Much as I like spending time in the garden, having a whole range of demanding plants that need a lot of attention is a real chore, but a few of them to spice up your garden and stop it looking dull is what’s needed to make a garden interesting.
Dahlias fall into the ‘spice up your garden’ category for me. The job of digging them up at the end of the year is a small price to pay for their endless supply of colourful flowers.
Then there are the plants that are too big to dig up and store, but not tough enough to stay outside without a protective coat, like tree ferns, bananas and palms.
Tree ferns.
There are a whole variety of materials, but essentially a thick coat of straw or bubble-wrap covered in horticultural-fleece or hessian is what’s needed.
Tender plants protected with hessian.
Tender banana plants covered with straw held in place by wire.
A thick layer of straw and horticultural fleece protects tender plants.
As well as being practical, I like it to look good too, especially if it’s in view from inside the house. A covering of green hessian over white plastic or fleece tones the whole thing down and looks more natural, and maybe use strong, natural string rather than orange baler twine?
Tips to minimise frost damage to tender plants:
- Site tender plants near a wall or in a courtyard.
- Cold air and frost lurk about in the lowest part of a garden, so avoid these places for tender plants.
- Leave old growth on tender plants through the winter for a bit of added protection.
Read all about how to grow dahlias here.
Happy gardening.
Jill
all images: Jill Anderson
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