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9cm Nepetas

I've got three 9cm pots of Nepeta. I know they're a tough plant but are they tough enough when small to be planted outside now or should I hold off and wait for spring?

Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I would keep them somewhere sheltered until spring.  They will not enjoy cold wet soil, I made that mistake with other small perennials!


    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Thanks @Plantminded will do!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree - unless you have plants that size already acclimatised in your garden, the roots are filling those pots well, and you get drier winters, they're better kept somewhere until spring. Plants that don't mind wet cold, and frosts/freezes would manage, but those that prefer drier and freer draining soil, won't cope so well.  

    I often leave hardy plants that size out, but only against a wall, or in among shrubs, or similar, and if they've been growing in my garden for the previous 6 months or so. That allows them to experience everything the climate throws at them over winter, but with enough exposure. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I do the same as @Fairygirl , keep them outside but with a bit of shelter - near a wall or fence, under a tree, beside the shed, that sort of thing. I also have an open-top glass cold frame (lids long since broken) under a tree where I overwinter quite a lot of stuff too. That tends to keep them from being blown over or accidentally kicked over/trodden on. The tree is leafless in the winter so it keeps a bit of rain/snow off but not all of it.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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