In a message dated 7/14/2004 11:09:13 AM Central Daylight Time, pbs-hornig@usadatanet.net (Ellen) writes: > The point is: this is not a straightforward "hardiness" question. If I > take a plant from the western Plains, one that is hardy down to -30F or so, > and attempt to grow it in my eastern garden, it will not thrive, will it? > It's adapted to a hot, dry summer, wind, and alkaline soil. It will > probably rot. Hi, Talk about a good question, and a difficult one! I can't address the issue in a general way (and will sidestep the alkaline soil part), but I can report that I used to grow some western plant in northeast Pennsylvania. They were high altitude cacti (4,000 ft. plus), and they were able to take the cold if kept dry in winter--some didn't even need dry in winter (not many). As far as summer went, they thought they had a long spring that just sort of turned back into winter. Kniphofias do pretty well here in Texas, hot wet summer, cool wet winter. I've wondered about them, and don't grow many, but so far K. rooperi and K. caulescens and a few others are happy campers. I can't say much about western USA plants, but I have found that South African plants from wet areas (seepages, streamsides, bogs, river banks, etc.), even if they are only seasonally wet, do fine here in Texas if the frost and insects don't get them. On the other hand, I grew half a dozen Protea species (fybos habitat) from seed one winter; they loved winter here only to die by midsummer of their first year. I've been experimenting with Drakensberg species, actually lots of plants from higher elevations (thank you Silverhill Seeds), and the only good rule-of-thumb I've been able to devise is the one regarding plants from wet places. No matter where they derive from, zone 7, 8, 9 and 10 plants are worth trying here in greater Houston area if they are naturally found in wet areas. Heat does not seem to be a major problem--where warranted some plants do better in shade. Zone 10 plants often behave as perennials, growing back each season (e.g., bananas). I have not tried plants that come from areas of long and cold winters (except for cacti). Plants from wet areas seem to be opportunists around the world. It makes sense because flooded conditions may come early or late in different years, or not at all, and waterlogged soils surely select for plants resistant to certain root pathogens or low oxygen soils. As I reread this note I see that I've stressed "wet areas." However, there are many upland plants that do fine in southeast Texas as long as they have good drainage--but I don't have a rule-of-thumb developed for them. Cordially, Conroe Joe