|
Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 24, 2006 20:23:47 GMT
A horrible thought, fellow gardeners, but I guess sooner than we'd like it will be time to think of ways of overwintering some prize plants...
I have tried various "insulation" techniques with my tree fern over the past 4 or 5 years, and have never been able to start the new year with green fronds. It has always rewarded me nevertheless with vigorous fresh growth.
Has anyone had better success? Is there, in fact, any point in trying?
OM
ps please bear in mind I'm here in Norfolk, not the balmy deep SW.
|
|
|
Post by Dr Bill on Sept 24, 2006 20:40:27 GMT
A horrible thought, fellow gardeners, but I guess sooner than we'd like it will be time to think of ways of overwintering some prize plants... I have tried various "insulation" techniques with my tree fern over the past 4 or 5 years, and have never been able to start the new year with green fronds. It has always rewarded me nevertheless with vigorous fresh growth. Has anyone had better success? Is there, in fact, any point in trying? OM ps please bear in mind I'm here in Norfolk, not the balmy deep SW. Well I am further north than you are and mine seems to do alright pushed right against a hedge and sheltered by patio furniture. We always have a few brown outer fronds, which is to be expected, but their are green ones too
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 24, 2006 20:51:50 GMT
Sadly, Dr B, not an option - this one's in the ground...
OM.
|
|
|
Post by Dr Bill on Sept 24, 2006 21:09:52 GMT
Sadly, Dr B, not an option - this one's in the ground... OM. That does make it a little difficult. Can't you grow a hedge round it (only kidding)
|
|
|
Post by jlottie on Sept 24, 2006 22:10:03 GMT
How about using straw or bubble wrap to protect the crown and then wrapping up in fleece. Although I live in Cornwall we still get the occasional snowfall and frost. My tree ferns are in the ground and I just left them to it, thankfully they came through ok but this year I think I may well take some precautions.
|
|
|
Post by beejay on Sept 25, 2006 8:50:35 GMT
I don't think there is any point trying to start the year with fresh green fronds, just protecting the crown. The new fronds grow pretty quickly once they get going & look so suprb. I cut back the old fronds on all my ferns in the spring so as to be able to appreciate the new growth all the better.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 25, 2006 9:03:10 GMT
Whether it's worth striving for was sort of what I was getting at BeeJay - so you actually find it's still green when you unwrap yours? How do you do that? I've tried the 'breathable hessian' approach and the 'mini greenhouse bubblewrap' ones - same result.
I get it through each winter ok, but am disappointed it doesn't start the new season with greenery already to go. I guess that down in Cornwall in sheltered places they never go brown and as a result get lusher and lusher. That's what I'd like...
This one currently has plenty of '2006' fronds - but would look better with more!!
OM
|
|
|
Post by beejay on Sept 26, 2006 19:26:08 GMT
I think I was trying to say that personally I don't think it's worth striving for oms. We don't wrap up the fronds at all, just protect the crown with straw & fleece. Then when the new fronds are starting to unfurl we chop off all the old ones which sometimes look reasonable but tend to be rather tatty. I would rather see the new ones on their own.
|
|
|
Post by Cheerypeabrain on Sept 27, 2006 18:58:42 GMT
Speaking as a complete coward...I decided to pop mine (Bruce his name is) into a pot...he was re-potted this spring into an HUMONGOUS great one which will nevertheless be dragged into my (cold) GH. Not much room for owt else in there mind you...just a huge banana and a few other tender plants I can't do without. I've already taken 2 of my bananas into the conservatory after losing a beautiful (expensive) red one last year.
It seems to be worth it with Brucey-Baby...he keeps his fronds green throughout the winter. I think that they're OK with quite low temperatures (in their native Victoria)..it's the cold + the wet they can't handle... good luck...
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 27, 2006 19:10:37 GMT
Maybe an umbrella then cheerypeabrain...
OM
|
|
|
Post by Cheerypeabrain on Sept 27, 2006 19:13:29 GMT
Hey...there could be a market! Dragons' Den here we come ;D
|
|
|
Post by jlottie on Sept 27, 2006 19:28:01 GMT
. I get it through each winter ok, but am disappointed it doesn't start the new season with greenery already to go. I guess that down in Cornwall in sheltered places they never go brown and as a result get lusher and lusher. That's what I'd like... OM I still had to cut a lot of the old fronds off as they had got rather tatty, so I still had to wait for the new growth to appear before they started looking lush again.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2006 22:21:23 GMT
I stuffed the centre with straw, put a plant pot water tray upside down over that and then a brick on top to hold it all down. Came through last winter OK. I left all the old fronds on until the new fronds started to unfurl in the spring after I had removed all the protection. The plant is in a large pot and it was left outside all winter on the north side of the house but exposed to the east winds. I will do the same this year and hope that it will work again!
|
|
|
Post by madonplants on Oct 7, 2006 12:15:03 GMT
The trouble is the fronds with Dicksonia are frost hardy to about -5, whereas the rest of it is hardy down to -19. That is the problem. I must get another one as I left mine at a previous house and I certainly miss it. My wife told me to bring it, but it was important to how the garden looked. I should stop thinking of others before myself SOMETIMES! y solicitor told me I could bring it, as long as it was on the form in my sellers pack. The border where one could go is not ready yet, but I suppose I could chance one in a pot!! Do you guys feed them, as I went to a site last night, that makes its own tree fern feed? Thing is it also makes its own bamboo feed and its own palm feed and.......... You get the picture! Keith
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Oct 7, 2006 20:03:22 GMT
mine's only been in the ground these past 8 months since The Move - up til then it was in a half-barrel and for 4 years I mulched it in the spring with a mix of chicken manure pellets (high N) and good home made compost - it always put on a good show (used to feed rainwater into the crown too).
Now, it's in the ground, planted with a surround of the same fertiliser/compost and it's been watered with our well-water (relatively high in nitrates). It looks better than ever. I'll probably mulch it in the same old way next spring...
OM.
|
|
|
Post by Cheerypeabrain on Oct 7, 2006 20:38:09 GMT
OH and I struggled to put Bruce in the GH yesterday...too big now what with the huge new pot and the mass of fronds (10 new this year!)...we now can't decide whether to remove the fronds or use fleece/straw in the crown and leave him outside. I'd hate to lose him...and if we cut off the fronds I know we'll have more next year...it's such a shame though as he's looking splendid at the mo.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Oct 8, 2006 15:06:38 GMT
well, if it's any help CBP, what I did last year was to put some shreds of fleece in the crown, wrap "breathable" hessian (they sell it at builders merchants, for bricklayers to put over new brickwork if there's a danger of frost) around the trunk up to the crown to insulate it from the outside (tied with string), gathered the fronds upwards and tied them like that, then put a loose wrapping of bubblewrap around the fronds and down past the crown to shed water. I secured the bubblewrap with ducktape, and loosely tied the top to provide a sort of chimney, without making it so loose water could get in.
Having done all that, come the Spring and after a few frosts, the fronds were still not in perfect nick and I ended up cutting them off as the new 20 arrived... hence the original question!!
OM.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Oct 28, 2006 7:45:19 GMT
I hear Monty failed to come up with the solution on GW last night despite the programme notes - nothing on tree ferns then, Monty....
But - I found a "Camelot Cushion Store" (part of a range of 'cover' products, for bbq's, benches etc) in the GC a few days ago, and I think it might be a neat answer for 9 quid:
it's a giant 'duffelbag' 109cm x 76cm dia made of a waterproof green polypropylene or something similar and I'm going to use it like this...
bend fronds downwards and loosely wrap in hessian to insulate them put fleece in the crown slide the bag over the plant - the fronds will act like the ribs of an umbrella, CPB secure around the base using the supplied eyelets and ground pegs.
If I can find the kit, I might just put a few eyelets around near the top for ventilation.
When I get round to it, I'll post a pic... probably just after the first frosts have killed the fronds...
OM.
|
|
|
Post by Jonah on Oct 28, 2006 23:18:01 GMT
If I can find the kit, I might just put a few eyelets around near the top for ventilation Hello oldmoleskins, If you are looking for eyelets, just to let you know I picked some up from a camping supply shop, along with the tool needed.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2006 17:00:53 GMT
Mine is a Morrison's reduced babt, I think as it is so yound it might spend this winter in the celler, I was surprised though to see just how frostproof they are, we dont usually get more than 5 degrees of frost at the worst.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Nov 3, 2006 11:16:43 GMT
Ok... so frost forecast last night (didn't happen), slid giant duffelbag over old ferny... et voila! here he/she is naked this morning: it occurs to me that it's expecting a bit much of any green plant to remain green if it's 'bundled up' for the winter, so, I'm going to discipline myself to putting this on and off overnight when frost threatens, without additional insulation (except I'll stuff the crown to protect it). OM.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Nov 8, 2006 8:16:44 GMT
Wouldn't think so, jl, fleece is breatheable and translucent, and the biggest drawback with this 'new' system of mine is that the cover isn't either - I'm concerned that if I don't offer some 'relief' in the form of a few hours of daylight, it'll react badly. It's retaining the green-ness of the fronds I'm experimenting with - in previous years, mine's been wrapped for the winter too. OM
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Jan 12, 2007 10:54:23 GMT
the good news... treefern still looks v. healthy and green
the bad news... gales have taken the cover - it's nowhere to be seen, I can only think it became a giant kite, and is, even now, a hazard to low flying aircraft, somewhere...
OM
|
|
|
Post by sweetleaf on Jan 22, 2007 20:32:32 GMT
This is what they do at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens ....it must work , but maybe there is more later..... If you look closely there is something that looks like a beach mat tied around the trunk.
|
|
|
Post by Cheerypeabrain on Jan 22, 2007 20:56:48 GMT
Isn't that Sideshow Bob?
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Jan 27, 2007 13:23:17 GMT
Well, that's pretty conclusive, Sweetleaf - if they get away with just wrapping the 'trunk' and leaving the rest, I'll try that next year.
OM
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 8, 2007 8:06:27 GMT
Aaaaargh! got this far to be caught out by a frost last night... was going soooo well - can only await aftermath...
OM.
|
|
|
Post by Susie Snowdrop on Mar 8, 2007 9:53:32 GMT
Got everything crossed for you OM . I'm wanting to purchase one myself eventually so have been watching this thread with interest! S x
|
|
|
Post by jean on Mar 26, 2007 20:29:10 GMT
Hope your tree fern survived OM, nearly got caught out myself last week. For the first time I wrappped up my smaller one in fleece and hoped for the best. The high winds ripped it off and it did take a battering along with the frost, hopefully it won't be too long till all the new growth starts again. My large fern is in a very sheltered space and has got through fine, though some of the fronds could so with a tidy up. I think its impossible to start the year with a pristine tree fern unless you have a conservatory Kew size.
|
|
|
Post by oldmoleskins on Mar 26, 2007 20:43:37 GMT
It's looking the best yet, JL and I think the slight browning (pic to follow sometime) is a combination of being 'caught out' at least once, and the frost being able to strike through the plastic. It will be interesting to see just how it looks in a month or so, and whether the number of fronds is affected.
But overall, I'm (sort of) pleased with the result, and I think with a cap of insulation between the cover and the fronds, it might work.
The cover is off at the mo - should guarantee an unforecast snap. OM.
|
|