Bare rooted hardy perennials

I have just received some bare rooted hardy perennials.

The frost has gone for the moment.

Is it safe to plant them now?

Forecast is that tomorrow will be +6 and remain frost free at night for at least a couple of days.

(At least here in Hampshire!!)

 

On balance I'd be inclined to stick 'em in

 

Hello Jerry!!

Down here we don't normally suffer from frosts that much, but we are having a spate at the mo!! (I'm in Fareham!! ) Put them in, as the frosts don't tend to go underground, but if we do get a heavy one, pop a 2ltr plastic bottle over the top (bottom cut out) to act as a mini greenhouse/ cloche thingy, just to protect the roots. I bought some perennials in pots yesterday, and am not going to plant them out for a couple of weeks or so 'till the frost have gone

ps - isn't it a beautiful day today!!!??? Brilliant sunshine, blue sky.... bl**dy freezing though!!!!

 

We had 3.5cm of snow yesterday and -2C daytime temp! Froze hard again overnight and there is still some snow lying.

The cold snap is forcast to last until the end of next week so I would be inclined to heel them into a well sheltered spot and cover with bubble wrap weighted with bricks until the soil warms up a bit. If they have to go into an exposed position right away I would cut the top off 3 litre poly drink bottles and place them over your plants, then add some bubble wrap well secured with pegs or bricks. I swithered about whether to sow seeds in an unheated greenhouse last week and I'm glad I've held off.

A lot does depend on your elevation but childhood memories of Surrey and Hampshire recall some hard frosts. The current 'beast from the east' could still have a nasty sting to it.

From my front door yesterday



On my way to a job - the ground was solid so great excuse to have a clean up and bonfire!

 

Brrrr..... it looks really, really cold up there..... We are right on the coast and protected by the hills behind, so manage to miss the harsher frosts, and the easterlies.... still got a bit of frost in the shade this morning... thats more than enough for me, being a right old (young) southern softie!!!

 

Lovely day here too, Honeybee but as you say very cold. I have put my bare root cyclamen and hellebores in pots in the greenhouse, as becommended by grower, until weather warms up a bit. They look lovely, I'm really pleased.
Also bought a sweet box, Sarcococca Ruscifolia, in a pot, and put that in the greenhouse too for now. the smell from quite a small plant has filled the greenhouse. Have been looking for one for ages.

[ 04. March 2006, 04:00 PM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

I've just received long-awaited climbing roses yesterday, and an acer today - so no way are they going in! It's frustrating, when I want to see my plants actually in the garden, not in the garage! This is where 2 are going!

Sorry, photobucket kept saying it ahd rotated it, but it hasn't!

 

I see it did after all, typical!

 

Honey Bee, I'm actually in Stubbington!

It is a gorgeous day (although starting to cloud over now).

The front garden where I want to put them is still shady and the ground seems hard, so I've put them in pots and left them in the back garden on the patio, which was so warm earlier it felt almost like summer!

 

Jerry, You may well be ok in your part of the country. But remember that plants in pots get colder than plants in the ground. In the ground, cold only comes in from above, but in a pot cold comes in from all sides.

 

If I cover them over with bubble wrap at night, would that be ok?

 

Jerry. Yes that would certainly help a lot. If they are placed next to the house, they can also pick up a tiny bit of heat from the house.

 

Should be, but I prefer fleece, as things can breathe through fleece, but I don't think they can through plastice - think of all those warnings about having plastic bags near kids!