On Tue, 29 Sep 2015 07:59:02 -0700
"David E. Ross" wrote:

snip
I was told by a local nursery that, to grow peonies, I had to buy a
length of chicken wire or bird mesh about four feet wide and long enough
to make a cylinder about four feet in diameter. In early November, I
would have to slip this cylinder over the plant and keep it filled to
the top with ice cubes until sometime in March.

Not a problem here Last winter I had snow shoveled 3-4 feet deep
over the area where those peonies are. This picture is from Feb 2014,
not quite as deep as earlier this year. The row of peonies are about 8
feet to the right of the driveway, along the right edge of the picture.
The tall stake (PVC pipe) sticking up would be in the middle of them. It
holds a rain gauge in warmer weather.

http://www.iserv.net/~lfisk/winter2014-02.jpeg

I can't grow Dutch tulips either, except as winter annuals. On the
other hand, I have a rosemary bush growing at the foot of my driveway
that is taller than I am and a dwarf lemon tree that produces more
lemons than anyone can use. When I prune my roses at the end of
December and the beginning of January, I often collect a bouquet of
roses for my wife. And I have never shoveled snow.

You lucky dog! (shoveling snow), but good exercise. No problem with
tulips here either. The Holland Tulip festival is held maybe 35 miles
WSW from he

http://www.tuliptime.com/

There are trade-offs for living in a mild-winter climate.

Yea, you grow a lot bigger BUGS too!

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
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