Where is the coldest you have known osage orange to grow?

10 years ago

Pretty self explanitory, just asking where the coldest you guys have heard osage orange has been grown. It looks like an interesting tree.

Comments (6)

Rhonda
10 years ago
I know they grow well in zone 5 in Ohio and survive below zero winter temps.

Rhonda
hairmetal4ever
10 years ago
Probably zone 4/5 somewhere. It's much hardier than it's native range would suggest.

I can confirm they're all over Ohio (used to live there).
Related Discussions
Osage Orange ?
Q
Comments (10)
Those hedge apple trees were common in central Kansas, where I grew up. They were often used as windbreaks, and also acted as snow fences to cut down those prairie drifts. Some people believed that you could scatter a few of the hedge balls behind furniture, to drive spiders from your home. People also sometimes burned the wood in their fireplaces. It burned very hot, but was pitchy and popped embers all over the place!
...See More
Controlling Osage Orange Growth
Q
Comments (6)
Controlling Osage Orange growth is a contradiction of terms. It's simply too hard to do. Cutting thru the wood will quickly wear down the chain on your chainsaw & even produce sparks. When I was growing up, there were several rows of these on vacant lots nearby & made perfect "forts" underneath. The fruit was the ammunition. New thornless/fruitless selections of OO like 'White shield' (I have 2) grow much more upright & taller than the original shelter-belt form & make sturdy, long-lived lawn or street trees.
...See More
What have you known from the disaster in CA?
Q
Comments (5)
Well - I guess if you have an avacodoe or orange grove maybe it was a disaster, but for me it was just an inconveniance. Out where I live it was subfreezing from about 10-11pm to 7am every night for a week. We had one night where it hit 21 degrees (cold enough to freeze our water pipes) and one night down in the upper 20's. My small goldfinger (3-4 feet tall) was frozen down to the ground. It looks like the corm is just fine and appears to be pushing up new growth. Also a small 2-4 foot apple lost about 1/2 it's pseudostem - I see some new leaf trying to push up, but we've still been down in the upper 30's to low 40's at night so it's struggling. My big ice cream (7-8 feet tall) lost maybe the top 6-8 inches of stem, it's starting to push out new leaves as well. Of course YMMV and no warranty expressed or implied :-)
...See More
Bois d' ark, Hedge Apple, or Osage Orange
Q
Comments (10)
Well, I didn't want to be rude when this post came up, but I too hate this tree with a passion. I have one in my yard, and it is horrible. It puts off at least 500 horse apples each year, and I have to pick up every single one to keep my yard looking nice. Its wood is unbelievably hard, exactly like Randy says. You can wear out a chain saw in no time cutting limbs on this tree (ask me how I know :( I have several bois d arc trees in my pastures, and they're not so bad. The horses do eat the apples and they provide shade, but there is no way I would ever plant one of those nasty trees in my yard. Mine came with the yard when I bought this place, and I hate it. I've also had a couple of trees pop up from seeds, and again like Randy says, when you cut them down, they sucker like crazy and are impossible to get rid of. I'd think twice before I'd plant one if I were you.
...See More
whaas_5a
10 years ago
There is a mature one in a fairly open area at the Milwaukee Botanical Gardens. Thats zone 5b.

Based on its age it would have survived -25

Surprised to see Missouri Botantical giving it a zone 4 rating.
canadianplant
Original Author
10 years ago
There are lots of N american natives that sit at 4/5, depending on source. Pawpaw, shagbark hickory, osage orange, persimmion..... Then they put the "hardy to -25 to -30C, which doesnt really help either.... Thats why i was asking because you do never know.

There are quite a few magnolias rated just the same. Stellata and virginiana for example. Then again there are tons of factors to think of when looking at tree hardiness anyways.
basic
10 years ago
I've seen a large and stately specimen in central Illinois.
Rhonda
10 years ago
If you search this forum for "osage orange dublin ohio" you'll see an amazing one (not my pic) that is in a park that was 2 doors down from my house when I lived in Ohio. I took many family and senior pics on and around that tree :)

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS Herb Garden Essentials: How to Grow Thyme

By Marianne Lipanovich

Common thyme and its flavorful cousins are anything but ordinary in the garden

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Summer Crops: How to Grow Melons

By Marianne Lipanovich

Drink in the refreshing sweetness of melons from your own garden this summer — they can last well into fall too

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own European and Asian Pears

By Marianne Lipanovich

Try these trees for their good looks, delicious fruit and wide range of sizes — plus you can espalier them

Full Story

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Watermelons

By Marianne Lipanovich

You might not need as much space as you think to get this summer mainstay to spring up in your garden

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Grow Chard

By Marianne Lipanovich

A year-round garden favorite with a colorful stem, Swiss chard comes into its own in early spring and in fall

Full Story

FALL GARDENING 5 Fall Fruits You Can Grow in Containers

By Bill Marken

Brighten your porch or patio with a potted pomegranate, kumquat, blueberry bush or another great fall fruit

Full Story

SUMMER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Summer Crops: How to Grow Beans

By Marianne Lipanovich

Grow your own beans for amazing variety and healthy, convenient produce all summer

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Want to add the beauty of roses to your garden? Find out which ones, from old-fashioned to modern, are right for you

Full Story

104

Where is the coldest you have known osage orange to grow?

Comments (6)

Rhonda

hairmetal4ever

Related Discussions

whaas_5a

canadianplant
Original Author

basic

Rhonda

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Where is the coldest you have known osage orange to grow?

Comments (6)

Rhonda

hairmetal4ever

Related Discussions

whaas_5a

canadianplantOriginal Author

basic

Rhonda

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

canadianplant
Original Author