posted 3 hours ago
Hi,
I live in Finland, about 350 km north from the southern coast. This is also approx. 200 km north compared to Anchorage, Alaska, though thanks to Gulf Stream, throughout the year every month is approx. 1°C warmer than Anchorage.
Some a bit experimental Finnish nurseries offer typically a single variety of Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry), Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive), and Elaeagnus multiflora (goumi). These are typically rated for Finnish zones I–III (I is the warmest, Finnish zones are evaluated based not only on the coldest winter temperatures but also the number of days when the mean diurnal temperature is above 5°C and the growing degree days with the base temperature 5°C). I live in Finnish zone IV. I guess pretty much everything classified for USDA zone 3 grow here, and many but not all classified as growing on USDA zone 4 survive here (more or less all USDA zone 4 plants tend to survive on Finnish zone III though growth season might be too short to produce fruit). I have been thinking about trying some of them, nevertheless.
In many European nurseries there seem to be many cultivars of Cornus mas, Elaeagnus umbellata, and Elaeagnus multiflora available but also no information on the hardiness. Are there any significant differences in the hardiness of different cultivars, and if there are, what are the hardiest cultivars? Is there any difference between the species, which one is the three is hardiest and hence might be likeliest to survive?
If there are any other suggestions for other hardy fruiting plants I could try, those would be welcome, as well. I mainly interested in fruits and berries that can also be eaten as such, not ones that need 50% added sugar to make them palatable.
I have planted some cold-hardy apples and pears, some Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum/myrobalan plum), Prunus cerasifera x P. salicina hybrid (Kubanskaja Kometa) gooseberries, red(/white) and black currants, Actinidia kolomikta (mini kiwi), Prunus tomentosa (Nanking cherry), Amelanchier alnifolia (saskatoon/serviceberry), Lonicera caerulea (honeyberry), blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, arctic brambles, and – because they are one of my favourites – I try blackberry cultivars that just tend to either die or barely survive but I will probably continue until all options have been tested. If someone has suggestions for an especially hardy blackberry cultivar (or a wild variant with tasty blackberries whose seeds are also obtainable) those would be appreciated.
I also planted Illinois Everbearing mulberry last year, and with some protection it survived first winter at least, though even if it continues to survive, because of the low number of growing degree days it might turn out to be Illinois Neverbearing here.
There is also a Prunus domestica and Prunus cerasus planted by the previous owner. I planted two fairly cold-tolerant Prunus avium (cold-tolerant for Prunus avium) cultivars this spring with Finnish rating I–III(IV) meaning that they should survive in zones I–III in general and in zone IV in a spot with good microclimate (the cultivars are 'Leningradskaja Tšernaja' or 'Leningrad Black' and 'Vytėnų geltonoji' or 'Vytenai Yellow'), though it remains to be seen if they survive. I ordered some seeds of Prunus mandshurica and Streptopus amplexifolia (twisted stalk) to try sow in the autumn. I am thinking of trying to plant black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) and Prunus salicina next year.
I promise you that invasiveness is unlikely to be a big issue. Outside southernmost Finland the only foreign, invasive species producing edible fruits is Malus domestica or the common apple and even that is so rare that the only harm is that in most soutwestern parts of Finland where one endemic wild Malus species (Malus sylvestris) grows the feral Malus domestica is turning those into into Malus domestica x Malus sylvestris hybrids.
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