Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello all. Still considering a move to South Lake Tahoe from San Diego. I have two beautiful, healthy, fruit-bearing citrus trees--a satsuma mandarin and a dwarf lemon that are in large pots. If I constructed a simple greenhouse, would I be able to keep them alive over winter (zone 6) or would I have to bring them inside under artificial lights in the garage every year? I love these trees, and would hate to have to give them to my mother to keep!
Those just don't look right in that type of climate...
Considering the trees in the background are green, this is probably a freek snow somewhere that normally doesn't get it. That type of fan palm is fairly hardy though, so no harm to them.
Hello all. Still considering a move to South Lake Tahoe from San Diego. I have two beautiful, healthy, fruit-bearing citrus trees--a satsuma mandarin and a dwarf lemon that are in large pots. If I constructed a simple greenhouse, would I be able to keep them alive over winter (zone 6) or would I have to bring them inside under artificial lights in the garage every year? I love these trees, and would hate to have to give them to my mother to keep!
Well, just a guess, but if the greenhouse protects them from freezing temps, I do not see why not. Now, is it going to continue to bear fruit is another story.
I saw some PBS special where a guy was interviewed at a think tank in Colorado. They had a fairly big greenhouse with citrus trees that produced fruit. So I guess the bigger and better the greenhouse, the more your trees will flourish.
I've seen pics of people growing palms up North but they also give them some serious protection like mini green houses around them,to me if you have to do that to get a palm to grow in your area then it isnt worth it.What will you do with that palm when it gets too tall to cover,I live in Albuquerque zone 7b and palms sometimes have a hard time here,there are some that make it and look great then there are some that die,and most people think your crazy for even trying to grow a palm here.They are not very common at all but I've seen more and more around in the past couple of years.
I think because of the warming of the planet- and something called 'zone creep' more people are inclined to attempt palms in locations that before would have been laughed at.
You location in New Mexico a zone 8 now, is an easy place to grow several cold tolerant palms. Trachycarpus, sabal, and nannerops- possibly chamerops humilis- all fan palms.
Washingtonia (desert fan palms from CA, and AZ) might be marginal there.
I grow trachycarpus here in Connecticut- zone 6/7 but they are covered in the winter.
Folks here can easily grow Giant sequoia now, Leland cypress, The most tender southern magnolia, several types of bamboo, and the most tender peach. Something not done 30 years ago. A few degrees warmer in the winter for absolute lows makes a difference. Winters in the northeast have had far less bite then in the past.
I think because of the warming of the planet- and something called 'zone creep' more people are inclined to attempt palms in locations that before would have been laughed at.
You location in New Mexico a zone 8 now, is an easy place to grow several cold tolerant palms. Trachycarpus, sabal, and nannerops- possibly chamerops humilis- all fan palms.
Washingtonia (desert fan palms from CA, and AZ) might be marginal there.
I grow trachycarpus here in Connecticut- zone 6/7 but they are covered in the winter.
Folks here can easily grow Giant sequoia now, Leland cypress, The most tender southern magnolia, several types of bamboo, and the most tender peach. Something not done 30 years ago. A few degrees warmer in the winter for absolute lows makes a difference. Winters in the northeast have had far less bite then in the past.
Now that you bring this up ,I was looking at a zone chart for the town I used to live in in Eastern New Mexico and it said it was a zone 6b (-5 to 0) and I dont recall ever seeing a day in my life where the temp was 0 degrees.This must mean absolute possible lows or something like that cause In Albuquerque is dosent get below 10 degrees very often.
and I have seen some California fans here, some have died and then some have gone unprotected and still thrive beautifully,but all fronds dry up get crispy and lose their greenness then come back in the spring.It's crazy how they do that,I have a few windmills and some Californias that are in their first year so we'll have to see how those come out.
The zone maps where updated in 2003-04 by the Arbor foundation- the 'A' and 'B' subsections where scrapped. Most areas of the continental USA and AK where kicked up a notch. See Hardiness Zone Lookup at arborday.org
I was rated a zone 5b, but the zone 6a was a few miles away. But with the new maps a zone 6. In recent years winter temps especially at night have been much milder- with zero or below not common. This winter thus far the lowest here has been about 2-3 degrees,making it a zone 7. 2005, 2005 and 2007 where all zone 7.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.