Hi everyone! Regardeng BLACKBERRIES, we, on the opposie side of the pool, have the same problems of OVERWINTERING the canes and the flower buds. Admittedly I yet have no own experience as I got interested in blackberries only this fall when discovered the existance of the new thornles and prolific varieties. So I read all that was worth reading in the Russian and US internet, especially the rather high-profile specialised forums of our blackberry enthusiasts.. I discovered that throughout Russia and Kazakhstan which both have areas with very serious frosts blackberry growing in those is nevertheless quite successful. Maybe someone here would benefit from their experience same as e.g. you grow plums of Russian origin such as ptitsin and fofanoff. Apparently Blackberries can bring huge yealds in climates with very low winter temps, even downing to -40C for rather ptolonged periods. The TECHNIQUE below allows overwintering without much problem. Plus some easy principles to follow. 1. All blackberries need to be laid down and covered for the winter, preferably after the first frost when the land is frozen. To ensure that this task is easy and hassle free: 2. Choose thornless varieties only. Those with thorns are said to be hell to lay and cover. 3. In early summer watch for the new canes (primocanes) to emerge. As soon as a shoot reaches 15-20cm carefully bend it 90 degrees and secure with a metal peg. When the cane grows another 40-60cm, secure it parallel to the ground with yet another peg. After it reaches 1 m let it grow as it will but better tie to the lowest string of the trellis Which gets them out of the way. Do not tip the ends as this would increase the leaf mass. Do the bending for all the emerging primocanes. 4. In autumn at the time of first frosts when all the fruiting canes have long been cut down lay the primocanes in lines stretched along one side of the trellis. Peg them to the ground, cover with two layers of 60g/m2 thick white non-woven fabric and secure all sides to the ground with no holes. This is said to help greatly even if serious frosts come before the snow. In milder and wetter climates they also put a plastic film layer on top of the fabric, leaving however the end bits open so there is always air circulation. The advice here is to experiment as all natural circumstaces differ. 5. Take off the cover layers gradually, and completely only after all danger of frost is over. By then the canes are likely to bear some yourg leaves and side shoots, but this is ok. Raise them carefully as the canes of come varieties are brittle, and tie to the trellis. 5. Winer frosts may not be a problem for blackberries, but summers need to be warm or hot. The shorter and milder/cooler the summers, the earlier fruiting varieties should be chosen. 6. Floricane varieties like PA Freedom in cooler and shorter summer climates may very sucessfully fruit if treated in the same way as other primocanes, i.e. as above, in a two-year culture. They would be one of the earliest to perform. If you have any questions do feel free to write me, I will try to help with more information. cathpetro at gmail dot com.

Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) is extremely drought-tolerant - but slow-growing because it is high-quality hardwood. As logic would dictate, weak softwoods usually grow faster and hardwoods slower... ----------------------------------------------------- Goldenball Leadtree (Leucaena retusa) is a gorgeous little ornamental tree that is also very drought-tolerant and used to rocky soil. It does need some sheltering from the wind though, since its wood is brittle. So, I might speculate that it grows faster...but not sure? ----------------------------------------------------- Crape Myrtles grow fast and are very heat & drought-tolerant. Twilight Crape Myrtle The darkest purple on a crape myrtle! Low maintenance Highly drought tolerant http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Twilight-Crape-Myrtle.htm Growing Zones: 7-9 Mature Height: 20-25 ft. Mature Width: 10-20 ft Growth/Year: 3-5 ft. Sunlight: Full - Partial Soil Conditions: Adaptable Drought Tolerance: Highly drought tolerant http://www.examiner.com/article/top-5-favorite-crape-myrtles ----------------------------------------------------- Moringa seems too good to be true: a fast-growing, drought-tolerant tree whose leaves, flowers, pods and seeds are not only edible but also highly nutritious. Called malongay by some gardeners, the plant (botanical name Moringa oleifera) has more potassium than bananas, more protein than sardines, more beta carotene than carrots. Seed cake, the residue after oil is extracted, can be used for water purification. Some also believe that moringa may help to control hypertension, keep glucose levels in check, fight bacteria and parasites and reduce inflammation. The seeds can have a Vi@gra-like effect, according to some. More important to gardeners (well, most gardeners), moringa is a nitrogen-fixer in the soil. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/11/moringa.html The only catch is that Moringa is not cold-hardy, and so will die off in freezes, but grow back in Spring like an annual crop tree. ----------------------------------------------------- Texas Sage does best in dry heat. Texas Sage is one of our most popular native plants, a medium sized shrub with several varieties to choose from including compact varieties. Texas Sage has soft silver to gray foliage with a beautiful display of long lasting lavender to purple blooms from summer into fall. Texas Sage thrives in full sun and well drained alkaline soil. http://plant-shed.com/beat-the-heat-with-texas-sage/ ----------------------------------------------------- Rosemary hedges also seem to do well in dry heat.. Rosemary is a woody-stemmed plant with needle-like leaves that can commonly reach 3 feet in height, eventually stretching to 5 feet in warmer climates unless clipped. In zone 8 and farther south, rosemary makes a good evergreen hedge http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-rosemary/ ----------------------------------------------------- Perhaps you could plant a mix of these? Pioneer trees could crowd out some of the weeds now, while allowing time for more mature scrub and climax species to establish themselves in the meantime.. Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite underused trees This post was edited by blakrab on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 13:59

white pine in my z5 MI.. have serious snow and ice load issues .. IN THE WORST OF STORMS ... not your every day stuff ... yet scots/sylvestrus dont ... google musser forests for bulk young plants ... NEVER go with all one kind of anything in a large project ... 3 or 4 different pines.. some abies .. some picea... etc ... diversity rules ... you might want to also look into thuja green giants.. but insist or make them single leader ... i think they are OK for z4 ... check that .... ken

I'd recommend: Junierpus chinensis 'Blue Arrow'/could be species: virginiana Thuja occidentalis 'Degroot's Spire' You don't want Juniperus scopulorum because of disease issues. Juniperus communis will fair fine. Pinus strobus 'Fastigiata' is way too large of a tree. The verdict on 'Stowe Pillar' isn't known yet, however, it will not stop growing and will become very tall during its' life course. Dax