NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/rec/gardens/8005

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-15 | 1.7 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uniwa!uniwa!nfm
From: [e-mail] (Dave Rindos)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: List of cold climate gums
Date: 16 Nov 1992 15:04:43 +0800
Organization: The University of Western Australia
Lines: 27
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: uniwa.uwa.edu.au

[e-mail] writes:

>A  few weeks ago someone wrote asking about growing Eucalypts in Boston
>and this sparked a conversation about cold climate gums. Here is a list
>of cold climate gums from the Better Homes and Gardens Native Plants book.
>As they are australian they can withstand high temperatures and dry
>conditions as well as cold, snow and frost.

Beware, however, that "cold" and "frost" are relatively relative terms!
Even the *coldest* regions of Ozzie (like Canberra, fer instance) are
very mild by north american standards.  "Frost" hence means slightly
below freezing (like the high 20's F); "cold" means the low 30's F.  I
doubt very very much that ANYWHERE in Australia would have anthing even
vaguely approaching a typical Boston winter (weeks of below freezing
temperature with nights going to zero F or so and days in the teens F).

Here it is probably worth noting that some of the plants included for
"cold climate" gardens (in the Encyclopedia of Australian Gardening)
inlcude some rather "tender" (by NA standards) as Deodar Cedar, Magnolia
campbelli, Eucryphia, and Eleagnus pungens.

Still, I would not be surprised if some of the herbaceous stuff from
these areas might not prove hardy (esp under a reliable snow cover).  It
would be nice if these plants were introduced into cultivation in the US
and other very cold climates.

Dave