if you post pix of them.. you will probably get an ID by cone alone ...

as to whether the seed matured .. you will have to wait until the cones dry and open.. and find seeds .. rather than just seed wings ...

if you get the ID.. you can also get info on how long it might take for them to open ... or hints about how to facilitate such ....

ken

One of the fastigiate cultivars of Mediterranean Cypress.

Not hardy in Rhode Island, or in zone 6-7. It is hardy to well below freezing (down to around -10ð to -15ð), but (sorry!) I don't believe your claim to only rarely get below freezing!

If you want to try them indoors: first, dry the cones out. Could take a month or two in a warm, dry room. When the cones are open, shake the seeds out. To be viable, the seeds should be dark brown; if they're pale brown or yellowish, the cones weren't ripe yet and the seeds won't grow. No stratification needed, the seeds can be sown in spring without any pre-treatment.

Resin

figures.. our resident guru.. didnt even need the pic.. lol ...

ken

Thanks resin! However, I live on Aquidneck Island we're close in latitude to Provence. Our family has been visiting this island since 1902. I have lived here for the past 14 years. We get to about 5 degrees F. Usually not less. Thanks though, Mrs. G Yep, Med. Cypress, left that out.

If the cones are green, the seeds will not be viable. The seeds need 18 months to mature, that is after the second Summer. Mature seeds are brown. Immature ones are yellow or light brown. A photo would help to assess the age of the cones.

I think there might have been some confusion with the Celsius/Fahrenheit thing :-) Hard to imagine any part of RI being in USDA zone 7 but it's true...had to check it myself. I guess it's the Gulf Stream effect.

" I guess it's the Gulf Stream effect."

Nope, the Gulf Stream is long gone after coastal NC. It's really a subtle mix of factors but mostly just the "being next to the ocean effect", as well as having a lower elevation than most of New England. It's clearly not the obvious advective warming you get in a maritime climate like the PNW, but, believe me, all of the coldest records in coastal New England occurred _after_ the ocean froze. Also, much less but not completely insignificant, the "having smallish-ish mountains to the north in VT and NH." This is partly why central MA, even away from the water, is a slightly better USDA zone than say, central WI. Even if you corrected for elevation. I think there's a tertiary contribution from the overall jet stream pattern but I've never been able to fully study and characterize it. It seems deep polar troughs prefer to start in the middle of the continent (again, though, related to the position of the oceans...) and then advance "sideways" into New England, losing a bit of their umph.

Anyhow, yes Coastal RI is notably milder than the rest of New England (except Cape Cod and the islands of course.) Alas it is seldom exploited...as it typical for Americans outwith the sort of people who populates these forums. But, for example, there were huge Highclere hollies at one of the Newport 'cottages' that clearly indicated a climate no worse than 6b. I'm sure I even saw a hardy camellia or two at the more adventurously gardened estates. But many private gardens in middle class sections are just drab plantings of zn 4 stelwarts like lilac and sugar maple.

But, getting WAY back on topic...no, even if the seeds were good, there's no way Italian Cypress would do well in RI. I've only seen scattered ones in southeastern Virginia, and they were not very old. I bet 1985 killed a few, when the entire Hampton Roads all the way down to the state line went below 0F.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sun, Oct 19, 14 at 12:03

I read a bit about this to see what actual climatologists say. Firstly, there's even some controversy about the degree to which the Gulf Stream warms NW Europe. Which is funny because I've thought that for 20 years. I don't care which way the currents are flowing, the fact is the British Isles are surrounded on 300+ degrees...and almost all the ones that matter...by hundreds of miles of salty, freeze-resistant water. It takes just the right kink in the jet stream and winds prevailing from the NE to give them their periodic severe freezes. Anyhow, the main channel of it definitely diverges at NC. The cold Labrador current definitely dominates areas north of Cape Cod; so, in that sense, in winter, given the prevailing wind direct is N or NW, a case can be made that a "cold" current influences the climate even in southern New England just as much as the "warm" Gulf Stream. In fact, 1920s industrialists had a crazy plan to block the Labrador current, thinking it would make the climate of eastern Canada much milder:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NioDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA33

So does the Gulf Stream warm coastal New England? Yes, in the sense that, if the northern oceans flowed counter clockwise instead of clockwise, we'd probably have icebergs coming down the coast all year including summer. But where does most of the warmth carried by the Gulf Stream go? Definitely to the Azores and NW Europe, not Rhode Island!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://books.google.com/books?id=NioDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA33

has been argued about ad nauseum elsewhere, so I'm kinda sorry I started here. We are both right, gardengal!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.city-data.com/forum/weather/1118514-do-mountains-british-columbia-protect-west-6.html

Here's an interesting garden in coastal RI, making the best of the climate.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sakonnetgarden.com/