Long thread so sorry if I'm restating what others already said, but don't cloche the delphiniums. Apart from creating a haven for slugs, you will have the problem of what happens when the shoots reach the top of the cloche but it's still too cold to remove it. Better to let the shoots brave the elements, they may be pinched back by frost but they will grow away when (and only when) the weather has warmed up suitably.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I didn't know that about aconitum / aconite @Fairygirl just referred then as a winter bulb and the perennials . I'll have to start calling the winter aconites eranthis that's the problem with common names and not Latin .
Long thread so sorry if I'm restating what others already said, but don't cloche the delphiniums. Apart from creating a haven for slugs, you will have the problem of what happens when the shoots reach the top of the cloche but it's still too cold to remove it. Better to let the shoots brave the elements, they may be pinched back by frost but they will grow away when (and only when) the weather has warmed up suitably.
@Loxley The cloche is just for the first weeks until January. As soon as the new growth has established, I take the cloche off. It has for 6 years only this winter I didn’t notice the issue until last week. Let’s see how it develops.
I don’t understand why you’re using a cloche in December and removing it just as the coldest weather arrives? Even in Wiltshire January and February… and even March, can bring bitterly cold weather. Why induce tender early growth and then remove protection? Delphiniums are hardy if allowed to respond normally to the UK climate. 🫤
If I wanted to get slightly earlier blooms i would wait until they have started growth normally in the spring, and then give them a bit of protection in April/May, until the warmer summer weather has arrived, when protection can be removed without setting the growth back.
😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm baffled too @Dovefromabove ,which is why I kept asking! The cloche is the problem @Simone_in_Wiltshire . You're just creating a better place for slugs to thrive and/or soft growth which is then more vulnerable to damage . Delphiniums are totally hardy.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I was given three plastic cloches years ago as a gift. At the time I thought not sure I will use them. I was surprised to find years later just how expensive they are to buy. I also had slug and snail issues if I didn't remove them quickly after a cold spell. They also blew away when it was windy. One really good use has been to cover up smaller woody salvias. This has helped for many years, so cold outside at present not sure it will work this year.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
@Dovefromabove and @Fairygirl, try to understand. The cloche comes in November/December depends on the height of the new growth, just as long as the new growth is around 15 cm high. Once established at the beginning/end of January, it comes off.
It protect the new growth from damage and worked fine for 7 years. Only this winter I didn’t check the stage of the growth because it was under snow for 10 days in December.
@Simone_in_Wiltshire - the point we're trying to make is - why are you doing it? Covering it with a cloche won't stop damage. Slugs live/move underground and an above ground physical barrier won't stop them. If you're not getting damage to early growth, it isn't the cloche that's preventing it
Exposing soft new growth to potential cold weather in the following month or two is also counter productive, because of that potential change. You can force plants, but they need to be undercover for along time, and given specific care, hence all those early flowering hydrangeas we see everywhere for the Easter market. Plants of all kinds also adapt to their growing conditions, so once a plant/shrub/tree has been in situ for a few years, they'll have [largely] adapted to the growing conditions and climate. That isn't always the case of course, because climate and weather can change, but it's certainly something that many people have experienced.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It turned out to be what I forecast: the Delphinium never developed because it's simply eaten by slugs. I try to get through the year and will do it make better next winter and look daily under the cloche. This is a Delphinium that needs to grow in November/December and it flowers only once. I made the mistake to do what Monty Don said and cut it back for a second flush, but weakened already the plant.
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I ♥ my garden.
If I wanted to get slightly earlier blooms i would wait until they have started growth normally in the spring, and then give them a bit of protection in April/May, until the warmer summer weather has arrived, when protection can be removed without setting the growth back.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Delphiniums are totally hardy.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I also had slug and snail issues if I didn't remove them quickly after a cold spell. They also blew away when it was windy. One really good use has been to cover up smaller woody salvias.
This has helped for many years, so cold outside at present not sure it will work this year.
I ♥ my garden.
Covering it with a cloche won't stop damage. Slugs live/move underground and an above ground physical barrier won't stop them.
If you're not getting damage to early growth, it isn't the cloche that's preventing it
Exposing soft new growth to potential cold weather in the following month or two is also counter productive, because of that potential change. You can force plants, but they need to be undercover for along time, and given specific care, hence all those early flowering hydrangeas we see everywhere for the Easter market.
Plants of all kinds also adapt to their growing conditions, so once a plant/shrub/tree has been in situ for a few years, they'll have [largely] adapted to the growing conditions and climate. That isn't always the case of course, because climate and weather can change, but it's certainly something that many people have experienced.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I ♥ my garden.
I try to get through the year and will do it make better next winter and look daily under the cloche. This is a Delphinium that needs to grow in November/December and it flowers only once. I made the mistake to do what Monty Don said and cut it back for a second flush, but weakened already the plant.
I ♥ my garden.