight they can handle more cold when kept dry.

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Barb