So I did the next best thing; stacked them next to the balcony sliding door, put cloth bags over the foliage, and tried to pile up as many pots/bags of potting mix/boxes etc. around them for insulation. Braving the weather are:

illicium floridanum
magnolia yunnanensis
feijoa sellowiana

I'm hoping to keep them out as long as possible, although they'll still have to come in if the weather gets close to 0, but I'd like to avoid a long indoor period if possible.

Anyone else trying to stretch the hardiness zone envelope with their container plants?

Jim

I don't live in The City and I have never gone to this forum before. Although my setting is different out here on the East End of LI my problem is very much the same, namely collecting more plants than I can keep (indoors). And surprisingly my attempt to deal with it was very much the same. This past fall I gathered those somewhat hardy and overly large plants into my unheated garage, clumped them together and wrapped several layers of cloth around them. Hopefully come Spring at least some will have made it. It is encouraging to see that others are trying the same.

Thanks for the thread.

Jerry