This could be good news. The latin name for the paperbark maple is acer griseum. It is similar to acer triflorum. I bought them at a reputable nursery, so I thought I was all right. But when I checked with the agricultural extension, she said they were just marginal. When I put my zip code into zone finders, it always comes up 5b. But some local authorities like to err on the side of caution and only recommend varieties hardy to zone 4. So maybe that was why she was a little pessimistic. I live in Madison Wisconsin with Lake Monona about a mile to the east and Lake Wingra about a mile to the west. I don't know if that is close enough to get a lake effect. There was a tag on the Witch Hazel that said there would be twig dieback at minus twenty. I am not sure if that means minus twenty with the wind chill or without. Windchills have been getting close to that this week. The paperbark and Harry Lauder are supposed to be slow growing, so it will be some time before they would top the fence. I do wonder if the winter sun could be too much as I hear some evergreens burn up in front of a fence in the winter time. Thanks for the info!

I was so late in creating a new melon patch that I finally planted seeds on July 1. Amazingly enough, Blacktail Mountain Watermelons blew me away -- tiny guys with really good flavor, all grown in one of the coolest and latest summers ever. This year I'll start them earlier (duh) and amend the soil and hopefully get even a bigger and better crop. I posted pics of them from my garden on the link below: Here is a link that might be useful: Cool Weather Blacktail Mountain Watermelon

I don't think it would be so hot that a plant couldn't survive there in that corner. Certain areas of the yard, including a potted plant, may need more water and that's what you may face there if you did. But the depth of your pot and the type of plant you put there could all be factors. It also shows you are in Zone 4 where the temperatures will not get so hot such as in Zone 8 or 9, so even in a microclimate of that corner, what may feel hot to the humans living there, are still probably moderate growing temperatures to a plant.

Ken, direct winter sun would be restricted due to adjacent large trees and garage. In any case, frost cracking has not been an issue for any of the plants you see. Dave, good eye -- you got both correct. Can you guess the magnolia based on the mildew developing? BTW, the Siebold Mag was planted August 2013. It survived the polar vortex (two words I hope to never hear again) plus it was decimated by this past May's hard frost, which got down to 26F and stayed below freezing from around midnight to 7am. It was completely denuded by the freeze, but has come back strong. No irrigation, but I do supplement as I think is needed, which is probably way more than is actually needed.