Aroids for zone 8a

[Denis.green.garden]

Are there any aroids( something similar to pothos or philodendrons) that can tolerate zone 8a winters with moderate protection?

We rarely get winters that drop below -5°C. 
i also love to look of ti plants or calatheas.

[metalfan]

44 minutes ago, Denis.green.garden said:

Are there any aroids( something similar to pothos or philodendrons) that can tolerate zone 8a winters with moderate protection?

We rarely get winters that drop below -5°C. 
i also love to look of ti plants or calatheas.

-5C=23F so I am going to go out on a limb and say no. Others may have differing opinions/experiences. I have had a couple Philodendrons tolerate 27-28F for VERY short periods of time (say, 1-2 hours before sunrise?) These were Tripartitum, King of Spades, and Jose Buono. Also Monstera deliciosa will tolerate that. But these same plants froze and died at 25F. I have also had Pachyneureum (birds nest) Anthuriums survive 27-28 for brief time periods, and die below that. Ti plants here are sold basically as annuals (I am in 9A). They will sometimes make it for years before getting killed by that one bad freeze (meaning below 26F...in the range of 20-26F). People just replant them if they really like the look.

The one Philodendron which WILL tolerate temps down to 20F is the 'tree philodendron'...Philodendron selloum (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatfidum). These are kind of indestructible here and there are specimens as old as 30-40 years around town in older neighborhoods.

Even covering with an industrial grade frost cloth here (one that can raise the temp 3-4 degreesF) has not saved some people's plants. But, we have not had a freeze below about 26F here for several years.

One tropical plant that can take a lot of this cold is bromeliads, surprisingly, especially Billbergias. In the 30+ years O have lived here, I have had Aechmeas, Billbergias and Neoregelias make it through nights of 12 hours below 28F

These are some very old Philo selloum that have been there for 20 or so years in a strip mall

[Denis.green.garden]

44 minutes ago, metalfan said:

-5C=23F so I am going to go out on a limb and say no. Others may have differing opinions/experiences. I have had a couple Philodendrons tolerate 27-28F for VERY short periods of time (say, 1-2 hours before sunrise?) These were Tripartitum, King of Spades, and Jose Buono. Also Monstera deliciosa will tolerate that. But these same plants froze and died at 25F. I have also had Pachyneureum (birds nest) Anthuriums survive 27-28 for brief time periods, and die below that. Ti plants here are sold basically as annuals (I am in 9A). They will sometimes make it for years before getting killed by that one bad freeze (meaning below 26F...in the range of 20-26F). People just replant them if they really like the look.

The one Philodendron which WILL tolerate temps down to 20F is the 'tree philodendron'...Philodendron selloum (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatfidum). These are kind of indestructible here and there are specimens as old as 30-40 years around town in older neighborhoods.

Even covering with an industrial grade frost cloth here (one that can raise the temp 3-4 degreesF) has not saved some people's plants. But, we have not had a freeze below about 26F here for several years.

One tropical plant that can take a lot of this cold is bromeliads, surprisingly, especially Billbergias. In the 30+ years O have lived here, I have had Aechmeas, Billbergias and Neoregelias make it through nights of 12 hours below 28F

These are some very old Philo selloum that have been there for 20 or so years in a strip mall

Wow they sure do look amazing. Thank you so much!

I mean I already knew about them but wasn’t quite sure on how much cold they could actually handle. 
but the thing is: idk if I have actually seen one on sale in a store in my city. 
And online they can get pretty expensive because shops only tend to sell really mature plants.
 

Similar thing applies to bromeliads. Most stores only sell guzmanias which aren’t really that cold hardy and i also wasn’t really sure on how cold hardy the other genuses you mentioned really are. 

Do you have any concrete species’ of bromeliads in mind that have proven to be the most cold hardy?

 

[metalfan]

There is a list. It was done many years ago by the FCBS. I don;t know how to post a link. I'll look up the website.  It was compiled in conjunction with the Marie Selby Gardens here in Sarasota FL. I am sure that there are other newer ones that could be added as this is an old list. But my Bilbergias, Neoregelias and Aechmeas are bulletproof here. The website is fcbs.org. The article is cold sensitivity of bromeliads

[metalfan]

The website is fcbs.org. The article is Cold Sensitivity of Bromeliads

[Xenon]

Philodendron renauxii grows like a weed for me. 18F knocked it down to the ground and then it shrugged and came back up. 

[Denis.green.garden]

30 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Philodendron renauxii grows like a weed for me. 18F knocked it down to the ground and then it shrugged and came back up. 

Wow that’s actually really incredible. Thanks.

[PalmatierMeg]

Also look into the terrestrial bromeliads like Dyckia and Hechtia. They are hardier than the so-called air plants most people focus. They are totally hardy for me but I’m not sure if they’re hardy to Zia. Hechtias are monocarpic but Dyckia bloom and set seed year after year. The biggest drawback to them is that they are armed but a good pair of leather gloves can protect your hands.

 

[Denis.green.garden]

3 hours ago, metalfan said:

The website is fcbs.org. The article is Cold Sensitivity of Bromeliads

Yeah i found it. Thanks.

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, Denis.green.garden said:

Wow that’s actually really incredible. Thanks.

I just noticed you're in Germany, that's a totally different climate. This is for a very hot and humid summer subtropical climate just below 30 degrees latitude, I don't think your lack of heat/short season would allow any dieback aroids to recover.

[Denis.green.garden]

37 minutes ago, Xenon said:

I just noticed you're in Germany, that's a totally different climate. This is for a very hot and humid summer subtropical climate just below 30 degrees latitude, I don't think your lack of heat/short season would allow any dieback aroids to recover.

I was already kinda confused because i never heard of them and i think my uk neighbors would have already cultivated an excessive amount of them haha but still, thank you 

winter here seems so long. 
it starts getting cooler around late September/ early october and leaves have completely fallen off the trees by november. And the trees most times only start to sprout again in mid to late april. So it fells like half the year is winter; the source of my depression haha
I seriously can’t wait to move away  in a couple of years 

[metalfan]

Yes, zone 8 is not equal in all parts of the world unfortunately. My climate and Xenon's is identical in the summer, bu our winters are more mild than zone 8. We have not seen 20F since 2010 and the teens since before that

[Xenon]

1 hour ago, metalfan said:

Yes, zone 8 is not equal in all parts of the world unfortunately. My climate and Xenon's is identical in the summer, bu our winters are more mild than zone 8. We have not seen 20F since 2010 and the teens since before that

I have the P. renauxii near Houston, so old 9a new 9b sometimes zone 8 whatever. Texas has been stuck in an 80-esque rut of a string of extremely below average winters....we've definitely seen better days! Alas the ground there never freezes so anything vigorous can just pop right back up.

I forgot to mention P. crassinervium comes back no issue as well.

I also have P. hastatum, P. 'Jose Buono', and surprisingly P. 'Golden Dragon' in the ground for several years but they get protected on (literally) a handful of nights. Plus tons of Monstera deliciosa, those will also come back from ground level. Epripremnum aureum, E. pinnatum, and Syngonium podophyllum (incl. fancy types) will also work as occassional dieback groundcover/vine in Houston. Some Spathiphyllum and a birds nest type Anthurium will also resprout. And of course you have your Colocasia and some of the hardier Alocasia (A. odora and anything hybridized with it will be fine). I grow Leucoasia (formerly Colocasia) gigantea as a vegetable but it makes a great ornamental as wel...it's nearly a weed. 

[metalfan]

My Jose B has been my hardiest outdoor Philo.

Colocasia are bulletproof here. Especially if grown in the bog or in tubs of water (which is the only way I can keep mine well watered in summer)

I've had Spathiphyllum in tuns with Lasia spinosa for almost 20 years that never get hit at all.

I don;t have luck with Monstera or Epipremnum here at my house, but a friend 7 miles away has all 3 15+ feet up an oak tree.

Syngonium is an invasive weed here. We don;t dare plant it in the yard.

[Merlyn]

I'm in zone 9b/9a borderline, but I rarely see temperatures below about 27-28F (-3C) and that's only for 1 or 2 nights per year.  The number of freezes and duration, along with the following couple of days highs, will all affect how a plant survives.  Here a cold night might be 2 or 3 days in a row, with a dip to 27F followed by 65-75F the next day.  That's a lot different than 27F followed by weeks with a high of 50-60F.  So take any temperature references as a guideline...not a fixed rule! 

That said, I have done ok with Monstera, "Xanadu," "Prince of Orange" and "Moonlight" near the house.  They took a little damage on the coldest nights, but were basically okay.  I tried them out in the yard and they defoliated and rotted after the first 27F frost.  Out in the yard I have regular Selloum, "Hope," "Little Hope," and Evansii.  These all seem to be similar in hardiness, taking some leaf damage around 27-30F and worse damage with any frost.  But they survived lows of 24.6F with just some serious leaf damage.