What will us professionals do if it carries on being so cold for so long each year? What do they do in say Sweden or other continental climates? Anyone know?
I normally love the snow but the whole family went down like 9-pins with flu before Christmas so no sledging! One of my jobs for someone I garden for was to tie fleece over various tender tree ferns, some small palms and the odd phormium or two. Not sure whether that was enough for them to make it through this winter...
In Sweden they are quite pragmatic and realise that you can not garden in the snow. They make the most of short summers and have exotic stuff in the botanical gardens in hot houses. Still we have had the worst winter for 300 years so none of know what will survive. Only know that all the weeds will for sure.
I had a tidy in one of my borders and disturbed lots of fat emerald green caterpillars, that the local blackbird promply gobbled up. If those squishy bugs can survive -7 and more for weeks on end, Im sure some of my plants will survive. Probably the Verbascum and its associated Mullien Moth caterpillar. I wasnt impressed with the flowers anyway, give me a hollyhock any day!
Reply to Minty: Yes, I moved to my house here in Peterborough a year before launching Gardeners' World Magazine, which will be celebrating its 20th Birthday with a bumper March issue full of surprises!
I prune Sambucus niger very hard down to about 1m every February/March, and it develops stems at least 2m long each year. My variety is the attractive 'Black Beauty', and although I don't grow anything through it I'd recommend planting a vigourous Clematis viticella close to the base, and training stems up through it each year.
I do have a Clematis viticella 'Pagoda' growing alongside a holly, and it provides a lovely partner to it, flowering through late summer and well into autumn.
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Still we have had the worst winter for 300 years so none of know what will survive. Only know that all the weeds will for sure.
I prune Sambucus niger very hard down to about 1m every February/March, and it develops stems at least 2m long each year. My variety is the attractive 'Black Beauty', and although I don't grow anything through it I'd recommend planting a vigourous Clematis viticella close to the base, and training stems up through it each year.
I do have a Clematis viticella 'Pagoda' growing alongside a holly, and it provides a lovely partner to it, flowering through late summer and well into autumn.