Zone 5 overwintering - I heal in my trees into the ground in the winter. Regarding hardy evergreens, is it best to have them in the shade or the sun? I read that on warm/sunny days they will photosynthesize and open stomata and become susceptible to wind burn. Best to have them in the sun so they can photosynthesize or to keep them in the shade to prevent it? Does species matter (junipers, pines, thuja, hinoki, boxwood, etc.)?
I am in 4-5 depending on what chart you look at.
I prefer the north side of the house for 2 reasons.
#1 wind protection, my predominant wind is from the south
#2 moderate light
I believe some people think intense direct sunlight is required for photosynthesis, but I live in a northern climate and see trees growing everywhere so I believe any light at all is all that is required.
Intense sun in the winter leads to the freeze thaw cycle at the roots and honestly I have not seen any positive results leaving things more exposed to the elements. I had a few trees that had to stay more exposed this winter due to the fact that I have way to many trees for my space and they all suffered from branch loss that I did not see from the more protected trees.
Over wintering is always a challenge and you will always probably have some losses if no protection is given.
You could experiment and try it out, based on your situation but I find the north side of the house offers better results in Northern Vermont.
Hope it helps.
As a side note the trees in the heated shed get light from a led strip light and yes they did amazingly well. I even grew moss that was 3” thick over the winter in a shed that ranged from 20F to 35F but saw 12 hours of light each day from a led strip light from Lowe’s.
House plants thrive indoors without direct sunlight so it is more about keeping them protected then exposing them to extremes in either direction.
Watering is key until things freeze solid, then bury them in snow for the coldest months of your winter with weekly monitoring.
Peace
Thanks much! When you say the north side of the house… Are they in full shade for the entire winter? Or do they get some sun sometime (early morning, late afternoon)?
Also, what species do you have there? (I have spruce, thuja, juniper, and cotoneaster.)
Hi,
I’m in Fargo, ND, Zone 4. I’ve only overwintered one year, but I did the same thing, I placed my shelter on the north side of a fence on my property. The trees were basically in full shade for most of the day, but they still photosynthesize from the indirect and ambient light. I experienced no casualties in my first winter and that included more than a few specimens that are not technically safe in my zone, including a few boxwoods and a JWP (I’m sure this won’t always be the case). I’ve got species that run the gamut and all seemed to be content with this setup.
I believe that the key is preventing drastic temp swings near the roots, more than ensuring a certain amount of direct light. Keeping them on the north side, outside of direct sun keeps the temp swings much less dramatic. I had several thermometers around my yard including one at about the snow cover level in my structure and on days when the temp around the yard would fluctuate as much as 20 degrees, in my bonsai hut, the temp would rarely vary more than about 5 degrees, I’m not certain, but I think this was a big part of the success I experienced.
These photos are from April 6th.
Cheers!
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Thanks, looks like a good set up!
Once the leaves drop they get plenty of light both morning and late afternoon.
But they are protected from intense midday sun which I believe can cause the freeze/thaw cycle which I try to avoid.
These protected trees survive with less winter damage then ones left on the south side of the house.
But that is just my situation