Marcia if you could get them established in FL while you are there they might be able to withstand neglect over the summer. Bring some rooted cuttings down with you and get them right in the ground. When do you head down and when do you come back? I'm surprised you aren't already there. Unfortunately FL has experienced some unusually cold temps over the past few years, even in So. FL. I spend time in West Palm and Boca every winter and recall several nights with temps at or near freezing. I remember a couple years ago weeks and weeks with way below normal temps. Everything looked like %$#@ down there and a lot was lost. Normally you get a day or two of cold temps in So FL but that was something like a month straight of cold. I couldn't believe I had to shop for winter cloths down there. Could you try a layer of mulch during the cold? Something thick but with a lot of air pockets, like crushed leaves? You could circle the brug with some chicken wire and fill in the space between the stem and wire with the leaves. It would also prevent the soil from drying out too quickly and break down and enrich the soil. Are there any year round residents near your house that you could pay to water the brugs once a week over the summer? Good luck.

Hi All, I think that court is still out on Leyland Cypress. I live just 10 miles due east of Philadelphia. About 6 years ago, the County ran a city storm drain under my property edge and immediately anihalated the 30 y/o mature screened buffer located adjacent. They offered white pine 'pencils' as replacements. Yeah right...go away! So what we did is to decide to back up another 10ft., and get something on our own that would provide the 'screen', and have it infill as rapidly as possible. Reputable landscape company came in and said 'leyland' and we said what are they? This WAS 6 years ago! Something 'new' was the reply. They recommended a row of 7, spaced over 40ft., with the understanding that every other one may need to come out in 5-10 years. They also recommended to start with 5 ft. high nursery stock. We bit, and a few weeks later had what looked like a simple row of Christmas trees, that you could still walk between. Fast forward, they are now over 20 feet tall, have infilled so full that even the dog can't get between them anymore. They appear very healthy, and who knows when they will stop growing, if at all! It's probably time to strip out that every other one, but it is so lush, we kid that the area is our private 'Northwoods', and if I posted a pic you would stunningly agree! We'll keep them all as long as they remain healthy. Last year, for the first time we had a minimal few baughs that decided to get a bit limp and yellow. Used this forum as at that time one of the regulars was a USDA guy surveying Leylands and their habitats. I just tried search, but old posts seem to not be available. Anyway, the conclusion was that at best, the Yellowing was 'environmental stress', that old catch all for 'crap happens'. A bunch of us bantered back and forth on line on cure, as there was no conventional wisdom on Leylands, and we agreed to do the most agressive solution. Amputate at the trunk, and live with the 'hollow'! That was it! No more yellows, and the 'hollow' was so slight you had to look hard even last year. This year, you can't even tell. As mentioned, they are over 20 ft. tall, are Northwoods atmosphere, have a base of maybe 8-9 ft. each by now. As a reference, at the same time a row of nursery stock 5Ft tall Hemlocks, and 'Berewolf' Pine were planted nearby. since they all started out the same time and size, the Leylands appear to be at least twice as big as the other stock. Court is still out on whether the Leylands will continue growing and possibly be like the Lombardi Poplars of 25 years ago, meaning they get so tall they then die, but for my nickel, I very much enjoy what we have done and would do it again. So as far as 'Zone', Latitude at Philadelphia seems to be fine.

Palmnut, surprised that your Crapes get attacked by animals. I live in 'deer central' and they ignore Crapes completely. My minors were the only in-ground palm that survived last winter. I lost some nice Trachycarpus palms. I even lost some newly planted Crapes, and loquat trees. However, these survived in addition to the Sabal minors... Podocarpus Aspidistra Camellias M. Grandifloras (no issues at all) Algerian ivy Figs Dwarf pomegranate Bay Tree I thought I would have to replace this Dynamite Crape, but it is fine and in full bloom. P.S., I think, our ridiculously deep snows (measured in feet) helped the plants with the ridiculous cold temperatures! This post was edited by njoasis on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 14:21

Well... the current zones are based on about 12 - 13 years worth of data (I believe only going up to ~1986 - probably averaged in with some earlier data). and the person who is responsible for the USDA Hardiness Zone website (KimKa) posts on the MA Forum. She indicated that the USDA is in the process of re-zoning but there is no ETA for it. The latest draft (from a different source than the AHS, who was contracted to do an early, now-rejected draft) is under review at the moment. I do think that a building boom, not just in urban areas but in suburban areas, including more and more blacktop, has probably made a major contribution towards the heatsink effect just about everywhere and there has been an admission of what is termed "zone creep", where slowly, some of the more southern plants are surviving further north than previously. I do know for a fact that as of 1984, when Philly's building height restriction was removed, there have been well over 30+, 33 story or higher buildings built downtown and that had to have made a big difference down there and in the surrounding area. This is something that wouldn't have been reflected in the temperature measurements used for the curernt 1990 map release, that had ended just 2 years later when the first of the early taller skyscrapers was barely completed (eg., the Liberty Towers). Billie ann - you might want to look for a Celeste fig. They bloom on new growth (figs will pop out right along with new leaves). I noticed that as a big difference from my Brown Turkey, which seems to grow in cycles (ie., sprout leaves, sit and grow roots, sprout baby figs, sit and grow roots, sprout more leaves, sit and grow roots, swell figs, sit and grow roots, etc). I bought my BIL a Celeste for in ground and I was just by there yesterday and it has sprouted a few leaf/stem buds from the lower part of the small trunk (it was planted last July and was a 4ft baby). I had covered it for them with an old down comforter and a loosely fitting (for air flow) plastic bag (to keep the comforter from getting wet and snowed on) this winter after spraying it a few times with Wilt Pruf. I dubbed it "The Mummy". I unwrapped it for them April 1. So like a good little fig on a 6-week cycle, it is finally starting to show some life. I look forward to how it does as I had them plant it on what is often considered the "ultimate" spot for northern-grown figs - the SW corner of their house about 4ft from the foundation. Gets plenty of sun most of the day. Gotta give them a bagful of Dolomitic lime to spread around it now. heh