Winter protection in wrong zone

[Jphipps]

I will be temporarily moving from North Carolina to Iowa in about a month. I will be bringing a few trees with me and selling the rest. My question is, I have a collected Yaupon Holly that I would like to bring. Does anyone know of any strategies as to how I can keep this tree alive in the cold of Iowa (5a)? Since this is an evergreen, I am guessing it will still require light, so an unheated garage may not work? Any tips/suggestions/setups would be great. Thank you!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I'm from Iowa. My buddy there kept a yaupon as a tropical, but in a cool garage would be better. My yaupon has gone down to 10f in a pot outside here in AL, but much lower would likely result in some damage. What part of IA, and who did you hack off to get sent there in the winter?

 

[Jphipps]

Haha. It seems like I always end up visiting Iowa in January. I just can't resist the sun and sand. I'll be staying about an hour west of Des Moines. So I will be ok without any sunlight in an unheated garage?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Probably. I'd mulch it in pretty heavily and check soil moisture regularly. Check out the Iowa club; they meet at the Botanical Center in DSM. The center has a good collection, some good members, and @garywood is the curator. It would be good to try to catch him on a visit.