Camellia 'Jury's Yellow' Anemone flower formWe have plenty of Hostas in containers and their leaves spectacularly changed color to russet and gold a few weeks ago before becoming a soggy mess that I removed and consigned to the compost heap. Hostas look stunning in pots through the growing season but they do not endear themselves through the winter months - just bare earth with fat buds below the soil surface. They, along with the summer flowering Lilies are taken to a quiet corner of the garden, where they can stay until spring.
My evergreens on the other hand continue to look good. The Rhododendron yakushimanum that was planted earlier in the year has grown quite a bit and the shiny, deep green leaves look very healthy. There are already signs of flower buds deep in the heart of the plant and as long as it is not blasted by cold winter winds, these will continue to develop before opening next May. The Camellia ‘Jury’s Yellow’ also looks very healthy with deep green, wavy leaves and is making a dense shrub that should be full of double, primrose yellow flowers next spring.
The evergreens will continue to ‘breathe’ through their leaves in winter, so it is important that they have a source of water available to replace that which is lost. If compost in the container freezes, the leaves will dry out and eventually become brown and drop off. Depending upon the severity of this, the plant may be killed, so I like to move my containers to a sheltered part of the garden, grouped together away from cold winter winds to help prevent this. If the compost is frozen solid for more than a few days, I try to house the plants in the greenhouse or garage where they can thaw out with gentle heat. Another trick is to use bubble wrap as insulation around the pots and over the soil surface, as well as horticultural fleece wrapped around the plants themselves. I have come to the conclusion that fleece is a good idea for short periods of time, but left on the plant it can cause rotting or rub against growth and cause bruising, which in turn can rot parts of the plant. As soon as the sun comes out for any length of time, I am out prodding the tops of the containers to see if I can get any water into them, whilst they are thawed before they freeze over again!
Although it is more tender, the Cordyline ‘Southern Splendour’ that is in the container by the front door should be fine there for the winter, sheltered by the open porch. As well as wind protection on three sides, it should benefit from the residual heat off the house walls and not be damaged unless the weather is very unkind!
Hopefully the weather will continue to be mild through the winter months, but I like to have an action plan in mind for the garden so that I am prepared should cold weather and snow suddenly strike.
