Individuals people with gardens in Connecticut, especially across the seem, will always be around the fringe of things warmer. We imagined of warmer weather plants for example camellias, sweet box, gold dust plant and crape myrtle within our seaside gardens. A couple of brave gardeners have grown these southern special gems in protected corners and attended great lengths to safeguard their prized garden gems from winter’s cold fingers. With warmer temperatures and winters moderating these garden special gems could be incorporated within our plant palette.
The U . s . States Department of Agriculture (USDA) just issued the most recent Plant Hardiness Zone Map for that U . s . States. The revised map now shows some parts of Connecticut which was once a Zone 6b are actually a Zone 7a. Which means that a number of individuals Zone 7 plants you have always preferred growing will survive in a few locations. Weather changes towards the seaside areas now indicate that southerly servings of Fairfield and New Haven Counties have been in Zone 7a.
Plants that can now be grown in areas of southern Connecticut and coveted by most gardeners once they visit their more southerly neighbors include: Some types of Crape Myrtle, some types of Camellias, Sweet box, Gold Dust Plant, Needle palms. Several notable perennials formerly were considered annuals is now able to grown and likely to survive including Gunnera, cardoon, verbena some lilies and many more. The most crucial things what this means is for designers and gardeners locally is the fact that our palette of plants to select from continues to be greatly expanded.
Camelias which will always be a standard feature of the southern gardens, but simply out achieve from the Connecticut gardeners now really are a viable option. A wide range of camellias are sturdy to Zone 7 could be grown and a few cold sturdy camellia varieties have finally been developed which are considered sturdy to USDA Zone 6 with protection. Included in this are: Camellia ‘April Remembered’, C. ‘April Kiss’, C. ‘April Tryst’, C. ‘Pink Icicle’, C. ‘Polar Ice’, C. ‘Winter’s Joy’, C. ‘Winter’s Rose’, C. ‘Winter’s Snowman’ and C. ‘Winter’s Waterlily’.
Another staple of southern gardens is Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). There are lots of Crape myrtles hybrid which are mostly sturdy to USDA Zone 7, but could be wiped out down in severe winters. There’s a couple of varieties which are root sturdy to Zone 6 and could be treated as perennials. Lagerstroemia fauriei is proven to be reliably sturdy to USDA Zone 6, but avoid planting them on the south-facing wall in which the winter sun might break their dormancy too soon. Zone 6 sturdy or root sturdy Crapemyrtles include: Lagerstroemia indica ‘Burgundy Cotton’, L. indica ‘Red Rocket’, L. indica ‘Tightwad’, L. indica ‘Becky’s Watermelon Red’, L. ‘Sarahs Favorite’ and L. fauriei cultivars – ‘Bashams Party Pink’, ‘Biloxi’, ‘Choctaw’, ‘Hopi’. The Fleming Filigrees cultivars are sturdy to USDA Zone 4.
