Hokkaido Chinese Elm Winter Care

Horticulture
1

I have 3 Chinese Elms, 1 Seiju, 2 Hokkaido. Last winter I kept them in my unheated garage. They all took some damage, I assume from freezing,. The Seiju recovered well, as did 1 of the Hokkaidos. But neither outgrew where they were the previous summer/fall. The other Hokkaido survived, but has been slow in recovering this season.

I live in Southern Ontario, zone 5a/b. Should I keep these Elms in warmer conditions for the winter? I have shelves with led grow lights in the basement, but the average temp is 70-72.

Thanks for any advice.

Bib

2 Likes
2

I would winter them in a cold frame next to the house or bring them into the garage when the temperature outside drops below freezing. You could place them in the basement with the LED grow lights and they should be fine. They will probably wake up or not go into dormancy there given the light and temperature. Elms are pretty vigorous and some do not go dormant in some areas of the country.