I landed a few alata plants in trade late this past summer, and one of them I decided to try and plant out. I'm in zone 8b, trending toward 9a with the changing climate maps. I planted it on the south side of my house, against the brick which in theory would help keep the microclime warm enough for the plant. I'd planted a vitifolia there a few years previously, and it had survived the winter, but had taken a beating doing so.

In the interim, indian hawthorn bushes planted there had gained some size, offering shelter for the ground beneath. And I'd also gotten a caerulea Constance Eliott growing up a trellis, which offers more vertical shelter. The alata had grown moderately well, and weathered a few light freezes unscathed. But last night the weather forecast predicted temperatures dipping down to 26 F. Ouch. My p. Inspiration, much more exposed in the back yard, already froze back a week ago, and the temps only dipped into the low 30s. So this was a test, you see.

I'm happy to report that the alata came through pretty much unharmed. Only one leaf seems to have suffered any real cold damage--the rest looks healthy and fine. Of course, it's helped by the fact that daylight temps have been climbing quickly into the mid-50s with lots of sun light, and we've had a bunch of days with temps climbing into the 70s. But strong cold spells with freezing weather persisting more than a day or so is rare here, so I'm optimistic for the alata's future prospects. :-)