Is zamia pumila hardy to zone 7

[COpalms]

Ive read that zamia pumila is hardy to zone 7 but also hardy down to zone 8. I'm confused please help. Also is there any cycad hardier than it and if so what is it and what is its hardiness lowest zone. Thnanks!

[SeanK]

It's a challenge outside its natural range.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

I agree it's a real challenge. My advice is to keep any cycads in containers or pots and move them inside when it gets too cold. 

You might want to take a look at these previous threads:

These might also be helpful:

Agaveville: "Giant cold hardy cycads?" https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=12094

Juniper Level Botanic Garden freeze data from winter 2013/14: "Winter Hardy Cycads" https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/winter-hardy-cycads/

You'll notice that the lowest temps any of them came back from were in the single digits Fahrenheit and are all well established specimens that probably were in the ground for years if not decades before experiencing extreme cold. Also note the zones and locations. These examples are from places like eastern North Carolina and central Texas.

It seems, based on your other questions here, that you really want in-ground plantings of palms and tropical looking plants. Other than die-back perennials, I really think you should just have a container garden. It may not be a year-round tropical oasis, but it is the best place to start in a cold zone. Perhaps there are botanic gardens or incredible private gardens in your area of Colorado that can provide inspiration for what can be established in ground there

[Jonathan]

19 hours ago, PalmsInBaltimore said:

I agree it's a real challenge. My advice is to keep any cycads in containers or pots and move them inside when it gets too cold. 

You might want to take a look at these previous threads:

These might also be helpful:

Agaveville: "Giant cold hardy cycads?" https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=12094

Juniper Level Botanic Garden freeze data from winter 2013/14: "Winter Hardy Cycads" https://www.juniperlevelbotanicgarden.org/winter-hardy-cycads/

You'll notice that the lowest temps any of them came back from were in the single digits Fahrenheit and are all well established specimens that probably were in the ground for years if not decades before experiencing extreme cold. Also note the zones and locations. These examples are from places like eastern North Carolina and central Texas.

It seems, based on your other questions here, that you really want in-ground plantings of palms and tropical looking plants. Other than die-back perennials, I really think you should just have a container garden. It may not be a year-round tropical oasis, but it is the best place to start in a cold zone. Perhaps there are botanic gardens or incredible private gardens in your area of Colorado that can provide inspiration for what can be established in ground there

This is very good advice!

Cycads, and heaps of palms will grow well for many years in containers and can look great if well cared for. I've personally murdered more than my fair share of pointlessly zone pushed plants, many of which I seriously wish I'd kept in pots...

[L.A.M.]

Now I'm curious too. @teddytn has some listed for sale right now, and he's in Zone 7b (as I am) and only even that under the updated 2023 zones. I wonder whether he grows them outdoors without regularly protecting them, outdoors with some protection from the worst cold or in pots that get moved in for the winter. A native cycad is enticing - but only on my radar if it's truly viable outdoors in this climate. Gentry is Zone 7a in practice (the maps only show it as 7b because the ridges are very narrow here and it ignored the temperature inversions seen around Cordell Hull Reservoir to the north), but Buffalo Valley is truly 7b, and some of our land does extend as much as 400 feet down into the valley south of the Caney Fork-Cumberland dividing ridge compared to the hilltops around here.

[L.A.M.]

Update: Teddy said no. He grows them for people in parts of the country even warmer than ours. I was skeptical but intrigued at the mere possibility of a native cycad thriving in this climate, so I had to ask him!