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Hi

Could you please give me a little help. I previously asked how I could grow-on news shoots tha have come up from my original cordyline that had been dispatched in last winter's terrible weather. I did not throw it away but started to grow a clamatis up the stem that was left (as it was about 1 1/2 metres high). It has now given me two very lovely shoots and I followed the instructions you gave me before and they are doing very well. My question now is how do I cover them for winter to protect them from frost and cold winds. I thought garden fleece. Please how should I use this as I am wondering that there should be some ventilation,etc.

Many thanks for your help

Kind regards
June Lalani




Answers

 

Proper horticultural fleece would certainly help - double it or even treble thickness round the shoots. I use clothes pegs to fasten it together. Buy it by the metre off the roll at your Garden Centre, which is much better value than in a pack.

It's best to remove it on good days when the temperatures allow it, but put it straight back before dusk.

15 Aug, 2011

 

My lovely plant man was telling me the other day that as far as he knows no one in the West Midlands managed to keep their Cordyline outside over winter. The harsh winter killed them. I am considering moving mine (only purchased a week or so ago) into the conservatory or garage over winter to protect it from the worst of the weather. I have been told these plants aren't hardy in the UK. They have recently been considered more hardy because of the milder winters we've been having.

One thing if you do move the plant into the house/garage/green house etc over winter, its probably a good idea to make sure you harden it off before you put it outside again in spring. Particulaly if its been somewhere warm.

Another tip I've read, if the plant is in a pot wrap a few layers of bubble wrap around the pot to help keep the roots warmer.

15 Aug, 2011

 

If we have another winter like the last one, horticultural fleece isn't going to do the trick, I suspect. Consider building a temporary structure round the plant, boxed in with strong polythene (not touching the leaves), maybe filling the spaces with straw or fleece, and with a lid of some sort which can be removed during milder or wet spells.

16 Aug, 2011

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