Conan--Here's my experience. Planted a Reliance and Intrepid spring of 06. Had about -15 or so that winter, both trees made it through with no problem. Both bloomed a little, the Intrepid set one fruit. The trees went dormant well and we had a longish fall, no severe drops in temperature. In late January, the temperatures went to -28 for several days. In March when the frost went out, both trees' branches were greenish/red and supple, looking like they had made the winter with no problem. The branches then proceeded to dry up and I thought both trees were dead (We did not have any severe cold come back during the spring, either). Once branch coming out near the base of the Intrepid (above the graft) put out leaves in late April/early May, about right on cue with other fruit trees, then slowly other branches started putting out leaves, starting near the base of the branch and slowly extending outwards. The Reliance showed no sign of life. The Intrepid continued over the summer to put out leaves, eventually extending out about 2/3 to all the way out on the branches, and it put a lot of growth on. In late June, the Reliance put out a bud at the top of the trunk where it broke into branches. This was gradually followed by others, and by end of summer it had quite a few new branches from that spot with 3 feet of growth. Fall 09, the Intrepid's growth had matured and the tree was starting to turn color the 1st of Oct. The Reliance was still very green, and only the lowest parts of the new growth were showing signs of the wood starting to mature. Oct. 2nd it started snowing, which was followed by a week of sub-freezing temperatures, a couple nights got down to 12, and the warm up after that was mid-late November temperatures instead of October ones. The Intrepid finished dropping its leaves after the first hard freeze, the leaves are still hanging on the Reliance now. The Reliance does not look too good to me--the branches aren't greenish-red and supple, more like reddish scarred and sometimes a bit shriveled. The Intrepid shows a mix, from greenish-red and supple branches to some that are just reddish scarred and a bit shriveled looking at the tips. We had a week with -28 in early December, then another brief stint in late January where it was about -22. On the hopeful side, we did not have any warm weather during the winter. We have finally gotten up into the 40's this last week, the first time we've seen that (or really even above freezing) since Thanksgiving. So, if the trees did get to their fullest dormancy, there was no warm weather to reduce it.

Thank Gawd Brandy wasn't there for this. One look at those guys in camo and she'd be thanking them for their service! LOL! :-))) "Many folks don't realize that MOST hunters are the greatest conservationists this country has..." True. But there are some huge nut jobs in that crowd too. Like any other group, you got your good apples and then a few rotten ones. The Wildlife Management Area where I ride from time to time borders some land leased by a hunting club. Some of this maze of trails leading to one mountain summit goes through their property. Recently a fellow biker reported that someone has nailed a beheaded wild boar to a tree with a NO TRESPASSING sign attached to him/her. What a cruel and wasteful way to deliver a message. *LOVE* the OUTSTANDING organization that was put forth as seen in that 4th pic.

Sounds like a paradise - for both birds and people! I've noticed many birds that have returned in the past couple weeks. Grackles, cowbirds, Chipping sparrows, Mockingbird, and what I think is a Phoebe have shown up in the yard. Still waiting on the delightful Catbirds and Orioles. The Goldfinches are turning bright yellow. The Bluebirds have been here all winter, eating suet nuggets, but I think they've started a nest. I love Spring too. :)

No, not all heat pumps are equipped with back up heating strips, but most are. They are generally an extra cost option. I doubt that there are many that are incapable of being equipped with them. Sometimes, heat pumps installed in locations like South Florida do not have any backup heat. It shaves a little bit of money of off the price of the heat pump and lowers the cost of wiring it in. The heat strips (resistance heating elements) dramatically increase the maximum amount of electric power required by the heat pump, which means much heavier or entirely separate power wiring, which increases the cost of installation. The Payne model you reference can be equipped with no, 5, 8, or 10 KW resistance heat strips. The last three digits of the model number will tell you how it is equipped. Look at the last column on page 2 of the PDF for the code. If it is 000, there are no heat strips installed.