Winter protection advice needed plse.

Hi all next weekend we plan to start sorting the soil out the front as now have the fence up & the gravel down. Once the soil mix is sorted have a pile of plants to go in. I would like to know what needs protection ground protection or other.As plan to put a fair bit in over the next 3 weeks before it gets to cold.
He is a quick list.
climbers
clamatis general sikorski
large jasmin
virginia creeper
choisya shrub
virginia
various grasses
large lavender & smaller versions
hypericum hidcote
hibiscus syriacus
dianthus

this is the first lot going in any advice on winter protection would be appreciated Dont want to plant then end up losing the lot :( .The Ground will be prepared next weekend I'm hoping to get some plants in the same day.

 

Hi Kels , they all look like hardy plants , you are taking a risk in any case at this time of the year , most plant need to establish before can take frost and cold .
but usually plant like Virginia creeper , clamentis , dianthus are die down in winter .
the only one i would wait is the jasmin expecially if it`s the white one.

 

I can only offer advice, from experience, on a couple of those.

Virginia creeper is now coming into it's colour/drop season. As far as winter protection is concerned (I'm SE) it doesn't require any special attention.

Lavender: if you are planting it out now, when you dig your plant hole, add some grit/small stones to the base of the planting hole for drainage.

I have taken some (very recent) cuttings of dianthus; I intend to overwinter them in a shed (unheated) and pray for healthy plants next year.

Sorry I can't be of more help, Kels, but I'm still learning myself. Hopefully, a more experienced gardener can offer some sage advice.

 

thanks the jasmin is white

 

Thanks mum every little helps..

 

As others have said - they look fairly hardy. The only one I would be a bit worried about is Hibiscus syriacus - depending on how big it was. Two years ago I bought a small one and also grew one from seed and left them outside over the bad winter and lost both.

 

Sorry to hear that, Peter. Do you think they would have fared better in an unheated shed? Or, do you think they need winter warmth??

 

I live in Bedford and lost my white jasmine 2 years ago , with the big freeze , but usually the white jasmine (Jasminum officinale) the most common of all , it`s not a super hardy plants , still need a sheltered place , or a warmer winter.
I personally never plant any plants at this time of the year (except for bulbs) , the frost and wet will come and kill the roots , but if you don`t have a greenhouse , plant them now , give a good drainage and hope for a warm autumn so that roots can develop.

 

All the ones I know on there should be fine, but, for the lavender, run your hand through it. If it feels soft and delicate, then I'd be tempted to ease it into outdoor life for a few weeks before setting it loose. Its really hard to describe, but if it feels like its spent its life thus far in a greenhouse/polytunnel, it might struggle with the cold. If it feels a bit stiff, springy, then it's probably fine I reckon.

 

there are lots of hibiscus syriacus around where I live and they took lots of frost , the problem is when we buy plants , even the hardy plants of all , it`s may come from a warm Spain and really should spend the first winter in a greenhouse just to get acclimate , have a good season to establish (of course the bigger the better) and then is ready to take the winter ....

 

hi mine is nearly a foot high had it in a pot for a few months outside.waiting to be planted out the front. Sorry to hear about your plants.

 

one foot high? no chance then .
Sorry , repot it and keep it somewhere utill spring .

 

Mum - as others have said, Hibiscus is generally hardy - depending on where you live and how cold the winter was. My neighbour had one outside for some time. But often small young plants are not as hardy as older bigger ones, and mine were both small and young.

In my very limited experiance, I would call them a bit borderline as opposed to many border plants which are totally hardy. They certainly don't need winter warmth, but a bit of protection like a cold greenhouse or a shed with some light wouldn't go amiss.

The winter 2 years ago was very cold and I also lost a lot of Clematis. A friend, who is an RHS trained professional gardener said that a lot of her clients had lost Clematis too that winter. I had always assumed that they were totally hardy.

But be aware that it is often winter wet rather that just the cold that kills plants. I don't grow Lavender but I would imagine that this falls in this category. So sometimes keeping the rain off plants will do the job. Penstemon come in this category. And I understand that Penstomen growers tend to use the word "persistance" rather than "hardiness" in recognition of the fact that the danger is from the combination of cold and wet.

 

I had hoped to plant a lot earlier but due to various reasons we couldnt. We will be doing as much as poss next weekend.

 

Hi all the lavender have been outside the all the time in pots. would that make a difference.