That's an interesting list -- many are strong zone 7b to even zone 8 plants.

And I'm pretty sure Monterrey Cypress just don't grow in the east, period. I just checked and NCSU only has a young one. (with a picture of an old one, probably from another part of the world.)

I agree that a heavy portion of that list is of a minimum zone 8 hardiness. I'm thinking they are taking global warming to an extreme.......:-)

Well, maybe it's the crazy plant nuts like us that go to these things and buy all this stuff.

I planted that Mahonia in my sister's garden on Bainbridge Island 4 years ago and it's still going strong. On the warmer end of zone 8 but still z8.

I've had other stuff I can keep near Seattle freeze out on the same Island County property as the mahonia was planted on.

But it's still Zone 8.

"Monterey cypress half of the cross likely to be primarily or entirely
what is behind the blight problems with Leyland cypress in the East."
I agree. Cupressus X ovensii so far, for me, is completely disease resistant. Though my leylandiis which will eventually be removed (planted by prior owners) are pretty happy, so only get minor splotches of canker. It was also apparently just as cold tolerant, showing no injury after the repeated 1F freezes of last winter. (-17C for Resin, if he reads anymore)

I'm almost loath to recommend it, because the southeast US does not need another monocultured coniferous screening plant.

I thought that DC and NOVa had been reclassified as 7b because of global warming. Not that we experienced any of that warming the last two years.