Hi everyone I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere but I couldn’t find in the search. I’m in zone 5 (close to zone 6) central IL (near Bloomington). For context, we have been trending zone 6 recently but can have polar vortexes that will get down to -25F to -30F every 10 years or so. I’ve been growing prickly ash for a few years (collected locally from the wild) and would like to add true Sichuan Pepper (especially the green variant) to my collection. I see variable descriptions listing them as hardy to either zone 5 or zone 6 which is a big difference in my part of the world. It seems like southern nurseries can get pretty loose with their zone descriptions but I digress. I also have really only seen the red ones for sale online and was wondering if anyone knew of where I could find the green ones (if hardy in my zone). I was tempted to try to grow seeds from the Asian grocery store but I’m skeptical that would work. If they aren’t hardy here I’d rather not waste my time on any of it.
Red is when green turns color in Fall. You can harvest green in the Summer and red in the fall.
Are you certain that green is a variant and not just a matter of when it’s picked? Given that the flavor is in them long before they turn red, I would be shocked if the green ones are actually still green when ripe as opposed to typical red form picked green.
It’s the same fruit - picked as green or red based on taste profiles and cooking usages.
That makes sense, similar to green and black olives. I had seen one source calling the green ones another species, but was skeptical of that. I’m just wondering if anyone has successfully grown them in zone five.
Green Sichuan pepper can be unripe fruit from the species used for red Sichuan pepper or it can be fruit from Zanthoxylum armatum. They taste similar but not exactly the same.
Hello,
I’m in zone 6 close to zone 5. So a bit warmer than you (and in France so the weather is not exactly the same anyway).
And, while my sichuan pepper is still alive after 4 years since planting it, it has lost most of its small branches last winter. It grew back from the trunc but not very healthy.
Before last winter, the two previous winters went well but not very good either. The tree was giving a small number of fruits (none this year). I don’t know what triggered this change last winter.
This winter, I protected it to be sure.
I also plant another one in a
warmer place around the south part of my house last year and this one has grown beautifully (protected too this winter for the first time in doubt).
Bonjour @LePelicaN, merci pour ta réponse. C’est exactement ce que je cherchais. Il semble que je pourrais avoir des difficultés à les cultiver, surtout avec la tendance de notre région aux vortex polaires. Je devrai peut-être me contenter du clavalier d’Amérique (notre Zanthoxylum natif). Ce serait génial d’essayer de les hybrider, puisque notre espèce locale est résistante jusqu’en zone 3/4.
First, your French is amazing. 
And second, I didn’t knew about Zanthoxylum americanum, it looks indeed easier for cold climate. I will try to get my hand on one.
It looks so easier that I’m wondering what would be the reason to prefer Zanthoxylum simulans?
Your hybrid idea looks great. I never tried hybridation on any kind so I don’t know how feasible it is but it would be very nice indeed.
Hi @LePelicaN my French is a LOT better written than spoken 
. Spoken it’s pretty terrible but I keep trying.
I like the American version so it’s not a bad option at all, but it has much more citrus forward notes and a bit less of the numbing taste so it’s just different than the traditional Asian ones.