The Return of Jack Frost

I live in Dorset and we had our first frost of the season last night. Not that heavy just a light 'Dew Frost' when the temperature dipped to 0c.

Now this is early for us. We normally dont get our first frost until early/mid November, so to get one by the eend of the third week in October is unusual, but then again its been an unusual year weatherwise!

My dilemma now is what to do about the frost tender plants still gowing and blooming in the garden. Do i lift and protect them and loose the colour when the weather turns milder again? Or do I risk leaving them in the hope it will get milder allowing the display to continue. This i guess depends on how damaging the frosts get. There was no visible damage this morning, showing the frost wasnt that bad and the plants had withstoood it well, so I am prepared to sit tight and see what happens on future nights.

Last year I recall we had some hardish frost in early November which cut back most tender plants in the garden, which I had to then lift. The subsequent weather was then mild and of course the whole winter was very mild , so who knows how long the plants would have lasted had it not been for those few frosty nights in november?

What with the dismal summer this year, it would be nice if the summer flowers could me made to last as long as possible.

 

Hi Garden Apprentice I think most of us would love our summer blooms to last as long as possible but sooner or later they have got to go and winter kicks in.....although after a few chilly months along comes the spring bulbs which is always nice to look forward to.

Maybe next year we will have a 'summer' unlike the one we had this year so that all of us gardeners here on GC can enjoy a little of their hard labour!
Helen.xxx.

 

"Should I? Shouldn't I?" I've been asking myself this evryone morning! I'm cutting it fine, but leaving my tender plants which are still flowering as long as I can!

 

Hi Garden Apprentice. I have the same problem. It was down to zero last night. I think the answer is it depends what plants you are talking about. There are a number of plants that I intend to overwinter under glass, but quite a lot will take a bit of frost.

For instance:- Dahlia foliage will get cut back by frost but the tuber is much more robust and might overwinter without lifting at all, so will not be affected by a couple of degrees of frost. Pelargoniums will stand a bit more frost than you think. Some of mine, that I didn't want, have been left outside in pots against the house and survived the winter. I have Salvia patens, leucantha, involucrata, guaranitica,'Mystic Spires' and ulignosa, which might survive a whole winter outside but I wouldn't take the chance. Felicia can survive in an unheated greenhouse over winter where temperatures fall below zero. And Osteopermum too.

Let us know what plants are involved.

 

Leave them in GA, I am, we had a slight frost here too probably not that far from you, but this should only be for a day or so. Even the impatiens showed no sign of damage( even self sown seedlings).

 

I also had some mild frost the two past nights

 

I got mild frost in my garden this morning too.

 

Wonderwoman started taking in her tender plants yesterday and into the greenhouse
I complained bitterly that she was calling an end to the summer far too early and that November was quite time enough thank you very much
Maybe she will leave some of them out until then to keep me happy

 

Well i think I did the right thing. we have had cold night s but no real frost, and most, if not all my bedding plants and half hardies are showing no ill effects. I fact you would hardly know the night had been cold, although one canna is looking a bit battered, but thats probably the wind rather than the cold.

I think what helps is growing the plants 'hard', that is not overdoing it on the feeding ant watering and trating the plants a little bit mean. this i think makes them more resistant to both cold and drought.