Question
I live in Walnut Cove, NC in Stokes county. My climate zone is 7. I want to know if it's at all possible to grow cephalotus in an outdoor bog in these conditions. If so is there any particular variety that's capable of overwintering with a layer or two of mulch over it? Thanks for your time with this question.

Sincerely,
Daniel

Answer
Hi Daniel,

Cephalotus is technically a warm-temperate plant, so it's hardy only to zone 9.  In our experience, we've seen Cephalotus tolerate brief frosts of 27癋 provided that the roots don't freeze.  Given that you live in zone 7, I'd recommend growing it as a tropical plant indoors on a very sunny windowsill.  Another option is to grow it outdoors during the growing season and bring it into a lightly cold greenhouse (35?55癋) for the winter.  

The idea of mulching is only to reduce rapid temperature changes.  It doesn't protect the ground or the plant from freezing completely.

For information about growing Cephalotus, visit our care sheet section online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin