A large specimen at Bickelhaupt Arboretum, Clinton IA (zones 4b/5a) is sited without protection and looks great.

Dax

start with a smaller specimen.. and let it grow and acclimate itself to the ambient situation ...

its when you have instant gratification fever.. and HAVE TO BUY LARGE... when ALL of your problems start ...

i would start with nothing over 2 foot tall ...

ken

Which brings us back to a windbreak. Around here, such things start at about $10 for 100 ft and go up. Of course those take a few years before they do much of anything, but if the idea of a species conifer is OK, it may be better to get something in the ground rather than wait for the money.

Prepare for it to look quite tattered for a couple of years. They aren't very wind tolerant when young.

Eitherway it wills still perform during non-harsh winters.

I have to get a pic of the one I planted at my previous home. Its going on 4 years in a fully exposed northwest location.

No dieback or winter breakage here, but the leaves ( younger specimen) do take a beating in the wind. Not noticeable beyond 20 feet away, but it would be nice if this was just a young plant problem and goes away as the tree matures

It might be worth planting an evergreen somewhere behind it - not only to break the wind but also because the Heptacodium's tan bark looks great in winter against a green background. Our heptacodium is on the north side of the lawn. Behind and slightly to the west is an old white cedar clump (one trunk; 5 tops!) The winter tree skeleton shows nicely against the cedar. An added bonus is that the cedar provides a night roost for the Monarch butterflies that swarm the heptacodium when it's blooming in the fall!

I am in SW Pa too. I have one unprotected in it's first summer. It did good over the winter. It was about a foot tall when I planted it last fall. I did mulch mine, I don't know if that's a factor, the above ground parts were not protected. If you are closer to the Appalacian Mts, you would be zone 5. I am close to Uniontown in zone 6. Maybe it's the plant. Did it come from a warmer zone before you got it? Sometimes you buy a big plant and the top dies and you have to prune off lots of the top, and then the new growth can adapt to your conditions, I had a live oak tree from Arizona, lost the top and now the new growth is ajusting to my climate. Just guessing here.

I'm in SW PA, it came from same zone... I don't want to put it in back where I had one before due to soil/drainage issues... I don't want to move it (again, had to twice, buried too deep, then roots twisted.... I have a very small but BARE front yard and have stupid LOW power lines which limits me to a full exposure in elevated area... but great soil... and room for the tree. It was tattered when I got it from wind, I saw no smaller one, this is about 4 ft (maybe smaller) but in price range, with healthy roots.

No room behind to break wind, besides, it's facing directly west /gets east and south)..

mad_gallica, I can't FIND a freaking EG windbreak, something things don't work for me (I kill, diseases) and most need wind protection... plus budget, big time..issue..

If it's going to look too tattered (it already is but that's partly from me/nursery/car home)... I can move to shadier (much in back) but that would involve some pretty rough clay crappy soil... near where the other died, and poor drainage (I can't ammend on that side, other side prone to flooding, middle taken up by struggling magnolia.Unless I ammend all summer (don't think i can) and plant it in the middle of the freaking yard... or under the power lines where it would then need judiciously pruned (by me) ... I hate to do that...

ideass?"

It's sometimes refered to as the Northerners substitute to Crape Myrtle, because of the peeling bark like C M 's. Are you up in the mountains? It is supposed to be 10 F colder up there. Mine is in full sun. Get your money back if you still can or try loosely wrapping with burlap next winter. If you are zone 6 it should have been okay. Mine came from Forestfarm (mail order) and I think Oregon is warmer than my climate, and mine is okay. I think they are supposed to be zone 6 hardy. I would try for a refund.

Where a plant is sent from does not change its inherent hardiness. The only time this matters is when plants sent from a milder zone are more seasonally advanced in growth, during the spring, and may have this new growth frosted when set out in a colder climate, where it is not so far into spring yet.

They are zone 5 for sure...very large mature specimen growing at Johnson's Nursery in WI.

Plus I had a 6' one. My 2 footer planted last spring is struggling but it wasn't trained (stems come out at 45 degrees) so I had to plant the darn thing at a 45 degree angle. I'll give it one more year

I did move mine, slightly more protected. I too had to prune off half the top due to damage. I pray it makes it, I hear they are tough but the bugs and other issues this year are amazingly bad. I called the nursery about an issue I was concered with, possible prexesiting canker? They weren't helpful, I learned they don't guarantee they plants, not really...?? Unsure how deep to plant, issues with root rot in past, so may be too high.

Amy

I'm just south of the Twin Cities, MN, and mine's been in the ground 2 yr now. It has full exposure to the north side, and yes the leaves do look a little beat up in spring. Now that the corn field behind it is getting taller, that should help block a lot of the wind though.

I got a little dieback the first winter, but so far so good otherwise. There's a mature one at the MN Landscape Arboretum in an exposed location, so I know they can survive -30F winters once established.

They are gorgeous, in photos, when established and healthy!
Thanks for replies!