Osage-orange in Alaska?

AMERICAN FORESTS: I am writing to you as an Alaska resident but a Montana native with a great interest and background in the Lewis and Clark expedition. I am very interested in the osage-orange. Alaska is well outside its growing zone, but I wonder if you have any experience with caring for Maclura outside its normal area. I would like to try one or more as "tub" trees, moving them indoors for the winter, at least until they became too large for this to be feasible. Even if the trees lasted only a few years I would love to have a small hedge of them to screen my yard.

Most winters we are Zone 3-4 with occasional dips below that; some years we are much worse. I fully expect winter kill at some point, but until we get one of those "killer winters," is there anything I can do to improve my chances--mulching, tenting, pruning, even the possibility of a heated root system?

Dan Urbach

Alaska

Howard Burnett responds: The osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) is originally native to the mid-South but has been planted throughout the eastern United States. It is most commonly used for fencing, as the thorns make penetration difficult. It does get large, though, and I have seen some trees over 2 feet in diameter. The fruit is softball-sized and does not seem to be on the menu for any wildlife species. The wood is orange.

Trying to grow this species in Alaska would be an interesting endeavor. It does well in the Washington, DC, area, and it is possible some parts of coastal Alaska might be not much worse in the winter. My suggestion is to try both tub and out-planting to see what happens. While indoors, preventing drying is key. Outdoors, be sure there is plenty of water and use mulch to provide all the protection you can. Be sure to pull the mulch an inch or so away from the trunk of the tree, to minimize attack by insects, diseases, or even mammals which might like to over-winter in the mulch.