Don't worry; bulbs have been around a lot longer than humans. They're very adaptable. You'll find that the parts poking out now are "expendible", and if they freeze, the leaves may look a little burnt, but the buds are still down in the ground for now (except perhaps daffodils, which can bud out at 20F and still be fine to bloom later).

Thanks for all the great advice. Another thing I thought about, especially in response to Eastbay10's message above, is that winter here lasts 8 months or so, versus a short summer. So winter considerations should have more weight in this decision and 272 glass would be better. On the other hand, I will say that even in the winter, that bedroom gets very warm on a sunny day, due to its unobstructed 3rd-floor SE exposure. So in that case, perhaps 366 glass would be better. Sigh. I am concerned about the amount of tinting I might notice with the 366 glass. I love my view of trees and sky out these windows, and wouldn't want that altered or diminished. And, it should be noted that right now I have 1991 Pella Prolines with clear glass, rotting sashes and tons of draft. So new Marvin Ultimates with 272 glass would be such an enormous improvement. Relative to that degree of improvement, windows with 366 glass may only be a small margin better than 272 against the sun so as not to be noticeable except for more tint of my view. What do you think? Any other advice or response to my thought process would be welcome. This post was edited by Mrs_Nyefnyef on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 13:31

Seagreen, some of the suggestions offered are, while good ones, not necessarily what you are seeking. If it's the actual tree-not a garden mini-that you seek, then you want straight-species eastern hemlock-Tsuga canadensis. And if that is the case-that your main appreciation is for the native tree itself, well then let me tell you that is just as valid a quest as that of the collectors that participate on this board. I really like some of the conifer gardens I've seen. It really is, IMO, one of the pinnacles of skilled horticulture. But that in no way compares-for me-to the wonders of growing, watching grow, cutting down, burning, hehe, let's just say a range of activities, with the woods and tree farm that has been my project since 08. Or of seeing the same processes at work in the relatively less-disturbed areas in my travels. Anyway...the main issue with eastern hemlock these days is an imported (by accident) very destructive insect know as the hemlock woolly adelgid, which is in fact decimating this tree to the east. Michigan has recorded at least a find of tis pest, but I'm not sure of the present status without doing some quick research. But in any case, check that issue out-it sounds like you can still grow hemlock in SE Michigan-but arm yourself with knowledge, should you ever have to treat your plant(s), which is doable, BTW, or if that's just not a go with you. Here in Wisconsin, so far so good. But it has tended to be the case that whatever shows up to our E, it does end up here eventually. Cold winters, blah blah. They said that about gypsy moth-we got gypsy moth. Then two winters ago, when they said it would kill all the emerald ash borers, it didn't kill all of the emerald ash borers. And so on. Would really suck-right around where my land is, it is hemlock that I see coming up as regeneration in many areas. And there is a patch of old growth on the high bans of a lake nearby-this actually has state designation as a legacy stand-so much to lose around there if adelgid comes in. +oM

Uh oh. I'm thinking a spreading bamboo or, even worse, Japanese Knotweed.