Question
I live in Maine which in an area that is a zone 5.  Recently I found a shrub I fell in love with, bought 2 and planted them...assuming that since they were selling it in Maine it was okay to plant, then I looked it up and it is recommended for zone 8,9 & 10.  I am upset because I doubt it will make it through the winter (It gets up to -20 in the winter.  Is there ANYTHING I can do to help it survive.  Would it be okay to dig it up and bring it indoors in the winter? If it isn't going to work out could you recommend a shrub that looks similar that I could replace it with?

Answer
Hi Mindy,
Thanx for your question.  By all means, dig the shrubs up and plant them in large pots and keep them as potted plants.  Bring them indoors in the winter and give them minimal water and do not feed.  They will go semi-dormant and yes, they will look a bit ratty.  You can return them to the outdoors after the last frost because Cytisus is pretty tough and will tolerate an occasional light frost.  I grow a lot of stuff out of zone like bananas, bird-of-paradise, palms, etc. and they make it through every winter.  I hope this helps.
Tom