Winter care of exotic plants
Make sure these beauties are protected, says Ruth
AS the temperatures drop it’s time to protect exotic canna lilies, dahlias, agapanthus and bananas. Most need substantial protection, whether they are left in the ground, lifted and moved into a frost-free greenhouse or, if potted, mulched and moved against a sheltered wall or into the greenhouse.
Evergreen agapanthus are less hardy than deciduous varieties, but can be protected with a thick mulch of straw or chippings over the roots. Potted plants can be moved to shelter, mulched and wrapped in fleece or bubblewrap.
Musa basjoo bananas will tolerate UK winters as long as they don’t get waterlogged. Container plants should be trimmed and wrapped, while those in borders should have their trunks wrapped in fleece or hessian. Then create a wire cage around the trunk and pack it with straw, before topping it with a sheet of polythene to keep out the rain.
Less hardy Ensete varieties are best kept undercover through winter.
Once their foliage has been blackened by the first frost, tuberous canna lilies are cut back, lifted and the tubers divided before being stored somewhere frost-free in trays of sand or vermiculite that is kept just damp.
Dahlias should be cut back and lifted in the same way, then their tubers inverted somewhere cool for a few weeks to dry off before being set in trays of dry sand or compost with the stems uncovered.
Keep checking your plants through winter, adding more insulation if it is dislodged, making sure compost is just damp and not soggy, and keeping watch for pests in the greenhouse.