Thank you gardengal48!! I was pretty convinced one did not exist. Very excited about this. Will be a gift for my father.

zone alone usually isnt good enough... how about a big city name..

north OH is not the same as south ohio ... even if they are both z6

if they thrive in north kentucky.. they would probably tolerate south ohio ...

and of course.. there is the lake effect of lake erie ... and its micro climates ...

ken

There are a number of camellias rated hardy well into zone 6. Good siting and protection the first few years in the ground will be helpful.

Camellia Forest Nursery is a respected mail-order supplier and has a selection of hardy camellias.

https://camforest.com/collections/ornamental-camellias/feature_cold-hardy

Camellia Forest Nursery is precisely where I got my info from: https://camforest.com/collections/ornamental-camellias/feature_cold-hardy+habit_dwarf

I also came across Camellia Forest Nursery after searching for Winter's Rose on gardengal48's recommendation. And, lucky enough for me, I'll be traveling through the Raleigh area in a few weeks on a Saturday when they are open, and I can make a slight detour to stop by. It's perfect :)

Sansanquas are not going to appreciate zone 6 without very careful sheltered siting and probably protection the first couple winters.

Dave, why do you say that?

I was at Camellia Forest nursery last week and talked to them about their zone 6 options... He did focus more on the April series (the japonicas) and not the winter series (the sasanquas), but it seemed to me that the April ones were slightly less hardy than the winter ones - most of the April ones were rated only to 6b. I also thought that, since they bloomed in fall, the sasanquas might do better in that respect, rather than having to carry those buds through the winter. Maybe that's not logical. And maybe I just want them to do better because I want the fall flowers instead of the spring ones.

I made a purchase there for myself, but didn't get the one for my family yet, lol. But I had sort of made my mind up on snow flurry and putting it in a different space than originally planned since it will be much bigger. The new space would be on the north side of the house, about 4 or 5 feet from the foundation. Would this not be enough protection? I'm trying to put in plants that will only require some care on my occasional visits. I don't think my father will notice or remember to cover it.

The winter's rose they had were super-tiny, and he said they would not be decently sized for several years yet. So that isn't an option anymore.

Thanks for your insight.

Also, for anyone who may wish to know in the future, I asked about the relative sizes of the winter series camellias. This is what they told me

From smallest to largest:

Winter's Rose

Winter’s Interlude

Winter’s Peony

Winter’s Hope

Polar Ice

Winter’s Waterlily

Snow Flurry

Ashton’s Ballet

Sorry, I missed the part about it being a Camellia sasanqua 'hybrid'. So yes, most any of the Ackerman fall-blooming hybrids are hardier - like Snow Flurry, Ashton series, Winter's series, etc.

Zone 6B may work, but consider that even though they bloom in the fall, they do bloom in LATE fall and usually just start to open as cold nights arrive. Opened blooms are vulnerable to early freezes, but unopened buds should still open with the next warmer stretch.

Still though, I would seriously consider some kind of shelter from winter sun and wind for the first winter or two to get the plants established. Even here in zone 7A, I put an air-permeable layer of material around mine for the first winter, to keep sun and wind off them.

Thanks Dave, always appreciate your advice.

@ Dave in NoVa what type of wrap do you use to protect shrubs ? I am in Lexington and I haven't had any blooms on my hydrangeas these last 2 yrs due to the harsh winters destroying the old wood growth.They put out lovely new growth from the base each Spring/Summer I hate to pull them all out and would like to try a protecting wrap. Oh and when do you apply the wrap ? Thank you for any advice. c

Hi Caroline, I know some people use wire fencing around their plants and fill them with leaves as a cover. There are also better hybrids for reblooming that have been developed (lets dance can do for example), or ones that claim improved bud hardiness (like tuff stuff). But I live in a zone where this isn't as much of an issue for me, so I don't have a lot of personal experience with this. You could try posting your question on the hydrangeas forum and would probably get some good advice :)

Thank you Sara. Dave is in VA and mentioned a cover/ wrap that’s why I asked. I definitely don’t want more hydrangeas and I hate to toss these. i will try the cage leaf technique next year. it is too late now we have single digit coming this next week 😞

Don't feel too bad about missing out on 'Winter's Rose'. It is indeed one of the hardiest of the Ackerman hybrids but it's also a late bloomer, and further North the buds do not open in time to beat the freezing weather. Dave did mention that unopened buds will open after the freeze but in colder winter areas the buds of these fall bloomers are not winter hardy, and if there's no warm spell to follow, they will not survive the winter and will not open in spring.

Caroline Donnelly , the wrap was for Camellias, which don't like winter sun or harsh winds. I can't counsel you on hydrangeas. However, ff late frosts are a problem, try moving the plants to a shadier spot so they don't come out of dormancy so early.