Ya know, it seems to me I predicted just that!
(-;

"Dirr lists Myrica cerifera as hardy to zone 8, (but) I'd bet someone has one or two growing successfully in a protected area here..."

People grow palms, bananas, and other tropicals here, so one would certainly expect to find someone growing wax myrtles too.

Myrtleoak - thanks for posting!!! I've been wanting a wax myrtle and planned on ordering one this fall - but much prefer buying local.

Myrtleoak,

Do you know the approximate height of the wax myrtle at the trial garden? I'm wondering about how tall the mature height would be. Thanks in advance.

Frances

It was 8-10 feet. Last time I was there, it had been removed:(

Yeah Brandon, I think Dirr is actually wrong. I know the Myrica 'Hiwassww is hardy to zone 7 myself. Have one living just fine about a mile down the road from the house. Millers Creek, NC almost zone 6. To krikit full grown size would be about 15 to 20' high and about 10-15' wide.

Travis,
What are you basing your conclusion on (besides the presence of one specimen in a location who's microclimate we probably know little about)? Dirr is joined by numerous other researchers and growers in rating Myrica cerifera as hardy to zone 8. When you question something that most people (that know about the subject) agree upon, it only makes sense to have a solid basis for your claim. Otherwise, the claim is of little use. It's not that Dirr and many others can't be wrong, but the likelihood, at least compared to a single anecdotal hunch, is slim. Hardiness zone ratings are generally based on performance of multiple plants grown in various conditions, and conclusions are usually geared toward average conditions in the areas where the plants are typically found. The picture is was too large to be described or completely understood by one plant!

replace "was" with "way".

Is wax myrtle 'Hiwassee' the same as the regular wax myrtle I know? Mine have no problem here in zone 7.

This is how it started:

This is it now- even after being split by a storm:
{{gwi:1275108}}

More wax myrtle and live oak I have:
{{gwi:1275104}}

They sell it here at Lowes.

Beautiful pics Tommy! thanks for posting those - makes me want one now more than ever :-)

thanks!

Krikit,

What you need are some of those hardy palms. There's more than one type that are hardier than wax myrtles, and think of how neat it would be to have one! You'd probably be the only one in the neighborhood.