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When and which plants in pots to but in the greenhouse over winter...
Hello, when it comes to plants in pots, which ones need to be taken in over winter for a bit of protection from the cold please? In particular, an azalea, rhodedendron (sorry about the spelling!) and a cameallia (yep, again soz on the spelling front!).
Thanks muchly.
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How big are the plants?
Agree with philippa.
I grow a dwarf azalea in a pot and usually wrap the pot along with other potted plants before the first frost, which will probably be in the next few weeks then keep the pots close to the house where it is sheltered from the worst of the winter weather and a little warmer.
Start to reduce watering, when the worst of the frost arrives it's water freezing in the pots which is more likely to kill the plants. A good layer of gravel as a mulch will also help retain heat in the compost, whilst in summer helps retain water from evaporation due to the sun's ray's.
Here they are. They're not tiny ones but I wonder if that makes them more vulnerable, or more hardy? I wondered if they needed a cold spell in order for the buds to develop further. All three are covered in buds, albeit small ones.
The rhodi and camellia are new this year and they've romped away. The azalea is like an old friend! It was purchased on the cheap in Nottingham as it was damaged and left in a pot, then planted in the ground in London, dug up and planted in the ground back in Nottingham, and finally put in a pot in nottingham. It was always a poor specimen and I just left it to nature, but since deciding to take better care of it by using the correct compost, as well as a special feed, it looks wonderful! Really don't want to lose it now.
Hi, I definitely wouldn't use valuable GH space for ultra hardy plants such as Rhodis, camellias and azaleas. I grow some of my dahlias in pots. and agapanthus with the thicker leaves ( evergreen). These definitely need protection.
There are some camellias which are less hardy and benefit from some winter protection, but unless you have one of those then no, they are all hardy and it's just as the other have said, protect the pots if there's very hard weather forecast. Keep them in a sheltered area which is less likely to get frosted. If they're in the lea of a house wall, they'll get less water anyway which helps. Just make sure they don't go short of water at this time of year when the buds are all forming. If you can, group them together with some more potted plants and that will help protect them.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I grow my camellias in pots FG, and they are in the lea of the house on the northern side, all year round. I give them lots of rainwater in late summer/autumn as they form their flower buds. They have come through the last 10 winters fine,
here in the south, but it will depend where you live as you say, from your northern outpost.
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group the pots together, just like penguins huddle it'll keep them warmer, put them somewhere that gets afternoon sun (not all day or first thing as the heat can burn frozen leaves) and if it gets really cold (like below minus 5) then wrap the lot in a couple of layers of bubble wrap.
oh and you might want to raise them up a little as the cold might not kill them but being waterlogged might!