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Post by Chuckles on Dec 12, 2007 20:07:30 GMT
Here in Warsaw I have a fatsia that grows outside without any problems. It gets lots of mulch round its roots before winter sets in but otherwise I just leave it. It has seen off two fairly cold winters so far and it is looking good at the moment . totp, just done a double take on what you have said about your Fatsia, how on earth does a Fatsia survive in the low tempertures you get in Poland, don't you get something like 4 months in the year where it rarely gets much above freezing and can be as low as -30
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totp
Assistant Gardener
Posts: 128
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Post by totp on Dec 14, 2007 9:33:52 GMT
Probably down to global warming. You are right we do ahve extended periods of codl when iti si below zero , well below zero and it can get extremeyl cold, minus 20 to minus 25 is not uncommon. but the last two winters haven't been as harsh as when I first moved here. Anyway the Fatsia is doing well and the mulch seems to be protecting it well enough. Perhaps I should cover it with garden fleece. What do you think? I am always a bit unsure about levels of light and whether I am going to break stems.
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 27, 2007 10:09:02 GMT
Now RF....i'm only going to say this once more ....go out and buy yourself a small Fatsia which should cost no more than 5 UKP. Whilst you're there, get yourself a nice passiflora too....P. Caerulla (i can never spell that bloody thing !!!) is the best. So I have just bought a Fatsia Japonica and what a caper that was. It was on offer actually - probably because it desperately needs a larger pot. I paid 4.37 UKP according to the Currency Calculator. Now then the place that we went to has notices stuck in the selection of plants telling you about Care, watering etc. So this notice said - " Houseplant - keep 18- 20 deg C, in winter only slightly cooler. No direct sunlight. Water moderately." My OH read this aloud as we thought no one was around...hah - big mistake - one should always look behind big plants and pillars!! My OH said - are you sure about putting them outside and the winter etc etc. Oh dear - well this assistant strode very quickly over to us - only just stopped herself breaking into a trot - and asked if she had heard correctly - that the fatsia was going to be kept outside. I looked at my OH and begged him with my eyes to keep his mouth shut .........mmmmh well he didn't did he.... Did I know that this was a houseplant and did I know that they couldn't stand low temperatures never mind about freezing temperatures. Not to mention NO sun whatsoever and they very rarely flowered if at all. How could I buy a plant just to let it die - plants are living things as well... By this time my OH realised what he had done and was slowly but surely retreating to look at some other plants......big ones that he could hide behind!! In the end just to get away I said that I had obviously made a mistake and it wasn't Fatsia Japonica I wanted at all. She sighed ...a very big sigh....and only slightly stiffened when I said that I would take one anyway for a friend as a present. I didn't dare look her in the face...... Honestly Andy ....I never mentioned your name and I certainly didn't mention GWD .....gawd she would have had me barred....... Needless to say I didn't even look for Passions flowers - I paid and ran....my OH was waiting at the car laughing his head off!! So Andy I will keep you informed of this Fatsia .......in fact I am thinking about right a book about how I nearly got lynched buying it!! RF
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Post by andy on Dec 27, 2007 10:44:15 GMT
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 29, 2007 17:12:08 GMT
;D RF I am very seriously considering cutting back my Fatsia. I could send you some sticks that you only have to plant rightside up and they will root. That way you do get ones fit for outdoor growing.
Did you inform H that he is in for trouble, keeping you away from the passion flowers?
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 29, 2007 17:33:33 GMT
Cutting it back...................oooooooo I didn't know you had one Dutchy. I bet they don't laugh at you the way that they will laugh at me......Fatsia's outside in Germany ...in winter......how hardy are your sticks then? H thought it all a laugh a minute and thinks that I have a screw loose anyway - Fatsia's and Passions flowers here.......that must be my Gardening resolution for next year .....to keep them alive!! RF
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 29, 2007 18:35:03 GMT
Mine came to me as a cutting. Garden centers do not sell them here ( not as outsiders and the ones grown for indoor use do not come through Winter. It was a gift from a fellow gardener who has had it in his garden for 20 years before passing this one on to me. It has been in my garden from day one twelve years ago when the garden was still a mudpile. It survived that first winter with temps down to minus 15 with no noticable problem. OH calls this plant that is near our house ( it does like a sheltered spot ) The Thermometer as it droops it leaves when the temps go below 0. I think it does that to shield its stem. It is now 2.5 meter high and as new stems come from the base ( it is multy stemmed) I want to get rid of the hight as it darkens things a bit too much.
I plan to take a lot of pics Sunday and Monday as a farewell to my 2007 green diary. I will post one of it too then.
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 29, 2007 18:38:48 GMT
Oh blimey - well the one that I have bought probably won't make it then - can you give me some sticks please..... I was rather looking forward to being the laugh of the neighbourhood...
Sue
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 29, 2007 18:43:54 GMT
Sticks will come this Spring ;D But once there is no chance of frost any more I would park that one pot and all outside.
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 29, 2007 18:49:41 GMT
Lovely Dutchy - thanks a lot.......I'll show them..
RF
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Post by andy on Dec 31, 2007 7:15:10 GMT
Also RF, are there any other exotics grown in Germany....Phoenix, chamaerops and trachycarpus palms, musa basjoo (root hardy to -20), pommegranites, bamboos etc etc
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 31, 2007 9:17:55 GMT
Yes some people do have exotic plants Andy but never outside, they are all kept in Conservatories etc.
Some GC's had palms this year - they could stand over minus 20 but at 199 Euro (147 UK Pounds) they were still there weeks later - bit steep isn't it. I certainly didn't buy one.
RF
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 31, 2007 9:23:10 GMT
The thing to remember is that you are near Hamburg which is very top north, next to the North Sea near Denmark, and gets all the winter wet and cold ( brrrrr ) and there are bits of Germany some very many more miles south that get away with things you don't. People in Aachen/Aken might get away with tropic(ish) plants.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2007 13:38:01 GMT
RF .... I know it's a bit presumptious to be talking about temperatures when I live in one of the mildest parts of Ireland - but reading this thread and Andy's advice, I can't help wondering whether some warnings about tender plants are overdone - it must be worth experimenting, especially with a change in weather patterns. E.g., would you consider just trying one of the Solanums in a sheltered bit of your garden - perhaps the purple one which is considered hardier? If so, I'm sure one of us could send you a cutting ... cheers ...
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 31, 2007 13:51:17 GMT
I think that we are possibly led to believe here that things just are not possible. Fatsia's here are called Zimmer Aralie which is Room Aralie, a houseplant - it never dawned on me that I could have one outside and after reading the instructions in the GC, no-one else would think of doing it either. Certainly the assistant didn't know that - my face is still red after the blast she gave me!!
Dahlia's and Gladiolas etc - all have to be dug out. I left a dahlia out once just to see and it was "mush" the next year. The purple solanum again is only used as a annual here.
I suppose that there are a few things that could be kept outside that I don't know about but I think the only way is as you say - to try. I do have an Olive tree outside in a large tub but it is doing a very good impression of an Egyptian Mumie at the moment.
I will have a go at anything - well within reason!!
RF
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2007 14:07:13 GMT
Well, it certainly might be worth trying one of the Solanums, since they have been proven to be reasonably frost-hardy in the UK. E.g., they might survive but simply lose their leaves in winter, which of course they do not here ... cheers ...
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Post by Dutchy on Dec 31, 2007 16:41:13 GMT
Thought I would post my Fatsia on here as you see it does need cutting back. A bit just.... And one standing inside its very jungly branches
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Post by andy on Dec 31, 2007 17:54:51 GMT
The thing to remember is that you are near Hamburg which is very top north, next to the North Sea near Denmark, and gets all the winter wet and cold ( brrrrr ) and there are bits of Germany some very many more miles south that get away with things you don't. People in Aachen/Aken might get away with tropic(ish) plants. Ohhhhh...i didn't realise you were right up there RF.....i'm afraid your fatsia won't stand a chance then Only kidding ;D
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 31, 2007 18:01:10 GMT
Oooo Andy you are a so and so - I believed you as well for a minute.!!!
I must admit that I am looking forward to seeing what happens.
That looks rather impressive Dutchy - do they grow quickly?
RF
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Post by andy on Dec 31, 2007 21:23:31 GMT
Not particularly.....mine is around 4 feet tall including the large ceramic pot and its been in there for 7 years. Don't forget that keeping them in a pot will keep them slightly shorter and they'll tend to grow slower.
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Post by Rosefriend on Dec 31, 2007 21:30:48 GMT
Not particularly.....mine is around 4 feet tall including the large ceramic pot and its been in there for 7 years. Don't forget that keeping them in a pot will keep them slightly shorter and they'll tend to grow slower. Oooo that's a shame Andy - mine is only one foot now ........I was going to show it off to all my neighbours .......think I better wait a bit!!! RF
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 1, 2008 16:09:40 GMT
Mine is 12 years old and in full soil. It is app. 8.5 feet high. It is in a sheltered spot. I suppose it should be able to deal with frost as it grows naturally on high mountain slopes in Japan My neighbour carefully asked when I was going to chop it down. So my neighbours are sort of not impressed either ;D
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Post by Rosefriend on Jan 4, 2008 8:30:29 GMT
My neighbours are definitely going to be impressed Dutchy........I shall say it is the latest in plants to accompany Roses.....there is bound to be someone that I can sell the idea to.....
Mine is still in the lounge at the moment - I was thinking of putting it upstairs into the guest bedroom where it doesn't have any heat to start it off and then hopefully as soon as possible to get it outside - and if necessary keep bringing it in each evening for a while.
RF
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 4, 2008 9:08:53 GMT
Keeping it cool will help and you can keep an eye on it. I think it will be safest not to bring it outside before the real frost is gone. Maybe on warmish days when temps are above 10*C. I always forget to bring things in ( just killed another herb in pot )
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Post by Rosefriend on Jan 8, 2008 13:03:05 GMT
Right Andy and Dutchy, - I have repotted the Fatsia - had to cut the pot off and tease the roots a little.......and it is now in the spare bedroom without any heat.......one step further along the way at least!!
Poor little thing doesn't know what is going to happen to it, does it?!!
RF
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Post by Dutchy on Jan 13, 2008 16:44:57 GMT
It might and, as this is it's chance to grow into a real big shrub like tree, it will be thrilled. Besides who would smirk on the opportunity to make a long nose at German GC staff.
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Post by Jardack on Jan 13, 2008 19:40:22 GMT
Andy - how are all the plants coming on now? Did you get your planting scheme sorted in the end???
JArdack
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Post by andy on Jan 14, 2008 14:06:52 GMT
Yes...very much so. My camera's messing me around so i can't get any pics at the moment. Come spring, when everything's in leaf, i'll try to get some better pics but i'm dead chuffed with the results
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Post by snowowl on Jan 14, 2008 15:12:48 GMT
Well you have all made me want to get a Fatsia now.My boarder along a wall is north facing and doesnt get a lot of sun so it sounds ideal for there. I will buy a smallish on and grow in a pot outside in the north facing boarder and see what happens. I have always been a bit dubious about their survival outside in our winters but you have convinced me. Blimey Dutchy that is one fantastic plant or should i say tree if i have a fraction of your succses i will be pleased i think i will go for one the size of RF to start with though.
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Post by andy on Jan 14, 2008 15:48:48 GMT
Blimey Dutchy that is one fantastic plant or should i say tree if i have a fraction of your succses i will be pleased i think i will go for one the size of RF to start with though. Or...if they're cheap enough, buy three and plant them all in one pot.....that would make a superb display in a very short time
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