ok, So I found out the Japanese Maple could most likely survive our winters outdoors, as Well as the Evergreen Azalea, There are both hardy to -20.F and I've seen Evergreen azaleas here before, there leaves look dead in winter, but in spring, new news appear. and I've seen Japanese Maples for sale in local green houses. so thoughs will go outdoors once it gets warmer.

besides the prototypical redblood JMap ....

i can NOT get JM's to thrive in my z5 .... all depends if you can squeak a z6 microclimate..

good luck with those ... in your zone 4

i am not familiar with camelia being z5.. so good luck with that in z4

you need to get proper ID's.. then the latin names .. and then google the latin name.. followed by 'zone info' ... and see where that leads you ...

also.. i do NOT grow lolloby pines in my z5 .. but red pine do thrive ...

i dont know what the experts or websites will tell you ... i am giving you my experience in z5 ...

i dont understand some of your facts... if leafed out.. they can NOT be allowed to be touched by frost or freeze ... so probably can not be planted out doors until 6/1 in your zone...

they can be left in an open garage ... which is closed at night.. if temps threaten frost or freeze ...

this is the part i dont get:

My main problems is how to keep them Dormant in Winter, and how to get them Dormant I figure if I left them out in the fall, our shortening daylight hours and cool nights will get them to Dormancy
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you should have no problem getting them dormant next fall ... its whether they will live thru winter until next spring ...

good luck

ken

The way I read it, the OP was asking about growing them in pots so they could bring them in and protect them during the winter, but then later found they thought they could plant the Japanese Maple and the Evergreen Azalea outside in their area.

I don't think you will have long term success with growing the Pine or Willow Oak in pots. You might be able to grow them for a few years in pots. The Azalea, Camellia, and Japanese Maple might be the best suited to pot culture. I don't know what a Flaming Maple is. If you planted them in large pots and left them outside until you have a few light frosts, not freezes (temps below 29ºF or 28ºF) that should be sufficient to bring them into dormancy. The best place to put them in the winter would be a cool greenhouse or garage or other such place which remains above freezing, but not warmer than maybe the 40's. The Camellia would probably be alright treated as a house plant though the others wouldn't. Also, like Ken said, your Japanese Maple might not be all that hardy for you either. Some cultivars are a bit more hardy than others. Lastly, the Evergreen Azalea may or may not be hardy in your area, since not all have the same cold hardiness. Some are only hardy to zone 7 or 8, while others are much more cold hardy. You're best off learning exactly which one you have and go from there.

Good luck

Yes, I am not going to plant all of the plants outdoors, I do know the name of the Japanese Maple and the Azalea, the Maple is ( Tamukeyama Japanese Maple ) On the tag it says it is hardy to -20.F and the Azalea is ( Azalea 'Girard's Hot Shot' ) which on a website said it is hardy to -15.F and it was developed to survive Northern cold winters. So I will most likely try the Azalea and the Japanese Maple outdoors, once it has warmed up enough, when nights are above freezing I will plant them out. Until then I will put them outside during the day. and bring them in at night. The others plants I will put them outside in spring/summer, and see how many years I can get them to survive. Yeah I would have no problem getting them Dormant stange, but I would have a problem, keeping them dormant for the 4 months that AL has dormant trees.

If kept in a cool place with some natural light, the plants should remain mostly dormant until late March or April in most cases since they respond to day length as much as anything else. Since your days will be shorter than the ones in Alabama, they will respond accordingly. Although they still will most likely break dormancy earlier than your native trees outside. As long as it's not something like 2 or 3 months too early, which I doubt would happen, you should be OK. You'll just need to transition them outside to full light and wind in stages if they have new growth put on in mostly dark inside.

Also, the Girard's Azalea should about as hardy as the hardier evergreen Azaleas get, but still probably somewhat marginal in your area. Try to find a protected warm micro-climate for it and the Japanese Maple.