Our worst winter temperature since we moved here 5.5 years ago has been -8C and then only for a few nights so I expect it will do well here and have been looking for one, so far with no success in local nurseries. One thing I did learn in my last garden - central Belgium and lows of -20C for 2 to 3 weeks at a time - is that snow is a great insulator and that -15C with no snow is a lot more damaging than -20C with snow.
For plants that don't do well with winter wet, insulating with fronds or straw and maybe a layer of horticultural fleece should help.
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)."
My neighbour kindly gave me a small piece years ago. Two years later I tried cuttings in late May but it didn't work . Then one year it looked very woody so I dug it up and the roots were huge. I really should have left it as I realised it shoots even on the old wood. It was an opportunity to try some root cuttings which were successful. It is now growing well in another neighbours garden in the same SW aspect.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@Obelixx It's interesting to see the differences between the ranges of your weather. We didn't have a cold winter. It was mild, but an unusual amount of snow. Usually, it snows once and melts within a day, maybe two. We had heavy snow that lasted for two weeks. Which is almost unheard of for our area, which I know is hard to believe. Most people outside of Canada think that all of Canada is covered in snow.
@GardenerSuze That's a great idea! I should try to propagate it. I did manage to find a new one at a nursery yesterday. This one has some purple on it's foliage, which I haven't seen before.
@mandystarr They look very healthy, it would seem there is one called Purple Haze I guess if you think of the flower colour it is very much like the lovely tints in the leaves of your photo. It would be great to know if you are successful with your root cuttings. Good Luck!
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
I've not grown this plant but use the fern method to protect other plants and it works really well. I normally cut a load of bracken and build a stick cage over my dahlias and they stay surprisingly snug and dry. I tend to put a layer of old compost over the top first, 6" or so, and then add as much squashed down bracken over the top as I can be bothered to collect. In spring I remove the bracken if there isn't any more frost for cast.
I wouldn’t be bothered about having flowers, I find them dull. It is the leaves that are the main feature. Some specimens seem to have much nicer, more dissected foliage than others.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
There are two issues: one is cold, and the advice here is excellent. The other issue is wet.
If your ground becomes waterlogged, these plants suffer. Covering them won't help if the water comes from below. We build up the borders so that the soil level is above that of the garden, generally. You could make raised beds if you had the energy.
This solves the problem for us, even though we garden on heavy clay.
Posts
Our worst winter temperature since we moved here 5.5 years ago has been -8C and then only for a few nights so I expect it will do well here and have been looking for one, so far with no success in local nurseries. One thing I did learn in my last garden - central Belgium and lows of -20C for 2 to 3 weeks at a time - is that snow is a great insulator and that -15C with no snow is a lot more damaging than -20C with snow.
For plants that don't do well with winter wet, insulating with fronds or straw and maybe a layer of horticultural fleece should help.
It's interesting to see the differences between the ranges of your weather. We didn't have a cold winter. It was mild, but an unusual amount of snow. Usually, it snows once and melts within a day, maybe two. We had heavy snow that lasted for two weeks. Which is almost unheard of for our area, which I know is hard to believe. Most people outside of Canada think that all of Canada is covered in snow.
@GardenerSuze
That's a great idea! I should try to propagate it. I did manage to find a new one at a nursery yesterday. This one has some purple on it's foliage, which I haven't seen before.
Some specimens seem to have much nicer, more dissected foliage than others.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
If your ground becomes waterlogged, these plants suffer. Covering them won't help if the water comes from below. We build up the borders so that the soil level is above that of the garden, generally. You could make raised beds if you had the energy.
This solves the problem for us, even though we garden on heavy clay.