Lilacs zone 7
basil_davis2
17 years ago
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aisgecko
17 years agodogridge
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Need lilac help - zone issues!
Comments (7)sweethomealabama, I recommend that you try Lavender Lady. I am in a zone 8a, north georgia; so I know my climate should be very similar to yours. I bought her last fall, and didn't get a chance to plant her in the ground. So I put her in a larger pot, and when the spring came and she started to bud out, I put her in the ground. A few weeks later around April 10th, I got my first flowers. I was ecstatic because I had never smelled a real lilac before. Any way, the same year that I bought Lavender Lady in the fall -- I had purchased an old french lilac at walmart in May that is not supposed to grow where I live-- it was supposed to be hardy to zone 7 (according to the books). However, I figured that they were selling it for a reason, so I gave it a try. To make a long story short, It grew very well even though we had horrendous weather in 2007-- (EXTREME heat and drought). In August the leaves looked terrible, and when the fall came it went dormant almost immediately. The next spring (2008), it woke up around the end of march/beginning of April; and rather then sending out leaves first, it quickly send out tiny dark purple cone-like clusters. These were the flowers, and they opened shortly after my Lavender Lady blooms had begun to mature. So the zone-pusher did bloom, although right after it bloomed it declined quickly and never returned to normal. I can say that the scent of the old French lilac, 'Belle de Nancy', had a much more delicate, beautiful perfume than lavender lady. This fall I planted Blue Skies, from Wayside Gardens, which I think they say is hardy to zone 9. We'll see how that turns out....See MoreNeedle Palm protection in zone 7a/7b
Comments (1)If you throw a black garbage bin over it, it should be enough protection for an average winter. Once it outgrows the garbage bin in a few years it is probably old enough that it wont need protection anymore. I've seen a few small needle palms at the Central Park Zoo and there are some others around NYC public gardens (I actually have yet to see one planted at a home garden in the area even though I have seen Trachys, Butias, and Sabal minors). I lost a small needle palm to a low of 14F in 2009 because I got my palm from Lowes and the big box stores are known to sell cold tolerant palms that do not actually see cold temperatures which makes them more susceptible to cold damage for the first 3 years or so. -Alex...See MoreMule palm protection in zone 7a/7b
Comments (29)No, it's definitely not a stupid question! If winds were calm all the time then you might not need to actually put much additional protection other than some lights , but since winter is often very windy it would never work. You dont have to protect Mule palm fronds for that long though! During the average winter if you protect the fronds of your palm from mid December to late February, maybe the first week of March, then your good to go. They will only be covered 6-7 weeks of the year during the average winter and during winters like this one you wouldnt even need to protect it at all yet since we have not gone below 22F (not sure how cold it got in the hamptons but that's my lowest temperature so far in NYC). You really only have to protect the fronds below 20F and we have definitely not see temperatures like that too much the past 2 years! -Alex...See MoreOverwintering a zone 7 perennial in zone 5
Comments (5)Have you ever heard of micro climate? Where is it planted? I've had a lot of success with plants not necessarily rated for my zone 5/6 in Indiana by providing a micro climate for them. Meaning the plant is protected from the elements on 2-3 sides....planted next to the house or other large structure. Top dress the soil with a thick layer of mulch. Do not cut back the plant till early spring. For years I'd dig up Canna bulbs and store in my garage. Then one fall/winter I was sick and didn't dig bulbs. To my surprise they not only survived our harsh winter but grew in the spring bigger and better than ever due to the micro climate provided by the house and other large perennials. Do a search on micro climates.....should make it more clear what I'm saying. Best of luck....See Morealicia7b
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