Re: Hardiness of Several Subtropical Plants

Lee Poulsen wrote:
> 
> >I have several questions for anyone within the group
> >who may be growing one or more of the following
> >plants;  I realize that none of these plants are
> >mediterranean, but can be grown here, giving a more
> >subtropical look.
> >
> 
> ...
> 
> >Tibouchina lepidota 'Alstonville':  I came across this
> >variety of
> >Tibouchina listed in the 2000/2001 catalogue for
> >Kartuz Greenhouses, and it is listed as being a free
> >flowering small tree native to Columbia and Ecuador.
> >The hybrid 'Alstonville" was developed in Australia.
> >Again, has anyone grown this plant in zones 9b/10a?
> >Kartuz lists it as being hardy to 35F, which would be
> >marginally hardy in Berkeley/San Francisco.  I
> >currently grow T. urvilleana, T. granulosa and T.
> >heteromalla, which will all tolerate our climate here
> >or regenerate from the roots, if several years old.
> >Unfortunately, T. granulosa is nowhere near as
> >spectacular here in northern California as T.
> >urvilleana, and it was a knockout tree in Sao Paulo
> >and Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, where it grew to be 40 feet
> >tall, with flowers literally covering the tree while
> >in bloom.
> 
> Some friends and I went to Kartuz Greenhouses this past May and we
> each spent over our budget. But I got a small plant of the T.
> 'Alstonville' because I had seen it a few years ago in Sydney. It was
> planted in a number of front yards in some neighborhoods there and
> always took our breath away whenever we drove past one at how
> smothered in intense purple flowers the shrubs were. Mike Kartuz said
> he hadn't seen it himself but that what I was describing was this
> 'Alstonville' variety. Anyway, I think Sydney gets down below
> freezing now and then, although I don't know if it is also Zone
> 9b/10a. And these were all mature shrubs. I think it's more hardy
> than to 35F. Mike said he put that there as an initial estimate.

Lee
Freezing temperatures even if not common are certainly not unknown in
Sydney. In any case if your climate can accomodate the species you
mention it should also manage T. lepidota which in my NZ Botanica is
listed along with the others you list as suitable for zones 10-12. (and
yes they do mention 'Alstonville') However, it might be worth covering
your plant on any particularly cold nights at least for the first couple
of winters to allow it to  make some good initial growth and generally
become acclimatised. this is often a successful technique with
borderline species I have found.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
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