Temperature requirements for Helicodiceros

From: "Tony Avent" <tony at plantdelights.com> on 2010.01.31 at 15:46:31(20533) Aroiders: As often happens, gardeners seem to have greatly underestimated the winter hardiness of both Dracunculus vulgaris and Helicodiceros. Our former research horticulturist Petra Schmidt brought clones of Dracunculus here from her previous home in St. Louis, where she had grown them for many years, so Zone 6b would certainly be fine and probably colder. We have had numerous calls from Zone 6 areas of Tennessee over the years where Dracunculus vulgaris grew fine. Helicodiceros have also been fine here for more than a decade surviving temps to at least 6 degrees F with no mulch. As with many plants from warm climates, they need good summer heat to produce an adequate amount of sugars to fully develop their potential winter hardiness. We are predicted to drop near 10 F tonight (we hit 9F last winter) and a number of our helicodiceros are already up and growing, so we may get some burned foliage, but the plants should be fine. Tony Avent +More Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdelights.com phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent ________________________________________ From: aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of Paul Temple Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:42 PM To: aroid-l@gizmoworks.com Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Temperature requirements for Helicodiceros (Susan B) Hi. I´ve been silent for about a year as a result of some legal issues locall y. However, the Helicodiceros question spurred me to break silence! I used to live in the English countryside where winter temperatures often fell below zero Centigrade, though not too much colder. My helicodiceros plants (I had perhaps 30) survived these winters outdoors,below ground (obviously!) at a depth of between 6 and 12 inches. Once mid-Spring arri ved (mid to late April), out they came, flowering annually once of mature age.Once mid-summer arrived (August at latest), the heat dried off the plants and they became dormant again. So I would say that Helicodiceros is more hardy than is generally stated (but it not reliably hardyso probably can´t take -5C or less for lo ng periods) while it is also not a heat lover, preferring dormancy once temperatures reach about 25C for a prolonged period. Of course, this was my experience for my plants in the South of England so it´s only a guide, not a rule! Have fun. Paul In the cool mountains of the Dominican Republic (but sadly with no Helicodiceros!) _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2010.01.31 at 18:09:54(20534) I'll second Tony's comments on Dracunculus vulgaris. It's been grown here in NW Arkansas for at least 100 years now, 25 of those by me, and we were (up until the last 10 years or so) a solid USDA zone 6. Some strains appear to be more cold hardy than others, as these plants have also survived at the Denver BG (USDA zone 5) for some years now, where other strains did not. (Of course, "hardy in Denver" is a standing joke in some horticultural circles - despite their colder temperatures, Denverites can grow many things I can't.) Dracunculus will no doubt send up leaves here in the next 3 or 4 weeks, and they will be subjected to several hard frosts but will not be damaged unless the temperatures get below about -8 or -9 C (16-17 F). I've been unable to grow Helicodiceros outdoors here, and have now killed it more than Tony's requisite three times but will probably kill again, because I know of someone who has kept it alive in Kansas City - about 320 km (200 miles) north of me, and therefore generally a little colder but otherwise similar - for several years. Steve +More On Sun, 31 Jan 2010, Tony Avent wrote: > Aroiders: > > As often happens, gardeners seem to have greatly underestimated the winter > hardiness of both Dracunculus vulgaris and Helicodiceros. Our former > research horticulturist Petra Schmidt brought clones of Dracunculus here > from her previous home in St. Louis, where she had grown them for many > years, so Zone 6b would certainly be fine and probably colder. We have had > numerous calls from Zone 6 areas of Tennessee over the years where > Dracunculus vulgaris grew fine. Helicodiceros have also been fine here for > more than a decade surviving temps to at least 6 degrees F with no mulch. > As with many plants from warm climates, they need good summer heat to > produce an adequate amount of sugars to fully develop their potential winter > hardiness. We are predicted to drop near 10 F tonight (we hit 9F last > winter) and a number of our helicodiceros are already up and growing, so we > may get some burned foliage, but the plants should be fine. -- Steve Marak -- samarak@gizmoworks.com _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: "Daniel Devor" <plantguy at zoominternet.net> on 2010.02.01 at 12:36:14(20538) Hi Tony, I'm sure you are right, but Helicodiceros can not survive in zone 6 garden when it hits -20C.....that is how some perished after I goot tired of seein g them do nothing inside my home for a few years. I've never tried a Dracunculus vulgaris. If I could find one with exceptional white on the leaves a a striking petiole I might put one in the ground, but the standard ones you see "everywhere" just aren't exciting enough to try. May is only a few months away now and then the plants can go back outside with some protection from the late season frosts.....can't wait :o) Dan +More ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Avent" To: "'Discussion of aroids'" Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 10:46 AM Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Temperature requirements for Helicodiceros Aroiders: As often happens, gardeners seem to have greatly underestimated the winter hardiness of both Dracunculus vulgaris and Helicodiceros. Our former research horticulturist Petra Schmidt brought clones of Dracunculus here from her previous home in St. Louis, where she had grown them for many years, so Zone 6b would certainly be fine and probably colder. We have had numerous calls from Zone 6 areas of Tennessee over the years where Dracunculus vulgaris grew fine. Helicodiceros have also been fine here for more than a decade surviving temps to at least 6 degrees F with no mulch. As with many plants from warm climates, they need good summer heat to produce an adequate amount of sugars to fully develop their potential winter hardiness. We are predicted to drop near 10 F tonight (we hit 9F last winter) and a number of our helicodiceros are already up and growing, so we may get some burned foliage, but the plants should be fine. Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdelights.com phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent ________________________________________ From: aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of Paul Temple Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:42 PM To: aroid-l@gizmoworks.com Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Temperature requirements for Helicodiceros (Susan B) Hi. I´ve been silent for about a year as a result of some legal issues locall y. However, the Helicodiceros question spurred me to break silence! I used to live in the English countryside where winter temperatures often fell below zero Centigrade, though not too much colder. My helicodiceros plants (I had perhaps 30) survived these winters outdoors, below ground (obviously!) at a depth of between 6 and 12 inches. Once mid-Spring arrived (mid to late April), out they came, flowering annually once of mature age. Once mid-summer arrived (August at latest), the heat dried off the plants and they became dormant again. So I would say that Helicodiceros is more hardy than is generally stated (but it not reliably hardy so probably can´t take -5C or less for long periods) while it is also not a heat lover, preferring dormancy once temperatures reach about 25C for a prolonged period. Of course, this was my experience for my plants in the South of England so it´s only a guide, not a rule! Have fun. Paul In the cool mountains of the Dominican Republic (but sadly with no Helicodiceros!) _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

From: michael kolaczewski <mjkolaffhbc at sbcglobal.net> on 2010.02.02 at 05:32:19(20542) Greetings forum members, As Mr. Advent has posted,( and Others) Dracunculus vulgaris is often more hardy than expected. As for myself, I have been able to grow this plant Here in Chicago for a number of years. It will do very well in the gardens near Lake Michigan, in an area known as Chicago's North Shore Suburbs. ( Near the Chicago Botanic Gardens). These suburbs that lie along the coast line of the lake, receive a moderating effect from Lake Michigan. In some cases, the winter temperatures have resembled USDA Zone 6. I am 40 miles Northwest of Downtown Chicago, solid Zone 5 (B), and Dracunculus will grow here as well. Drainage, soil amendment, and mulching, all will improve not only growing conditions throughout spring and summer, but will improve in ground winter survival. Arum italicum grows in the ground here year after year, as well as Sauromatum venosum. One of the "problems" we have around here, with growing conditions in gardens, is rainy fall weather. This can result is saturated / over saturated soils. Then follows the annual winter freezing, which can cause the frost line to penetrate below ground to nearly 4 feet deep (or deeper) . The occasional mid winter thaw,and refreeze don't help. The prolonged winters and sometimes late Springs, can be challenging to plant structures, both above and below the soil line. Michael Kolaczewski HTML +More Elgin, Il 60123 --0-398291766-1265088739=:98655----==============d80533434285446639=

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