Fatsia Japonica.

[Ali]

Hi , I live in Goteborg in SW Sweden and cultivate some nice things in our small garden , regarding the climate we might have a climate like the highlands in Scotland , but that is a guess.

This spring I bought a Fatsia Japonica and planted it out in early April , how hardy is the Fatsia Japonica , is it safe and sound in Scotland ( or Goteborg , aaouuch ! ) during the winter ?

Ali Khaoua , Goteborg

[stephenprudence]

The Fastia will probably take to -12 or -13C without significant damage, and at -17C it'll be killed outright. However the question is whether it can take repeated below -5C temperature for successive days or even weeks, it's natural habitat is bordering on subtropical type climate, so I think while it could take one instance of -15C, I imagine 7 days below -5C would kill it, if not severely damage it.

[Essex Ross]

I found this about Gotenburg on Wikipedia - "Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F) and lows of 11 to 13 °C (52 to 55 °F), but temperatures of 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) occur on many days during the summer. Winters are cold and windy with temperatures of around -4 to 3 °C (25 to 37 °F), even though it rarely drops below −10 °C (14.0 °F). Winters are much warmer than many other places at the same latitude, and are not colder than either Canada and most of northern United States."

Does it ever get that summer warmth in the highlands of Scotland?

I'd just chance it and see what happens this winter with regard to the Fatsia Japonica.

[Ali]

Yes , I gave it a very calm location , not windy at all , as I know it is quite delicate.

Well , we will see how it goes with it , thank you for the response.

[eddie]

I don''t know if any other Fatsia's have the same, but mine falls to the ground when the temp gets below 0C. I thought it was a goner but when the temps got above freezing again the plant resurrected. Very strange plant, so no panic ali when your plant falls to the ground during freezes coming winter.

[Conifers]

I found this about Gotenburg on Wikipedia - "Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of 20 to 21 °C (68 to 70 °F) and lows of 11 to 13 °C (52 to 55 °F), but temperatures of 25–30 °C (77–86 °F) occur on many days during the summer. Winters are cold and windy with temperatures of around -4 to 3 °C (25 to 37 °F), even though it rarely drops below −10 °C (14.0 °F). Winters are much warmer than many other places at the same latitude, and are not colder than either Canada and most of northern United States."

Does it ever get that summer warmth in the highlands of Scotland?

I'd just chance it and see what happens this winter with regard to the Fatsia Japonica.

Although it may only do so fairly rarely, it can get a lot colder than -10°C in Göteborg. When the wind is out of Siberia, it can get down to below -25°C.

While a Fatsia might last if you get a short run of unusually mild winters, it will die with the first hard snap. And since you can't know when that will come, I'd advise keeping it in a greenhouse.

[countrylover]

In my garden fatsia took -20C for many nights without damage under a canopy of garden fleece. Last winter temps -30C for several days killed it to the ground but it resprouted in spring. And if you get plenty of snow your plant will be just fine.

[Adam D]

I don''t know if any other Fatsia's have the same, but mine falls to the ground when the temp gets below 0C. I thought it was a goner but when the temps got above freezing again the plant resurrected. Very strange plant, so no panic ali when your plant falls to the ground during freezes coming winter.

They do look dreadful when they freeze, don't they.

Big Euphorbias and Phormiums also look dreadful when frozen, but soon bounce back when they de-frost (well, that is as long as they don't get too cold).

[Dave Brown]

They are grown as house plants away from costal districts in the United States, They can cope with quite low light conditions.

[Ali]

Although it may only do so fairly rarely, it can get a lot colder than -10°C in Göteborg. When the wind is out of Siberia, it can get down to below -25°C.

While a Fatsia might last if you get a short run of unusually mild winters, it will die with the first hard snap. And since you can't know when that will come, I'd advise keeping it in a greenhouse.

Ok , the preveiling wind here is from the west , we are labled as a zone 7 ( USDA ) town so when it is blowing a lot from the east it is usually on worst case scenario winters , like the last one of 2009/10 .
The lowtemp record of -26 celcius stems from the winters of the 1940:s , this last winter was the coldest since 1984/85 in our town but it never dropped below -17 this last winter.

So you are right that it almost every winter drops below -10 during night but usually not for many days as the average temp tells us , my biggest worry concerning the Fatsia is our January and February when the average temp could be tough on the Fatsia.

As I said , I will give it a try.

As reference concerning our climate I should maybe state that I cultivate Aucuba japonica , Pseudosasa japonica , Photinia Red Robin and Phyllostachys Bissetii.


But of course , this is not the British isles , our climate is more tender when it comes to exotic gardening.

[Essex Ross]

Although it may only do so fairly rarely, it can get a lot colder than -10°C in Göteborg. When the wind is out of Siberia, it can get down to below -25°C.

While a Fatsia might last if you get a short run of unusually mild winters, it will die with the first hard snap. And since you can't know when that will come, I'd advise keeping it in a greenhouse.

Ok , the preveiling wind here is from the west , we are labled as a zone 7 ( USDA ) town so when it is blowing a lot from the east it is usually on worst case scenario winters , like the last one of 2009/10 .
The lowtemp record of -26 celcius stems from the winters of the 1940:s , this last winter was the coldest since 1984/85 in our town but it never dropped below -17 this last winter.

So you are right that it almost every winter drops below -10 during night but usually not for many days as the average temp tells us , my biggest worry concerning the Fatsia is our January and February when the average temp could be tough on the Fatsia.

As I said , I will give it a try.

As reference concerning our climate I should maybe state that I cultivate Aucuba japonica , Pseudosasa japonica , Photinia Red Robin and Phyllostachys Bissetii.


But of course , this is not the British isles , our climate is more tender when it comes to exotic gardening.

As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So its good your going to try it.

[Darlo Mark]

give it a try! mine took last winter unprotected! january and february were persistently cold!

[Conifers]

Try asking at Göteborgs Trädgård to see if they have had any success growing it

[Dave Brown]

Try asking at Göteborgs Trädgård to see if they have had any success growing it

but... if they have not tried, then don't be put off, providing you are prepared to take the risk. Who knows you may be the one to tell them it's worth a go.

[Nigel Fear]

They are grown as house plants away from costal districts in the United States, They can cope with quite low light conditions.

This could be an option perhaps for a couple of winters, they look attractive enough to keep indoors as houseplants too.

I don't know if they're expensive in Sweden, or difficult to obtain, but are easy to grow, so why not buy two and experiment with one of them?