Martin Fish is taking action to care for tender perennials
The cold’s setting in now so tender perennials prefer an inside spot
Autumn is well and truly with us now, and we’ve had a few cold nights and a touch of ground frost, rhough not enough to harm any of my tender plants growing outside. However, as it’s only a matter of time before we start to get more frost, I’ve decided I’ll now bring tender perennials and shrubby plants back undercover for the winter.
We also often get a fair amount of windy weather at this time of year, which is another reason for bringing plants in, to prevent the taller ones from blowing over, damaging the plants and smashing pots!
It’s always a bit of a tight squeeze when I first bring the plants back undercover because space is limited. In the tunnel, tomatoes are taking up a lot of space, but I’m loath to clear them out for another week or so because they’re still carrying ripening fruits. I’ve also got lots of peppers and chillies in pots and again, until Jill’s picked and used the fruits, I want to keep them going for a while longer. This means that for the next week or two, until I’ve cleared some crops and made a little more room, it’s a case of cramming plants in where there’s space. It means I’ll have to rearrange the pots when the tomatoes and peppers are cleared, but I’ll feel happier knowing that my tender plants are being protected.
To maximise space, plants with lots of top growth, such as shrubby salvias and the larger growing pelargoniums, will be trimmed down to reduce their height and spread. Some of the shoots cut off can also be used to take a few late cuttings in the propagator.
For now, there’s no extra heat in the greenhouse or polytunnel, but the plants will all be fine in the protected environment.