Tropical Garden Overwintering Tip - Insurance Plants & Experimentation...
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Today's video is a quick tropical style garden overwintering & winter care tip for exotic plants like cannas, Hedchyium gingers and Musa banana plants plus other plants in pots. In the video I discuss how keeping insurance or backup plants is a great way to reliably keep a plant for the next year but may also help you be a bit more experimental and find a route to a lower maintenance and easier overwintering process going forwards. Growing and overwintering exotic plants is definitely a game of trial and error, success and lessons, but rather than blindly following what other people do (including me!) I'd definitely encourage you to experiment with your tropical garden plants and see what YOU can get away with!
If you've enjoyed my content and would like to say thanks for the price of a coffee then please head over to my Ko-fi, any kind donations would be appreciated and put towards creating more exciting content: ko-fi.com/geor...
Thanks,
George
As always you're advice is sound. Exotic-style gardening is a game, a gamble in our climate. The challenge is what makes it rewarding, if it was easy it wouldn't be as fun. I've learnt far more from failure than success. Without a measured gamble there's no learning. Insurance plants are the way to go. Failing that, with plants you're not that bothered about either way (colocasia redemption for me), I go all in and leave my sole plant outdoors. What will be will be....season after season the game is played. The whistle hasn't blown yet this winter. When the proper weather comes again we'll see how this match plays out. Good luck to you this winter with your plant gambles🤞
Thanks and good luck to you too! As always, good to hear your insights and wisdom based on experience and I completely agree. I genuinely wouldn't enjoy a climate where it was 30 degrees every day, I love the changing seasons here and the challenges and opportunities it creates for our gardens. You make a good point about the plants you're not bothered with or 'should' be hardy enough, you have to let them get on with it don't you. Obviously I have to have a lean towards best practice and caution with my vids but you've definitely got to find a balance that works for your garden, free time and overwintering facilities. I'm actually looking forward to getting some frosty nights over the next couple of weeks, I'd much rather have a gentle transition into winter. All the best!
I like this approach. Very much along the lines of what I was thinking with my jungle garden. You’ve given me some ideas about some insurance plants I can sort out too.
Thanks Lloyd, you definitely have to find a balance don't you. Good luck with all your winter prep this year!
Great explanation George, it's always good to encourage experimentation to find the best plants for your own garden. Your patch is still looking fantastic mate.
Thanks Craig, it's always best to know what you should do but worth seeing what you can get away with most winters once you have multiples of a plant isn't it. Some frosty nights coming up but I'd rather have a few colder weeks to get settled into winter rather than a jump to very cold like last year!
Sensible philosophy. Agree with everything you say in this one. There has to be a balance between protecting plants and being time efficient.
Thanks Kris, you do. Yeah, it started off being a a vid about keeping backups and not leaving everything out but I came think there’s probably more value in looking at it the other way and finding out what you can get away with. Obviously you can take cuttings from Salvia etc too and risk others outside.
Thanks George, last year I had to scramble round the garden rushing to get things protected, but this year I'm on it !! no rushing at last minute for me. The greenhouse is almost full, just enough room for some seedlings and wither sown seeds. I only lost a couple of bulb plants last year so not too bad. Good luck on getting the plants through the winter. Fingers crossed that it's not a really bad winter 🤞
Thanks Michelle! Great to hear you're impressively organised and good luck to you too, I'd like it to be a milder one as well. I got my polytunnel up today (just in time so still last minute but no rush!) and put most things in there so I don't have much more to do. In reality most of the plants I lost were not those I'd consider long term hardy here but I'm pleased the vast majority of the tougher exotics came through!
Thanks George. My hardy Gingers from QVC did nothing the first year. Then sprouted and last winter they disappeared. I took it they were hardy. But they faced. Minus. 18 in September this year I noticed new growth. I’m hoping for a mild winter. , with cover with compost and cross everything. X. Thanks for all your work and high video standards. .
Thanks Gordon and I hope they do well for you in terms of overwintering and growing next year! Yeas, there's 'hardy' and hardy I guess and those kind of temperatures are definitely a challenge for the majority of exotics. It sounds like you've done everything you can so my fingers are crossed for you too! All the best.
So glad I live in Cornwall but the winds/ rain can be a trial.
Ps did have a lovely Ensette in a pot. Brought it into the garage but it rotted!!
Hi Cynthia, you definitely live in a favourable location for growing exotics, but you're definitely right about the wind! There's certainly a reason most of the exotic gardens down your way are tucked into sheltered valleys! Sorry to hear about your Ensete - they can be a bit of a gamble to get through winter, particularly in an environment that isn't heated during a colder winter. Maybe start with smaller plants again next spring as they soon get big!
I have gone all in with leaving in the ground. although I did manage to split one giner into 3, and potted them, which will stay in the shed... so this is my first winter growing these plants in west suusex ..going to be fun :)
Nice one, good luck with them all and hopefully we avoid the prolonged freezes we had last year!
THX GEORGE YOUR A PAL
Thanks, happy to help!
Left some colacasia esculenta in a large pot last winter. We had minus 5 for almost a week in the winter and this year they grew ft long leafs. They had a layer of mulch over the top of the pot and it was under a tree. Going to do the same this year and see how they go.
Nice one, good work! I think a combination of shelter and the mulch have saved the day there but they're definitely a plant that's tougher than most people give credit for!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden have done the same this year so lets see
Fingers crossed it's a milder one and they come back bigger and stronger next year!
Dont have Gunnera so I made leaf tent for my tetrapanax 😎🤔🤔
Haha nice one. Personally I don't wrap my Tetrapanax as they appreciate a bit of airflow but the leaves will definitely help shelter the plant from these first frosts before they disintegrate.
That's some very valuable advice George, George I have a Trachycarpus Fortunei that I want to plant near another one, is there any worry about their trunks overlapping or growing too near and can Trachycarpus plants tolerate acidic soil I have one growing in it but am unsure to.kove it since it was planted a few weeks ago. Thank you for your advice George.
Thanks! Just replied to your other comment about the acidity, as long as it's not too extreme I imagine the Trachy will be just fine. As for the proximity question - check out the Trachys in my video at Dr Simon Olpin's jungle and I think you'll see some great examples of how they develop and look at different proximities.
Hi George. Do you grow Red Sweet potato plant? I have grown some from cuttings this year but have never seen you mention or recommend this plant. It looks lush in full leaf, would you know if it is winter hardy or totally not?
Hi, it's not something I've grown before but they're definitely colourful and would fit in with a tropical effect garden! I believe they're frost tender but unfortunately I haven't tested their limits myself. Maybe you can take cuttings for next year?