Another method that works is chicken wire and mulch. Make a cage out of chicken wire around the plant you want to protect, and fill it up with mulch.

Margaret

If you have an attached garage (that doesn't go below freezing) you can overwinter deciduous plants. I overwinter my fig, crepe myrtle,& hibiscus with this method. I also overwinter perennials in gallon pots that are either not hardy for my zone or too small to be put into a permanent location. I am thinking of trying to overinter one of my bouganvillea plants in this method as well as some new shrubs that I picked up in South Carolina this summer.

Joe

What kind of fig do you have and how cold does it get? We have occasional freezing down to the mid 20's quite frequently and my figs are just fine. i have both purple and green figs growing wild......

The variety of my fig is called Celeste. It is supposed to be one of the hardiest. My garage rarely goes below the mid 30's unless the temperature outside is below 0. Then I cover by plants with blankets

Joe

A FEW INCHES OF SNOW IS A FAIRLY GOOD INSULATOR, SO THE TEMPS AREN'T CONSTANTLY CHANGING IN THE ONTARIO, CANADA GARDEN... THE CHICKEN WIRE & MULCH CAGE SOUNDS GOOD, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO CHECK FOR SLUGS & SNAILS REAL EARLY IN MARCH... HAVE YOU TRIED THE LOCAL NW BANANA GROWERS FOR IDEAS? THEIR PLANTS HAVE SEMI-TROPICAL ORIGINS,TOO. (CONTACT THE HOME ORCHARD SOCIETY OR YOUR LOCAL USDA EXTENSION SRVC AGENTS). GOOD GARDENING TO YOU,K.

I want to create as tropical a feel in my pool area as possible and want to know what palm-like plants will do well in the northeast US

Okay guys, I do tropical gardening in Nova Scotia, and I have found THE book for all your questions: It is called : "Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths" by David Francko, who is the head of the Botany Department at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. He is doing just the kind of gardening that you guys are asking about, and he gives very detailed instuctions on overwintering protection, as well as hardy tropical lists. The book is available from Amazon and Buy.com, etc. Worth every penny! In the meantime, if anyone wants to ask me questions on my experiences, please feel free to send me an e-mail at tropics.ns.sympatico.ca

Check out this link for a guy who is growing palms appropriate for a zone or two warmer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Protecting palms