Rosewest, There's a huge difference (from a rose's point of view) between below freezing and below zero. From what I've seen of west coast weather, you're probably 20F and above. If so, don't worry. New growth will be damaged below 26-28F, but not terminally. You'll have to watch for dieing spots aka cankers on the canes and trim below them once spring comes. Zone 5 is a whole different temperature profile. If you've had temps from -10F to -20F for five or so days, your roses will be damaged. In my part of the world, there was a period of three or four days that got to -28F in the mid 80s. Modern Rose gardens were destroyed. I don't think your cold is that aberrant, but it just doesn't feel right for you. For my roses, below freezing is something I've watched them weather without much damage. Snow takes getting used to; can you bring yourself to look at it and see nature's free insulation for your plants? Once snow is around the roses, the parts that are protected by snow are not going to feel winds that are colder than 32F. Here is a link that might be useful: Your part of the world with temperature scale

The Japanese red Maples are not grown in pots, they are in the ground and these people up north go through alot to get these trees through the winter including building mini green houses around them or literally boxing them up in cardboard and filling it with leaves! These people are inspiring and I read it all on this site so do a search under maples in zone 2 and read for your self...it just might make you want to try and grow somehting out of your zone too! Here is what I am thinking...I live on the boarder between zone 5 and zone 6. I usually only get plants that are hardy to zone 5 but these viburnum are going to be a challange. So what I am going to do is this. Over winter these shrubs in an unheated basement with lights. On nice days (over 32 degrees) I will bring them out for fresh air and sunshine and plant them in the spring on a hillside. I will ammend the soil and monitor their water. Basicaly give them the perfect environment in which to grow. I will also root several cuttings from them to have in case my experiment fails so I will still have this plant to grow in containers. Then in the winter I will place bales of pine straw around them (I will use the straw as mulch in the spring). Then on the milder days that is all that I will do. On the days that the tempertaure drops below freezing I will place an old window across the top of the straw bales to allow the light in but keep the cold out, create a sort of cold frame. We will monitor the temperature inside when the glass is on to make sure that it doesn't get to hot inside, perhaps keep one side of the glass lifted slightly to allow exces heat to escape. There really is only about a month at the most of really cold weather and that is usually in spurts of a week here and a week there. Otherwise it isn't that bad where we live (back in the woods). I know that this sounds like alot but these stay relatively small so I think that it is possible and besides what else do we have to do in the winter except wait for spring? Thanks for your input and I will let everyone know how successful (or unsuccessful I am in the spring of 2008!) Vicki

The thicker the XPS, the less permeable it is, thus restricting vapour flow into the living space and requiring less dehumidification. I'm now in a 1964 home with no foam on the basement walls. It takes double the dehumidification to reach the same RH level as in our larger home with 1" XPS insulated walls. Foil-covered foam insulation (foil to the interior) would work even better. Lstiburek has changed his view on the need to dry to the interior. âÂÂI made a mistake. The insulation just needs to be warm enough to control condensation from the inside. The perm rating doesnâÂÂt matter. ItâÂÂs OK for the concrete to be wet. The concrete doesnâÂÂt have to dry to the inside.â Glad to be of help! Foil-covered Thermax insulation in a basement wall. This post was edited by worthy on Fri, Jul 5, 13 at 19:51

How appropriate a topic as it's hitting -23˚ C. (-9.4˚ F.) tonight here in the banana belt of Canada! 1) If you choose polyisocyanurate, follow building experts' advice and consider the R Value as R5 per inch and increase accordingly. I always use XPS as it's much cheaper. 2) Adhesives are really designed for block walls, which are perfectly smooth. All the imperfections in a typical poured wall--especially those ridges where the forms were connected--make it virtually impossible to get a tight bond between the foam boards and the walls. Instead use mechanical anchors designed for the purpose, such as Hilti plastic insulation anchors. Also, if you can find them, consider four foot wide XPS. And always use shiplap boards, which seal well even without tape. 3) R-10 is inadequate in climate Zone 5, where IECC 2012 calls for R15 continuous. You can reduce the cost by using 1-1.5" foam board on the walls followed by fg between the studs. EPS boards are acceptable, too, though they will be thicker to reach the same R Value. 4) Any tape approved for housewrap will work well. I use Tuck Building tape. 5-6) As long as the freestanding walls are airtight and insulated to Code, there's no need to insulate the unfinished walls. 7) See 3 above. 8) I would rest the stud wall on strips of XPS--tight to the foam wall if you wish. Besides acting as a thermal break, it keeps the wall above any minor flooding that might occur. 9) Foam cushion is not an acceptable sub-floor. It will absorb moisture and harbour mold growth. Unless you're using tile or stone, which can be laid directly--though an uncoupling membrane is advisable--consider using: 1) a layer of XPS followed by one or two layers of ply (as per diagram below); 2)Dri-Core or similar competitive products; or 3) DeltaFL or equivalent.Source: Building Science Corp.