• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Zone Busting Mimosa Style

September 14, 2006 By Carol Michel 7 Comments


This is the last of the bloom on a Mimosa tree, Albizia julibrissin, which is hardy in zones 6 – 9.

No, I did not take a notion to leave town when the rain arrived and go south for a few days, find this tree and take pictures of it. This tree is actually in a yard around the corner from where my mom and sister live, in zone 5. I also drive by one every day on my way to work, also in zone 5

So, what’s up with these Mimosa trees? Are they hardy in zone 5? The answer is not really, but sometimes you can get one or more to make a go of it, especially if they are in a protected area or a microclimate that is even a few degrees warmer than other surrounding areas. These particular mimosas have been in this yard for several years, but I would guess they are not more than 10 or so feet high, and might be more appropriately described as large shrubs rather than trees. I think they occasionally do suffer some die back after particularly cold winters. We are probably fortunate that the tree isn’t all that vigorous here, as they are known to be a bit weedy and invasive in their own zones.

My dad was always trying to grow trees that were not known to be hardy in zone 5. Yes, he did try to grow a mimosa tree, digging one up from his parent’s zone 6a yard, where I assume they were a bit weedy and invasive, thus there were some to dig up. I think it only lived a year or two before dying back completely after one particularly cold winter.

His biggest success with an out of zone tree was actually with a Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, which is only hardy to zone 7. The tree eventually died, and never got quite as big as they grow them “down south”, but it did reach about 10 feet and managed to even flower before succumbing to a typical Indiana winter. I know where someone else is growing one, as well, which I drive by a couple of times a week, so he wasn’t the only one trying some “zone busting” in the garden. In fact, they are even trying to breed a Southern Magnolia that will be hardy up into zone 5. That’s what I would get, if I were going to get one.

My older sister has the “zone busting” disease. She has a crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia sp., that they bought while on vacation and she is trying to grow it in zone 5. Normally, you don’t see them north of zone 6b, if even that far north. In her garden, I think the poor little myrtle has not gotten more than about 2 feet tall, even after several years.

Any one else having success with “zone busting” (that doesn’t involve hauling potted plants inside during the winter)?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: trees

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 15, 2006 at 12:42 am

    My “poor little myrtle” is about 5 to 6 feet tall and is blooming very nicely right now. The one in the front yard is about 3 feet tall and also blooming. (It is under some trees and is shaded more). I have had them for 6 or 7 years I think and they are doing nicely as pretty, late summer blooming shrubs. In their zone, they are usually trees. I would say that they have been worth having.
    Kathy (the older sister)

    Reply
  2. Nickie says

    September 15, 2006 at 3:28 am

    2 people in my new nighborhood have crape myrtles. One was very pretty blooming pink, they are not being grown in tree shapes though. the pink one is cut down to the ground every year and grows like a shrub, while the other one was planted a couple years ago (I asked) and is more upright but milti trunked.

    Reply
  3. Carol Michel says

    September 15, 2006 at 3:49 am

    Kathy… send me a picture of your poor little (not so little) crape myrtle.

    Reply
  4. Kasmira says

    September 15, 2006 at 2:52 pm

    This spring, I’m trying camellias. I am buying camellias that are SUPPOSED to be hardy in 6a, but it still seems risky to me!

    I’ve noticed crepe myrtles, oleander, and southern magnolia growing in this zone.

    Reply
  5. LostRoses says

    September 17, 2006 at 6:29 am

    Love that zone 6 mimosa, Carol! There is one here in my zone 5 neighborhood also, the only one I’ve ever seen around here. When it’s in bloom the guys who host the local garden talk show on the radio on Saturdays always mention it!

    Reply
  6. Unknown says

    July 10, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    Being a transplant from California to North Idaho myself. I have tried for 25 years to plant trees I remember from my childhood. I have recently seen numerous mimosa trees around town, but have yet to see them bloom. On a recent trip to California, all of those beauties are in bloom, including tons of jacaranda trees, crepe myrtle not to mention the innumerable flowers grown only in the south. Guess we should be happy with the varieties that can grow in our area…..but you can t blame a person for trying.

    Reply
  7. Unknown says

    July 10, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Being a transplant from California to North Idaho 25 years ago, I have made numerous attempts to grow trees and plants reminiscent of my younger years, with little success. I have recently noticed quite a few mimosa trees being planted so I bought some at a local nursery for my 2 daughters. Well they didnt make it through the winter. Others I have noticed I have yet to see bloom. Ijust returned from a trip to California for family reunion and was totally jealous of all the beauties..trees, plants and flowers I had forgotten about. Crepe myrtle. jacaranda, etc. I guess I should be content with what I ve got, but you cant blame a gal for trying! I actually brought a cutting I got from my sisters southern California garden… a succulent which will at best become an indoor plant..I do love my lilacs though, and am determined to try a crape myrtle and take advice to plant close to house..

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT