"if this accurately represents tree hardiness, a number of trees deserve colder ratingscolor>" Let's look at which trees those might be.... From experience (three winters) I would say Picea breweriana is quite happy in my zone -- versus the Z6 designation above. Especially this year, the new shoots are extra long ! By contrast, I would probably move Pinus thunbergii from Z6 to Z7 -- no end of grief with this one (yet). My Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Aurea' is doing a lot better, despite being rated the same Z6. That Z8 rating for Sciadopitys verticillata seems totally out of whack with what I've been told recently on this forum, although I have no experience with it myself. Z7 for Picea sitchensis seems a bit overblown too.... and probably likewise for Cephalotaxus harringtonia. And Pinus contorta rated Z7?! ....give me a break ! Not easy to find a reliable list, that's for sure.

I would be delighted to give it a good home. I am regenerating my block near BinnaBurra. Where are you located? I could perhaps pick it up directly from you. Tony

If you mean, would a new plant produced by layering or as a cutting from a parent plant of one sex, change to the other sex, then I think the answer is no, the layering/cutting is a clone and would grow true to the parent. I am not a botanist and I don't know if all those plants you mentioned ARE dioecious though I know the coccoloba is. I was told once that some seedlings from male/female only plants, MAY "change sex" as they become adult plants but that's not the issue for you. I'm not a biologist either, though I've read that people can chemically alter some plants to produce flowers of another sex but that is a one-way street, only female to male never the other way round. You could google, but it sounds like the sort of chemicals used, you might not really want in the makeup of a plant that you hoped would produce edible fruit . I would imagine you have only two choices - if you know you have female plants of the species you mentioned, you have to find someone growing the other, or a source of pollen elsewhere for fertilization. Or, if you can get fresh seed, you may be able to grow up plants of both sex so that you have the possibility of in-house fertilization for fruit in future. It sounds a bit like a project you might share with other fruit-eating bird fanciers who probably have the same problem sourcing organic native fruit.

Take a small knife and scrape a tiny ( 1/4 inch or so) bit of bark away from the bottom of the brown area. If it's creamy white or soft green and moist under the bark, that part is still alive. If it's dry and tan or brown, then that area is dead. Do that every foot or so up the top of the tree. At some point if you find dry/tan/brown under the bark and it continues up from there, you can assume that portion of the tree is dead and can cut it off there. Also, alive branches and trunks will feel cool when you hold them, dead area feel warm or the same temp as the air when held. The parts that are still creamy white/soft green and moist under the bark will probably re-sprout again in the future. But it may not sprout until spring. Those brown leaves will not turn green again, but if it's on a live branch (as tested above) when the branch leafs out again in spring, the brown leaves will probably be pushed off by the new growth and fall. Podocarpus are pretty tough trees and in about 2-3 years it will look great again, just don't forget to water during heat waves. Even if it's on an automatic irrigation system, if the temps go over 90*F, it's a good idea to supplement with a hose, as you've found out the hard way. Podocarpus may prefer acid soil, but they are very adaptable and tolerate our neutral to slightly alkaline soils and water just fine. It's really almost impossible to change the pH of a native sol anyway, so I wouldn't worry about that. Don't use peat moss, it is expensive and dries out too easily. Better to use a nice 3-5" thick mulch of composted shredded fir bark instead. It will help keep the soil cooler in summer and reduce evaporation. If you have "Mow N Blow" gardeners who use a blower, try Shredded Bark, also called Gorilla Hair. It resists being blown away by the gardeners better than many other mulches. I'd also give it a good all-purpose fertilizer in spring, around March/April to help it grow again. Always water before and right after fertilizing, never feed a dry plant. Good luck, I think it will be fine. This post was edited by BarbJP on Tue, Dec 30, 14 at 18:21