Re: [SG] dry shade Cold Hardy

In a message dated 2/27/99 2:54:32 PM Eastern Standard Time,
genebush@OTHERSIDE.COM writes:

\
   <<<<      One of the hardest concepts for me to get into my head was the
 understanding of cold hardiness.>>>>

Me too.  When I moved to my zone 4 location there was much to learn.  For
instance,the comon lilac blooms for me two to three weeks later than for
Albany, New York, 30 miles west of me.

<<<<If a plant came from the mountain tops or
 Siberia it had to be cold hardy. Right? Wrong. They have continual snow
 cover there and when spring comes, it comes and stays. Usually late, fast
 meltoffs. When a plant is covered with feet and feet of snow it remains at
 a constant temperature right at freezing. No up and down and no drying
 winds on the plant to suck moisture from the top while the roots are frozen
 and can not supply the moisture. Dead plant.>>>>

We have a lot of wind in the spring.  I think the constant wind helps to dry
up the snow runoff, it is usually not a desiccating wind in my observation.
The past two years have been milder than usual and this year we have had no
snow.  We do have deeply frozen ground and it has been covered with ice.
Other gardens for me have been in zone 5 with easier soils and longer frost-
free seasons.

I spent a few April days in the Delaware Valley two years ago and there was
this spring happening. TB irises budded, peonies up one foot, trees in bloom,
bulbs everywhere. I came home to find a few February Gold daffodils and small
bulbs against the house where the foundation warms them.  What a difference, a
much longer growing season.  We can have frost in the ground on the north
sloping land in April.  It is still indoor weather here.  We can hope for only
a few pleasant days before the black flies hatch and it is summer.

      <<<<   Here in the mid-west we have little snow cover and constant up
and down
 temps freezing and then thawing. Plants adapted to that do the best
 although others will survive. Perhaps not bloom consistently, but survive.
 One more good reason to begin with what grows in the fields or woods in
 one's own State. They have been there and done that... know how to handle
 it. >>>>

The northern (z4) growth in spring is not affected for the plants we have been
discussing  however I can relate to this with trees and shrubs not native but
growing for us.  Most stone fruit, peaches, cherries, etc., grow well but
never bloom.  A 'Reliance' peach with a zone 4 rating has produced 2 peaches
in ten years.  Forsythia and quince skip 2 out of three years but make
magnificent shrubs.  In fact the forsythia is allowed to live here to keep the
deer happy.

Another hardiness factor is the fall ripening of the woody plants.  Some never
finish up and lose height every year.  In the beginning, I could never
understand why shrubs and trees did not gain advertised heights. The shortness
of the frost-free season keeps them low for years.  In a longer season they
seem to have more time to put on height.  They catchup but do so slowly.
Mountain Laurel (kalmia) blooms here every other year.  Someone asked me to
save seed and I realize now that there is never any seed.  That accounts for
there being no indigenous kalmia around me.

<<<<Then one can track down the species and hybrids related to the locals
 and see how they will do in the garden.>>>>

I certainly agree with this however, Gene, a gardener just can't stay away
from the unknown especially after you guys write about it.


        <<<< Then there is the heat factor which is another story. UV is
different on
 mountain tops than in the lowlands. Up there they can have plenty of light
 and remain relatively cool. Hot and humid will literally melt many of the
 alpines.
         Gardening can not only be fun but quite a learning experience with
related
 fields of knowledge as well. >>>>

An interesting letter.  This fairly complicated hardiness question clouds
understanding of some of the information posted here.  I am always on the
lookout for plants that will do well in our conditions.

Claire Peplowski
East Nassau,
z4
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