"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
u...
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
Avocado can grow in frosty areas but they need good frost protection when
young. They grow in to quite large trees eventually so need space so
sacrifical trees as protection is worth thinking about. The following
cite may help. It is about one of Australia's gardening experts (but of
the alternative variety so what she tries, and can manage to grow, often
goes against conventional wisdom). She lives in an area where it can get
down to -9C at worst but would regularly get to -4C:
http://www.jackiefrench.com/groves.html

Here is a series of pics of the garden of the author I mentioned above
with a pic of an avocado with fruit. I do know that the area she lives in
gets as cold as she claims it does.

So what? She knows nothing of growing plants in a cold climate. She grows
plants in a warm temperate climate with occasional frosts. This is a quote
from her "The Magic Grove" page:

How To Start a Grove
Step 1.
Start your grove with a single, very hardy tree that you will survive severe
frost, hellish winds, summers over 45C and drought...a bunya, loquat,
macadamia...

So Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is "very hardy", is it?! It may grow on
Tresco (I can't remember if there is one there) but is there a plant
surviving anywhere on the UK mainland? I doubt it. To quote from the
Wikipedia entry "Once established Bunyas are quite hardy and can be grown as
far south as Hobart in Australia (42° S) and Christchurch in New Zealand
(43° S) and (at least) as far north as Sacramento in California (38° N) and
Lisbon (in the botanical garden)." Even the extreme south of the British
mainland (50°N) is 10° north of these areas.

And as for macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia of tetraphylla), no chance!
Another quote from Wikipedia "Macadamias prefer ... temperatures not falling
below 10 °C (although once established they can withstand light frosts)...".

She has got a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) right. That will withstand heavy
frosts. But if you are waiting for a good crop of fruit in the UK, you'd be
better off looking in your local supermarket.

--

Jeff