I am not sure how different the two varities are but I had a Red Delicious in my backyard for many years thriving well. If a tree is not well established as far as roots and foliage is concerned then too much moisture in the root zone can rot the roots.

i have lost both P. w. Frosty and zebrina in my version of zone 5 .... i suspect hybrids as resin notes .... also ... i think there is some struggling with translation .. but you say both of the following: ------->>>>They go through the winter with no major problems. .. and It's trees get major burns on the needle during the winter, they are all like rust colored, but they survived and continue to grow very well. ------->>>>major needles browning and/or loss is a MAJOR problem ... sooner or later it is going to weaken the tree .. and perhaps lead to death ... or maybe not... but browning is not minor ... i have very young zone appropriate conifers that did it for a couple years.. then must have gotten enough roots down to be able to stand my winter .... and on the p. wall's .... they did as you note with needle browning .... eventually not being able to recover.. and one died the second spring.. and the other the third ... its hard to remember back then .... as i was very inexperienced at that point in my conifer life.. but i know at least one started extending its buds... and then died within a couple days ... i had no clue what happened at the time.. but now i suspect a late very hard frost killed it ... good luck ken

I'm in zone 5 Ottawa,Canada. Zone 4 for you in the US. They used to say you couldn't grow J.maples around here. But for 20 years I always could, and have never lost any, except 2 variegated ones. I have about 25 varieties, a sort of J. maple forest in my back yard & I am running out of room. Good thing they are dwarf trees, unlike our native maples that grow to 50 ft. I wholesale them from (grown in)BC, zone 7-8. They do not loose hardiness by grafting and propagating in a milder climate. The hardiness is built into the plant. I will say that they can sometimes be slow to establish, and this is the important part. Any tree should be planted early and well cared for in the first season, so it is well established going into it's first winter. I don't believe in bare root trees doing well, too slow to establish, or over wintering in a pot. They should always be planted in the ground and well mulched. I do think they prefer a more acidic soil. Ours is neutral approx. 6-7ph, so I spread sulphur everywhere every couple of years to acidify a little.(I don't like pink hydrangeas, prefer blue) I saw a study once, out of U of Michigan I think, where when they tested plants, and they found that plants growing in acidic soil seemed a little hardier than the same plants growing in more alkaline soils. In the past I have used geo-textile fleece as a winter cover for the first few winters, but snow makes a great insulator as well. I get a bit of tip dieback sometimes, but it doesn't matter since they grow back very well, as if they were pruned. There is a sort of wilt going around in J. maples lately, others have noticed as well. It doesn't hurt the tree, it just attacks some of the newest growing tips as they are finished flushing out in summer....sort of self pruning. We regularly get to minus 22 celcius (-10 far.)here most winters, with minimal problems. Even with last winter, the worst in 20 yrs., there were no losses. The only damage I ever notice is the heavy snow pack in spring, will sometimes crack the weeping types as it weighs them down and melts. Variegated types do seem less hardy, possibly due to the fact that variegation is a mutation and therefore weaker. Red and green types are perfectly hardy. They all seem hardier as they get older. thanks, Rich

I will keep you updated on that and I sure want updates on Hargrand as well please :). Hargrand was my second choice, but if I had done more research on apricots before buying my trees, it would have been my first choice. I was interested in Goldcot and moongold as well. I have never tasted any of them, but store bought only and I found them very good, actually. I too hope that a tree ripened one is going to be even better! We might have to be patients though, as I read many times that apricot blossoms are very frost sensitive and therefore, rarely set fruit in our fluctuating climate here in the NorthEast. Still, I am hoping it is not going to be the case with hardy varieties such as Harlayne and Hargrand... Btw, I pruned mine into a very low open vase shape, so it stays under snow as long as possible to delay blooming, but still gets plenty of sun in summer. Plus, that way, there is a proper airflow to prevent all the humidity diseases of the NE.