…… Question about plant survival in hardiness zones 5b-6b

[bluelady]

Our good friends are finally making it out of California!

They're in the Santa Cruz mountains 9b/10a, and moving up to N Idaho/NW Montana; looks like 5b-6b. She wants to take apple, apricot, plum, pomegranate, blackberries, and roses with her in containers. From what I can see all should be ok except pomegranate, and apricot might be borderline. Does anyone have experience with any of those in those zones?

I'm going to babysit the plants in May while they're up there getting a place. I'm in 7a so hopefully there will be no freezes and they will tolerate all the changes.

 

[Freeholder]

You will need to check the Sunset growing zones for the western US, rather than the USDA growing zones. Elevation and other factors come into play in a big way; it's possible to be in USDA zone 6, but Sunset zone 1 (been there, done that!). Depending on their exact location, apricots might do well for them. There is a section of Northern Idaho where peaches even grow well. But go up a few hundred feet (or a few thousand feet) in elevation, and you'd better look for hardy plums, crab apples, and some of the hardier berries.

Kathleen

ETA: There is something else your friends need to take into consideration. Latitude matters to many perennial plants, including trees. They may find that plants grown at the latitude of their new home will do much better there than the ones they bring north from California. It's worth trying, if they already have them, but plants purchased locally are likely to do much better there.

 

[Telescope Steve]

Also you want to consider the local micro-climate when you locate trees.

Where I live we have hills, not flat land.

Colder air sinks down the hill. So the lower land may be colder than up a bit higher. And the top of the hills tend to have more wind.

So for the apricot tree you may want to put it half way up the hillside. And you may want to put it on a north facing hillside.

I have read that apricot trees blossom early in the spring. A late frost could kill the blossoms. So a north facing hillside will not warm up as early in the spring compared with a south facing hillside. So planting it on the north side might give you a better chance of getting fruit.

 

[hiwall]

Elevation is a big deal. Also if the exact area is heavily treed or open. Open areas suffer wider temperature fluctuations.
I'm at 7500 ft. Every tree and bush I have planted has died due to hard freezing multiple times each spring. Usually we are safe from freezing after the fourth of July but not always.

 

[drafter]

Biggest problem we had east of the cascades is water. While you can grow quite a few things, be prepared to have everything irrigated and spend quite a bit of money on water and pump costs. In some areas, unless you have groundwater rights you’re technically not supposed to be able to water anything other than a small lawn from your domestic well. Just some things to think about. I’ll be 6b in southern Missouri so plan on planting apple, peach, apricot, pear, plum, & cherry.

 

[Babs]

I can guarantee that N. Idaho and NW Mt. are not in a zone 7, unless you are along the river. USDA zones are off, by a LOT in some places. She will be at best a zone 5, and likely lower than that. Apricots can do well in some of the towns along the rivers, but anywhere else it's risky. Pomegranate is a definite no. Everything else should be ok.