Quote:
Originally Posted by lio45
Sounds like they do, then!
FWIW, the harshness of the winter is definitely not the reason you can't grow them. My ex's dad has a Red Oak in his backyard (close to the highest elevation you'll find in southern Quebec, his house is where Quebec, Vermont and New Hampshire meet) that he planted 30 years ago and it's thriving. Eastern Winters at that elevation are harsher than Calgary's, that's guaranteed. On the other hand, the growing season is likely longer and definitely more reliable. And the soil pH is less high. And it rains more. Whatever the reason oaks don't do well (likely a combination of these), the "harsh" winter -- this year especially, any oak from southern Quebec would've found Calgary downright balmy -- is not it.
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It's not the cold that is inhospitable to trees here. It's the fact that Calgary and southern Alberta are basically in a near desert climatic zone. Visit here sometime and you'll understand. First thing you'll notice is dry eyes, nosebleeds, cracked / bleeding lips and dry chapped skin on your hands. Winter is the worst. Summer isn't nearly as dry but is still generally quite dry. July is kind of a weird monsoon season where you see tons of thundershowers and hailstorms.
The erratic weather patterns and elevation probably don't help either. I think Calgarian already alluded to the constant freeze thaw cycles that occur as well as early frosts. Interesting fact about growing seasons: My inlaws live in Calgary's SW at a very high elevation since it is basically the beginning of the foothills. Their growing season is something like 2 weeks shorter than in my end of the city which is at prairie level. They also get snow much sooner and it also seems to linger quite a bit longer. The fact they live in an aspen forest probably makes this worse.
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