Thanks for the info David. I appreciate you sharing it with us. Always looking for new conifers that may be Zone 5 hardy. Thanks again, Dan

It was bound to happen sometime.

Wonderful news!

Dax

thanks for posting this! Does anyone know what town in central Indiana this was grown, I would like to look up climate information for the area. -Jon

The town is Greensburg, about half way between Cincinnati and Indy on I-74. The land is very flat there so I would asume it is windy in exposed areas, much more than here in Cincinnati. When I talked to Eugene he also said the tree over wintered outside in a wheel Barrel one year as he forgot to plant it. Thats what makes me think this may be extremely hardy.

David

Here is what 'Eugene" looks like:

I'll be curious how this tree performs in zone 5a Penn.
-Jon

well, here is what "Eugene" looks like after a harsh zone 5a winter:

I think it made it through pretty well...

I know that there are a few that are trying to graft/root the Purdue Cedrus under the name 'Purdue Hardy'. I know a few are around but probably not enough to distribute yet. I grafted a few this year, but only enough to evaluate in Northern Ohio. I've not seen the tree, but I hear that it is a fairly old specimen and has never burned.

Hope it survives, but a little early to tell for sure yet. Two additional risks / possibilities: (1) that the bark has been killed as well as the needles, (2) that the roots were killed (particularly a risk if it is grafted onto a less hardy rootstock). You won't know for certain until well into the summer.

Resin

Thanks, prostrata, for the update. Let us know how things come out.

You may want to remove that original packing tape stapled tight to the stake and replace it with something a bit looser.

tj

Also pull the chips away from the stem.

Looks pretty good.

Dax

Thanks for the info and updates! I have a Cedrus deodara Snow Sprite on a south wall. It had just some minor burn on the end needles, but it looked pretty good. This is its second winter. Last summer, i bought a Cedrus deodara from Home Depot. It is planted sort of in a protected spot. It has a lot more winter burn on top, but it may pull through. I can't wait til more winter hardy cedars become more available. Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati has several very large Stenocomas. In the hurricane winds we got last year, a few got damaged though.

Livingfossil and prostrata how cold did it get in your locations? I know Dawes arboretum got down to -19f and they have several stenacomas. I also know a collector in Zanesville that has Karl Fuchs. I'll check with both to see how their plants came through this winter.

From what I have been told Cincinnati got down to around
-10F. I also have a kaki persimmon that look OK and 3 small southern magnolias planted in late fall that seem to have made it. I think that fact that it gradually got colder this year helps a lot.

David

Picea, those lows sound about right for South Dayton. I think we have a few cold days in January. I took a look again at my Snow Sprite, and only a few of the very tips were burned. The Snow Sprite is sheltered by a south wall, a fence, and a Tsuga.

I know that the unnamed Cedrus I got from Home Depot was a gamble. I am not sure they should be selling those in Dayton, but I kept the receipt and it is guaranteed for one year or my money back. Before winter, I wonder if I should buy a spray and perhaps build a burlap wall for it during the winter.

Do you have several cedars yourself? I collected some seed from the stenocomas from Spring Grove, but they never germinated.

I know that my Modoc Cypress never gets winter burn and after I think 5 years, it is still going strong.

picea- i believe it got down to -15 in my location, but it was just a generally severe winter here, i believe there was a stretch where the lows were consistently below 0, and scorching winds pretty much the entire winter. This is my 7th winter here, and it was the worst winter to date, as far as temps go.

does anyone know what forestfarm uses for a rootstock for Eugene?

Prostrata-I am almost 100 percent sure Forest farm uses deodara seedlings. Bob Fincham, who all would agree is an expert, has state it is the best understock and is hardy as an understock. If you are looking for other cedars to try look for Eisregen. There is a collector I talked to in Indianapolis who told me it was his hardiest true cedar and he also has Stenacoma.

From what you have said about you weather the wind is most likely more of a problem than the cold. You may want to spray the young cedars with Wilt-pruf for several years until they become more established.

Livingfossil-I have Karl Fuchs that I got as a 6' BB 3 years ago. It had grown well and is about 10' now. The needles at the top look a little discolored but I think it will be OK. I also planted a 6'BB at my neighbors house this summer and it to looks fine. One of my other neighbors planted a weeping blue cedar that he got from Lowes or HD and it seems to have done fine also.

Glad your guys plants are doing well. -10 or -19 for a bad winter isn't anything... you should be fine growing those.

For your interest a short list of the hardiest ones I know of:

HARDIEST FORMS: Cedrus deodara: 'Eisregen', 'Eiswinter', 'Karl Fuchs', 'Kashmir', 'Polar Winter', and 'Shalimar'

And a short-list of the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana that too are considered hardier:
I can attest that 'Van Pelt's Blue' (Arrowhead Nursery) does extremely well in serious cold winters (-30 etc and colder) on the exposed flatland prairies of the upper midwest. A friend has several he keeps rooting and planting and they all have zero winter injury after at least 5 years running.

'Dik's Weeping'
'Van Pelt's Blue'
'Rijnhof'
'Sullivan'

Then of course for a no-brainer and I still need one myself:
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Mr. Green Genes'

Dax

prostrata, did your little Cedrus make it?

I think Prostrata isn't a member no longer, I didn't came across this name for the last couple of years.
The same is for Picea and Livingfossil.
May be they're silent members now...