Cold Weather Species (zones 3-5)

Aurelius

I'm trying to put together a listing of species appropriate for the cold weather zones 3-5.

Now I realize that this is subjective both in terms of what wiil be a good species for bonsai in general and also as to what zone they may or may not survive in, but I want to start somewhere.
For example, just to pick 3 species.
While people consider an amur maple a nice species and can be hardy in zone 5 can it be grown in zones 3-4?
Where as a Red and Norway maple is hardy and can easily be found in these zones, most folks would think that they are a marginal species to consider, because in part, of the size of their leaf.
And while a Willow (Salix) is hardy in zone 3-9 many people wouldn't consider this an easy tree to work with.

Having said all that, I put together a list, (I'm sure it isn't comprehensive) and am asking for this groups input.
Input in the way of providing species, what zones they are hardy to and whether you think regardless of what zone they can be grown in would they make a good bonsai.
I know it looks daunting for one person but with a good deal of 2 cents from a lot of folks it shouldn't be so difficult.
Thank in advance.

pine (Pinus)
spruce (Picea)
fir (Abies)
birch (Betula)

maple (Acer)
elm (Ulmas)
oak (Quercus)
ash (Sorbus).

larch (Larix)
hemlock (Tsuga)
cedar (Thuja)
willow (Salix)
apple (Malus)


Adler (Alnus)
hawthorne (Crataegus)
Russian Olive (Elaeagnus)
Tamarix
Rhododendron

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Adam_MA

If you go to http://www.arborday.org you can search their tree DB by zone and see what tree's they list as hardy to that zone.

Adam

Aurelius

Thanks.
It has its limitations but it's a big start anyway.

acousticco

I had started a Zone 3 treelist a while back here:
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthr...t=zone+tolerant
Hope it helps,

-Cody

__________________
acoustic company gardens

ALDEVAUX

I am glad you ashed this question because I live in zone 4 and many of the species that grow in my area are not listed in the lists of "suitable species" for styling. Is it because they were never tried in zone 4 or maybe found not suitable in an another zone ? I am convinced that there big enough differences between certain zones that make the same species grow very differntly in each zone. For example red maple from my zone would probably not grow the same way in florida where it is much warmer and a much shorter length of daylight in the summer.
The species you list all grow very well in zone 4, but I do not know in they all can be suitably styled for good bonsai. I am trying some of them just for fun.

Aurelius

acousticco,
I can see that you have already done what I would probably have ended up doing.
ou also seem to have stalled where I probably would have.
So what happened to putting it up on a web site?
Lack of time I suppose.
It sound like something that could easily be put into a spreadsheet. That part I could do. Importing it into a webpage is another animal though.
I'd be willing to do some grunt work and data entry work in Excel or Word if anyone would be interested in a collaborative project.