Zonal denial: the plants you try to grow in completely the wrong climate! 

I love Stephen's philosophy: If I'm not spending more on something than I would on a half decent meal out, then it's worth a try.

I live in the mountains of Crete, Greece where we get snow and horrid frost and my philodendron gets through with no problem! Thanks guys for another entertaining episode. I must say hearing Stevens voice takes me back to a happy place from my youth in Australia.

More information sprinkled with delicious humor! 💚

I have been growing Argentine Saguaro cacti (Trichocereus terscheckii) in eastern Utah (USDA zone 7b) for about 15 years now. Our temps on rare occasions can get as low as 5°F, or -15°C. We rarely get snow, but can get a good skiff on occasion. I have 5 specimens, and all of them are well over 10 feet now, with multiple arms. You are NOT supposed to be able to grow columnar cactus anywhere north of extreme southern Utah. But yet, I have five large and healthy specimens with zero winter protection. They are now all at flowering age as well, and I’ve been blessed with flowers every single year for the passed 5 years. It really proves that plants can be a lot hardier than we give them credit for! I have also had great success growing the only native palm to the southwest US, Washingtonia filifera. My next columnar cacti experiment will be the U.S. native Saguaro (Carnegia gigantea) which grows naturally one state below me.

I’m in serious zonal denial, growing many subtropicals in Victoria, but I think it’s worth the risks if you go into it understanding that you may lose the odd plant by experimenting 😊

I left my potted avocados out all winter long. I grew them out from stones I thought they were killed by frost last winter, but they actually sent up new shoots from the ground just a few weeks ago. I'm in Truro, Cornwall, UK, which I think is equivalent to USDA zone 8 or 9, theoretically. The zones I think are based on the coldest night of the year, but a slightly less intense cold over a longer period, along with waterlogging, can be what does for a lot of things. I did lose a couple of jacaranda seedlings last year, which were in an unheated greenhouse.

Hi I'm in Western Australia, Perth Hills and my zonal denial plants are; vanilla planifora, pineapples and peonies[herbacious and itoh]

You speak to my heart 😊

Thank you for sharing the philosophy of zone denial. Living in Reunion Island, on an altitude of 400 meters, I wish I bought a small extra land with an altitude above 1000meters (colder then) to grow long-admired peonies! I'm not rich so I try the method of ice near the tubers. Keep trying with dedication

What a great video - as usual! I have a minor, very academic correction to note at 19:50 though. It's true that in subtropical, and most (but not all) maritime/oceanic climates, frost does 'settle on the ground'. It would certainly be true of anywhere in AU/NZ. That's because your coldest nights are invariably going to be during radiational freezes on still nights. OTOH in continental climates like the US, there can also be extremely cold advective freezes too. During those events the wind is blowing and all the air layers are constantly mixing. Practically any form of 'shelter' really doesn't matter, and also the top of a plant would be as likely to be burnt as the bottom. I saw this recently in north Florida, the freeze in December was advective in nature and even overstory protection of live oaks didn't prevent various subtropicals from freezing to death. 😞

I planted a Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) here in southern Illinois zone 6b, it has managed to survive 4 winters. I would not say it’s thriving, but it’s alive anyway, it’s grown to about 8’ tall, the side branches do get knocked back tho, I’m hoping that will improve with age. Never know until you try. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is another good example, it’s now widely planted much further north here in U.S.

USA Vermont is Zones 5a and 5b, Im living in Denial, I have resorted to getting 3ft and larger pots and bringing them inside, and as you can imagine it's a massive task.

Enjoying your videos, my zonal denial plants are, solandra maxima, lonicera hildebrandiana, plus dicksonia antartica, these plants are doing very well and growing nicely,all the above mentioned plants have developed woody trunks so I am hoping they will survive our winters here in cornwall which are usually wet but with very little frost.

Would love to grow tetrapanex here in coastal Victoria. Will keep trying to find one (no luck growing seeds unfortunately). Great topic guys! 😊

Me too :) i would love to grow some of your lovely Eucalyptus here in oregon, which is also a type of Mediterranean climate, just a bit cooler than your place, Stephen. Zone 8b. Really love your channel, thank you!!

You guys are unique in combining plant fun with facts. Love it. Thanks also for making me feel less guilty about throwing out the Hypericum Fancy Pants (from Mt Fansipan) that I paid 75 Eur for and didn’t perform in my garden at all - too dry here I suppose, I should have known but was in denial…

I love you both so much!!!

Thank you for an interesting video about something that I like to experiment with. Eg I have a feijoa surviving winter after winter here in our garden in Denmark, but its siblings died long ago. I would love to try marcadamia some day, as I know mature specimens can be very cold hardy.

I have an agathis morii in central Portugal for 3 years in a pot

Apropos zonal denial- I have an Agathis ovata in S. Tasmania (occasional -6C) which is quite happy in a sheltered position. More easily sunburnt than frosted, I find. I concur about the ancestry of these conifers. Have A. robusta close by that is bulletproof. Thanks for what you do.

Hi guys! Really enjoying the horticulturist. I live in Burnham on Sea Somerset, recently moved in and found a tree in the garden with thick leathery leaves even when frozen. IPhone says it is a pterocarpus rotundifolius saamgesteld .do you have this tree ? I'm looking forward to the yellow flowers. I'm sure it's in zone denial ,many thanks Daren

I'm in Far West NSW, arid zone, according to all the information I'm not supposed to be able to grow a lot of things that are doing just fine in my yard. It frustrates me that Australia's limited gardening zonal maps list a huge area as merely "arid", completely missing the point that an arid zone is only about water and can be in any climate. Tropical arid is a whole different type of place to sub-tropical arid, which is a whole different story to temperate arid, or cold arid. Even Antarctica is an arid zone. Arid doesn't tell us anything other than how much rain to expect on average, and if you're in a town with a regular water supply like I am and willing to water the garden, utilise rain storage and grey water, separate annuals from perennials and let annual areas of the garden rest during drought, the arid part of the zoning becomes pointless, and I find myself in a zone that has it all - scorching temps in summer high chill hours in winter, with a bit of extra mulch, shelter and shade cloth, I haven't yet found anything that won't grow here. I can grow and eat both sugar plums and bananas. Zonal denial is a win for me.

Love it! I am a ZDer too! I am in Newcastle NSW. I grow subtropical fruit trees with no issue (for zonal reference) but keep trying to grow Himalayan Poppies. I can get them to germinate but that's all. Bahaha I keep trying in different locations and conditions. I know it's crazy unlikely but I sooo want to see those flowers 😂

Love the concept of zonal denial which I hadn't heard of before. I'm sure I'm guilty! I keep trying to grow things that grew in my parents' garden in Hobart which either hate Canberra's cold winter (we get a lot colder here) or they hate our hot summer. For example, primroses and auriculas - fine in winter, but they do NOT like our summer. I've given up on auriculas but I'm persevering with primroses because they do at least survive summer and make a real show in spring.

Hi Gents, I love your videos. I live in Central Oahu. Why aren’t there a greater variety of plants available here that should grow well? The plant selection at both nurseries and big box stores seem extremely restrictive. It can’t be the temperate climate, so is it the soil? Perhaps a concern about overgrowth? For example, why can’t I buy hydrangeas or japonica or more varieties of rhododendrons? So tired of the “same ol’, same ol’”.

I will be given a huge bulb ( elderly friend 97 past away 😢) once the home is sold. It will be the smaller bulb, one of 4 much bigger size of a dinner plate round, growing nicely under and with ferns, birds nest fern and Dicksonia Antartica It has very tall wide leaves and the lily ? flower grows about 185cms to 210cms+/ 6 to 7 feet in this tiny little garden facing south (front door and lounge window) absolutely NO western aspect just a brick wall perfect spot. Question is What is it called. I believe I may have seen it in the Alfred Nicholas Garden open to the public many years ago. It was if it is the same bulb at least 3 metres tall / 10 ft. I will call it Peggy if I can’t get the name of it but I am sure you can help me. I am binge watching you and I know that I have many past Fridays and future Fridays to enjoy. Thank you for inspiring me who is renting and has a handkerchief of a backyard on the Diamond Creek in Eltham Victoria Australia 🇦🇺 Congratulations on your awesome informative inspiring and beautiful show all we need is smellavision. 😂

Great video as always and thanks for answering my question recently about my deceased Dicksonia and the tree fern video was great too. I'm in Central Scotland and definitely a climate denier! I lost my Cordylines in the last harsh winter and even some smallish Trachycarpus palms. Had success with Fatsias including polycarpa and Schefflera taiwaniana I was delighted 3 out of 3 survived with almost no damage. Just starting out with gardening and learning all the time. Tetrapanax also survived with cover but still pretty small. I bought a Pseudopanax 'Moa's Toas' at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens but think it will be kept in the greenhouse over winter. Do you have experience with these Araliaceae family plants such as Schefflera?

Very nice video ! I think most native australian plants can’t survive -15C in northwestern Europe unfortunately

My question for the Monday shorts is as follows: can you/how would you grow camellias under the shade of eucalyptus trees? I’m in the San Francisco area in California zone 9b/10a

Hi Stephen…I have a tropical garden in Adelaide (McLaren Vale)….so I’m constantly fighting and flying the flag for zonal denial!! I have a question for you…have just undertaken a huge project of digging up 19 HUGE yuccas that were about to knock my fence down. I have now replaced with Gracilis bamboo….but due to the large amount of rain we’ve had in the last week they are now under water. The nursery I purchased from said to pack the rootball in large hole and backfill with mix of compost and soil that came out of hole….and pack in tightly! The soil has quite a large content of clay. I know bamboo LOVE water…but is it ok to pool at bottom of plant??

My front yard is currently undergoing a zonal denial, or maybe my plants have forgotten which hemisphere they are in. My supposed to be dormant capsicum plants are growing large healthy fruit, and I found a stray potato grew a sneaky plant that I found and pulled out for it being in the wrong season which brought with it a full load of large healthy ready to harvest potatoes. It's the middle of winter and my front garden is giving me summer crop veggies. Maybe it's not zonal denial so much as seasonal denial. Is seasonal denial a thing, or is it just my front yard? Nothing in my back yard is confused about the time of year, just the front yard.

Hi.I have only just found your channel while looking for information on Wigandias. I now have two after I let one of the suckers grow (I now try to get rid of the suckers) and live in Adelaide. Are you able to give some information on maintenance in particular pruning? There is no frost here and as my plant got huge and leggy, I have cut the spent flowers off but would like to know how much I can cut without risking death. I plan a two stage prune before winter if I am able to cut it back quite a lot. Thanks

Hello sir, Could you please tell me the magic potting mix that you always use

I have a bunch of giant alocasias growing outside in Melbourne. Supposedly killed by temps below 8-10 deg C but hey ¯\_(ツ)_/¯