Hardy Plants and Trees
Gillyflower53
Posts: 3
in Talkback
We live about 800 feet above sea level so are prone to deep frosts and very cold winters. Over the years we have learned that perennials, which die down in the winter serve us best. However, I am interested in planting a Cercis Canadensis Pansy Tree and wonder exactly how hardy it is. Does anyone have any experience of growing this tree in similar chilly conditions? Also I'm keen to put quite a mature specimen in and would like to know if anyone has planted a mail order Pansy Tree, which appears to arrive as a bare rooted plant only 90cm high. If so, how long does it take to become a fully fledged tree?
0
Posts
It comes from the N.E. of North America, where winters are far colder than we experience here, so should enjoy your site. I do not think they are fast growing so would go for a decent specimen.
I have a Cercis ,BUT I live in sunny Devon so not such harsh weather I don't think yours would survive. Not a fast grower and resents being moved,I certainly wouldn't be getting a bare root one and not one soo small.
They are supposed to be hardy to about -23C but I expect the limit is less in Britain where we don't get the blankets of insulating snow.
I was given one some years ago and it did well the first two winters after planting but they were normal for here and only down to -15C for two or three weeks in Jan/Feb.
Subsequent winters were colder and after a -20C it decided to become a shrub but died completely the following year.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thank you both for your advice. The mail order plants seem reasonably priced at around £30 but I was concerned about the small size. If we do decide to risk it then we will probably go for a more mature specimen.
How much !!!!!!!!!
you should be able to get a decent one a lot cheaper than that.
They will prefer a well drained spot - winter wet is probably more of a concern than temperatures. Perhaps that's what did for obelixx's.
For £30 you should be able to find a really decent specimen from a nursery.
Mine was planted in a spot that is well drained and other, hardier trees have thrived in that corner of the garden, even a robinia frisia till it got sick with their new disease.
I think £30 is a bit OTT and also suggest that a small tree will establish more easily than a big one so invest your money in a good quality smaller one that will grow faster and soon overtake a more mature tree.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thank you all for your helpful advice. We are rather nervous about investing our pennies in something which may not like our climate or clay soil. We can be heard wandering around garden centres, as we look at the prices, muttering "No, we can kill something cheaper than that". By the way. I also saw a Cercis on offer at £59.99....