Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Zone Range Limit
(6/7): Date-Palm, Pomegranate,Strawberry-Tree, Fuzzy Kiwi, Kaki, OTHERS?
I'm at the 6B/7A border in MD .. usually the lowest low each
year is in the -2F to 2F range.
Hardy pomegranates - two years of very minor dieback
Fuzzy kiwi - 8 years, no dieback. Main problem is too-short season
for fruit maturity, trying several supposedly shorter-season varieties
now.
Asian persimmon - 8 years, only one year where my Hachiya lost half its
limbs (and my half-dozen other varieties were all undamaged). Hachiya is
known to be less hardy but it took -2F one year with no ill effects.
Fig - without protection it varies from year to year; last winter I lost
nothing but in some years I had dieback to the ground. No plants ever
died. I protected them for several years but now they are so big they
are on their own.
Feijoa - I kept it in leaf one winter with several layers of thick
rowcover around it. The problem however is the plant will never fruit in
my zone due to its odd timing of blossoming and fruiting so I decided to take
them out. It would be possible to get the flowers if covered I
expect.
and.. Western blackberries - all kinds can be grown if put on the ground
and covered. So far the only reliably hardy one without covering is
Metolius which fruited this last summer but didn't taste very good
unfortunately (it overcropped). I am trying many of the recently bred
selections to see if one is more hardy. In fact I will have extra plants
of four new selections I ordered for next spring for testing (Orus 1523-4, Orus 1843-3 (aka Wild
Treasure), NZ
9351-4, NZ
9671-1) since the minimum order is 50 each; if you are interested in buying a
few off me at cost (about $2 per tissue-culture plant) send me an email.
I have been growing Wild Treasure for several years and it is at least
partly hardy; there is no data on the other ones. I have had both
Loganberry and Marionberry fruit for me and I prefer them to the more hardy
varieties so I want to get some berries like that going in my climate. The two
NZ selections are more red like a loganberry, they have some raspberry in
them.