Tender exotics

[Darran]

So who has taken the plunge and planted out their more tender exotics?

I have planted out some of the Canna's, Brug's but not the Impatiens, etc. I have moved the Banana's out of the greenhouse to acclimatise but not put them into the ground yet!

[charlie]

Planted out 8 different Passiflora species a Pandorea Pandora, Cyathia cooperi, Begonia luxurians and Clytostoma callistegoides now I am looking at half a dozen seedling palms that seem to be taking up greenhouse space. I was going to plant out the tree daisies but Liz has decided she likes them in the tea room!

[AndyC]

I've brought a lot of plants out from the polytunnels to get them used to our cold wet summer :roll:
The only things planted out are two Lobelia tupa, a couple of Hedychium that were bursting their pots, a Dahlia aff. purpusii and the Montanoa which was trying to lift the polytunnel roof. Also unwrapped the basjoo last week which had started to grow again inside it's straw blanket.

[Chrisg]

I think everything that is going out is now outside. It is a bit different for me as nothing is being planted this year, but all the pots are out.

We have been lucky in London though until this week as it has been quite warm with a few days of low 20s. The rain has come as a bit of a blessing this week as everything was so dry and some of the euphorbias and more leafy alpines were starting to suffer a bit in their pots. Could do without the wind though.

[simon]

My cannas have gone outside but not in the ground. I was forced to put them out to make some room in the conservatory for Harry's birthday party. I would have kept them in a bit longer. They have probably stopped growing now.

[Phemie]

All the Cannas stayed in the ground over winter. I have planted out the Aeoniums which were in the cold greenhouse over winter, all the other succulents were in the summer house (in pots) which has a roof and 2 sides but is open at the front and they all survived. The Echiums all survived outside and are about to flower. The Musa basjoos have been shredded by the cold winds but are otherwise okay. I have not taken Ensete ventricosum Maurelii out of the cold greenhouse as yet but will have to soon as space is getting tight.

[LONGK]

The L.tupa which were mulched up outdoors are doing far better than the ones that stayed in the greenhouse!

Put the Passiflora "Amethyst" in the ground. It was in the greenhouse and not looking great, but it now has shoots on it. Had to go out to make room for my P.alata anyway, but I thought it was dead.

Iochroma australis have moved out of the shed. Seven of the smaller ones in the greenhouse now and loaded with flower buds. The large one that is destined for the ground is outdoors - leafing up nicely but no buds yet.

[AndyC]

The Salvia confertiflora that I had brought into the greenhouse last autumn have started to flower so I've taken some cuttings and planted them out now. Are these Salvias root hardy if left in the ground?

[LONGK]

The Salvia confertiflora that I had brought into the greenhouse last autumn have started to flower so I've taken some cuttings and planted them out now. Are these Salvias root hardy if left in the ground?

I've bought mine on the understanding that it's tender. What care did yours get over the winter?

[David Matzdorf]

Iochroma australis have moved out of the shed. Seven of the smaller ones in the greenhouse now and loaded with flower buds. The large one that is destined for the ground is outdoors - leafing up nicely but no buds yet.

To my surprise, I have found Iochroma australe to be totally hardy in London. I left two plants out throughout the Winter of 2010/11, through over four weeks of near-continuous freezing temperatures down to -7ºC. One was quite modest-sized and in a pot. The other was bigger and was plunged in its pot. Not only did they both leaf out and flower the following Spring, they scarcely even died back. They seem fully-adapted to becoming deciduous and dormant in cold conditions.

The same has happened every year since. I'm not that bothered about them, because the flowers are a sort of slightly dirty chalk-white with a faint bluish tinge and I wanted a blue-flowering shrub, so the larger plant is still plunged in its pot ( :oops: ) and the smaller one is now being challenged to grow in 150mm of soil on my green roof.

I don't know if it would be as tough in Oxfordshire, but it's so easy to propagate from cuttings, it would be simple enough to try, as it seems you are about to do. If you leave it in the ground over Winter, it would be useful to hear back about how it performs in a colder region.