That's funny! My dad's greenhouse growing up was 16' X 40' with two evap coolers at the south end and fans in the ceiling on the north end blowing air back towards the south. The south end was always a good five degrees warmer.

Well, no point in getting in a pissing match about this...I'm sure you are honestly reporting what you saw. OTOH, I can assure you that in the 1994 winter, the 2 big trees on the campus of W&M had no visible damage after 0F. I was definitely looking for it; I even have pictures of the damage to the Trachys planted not far away. (some brown fans, but ones that caught insulating snow still being partly green) This was a period so cold the Potomac north of DC froze solid enough to walk from VA to MD. Even down in Williamsburg, the pot-smoking rebel in our dorm, on a dare, walked out about 25' on an icy coastal pond (brackish water!) without it cracking. Ornamental fountains at fancy hotels were frozen solid. So, very cold...as cold as anything the greater metropolitan PNW can muster. They were wind sheltered by large buildings, in a place that isn't terrible windy anyhow. That could have helped. As I've mentioned before, one has since been severely damaged by a hurricane, as they grew above the shelter of those buildings. (isn't terribly windy, except during hurricanes haha) Clearly the northernmost on the east coast, at the Barnes, has survived several winters that went well below 0F. BUT I've made no secret of my finding a book from the 1940s about Philly area gardens, that said 5 out of 6 tried in prominent public collections, had died by the time of publication. And even that tree is not still around; the Barnes tree is from much later. No way to know without hours of tedious and perhaps impossible primary source investigation, but I have a hunch the winter of 1934 might have been to blame...a candidate for the mid-Atlantic's coldest winter of the 20th century. Perhaps the droughty dust bowl summers of that period were also a problem. So I'm not by any means recommending any normal Joe or Jane Q Public, try to grow these on the east coast.

I haven't posted much the past 10-years, but I will try to share more this rose season, and will try to publish some full bloom shots in about two weeks. I now have several roses that are probably no longer widely sold commercially.

I'm sad to say that my fig (Little Miss Figgy variety) never recovered but I was able to exchange her for a new one (nursery has lifetime guarantee) last weekend. See my prior post titled “Emergency Repot of Little Miss Figgy”. The new fig looks very healthy; has both mature and new growth leaves/figs. The roots also look healthy and are not pot-bound. I placed it on the opposite side of my house (East facing filtered sunlight) as I figured my HOT West facing courtyard may have contributed to her predecessor’s demise. She is still in the grower’s plastic container set inside of a terra cotta pot…. so-far, so-good. I plan to transplant into Al's Gritty Mix since I've had such great luck with it…..But I'm Gun-Shy about doing this immediately because I’m afraid the transplant shock may cause her to lose all of her leaves & fruit – and I just don’t’ want to go through that again!. I also plan to move her to my West facing courtyard when the weather gets a little cooler. The courtyard is a Microclimate as it stays several degrees warmer and is protected from wind given that it’s surrounded by 3 stucco walls & a fence. I also have an Arbequina Olive who has lived there for 3 years and is happy as a clam (I will soon be harvesting her olives for the 1st time). If temps drop too low I can easily move both of them into my house or the garage. I have 3 main questions below but welcome any/all advice that will help me provide my new Miss Figgy with a happy & healthy home. 1) When should I transplant into Al’s gritty mix -- now, or wait until next year sometime? 2) Is it a good idea to move her to the West-facing courtyard or leave her on the East side of my house in filtered sunlight? My perception is that she has similar wants & needs to the Arbequina Olive who loves the location. However, I lost her predecessor who I immediately placed out there in late Spring; but we had an unseasonable rainy June followed by hot/dry July & August. Thanks! Patty in Marietta GA