hardiness limits

I am wondering if anyone can recommend sources for Australian and other
Gondwanan seed and fern spores, collected at the coldest extremes of their
ranges. So, I suppose I mean seed dealers who know the provenances and who
have an interest in cold tolerant species. Eucalyptus would be a place to
start, if we need to get genus-specific, but I am interested in many
different types of plants. I grow in the rapidly mediterraneanizing climate
of central Virginia, USA, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains
(Virginia Piedmont region), roughly usda zone 7, but some winers behave
more like a zone 6. Last winter saw temp's at a low of 8F several nights,
and a number of southern hemisphere "zone 7" plants died back to the mulch
level, but appear to be sprouting back: Euc's dalrympleana, johnstonii, and
gunnii died back to the main stems, but the tips are now growing out again.
Euc's niphophilia, neglecta, and glaucescens are dead to the mulch line,
but resprouting. Euc. moorei nana did the best, with perhaps 50% of the
leaves burning, but the new growth remaining green, and now resuming
growth. All plants were in gallon pots, sunk into deep mulch beds in
September, so they did not have the resilence of older more established,
more woody plants.

Erik van Lennep
Ivy, VA
USA

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