North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Michele Stanton" <6ducks@gmail.com>]

Hi Scott,

How are you wrapping your fig?

I have a Chicago Hardy fig which I planted out this summer—it’s getting too big to keeping lugging back and forth.  An arboretum about 30 minutes south of me has figs on the south side of a building that are protected by straw bales, which works, but  I would love to try something less bulky to protect it with.

 

Michele in SW Ohio zone 6a

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of S & E Hills
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 6:12 AM
To: 'North American Fruit Explorers'
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Zone Range Limit (6/7): Date-Palm, Pomegranate, Strawberry-Tree, Fuzzy Kiwi, Kaki, OTHERS?

 

I‘m in zone 6b (michigan) and of the fruits on your list, I have:

 

#2 just added this year, 2 suppsedly hardy cultivars set into the ground at the south facing foundation of my house.  We’ll see how hardy they prove after the winter. 

 

I have a #5 (Japanese Kaki) variety Ichi Ke Kei Jiro in my front yard,  the tree is 4 years old.  It is planted about 20 feet from the same south facing foundation.  It makes it through winters for me with minimal die back, but it has suffered 2 injuries due to people breaking off brances (this is my front yard) and while it has flowered once (just a single flower) it has not yet produced a fruit for me.

 

#8 I have a locally found, unidentified, fig variety which survived here  (in Michigan) without protection for years before my having planted it in my yard.  It is in the back yard, not facing a foundation and while in previous years I have wrapped it (some years better than others) it gets little dieback and fruits for me each year.  (in 09 the fruits didn’t ripen due to the colder than usual summer and fall, though).

 

I have also overwintered passionflowers (Cerulea, incarnata), Eucomis (pineapple lilly) and cala lilies  in the area of the same south facing foundation in the front yard.

 

Scott Hills

Fortunately located in a nice microclimate area of Southeast Michigan

 

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From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Steven Covacci
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 2:09 AM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] Zone Range Limit (6/7): Date-Palm, Pomegranate, Strawberry-Tree, Fuzzy Kiwi, Kaki, OTHERS?

 

 

This thread concerns Zones 6a through 7a...

Zone Range Limit: Date-Palm, Pomegranate, Strawberry-Tree, Fuzzy-Kiwi, Japanese Persimmon, & other??? semi-hardy subtropics (Zones 6a through 7a)

 

WITHOUT (much) winter protection, how far have you been able to push the USDA zone range limit for the following fruit types?

 

Please be sure to sub-divide zone ranges into A & B, actual lowest minimum temperatures the tree/shrub was exposed to, die-back to roots vs winter injury, 

 

1. Date-Palm (Phoenix spp.)

 

2. Pomegranate (Punica granatum): hardy cultivars

 

3. Strawberry-Tree (Arbutus unedo)

 

4. Kiwi [non-hardy: fuzzy-kiwi; Chinese gooseberry) (Achtinidia deliciosa) 

 

5. Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki): hardy cultivars

 

6. Princess persimmon [diamond-leaf persimmon] (Diospyros rhombifolia)

 

7. Afghanistan fig (Ficas afganistanica) 

 

8. Edible fig (Ficas carica): hardy cultivars without protection

 

9. Chinese pistachio (Pistacia chinensis) 

 

10. ANY OTHER alleged (with inconsistent hardiness data) semi-hardies (Myrtus/Ugni molinae, Feijoa sellowaniana, others?)

 

Thanks,

Steve Covacci