Fatsia hardiness?

[ColdBonsai]

Today I went to two local garden centers and found two different fatsia cultivars, each in the shady perennial section. Each plant tag was marked for zone 7.

The cultivars are a standard green and one called Camouflage.

I talked to the head plant person at one of the garden centers (again locally owned with supposedly local knowlege), and she assured me that fatsia's actually do quite well in our zone 7 (maybe 7b).

Needless to say I bought both. Have I been bamboozled again by an inaccurate garden tag? I suppose time will tell.

Most everything I've read about fatsia's say they're only hardy to zone 8, so I think I got excited when I found these glorious plants marked for zone 7.

Also of note, both are planted in a protected area against the foundation, on the south side of my house and under dappled shade. Near where I'm trying out two windmill palms.

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by ColdBonsai
grammar

[SailorBold]

They grow well here in 7b/8a.. on a North side location... not common here at all but should be.  I dont have any of my own but a neighbor has some growing they look great.  Under utilized. The foliage looks tropical and shiny... despite that....yeah I'd believe the zone 7 to be accurate..evergreen too... If you planted on southern exposure I doubt you would have any problems.

[Chester B]

Virginia - zone 7a.  I think your 7a climate is tougher though but always worth a shot.

 

 

[Manalto]

Another option that would buy you half a zone of hardiness could be the intergeneric hybrid, Fatshedera (although, to my eye, it more strongly favors the ivy parent). It works well in a foundation planting as an accent or espalier. 'Angyo Star' is a handsome cultivar.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Manalto

[Chester B]

4 hours ago, Manalto said:

Another option that would buy you half a zone of hardiness could be the intergeneric hybrid, Fatshedera (although, to my eye, it more strongly favors the ivy parent). It works well in a foundation planting as an accent or espalier. 'Angyo Star' is a handsome cultivar.

I have the vareigated Fatshedera and it looks nothing like Fatsia in person.  Much smaller leaves and is more vine like, I think the correct term is scrambler.

[Manalto]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

I have the vareigated Fatshedera and it looks nothing like Fatsia in person.  Much smaller leaves and is more vine like, I think the correct term is scrambler.

"Scrambler" is a good word for it. It certainly is not a twin to fatsia. That's what I meant when I said that to my eye it more strongly favors the ivy parent. I'm not trying to confuse or mislead anyone, just offering another option.

[ColdBonsai]

They had a Fatshedera in stock too. I liked the way it looked but it was marked 7b. This is why I have trust issues with plant tags.

And Chester, I agree, my zone 7 is probably going to be more challenging than one in Virginia. But that video gives me hope! It looks like theirs were planted out in the open, but I don't think I'm ready for that. For now it's a foundation planting with maybe a little protection

Edited July 23, 2020 by ColdBonsai
grammar

[Manalto]

On 7/22/2020 at 11:08 PM, ColdBonsai said:

...I have trust issues with plant tags.

 

Same here. They tend to be wrong in both directions.

One place I like to check is Dave's Garden website because of the anecdotal reports from gardeners around the country (and beyond).

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1714/#b

At the bottom of the page, there is a section called "Regional" followed by "Gardeners' Notes" and, if you're lucky, you will find other gardeners' experiences right in your area. (No luck with fatsia, unfortunately.)

There are outliers, of course, but if there's a consensus, you have some assurance that a plant will work in your climate. This only works with well-known species; the rare and unusual don't have enough evidence to draw a conclusion.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Manalto

[gandryko]

I grew fatsia in  Zone 7b Arlington, VA.  Winter sun is problematic.  A north side location is the best bet.

[Brad Mondel]

I grew them as die back perennials in Asheville NC, zone 7a. Came back every year from the roots and got about 3 feet tall by summers end.