Actually the hardiest cultivars of Southern Magnolia are hardy to temps between -20°F(-29°C) and -25°F(-31.7°C). But that's for relatively short periods of time (hours, not days). Protection from winter sun and wind are both important in preventing leaf burning. I think winter sun protection is a little more important with this though. Even though a tree might have lots of leaf burning, it often will not have any stem or wood damage. The ideal spot to plant one in a border line area would be against a NW facing wall, which would give plenty of heat during the summer (plus retain some heat longer into the night during winter) and also afford some winter sun protection since the sun sets in the SW during the winter(in the Northern hemisphere). Some people in zone 5 that try to grow Southern Magnolias many times report they act more like deciduous trees in having most all of their leaves burned off during the winter, but releaf out in the spring and bloom, so no wood damage is done. I grow more than 1 dozen cultivars of Southern Magnolia here in zone 6 KS and none have been killed or had much of a problem with winter hardiness. Even the supposedly less winter hardy cultivar 'Little Gem' grows fine for me. I also know of many decent sized trees(30'-50'(9-15m) tall range) in the Kansas City metro area which have been through their all time record low temp of -22°F(-30°C) and the very tough, cold winters of the late 1970's and early 1980's. So, I think in general most Southern Magnolias are zone 6 hardy and a few can make it in protected spots in zone 5. Duration of cold is important as is summer heat. If you live in a colder area with abundant summer heat(temps mostly in the 80's(26°-31°C) or warmer for most of summer), you probably have a better chance at growing Southern Magnolia than an area with little or no summer heat and relatively mild winters.

The Southern Magnolia, no matter which variety will struggle in zone 6. We have tried it in White Plains NY, zone 6B,.. We covered it with burlap in winter. Never bloomed, but survived. Then a hard winter came and every Southern Magnolia died. We now live on Amelia Island in Florida. The Magnolia's grow wild, And to 80'+, but the leaves do burn badly if we get a hurricane, and ocean spray hits them. They will come back, but very slowly. Here on the Island the deciduous Magnolia's do not survive.. this is an Evergreen Maritime environment.. It's so much better to stick to plants that will survive without coverings and hopes. Folks here plant Coconut palms, and they do well until we get a rare 30 degree night, then they are all dead. So far here on AI, in the last 10 years we have not received any temperatures below 30 degrees, and that was for 2 hours. Off Island, and in to interior Florida nights can go down to 20 degrees, a few times a year. Plan for the coldest temperature, and never get disapointed.

Not combative, arumentative perhaps, but only in response to wildly exagerated claims based on fear, not fact. I offered you the official statements of the State of New York that clearly shows your degree of fear is unwarrented as far as black bears in New York are concerned. Read the paper I linked to from the State. Learn something and you too can be a know-it-all rather than offering fear unencumbered by fact. Something tells me that facts based on real-life statistics and experience will do little to calm your fears, however. I have seen only one bear in the Northern Adirondacks where I live even though this area has the State's largest concentration of black bears. I've come very close to others while hiking in woods in the Catskills when I lived in that area. Each time the bear showed no sign of aggression and retreated immediately. This is as much time I'll spend responding to your childish comments about lying. Certainly, it's more than you deserve. I suspected as much, your suggestion that we in New York remove all our bears. Fortunately, those of us who live here can look at the situation rationally, based on knowledge and experience and know the true risks and the common-sense methods of dealing with them. Methods such as the simple and practical act of calling your neighbors on the occurance of a bear sighting. This common-sense approach lets a neighborhood remove things that may attract bears such as bird feeders, accessable garbage cans and unattended infants in strollers. Without these attractants, a bear will move on. If our state adopts your suggestion, perhaps we can ship the black bears (and our far more numerous "man-eating" dogs) to your state? They might distract the alligators that are killing human Floridians at a far more alarming rate than NY bears and almost as fast as NY dogs.

dedtired, Hints for seasickness... 1.) Look off the stern instead of the bow; 2.) Fix your eyes on the horizon instead of looking a few feet ahead of the boat (you'll be out of sight of land); 3.) Sip on cold Diet 7-Up; 4.) Many people do fine underway; but when drifting they start feeling queasy. Whale watch boats stop frequently for whale sightings. While drifting, stand at the gunnel stanchions & hold on to a rail if it's rough rather than sitting down...much better. Actually, more people get seasick in calm water than in rough seas (within limits, of course!) When there's good wave action your body gets into a rhythem. In calm seas, there's just a slight up/down, up/down that gets to some people. Beam seas are the worst! That side-to-side motion can do in even the saltiest of seamen! Since I've been a boater, I can't imagine WHY people stick babies in cradles! Inhumane punishment, IMO! Also, if you're focused on looking for the blow spouts of whales your body won't notice the rolling sensation nearly as much. We need Lori. She's more local to Newport...I'm about an hour away. But here's a place to start...a fun lunch spot in Newport is the Red Parrot. Allow about an hour just to read the menu & make your selection. It's also a great place to people watch. And go hungry! Parking is tricky. Don't be a hero & try to find a parking spot on one of the side streets...it's mostly "Residents Only". Just pay your $15 & chock it up to a good day in Newport. You can also rent the most adorable two-seater scooters in Newport. The shopping is one of two things...either touristy or very expensive boutiques, gallery quality art, designer jewelry, home decor, etc. There are also some great bookstores. History lesson on Newport: Did you know that most of early Newport was built with slave labor? Most people don't realize the extent Newport relied on slaves. The wonderful granite cobblestone roads, the houses, the ships...all slave labor. By 1770, the entire workforce was slaves mostly from Ghana. They came as children & were different than the southern plantation slaves. In Newport, most slaves lived in the same house as their owners often slept in the same bedroom as the owner's kids. They were taught skills & became highly trained. By 1830, most Newporters had freed their slaves. They went on to found businesses, become councilmen, teachers, policeman, fireman, & held high offices. But they came to America as slaves. End of history lesson. Follow the signs for Ocean Drive/Mansions & go to Brenton Park. It's right on Ocean Drive. On weekends, it's a popular place to fly those huge kites in different shapes. The water is right across from the parking (free). Actually, you could just sit in your car & stare at Newport Channel for hours watching the boats. You'll see many huge international & corporate yachts. The rocks at Brenton Park are also a popular dive spot. Look for small boats with a red flag floating in the water near the boat. The red flag means, "Diver Down". When's your trip? /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: The Red Parrot