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.

Pitching in my experience so far. This is from the perspective of a grower in a much colder climate that most posting here, zone 5 in New York, so my options are much more limited. Adding Haskap (Borealis and Tundra). I don't make jams or process, only fresh eat. 5f Mulberry (Illinois everbearing) 5f Black Currant (warning: an acquired taste) 4f Serviceberry (Hard to beat the birds to these) 3f Haskap (Hard to beat the birds to these) 3f Gooseberry (so far, still young plants though) Ordered PawPaw trees for spring of 2014, will be a several years of good luck before I can report on those though. This post was edited by reznil on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 20:46

persimmon 5fjp paw paw fig 3fp gooseberry currant 5fjp mulberry 3f kiwi 5fp Chinese magnolia vine service berry/Amelanchier alnifolia CHINESE EDIBLE HAWTHORNE/Crataegus pinnatifioa lingonberry wintergreen thimbleberry salal jujube blue bean shrub/Decaisnea fargesii goji berry/Lycium barbarum aronia medlar autumn olive/Eleagnus umbellata goumi/Eleagnus multiflora sea berry/Hippophae rhamnoides dogwood/cornus mas che black sapote white sapote capulin cherry sapadilla pitomba/Eugenia luschnathiana eggfruit/Pouteria campechiana dragon fruit/pitaya wax jamboo/Syzygium samarangense Guajilote, Cuachilote, Guahalote /Parmentiera edulis Spondias cytherea Syzygium samarangense Morinda citrifolia Muntingia calabura Myrciaria cauliflora/jaboticaba\ guayabilla/Eugenia victoriana Araza /Eugenia stipitata Rose apple/Syzygium jambos ice cream bean/inga- Brazilian Cherry/Grumichama passionfruit 5p thanks, dean You bet! You might want to add Cherimoya (5f) to the list. Related to pawpaw and a flavor of sweet fruit custard. Also, mango (5fp), Papaya (5fp), pineapple-guava (5p), Lychee, and banana (5fp, many less common varieties not found in stores as they don't ship well.)

I have a sizable fig tree I need to move and don't really know where to put it...cuz it is near the house and the house needs new siding and painting. So would like to trade some stuff for that also. I suppose it is possible someone out there may be silly enough to trade for my few not special plants I have hanging around the yard. This stuff I can get rid of include: Yellow archangel ground cover, vinca (purple)ground cover, some iron clad hostas (by iorn clad I just mean deer and bugs don't really bother with them), lily of the valley ground cover, I suppose I could dig up some forsythia, I also have a hydrangea I have been tying to get give away for years. I could throw in some daffodils and crocuses. I also an upright (I suppose the word is vastigate) apple (not sure of var) which seems to take well to cuttings attempts. Here below are some plants just to give an idea of some plants I am interested in: Really I don't care what format (bear root, plant, seed, cutting...) Clematis, Diamond Ball Hazelnut, any kind Pawpaw any hardy kind Passionflower, Maypops Hibiscus, Honeymoon Red Sedum, Firecracker Ice Plant Autumn Olive, Garnet Jujube, Shanxi Li Bare Root or Plant would be nice Currant, Consort Black Bare Root or Plants Honeyberry Collection Goji Berry, Sweet Lifeberry Plum, Italian Prune Medlar, Breda Giant Kiwi, Hardy Red or Kiwi, Hardy (whatever, normal type/var) Gooseberry, Hinnomaki Red Elderberry, any var Lingonberry, Koralle Cornelian Cherry, Red Star Creeping phlox, Emerald Blue Gotu kola Poppy, Allegro Plant or seeds Lobelia, Vulcan Red Sunflower, Double Dandy Hybrid Calamus Cypress Vine, Red Nicotiana, Heaven Scent Brahmi (Bacopa monieri) Poppy, Patty's Plum Salvia, Victoria or Divinorum Gaillardia, Goblin Asclepias, Red Butterfly Sunflower, Fantasia Mix Hybrid Tithonia, Sundance Also interested in Acacea (pref copper/chocalate collor) Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed