Garden Centre

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Overwintering

Tender perennials will last for years if you can give them a little help to survive the winter. Indeed, many put on even better display in their second and third years.

What is a tender perennial? Well, unlike other definitions, this one isn’t fixed – it depends on where you live! Basically it means any perennial plant that will grow outside successfully in temperate climates during the summer months, but requires some winter protection. So in Sussex my agapanthus are not tender, but in Yorkshire they would be – and sadly, the only way to find out is to see if they survived that first year!

If you have limited space for overwintering plants, make it a priority to save those which are expensive to buy, such as pelargoniums and large fuchsias, as well as anything unusual that might be difficult to replace – for me that’s my south American shrubs, which rarely make it to British nurseries, even specialist ones. After that, pick your favourites and take cuttings as insurance

Once you’ve got your cuttings, root them in a heated propagator or on a sunny windowsill. Choose healthy looking, non-flowering shoots and trim them to about two inches, just below a leaf joint. Remove the lower leaves and any flower-buds and insert them around the edge of a pot filled with cuttings compost – or compost and sand, mixed. Cover the pot with a clear polythene bag (but not for bedding geraniums/pelargoniums which hate the damp and will rot off) and place in a well-lit position out of direct sun. Remove the bag when rooting has taken place (yes, I know it’s hard to tell, assume six weeks from potting up) and keep the plants cool all winter. Pot them up individually in spring and plant them out after the last frosts.

Labels: overwintering, tender perennials

The All Seasons Gardener at 1:39 AM 0 Comments

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