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Wilma Goldcrest hardiness

brownest_thumb
10 years ago

Is it hardy in Zone 7 NYC?

Anyone have experience with this one?

Thanks

Comments (8)

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    It's a Cupressus macrocarpa cultivar so on top of limited cold tolerance it would be expected to have an inability to take the Amazonian summer conditions back East. Even in my part of USDA 8 it is not usual to see large, lasting examples of these - although there is a scattering of a comparatively tiny number of somewhat anomalous big specimens of the typical green parent species near salt water - whereas when you go down to northern coastal California the green as well as some of the yellow are everywhere, in all sizes.

  • brownest_thumb
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks!

    It seems it is mistakenly characterized on many websites as being hardy till zone 7. I was hoping this was hardier than the species and its 'goldcrest' counterpart.

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    I've seen one cultivar mentioned as being hardier than others, probably this one. But hardy in New York? And again, what about the summer conditions?

    With USDA hardiness zone assignments you have to watch out for plants being rated too high, this happens all the time. 0 to 10F for Zone 7 is the range of average lows, not the coldest it gets there. If a plant is only hardy to 0 to 10F Zone 7 is where it starts to fail, not as far down as it can go and still make it for more than so many years - if that long. As it appears is often the case with such determinations people are probably rating this cypress hardy to Zone 7 because of it having been noticed that it burns or dies outright at around 10F.

    If it even goes down that low. Small specimens of yellow C. macrocarpa cultivars like this one became ubiquitous at local outlets awhile back but were often presented as indoor plants. Presumably most of the bigger wild type green ones here have come through less than 10F at least a few times - but yellow forms of conifers are often more cold-sensitive than is normal for the species.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    10 years ago

    Rated by some pretty reputable west coast sources as withstanding 5F without damage so at least possible in an average zone 7 winter. Seems to do fine long term in my zone 8, as have had one in a container for going on 10 years. Have no experience how it would fair in an east coast summer.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    your confusion.. is in thinking that z7 is consistent across its whole spectrum ...

    at its simplest ...it an average cold min ...

    but that takes nothing into account about.. what bboy notes.. summer ... latitude [sun intensity].. etc ...

    e.g. my z5 MI... has frozen soil for near on 4 months ... and z5 Kc.... barely at all ... but because of that little river next to it.. nighttime humidity.. in the dead of summer.. smothers things that i can grow.. that they cant ...

    so just saying something is z7 hardy.. is not really saying much at all ...

    another e.g. would be flat as a pancake IA with the prairie winds in winter... many conifers cant take high blistering winds all winter .... and again.. they are the same z5 ....

    which all boils down to micro climates within z7 .... if any are possible ...

    start a new post ... and ask... what looks just like this.. but will do well in my location ... name aside.. this should not be a hard equation to fill ...

    ken

  • outback63 Dennison
    10 years ago

    Good analogy Ken.

    Dave

  • nikkie_in_toronto
    10 years ago

    There are various golden varieties of cupressus macrocarpa that are very prosperous at the JC Raulston arboretum in Raleigh NC, fwiw. I have seen Wilma Goldcrest prospering here in Charleston as well; some in pots and some in the ground. I'm not sure of long term survival but over the past few years they have done quite well.

  • ogcon
    10 years ago

    I have removed two'Wilma Goldcrests' from the Oregon
    Garden,Zone 7b-8a not because they died ,they became unsightly from cold weather burning.I doubt they'll enjoy
    snow load either.Also lost a nice Cup.macro.'Greenstead
    Magnificent' after growing well for a few years.Only survivors are a 20' Karoonda' and a small 'Coneybearii Aurea' from the macrocarpa group.