gee elleni, why for these 2 shrub types? they both are deciduous, yes? i thought protection was for shrubs w/ leaves, which are subject to winterburn. ?
best,
mindy

No, because it isn't wind that kills the buds, but cold.

As far as forsythia goes, I'm quite fond of my Northern Sun. It's more upright than the normal forsythia x intermedia, but is really a very nice shrub.

I have a Forsythia 'Fiesta' and a 'Northern Hi-Lights' Azalea (the pics below are not my plants). The Forsythia was purchased at a local nursery in 2007 and was listed as zone 4, but several websites list it as only zone 5. It has grown in the past two years, but in both of its Spring showings we've gotten just one branch of flowers. I figured this year I'd try to protect its flower buds. I thought while the Azalea had more flowers, it couldn't hurt to give it a bit more protection. I also have a 'Star' Magnolia tree (shrub?) planted in 2006. It flowered well the first two Springs, but last year we only got a few flowers.

Anyway, if these "Frost Protek" things aren't right, what is?

Thanks.

{{gwi:283554}}


{{gwi:283556}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Forsythia 'Fiesta' Info

the website says: retains warmth in temperatures from 4°-28°F

i read that as 28 degrees ... not -28 degrees ...

so what exactly are they going to do for you up there in the great white frozen north ....

are you hoping to squeeze an extra zone.. when i would guess it might not even hit 28 degrees for most of jan and feb up in MN????

how big are your plants???? are rose cones an option????

how about some more info about the size, location[prevailing winds] and sun exposure .... of your specific plants ...

i SUSPECT these bags MIGHT be snake oil for your zone ... wishful thinking...

or i am wrong... ken

Wow - that's expensive for something plain 'ol burlap will accomplish....

if it were me...

3 one by 2 stakes.. 4 feet long.. pounded one foot in the ground..

staple burlap all around... not on top ...

and add straw inside.. NOT COMPACTED ...

removes winter sun.. and winter wind ...

yet allows full drainage and drying ..

can attract vermin though ....

actually.. IF IT WERE ME .... i would let them fend for themselves... and the heck with them if they perish ... gave up on all these beloved foo foo plants years ago .. a lot less work and worry ....

zone pushing is for peeps who like to make themselves extra work .... lol

but if it is your cup of tea.. brew your brains out ..

good luck

ken

elleni, what lovely shots. i've never seen that azalea before; so special! Well, i think ken is right as almost always he is. his exact staking and burlap method is what we use for our hydrangeas tokyo delight and mariesii. works fine. here are words of wisdom from a local nursery here.
best,
mindy

Winterizing Your Garden from Stonegate Gardens, Lincoln Ma. USA
Watering
One of the keys to plant survival is the overall good health of plants as winter sets in. Most plants continue growing until the soil temperature falls below 40 degrees F. It is important to keep plants well watered during this period while the soil is still warm. Deep infrequent watering is ideal. A general watering guideline for new plantings is two to three times a week when there is no rain. Make sure to begin watering again in spring as soon as the ground begins to thaw (this may be as early as the beginning of March).

Protecting Bark & Foliage

Deer and rodents may damage trees by feeding on twigs and bark in winter. Even small rodents can cause enough damage to the bark of a young tree to severely stress or even kill it. So a little prevention goes a long way. Plastic trunk wraps are available to help protect bark from nibbling animals and sprays such as Deer Off, Repels-All, and Shake Away (granular) are also quite effective for deterring animals.

Winter winds, cold temperatures, and bright sunlight can cause bark to crack and foliage to scorch and desiccate. Broadleaf evergreens like rhododendrons, mountain laurels, and hollies tend to suffer particularly in winter. This can be avoided by spraying an anti-dessicant such as Wilt-Pruf on foliage to help preserve moisture in leaves. Spray Wilt-Pruf once in autumn on a day when temperature is above freezing and once during a midwinter thaw. In extreme situations where plants are unprotected and/or exposed to high winds wrap shrubs with burlap to create a windbreak to help ensure plants survival. Heavy snow should be knocked off evergreens to prevent branch and foliage damage.
Please feel free to stop in or call with any questions you might have.
Sincerely,
The Team
Stonegate Gardens

While I know little about azaleas (besides the fact they hate my soil) forsythia and cold is something I do know something about.

The real shrub hardiness of forsythia x intermedia, which is what common forsythia is officially named, is fairly irrelevant because the flower buds are hardy to about -15ðF. Colder than that, and the stupid things don't flower. Consistently colder than that, year after year, and stupid people stop planting them. So there aren't a lot of first hand reports of how cold the shrubs themselves can handle because any place that occasionally gets cold enough to kill branches is almost always cold enough to kill flower buds.

Where this gets interesting in this case is the Fiesta is fundamentally a foliage plant, not necessarily a flowering one. So this is a forsythia that it is imaginable to have people growing in places cold enough to possibly kill it off totally. But in zone 4, I'd take whatever flowers show up as a bonus.

Thanks very much for the advice, folks! I think I'll skip the pricey covers and see if I can make something out of burlap.

@mad_gallica: You may be right about mine being a foliage plant, especially in this zone. It can't hurt to try to nurse those flowers along.

@ken_adrian: I don't like to work too hard either! But growing up in Maryland, we had *real* forsythias in our yard, and a huge Southern Magnolia. Just trying to recreate a little of my youth here.

@arbo_retum: Thanks for the info. That variety of azalea was actually developed in MN, so I probably don't have to worry about it.

as usual, mad g is right here as well. all those variegated and gold leaf forsythia produce insignificant flowers, in my experience. For me, the golden leaved one has the best yellow foliage on a deciduous shrub, w/ the exception of berberis aurea. It also stays small which is terrific. Love that fiesta foliage; i'll have to get one of those. With all these new forsythias, i wouldn't be surprised if someone bred a black leaved one soon ! yum!
mindy

For another option, there's a new product that supposedly buys you a little extra winter hardiness by giving the plant a couple of Fahrenheit degrees of protection from freezing. I think it's called FreezePruf, and I've seen it on the shelf at my local garden store. I haven't used it. I agree that shrubs developed for their fancy foliage aren't always the best bloomers. But it's also possible that your forsythia isn't flowering much simply because it isn't all that old yet. I can see where you might want to be careful with the azalea, although it sounds like it's doing just fine for you.