Prunus Mume Hardiness

007

I've got a P. Mume seedling that I received from Brent at Evergreen Gardenworks back in April of this year. Well, it has since tripled (yes, tripled) in size and is really done well so far in my area.

It is currently in a two gallon nursery pot with a good, fast draining mix of lava rock, pine bark, and turface. Fall/winter is fast approaching and I want to be prepared when the freezing temps arrive.

I've got two options basically with what to do with this tree over the winter . . . I can:

A) Leave the tree in its pot and place it into my outdoor shed . . . .
B) Remove the tree from its pot and "slip pot" it into the ground . . .

Option B is how I treat my Japanese Maples and they do fine . . .

What are your thoughts?

I've also got a Korean Hornbeam that is considerably smaller than the P. Mume . . . any ideas of how to treat that one?

Thanks!

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Brent

007

You want to put it where it will stay coldest the longest (below 40F). The problem isn't so much the minimum cold temperatures as it is late spring freezes. Mume wants to come out of dormancy very early, which is what we treasure about them: the early flowering. But once they flower, they also lose much of their freeze resistence. This is the reason I am having so much trouble growing them here even though I am in zone 8. The longer you can delay flowering, the better. If in the ground covered with snow and in the shade will keep them dormant until freeze danger passes, then that's fine. I wouldn't trust leaving them outside if they are in the sun, that's just asking for trouble. I worry that your shed may heat up too fast in the spring, but you would know better than I about that.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com