You and I are in nearly the same climate, so my experience may be of some use to you. I have found artificial protection of mature crops through winter - by putting plastic or cold frames over them - not very succesful. It generally results in their being attacked by aphids or other insects or fungal problems. Just letting cold-hardy crops take their chances with z6 winter is more productive - and a whole lot easier! About two winters out of three we're still eating fresh greens in februrary. Starting stuff out anew in early winter inside or outside in a hotbed and then transfered to a cold-frame generally works well. Stuff grown in cold-frames is usually a lot healthier then in a hot-house. Of course, lettuce in february doesn't happen in a cold-frame. I forget about lettuce for the cold six months of the year - never heard of the stuff. In June I eat it in quantities that might seem deranged to some folks. My primary green thru late winter and early spring is walking onion. Can't recommend it enough - completely cold-hardy, reliable, effortless perennial. With that plant you could abandon the grocery store without fear of scurvy, though by May you will be tired of it! But then, you don't have to eat it again until December. Anyway, my experience has been that effort expended to "baby" plants thru winter is largely wasted effort. Expand into the now little-used former reliables like walking onion, parsnip and other crops that can be left out, put up storage crops, and enjoy the luxury of greens in mild winters when they happen.....

Shipping is easy when used correctly and the average reseller (especially ebay types) do not understand shipping. I will ship this coming week USPS two day service without problems. Only the most remote areas have ever taken three days. In the last two years I have not had a single customer complain of an orchid damged by cold and I ship fully open Cattleya flowers all winter long. I warranty the flowers and buds and have not had one claim for credit for blasted buds. Customers only need to email they had flower damage to get the credit no proof is necessary. It is easy to make slight errors in addresses that will delay delivery. When you use the USPS on line mail system this does not happen as they edit the addresses against valid addresses. Heat packs though are a waste of your money. They only last 4-8 hours and then then are done. With two day shipment most of the time you do not have a heat pack even if you paid for it. If the heat pack is removed from the plastic liner completely the heat may only last a couple of hours. For longest effect the pack should be left in the plastic liner with only the end ripped open. I have shipped orchids and before that live fish for thirty years. I have used thousands of heat packs and the use was mostly to reassure customers since they really did not do much. They had minimal value when shipping air freight and had delivery in 4-6 hours. As I said longer times and the heat pack is dead anyway. It is not a matter of cost since the high quality heat packs I buy commmercially only cost 0.60. They really do not do anything but make you feel better.

Hi KY girl, Are you still looking for a cold hardy gardenia, I know its been several months since you posted this, but in case you haven't found one, I just purchased two from Lowe's. Its "Miami Supreme" variety and the tag says although not to 0 degrees but hardy (20 to 10 degrees). If you go to this website: Lowes.com/plants Click on plant search and type in L7109, under the plant tag code number and it will give you some of the plants specifications, I know it's not zero degrees but might work out for you if you cover them really well when it gets below 20.Or pot them up and bring them in when its below that. But then I live in Florida and lucky for us it never gets that cold. These are my very first gardenias, so I am really new and have been reading all I can on how to take care of them properly. Good Luck!

I'm not even sure sowing it earlier in winter would have helped. Clothiers says something like 6 weeks warm moist followed by 6-8 weeks cold moist. Druse says sow fresh seed (making that sowing in late summer or Fall when ripe, there's the warm moist period) and it still may take a year even then. If you've got seeds now, you've nothing to lose by trying - that seed isn't getting any fresher ;). The suggestions are conditions that are known to have produced seedlings, those databases don't necessarily mean they are the only way you can get seedlings. Sow in something sturdy since the pots may be with you a while. Do you have chick grit, or even parakeet gravel, fine aquarium gravel (often available at pet stores by the pound and cheap)...might not hurt to put a light layer on the pots top to help with liverworts or mosses on those pots that may be intact several months. I don't have as many at this house but still a few....pots growing plants. When I would have a seed pot I wanted to keep several months, I would tuck it in at the base of pots with outdoor plants in them and that way I wouldn't forget to water it occasionally over summer. Another place the topping of grit or fine gravel comes in, you aren't dislodging the seed watering, the grit prevents the seed from moving around if you wet with a hose nozzle or sprinkling can. The only cimicifuga I brought with me is C. Brunette and I haven't sown it, I don't know that the foliage color would come true from seed. Love the fragrance but it blooms very late for me here. And has never given me any volunteers/seedlings.