I think somewhere, in some gardening/plant publication there is a commandment that states:
“Thou shalt not covet thy family’s or friend’s plant hardiness zone.”
Well forgive me Father, for I just sinned, like a whole lot this past weekend.
We spent the long weekend in Virginia Beach with family and my sinning began about half way there during the car ride on Friday. All along Route 13 in Maryland and Virginia were an endless number of blooming Crepe Myrtles that were a sight to behold for this zone 6’er. Now these trees may be commonplace for all you zone 7’ers but for me it was PHE NOM E NAL.
I have tried a few times to overwinter a Crepe Myrtle here in zone 6B and was wildly unsuccessful. Now this may have more to do with my poor winter drainage but for today’s purposes, let’s blame it on the hardiness zone (and I will have to submit to formal confession at a later date for my “drainage envy” as well).
Let me also add Camellia’s to the list of shrubs I’ve coveted and naively attempted to overwinter after a promise of “Now a Camellia that will survive in zone 6, just send $10.99 and we’ll also throw in a Coleus that miraculously can survive winter temps below 10 degrees. Be one of the first ten callers and you only pay the costs of shipping and handling.”
Once my zone envy was in check, I began to develop more of a “Southern envy” which I’m pretty sure isn’t technically a sin but will have to look it up.
Right on the golf course beyond the fence of my host family’s property (and let me thank them again for all that they did for us, most importantly, keeping the kids occupied while we drank, swam, drank and then went out to dinner to drink some more) was a beautiful big old, perfectly southern, weeping willow tree.
Now the following leaves a lot to be desired in my mind, but the formal pruning of this tree just fits in perfectly with the whole Southern thang.
I’m too tired to look up the exact tree cultivar, but the “palm” tree below was another reminder of the fact that we weren’t in the NJ any more.
If you’ve read my blog for a while now (and thank you by the way, check is in the mail) you know the issues I’ve had with knockout roses. Most recently, I gave them a formal burial and vow to never look back. Well, I was given another reminder this weekend of how they are supposed to look. The two below are only two years old.
Are you frickin kidding me? Wow. Have to move on and leave my disappointing memories firmly in the past
Another example of a tree that exudes “Southerness” is the Southern Magnolia. Yes I know, there are a ton that can survive here as well, but let’s face it my friends, it just isn’t the same no matter how hard you try.
My wife and I have vowed to move south for the past few years, in search of better weather and to just mix it up a bit. We also enjoy the more laid back ‘tude and atmosphere. Will we ever do it? I don’t know, the magic 8 ball constantly says “no”. As I get older though, I find the winters less and less charming. We’ll see, even if we do, I’m sure I’ll find a way to complain about the inability to grow a certain perennial that requires a colder winter or that things aren’t moving fast enough.
Namaste
ONG
Zone envy…here in USDA 6b-8a, we might be one of the few places that has the opposite zone envy…”arcticists” / desert deniers want us to be the same 2 zones colder (like Denver), or even cooler Missoula, for some sick reason. Wish they would move!
Zone envy?
I live in USDA Zone 4b. It would be like heaven just to garden in your Zone 6.
Zone Envy – I hear you. I live in Wisconsin. My tomato plants are still shivering in the cold when I hear other folks South of me harvesting and eating. Sigh.
No Zone envy here! I’m a Z-8er. :p
Well..we are in zone 6b here is SW Missouri, and we grow crape myrtle very well. Once in a great while it gets killed back to the ground, but it comes back up as it is root hardy. It will grow as far north as Kansas City in Zone 5b but that is about its limit. Some of the new varieties are hardier than others, too!
Also grow tulip magnoloia (soulangeana)which is what that is in your last picture, tho sometimes the flowers get killed by a late freeze, and Wisconsin weeping willow, which is hardy as far north as, well, Wisconsin. Don’t give up!
You had me at the title on this one- You’re too funny! As a veg gardener tho I know what you mean…but we have an advantage:
We have tools like Cold Frames, Row Covers, High Tunnels, and Heavy Mulching to get us through, and yes-Hell Yes! Sometimes we consider it a challenge (since, honestly, we have no choice.)
I am building a “winter garden” this year …so sad 🙁
~GJ
I’ll tell you what is a sin: to live in my zone 7B and not have a crape myrtle. I wrote about this just today – I had started looking around locally for good sources for crape myrtles. There are several very mature examples of this tree in my neighborhood and it is high time I get one, or two or three…
You live in Kingwood. Land of soggy feet. You just can’t grow plants normal people in our climate zone grow. It’s your destiny, unless you move to a more well drained part of the Garden State. I saw a beautiful Crepe Myrtle covered with blossom at the house beside the Presbyterian church in Lambertville just the other day.
When talking Crepe Myrtles, zone envy is always allowed! Gotta love comming across a beautiful knock out rose right after you put your foot down about them. I find it is often the case when it comes to plant. Never say never 😉
Appreciate all of the comments! The truth is I probably have more of a drainage envy than anything else. As James mentioned, I am in the land of soggy feet – but I must say it is opening my eyes to a potential bog garden. Stay cool my friends – heat advisory here in NJ today.
It’s funny what we take for granted in the garden. Crepe myrtles are everywhere. I enjoy them, but they’re so ubiquitous. I have one in my backyard, and I want to add more because they do so well in the hot sun and humidity of NC. In never take magnolias for granted though. I’m always the first to notice when they bloom, because I’m looking for it! lol. I have a camellia as well, that Chuck bought me two Valentine’s Days ago. It’s nice, but it has yellow mottle virus. Doesn’t kill the plant, but makes the leaves look not quite so attractive 🙁 And it only sprouts 3 flowers a year.
Thought you might be interested in this interactive zone hardiness map for New Jersey:
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-jersey-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php