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Will these plants survive the big freeze?
Hey guys,
I bought lots of perennials in 9cm pots over the weekend and I decided to keep them in our outside toilet while we have temperatures of -6 degrees. However despite my best efforts the compost in the pots are frozen solid!
Some of the plants are Rudbeckia, foxgloves, Geums and Nepeta.
I'm now worried that's the end of them? What do you guys think?
Thanks 
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If you can put them somewhere just above freezing and let them thaw slowly they may be OK. Don't warm them too quickly and don't water them. Let them thaw gradually.
I did this yesterday when I found 2 window boxes froze solid. The plants seemed fine this morning.
Thanks Obelixx,
I may try get out there now and bring them in to a cool place inside the house. I think that's the only hope they have to be honest. I wish I had a greenhouse I could keep heated!
Oh dear, what about insulating them in the toilet, put them in a cardboard box, line it with bubble wrap,maybe a layer over the top, dont bring them indoors, they will get too tender.. I keep perins that size in an unheated greenhouse, they do fine. I do my hanging baskets every Easter when its pretty cold, I buy the little plug plants like the ones in aldi, they go in an unheated greenhouse and are mostly tender annuals.
They are hardy in Sweden, so I would say yes.
Well in the end I had to put them in my fridge over night as the temperature in there was just over 0 degrees so they defrosted very slowly
The temperatures are supposed to improve slightly later on today so they should then be ok to out in the outside toilet again. I know it means they will be in the dark for the rest of today but I suppose it's better than losing the plant all together.
But I will take your advice about the cardboard boxes Nanny as this should just hopefully get them through the next couple of days
we shall see!
Being hardy in the ground and under a blanket of snow is very different from being a young plant in a small pot and frozen solid at the roots.
Now you've got them thawed, keep the roots/pots warm in cardboard or freezer boxes - expanded polystyrene stuff - till it's warm enough to plant them out.
Last edited: 01 March 2018 09:13:35
Yup think Obelixx and I have covered it, you have room in the fridge for plants!
Obelixx. Yes, no pots in Sweden as we are an developing country. Oh wait, we are not..
Thank you Nanny, I see that you think input from people living in subartic conditions are not welcome.
Obelixx and Nanny Beach came up with some very useful advice for CraigB about tending for his plants.
Fire Lily - you on the other hand came up with none yet you make a subjective comment about Nanny Beach.
Are all Swedes as rude and brusque as you or is it that you have no familiarity with the nuances of the English language?