I'm lazy and can't be bothered growing anything that needs fleecing / lifting and storing for the winter. Even seedlings and such like have to take their chance in the unheated potting shed (which is why I rarely sow early). I do have a heated propagator but that's about it for molly coddling.
Might bring the little lemon verbena indoors though. First year of growing it and I've loved the lemon sherbet scented leaves. It's only a wee plant at the moment and it would be nice to grow it into a proper shrub.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
We're just mean @Nollie- more layers on instead of the heating... I think -to get back to the subject - if you're going to fleece, it's the same principle as lagging pipes. You need to do it while the plant is still 'warm'. Insulation keeps cold in, just like it can keep warmth in. It will also encourage rot etc, if put on over a wet plant for any length of time. Taking it off in higher temps is also necessary for the reasons already mentioned.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I haven’t protected anything before other than bringing a couple of pots inside but I have 3 musa this year so I’ll be protecting them along with a couple of palms. I’m not too fussed about how it looks aslong as my plants are safe haha
I fleeced the Ensete Maurelii last night , it survived the first frost which I wasn't excepting and it froze last night as well . I only fleece plants for the evening and remove them in the morning, next frost forecast I'll put the ensete to bed.
I don't fleece because I find it very unsightly. I want to enjoy the serenity of a winter garden, and fleece detracts in no small amount from that. Hence plants need to be able to survive the winter.
I will fleece large pots of dahlias once the leaves start to wither and brown. (I think that's the recommended approach. It worked very well last year). I cover the fleece in black weed membrane so that the pots don't stick out so much. In the south we are way off frosts so far - with night temps around 10oC at the mo. I will bring in a pelargonium nurse plant when frosts are close. I have lost several of those that I risked leaving out in previous years. I only keep it to take cuttings and give them away. The salvias are fine without fleece.
I don't fleece anything over winter either. I have some handy for the spring in case of a late frost when I'm hardening off new young plants grown from seed (particularly the tomatoes and other stuff that's got too big to take indoors).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I did try fleecing a potted lemon tree last year, bought for OH, against my better judgement as our winters are too cold for them. I found the fleece stuck to the leaves during frosts and snow weighed it down too. If I am ever tempted to buy/am coerced into buying and then fleecing a tender plant again, I would make a tented structure to keep the fleece off the leaves and allow better airflow. The lemon died right back btw and is now a sad stump.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
The advice is that it should be tented @Nollie and also 2 or 3 layers if needed. We have 3 citrus now and they go down into the polytunnel for winter. The Meyer lemon is hardier than most, should you wish to try again.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
We live and learn, Obelixx. The fleece wrapped lemon was in the poly but even that wasn’t enough to save it. This is a Four Seasons one, I’ve not seen a Meyer here, but if OH insists on trying again will try and get one from France, thanks.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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Might bring the little lemon verbena indoors though. First year of growing it and I've loved the lemon sherbet scented leaves. It's only a wee plant at the moment and it would be nice to grow it into a proper shrub.
I think -to get back to the subject
Taking it off in higher temps is also necessary for the reasons already mentioned.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the sticks near Peterborough