Plant protection plan

Bring indoors

Potted plants that are tender can be brought into a greenhouse that is kept frost-free. If you don’t have a greenhouse, consider using the bright windowsill of a bedroom for smaller potted treasures. Just don’t forget to water them.

Examples Citrus fruits, pelargoniums

Insulation

Some plants can be wrapped in fleece for protection. Bubble wrap can be used on clay pots, but avoid swathing plants in this since it does not breathe – a build-up of moisture can lead to fungal attack.

Examples Echiums, tree ferns, plants in terracotta pots

Move pots

Moving potted outdoor plants closer to a wall of your house will offer them more protection than you would imagine – the brick or stone acts a bit like a storage heater, raising the surrounding temperature ever so slightly at night.

Examples Potted Japanese maples, camellias

Lift bulbs/tubers

Dig up tender bulbs and tubers, dry them off and store them in trays of dry compost in your shed. Alternatively, cut them down and mulch the ground with a 5cm-thick layer of manure, compost or chipped bark, which may offer ample insulation, especially in zones 8 and 9. Examples Dahlias, gladioli

Cloches

Smaller plants, such as winter salads, can be covered with cloches. These will not raise temperatures to a great degree but they will effectively keep out rain and reduce the effects of wind chill. Examples Damp-sensitive alpines such as raoulia, and grey-foliage plants

Leave unpruned

Think before cutting down all your herbaceous perennials, as some will benefit from the insulation their dry stems and leaves provide. Also consider wildlife. Birds find seedheads a valuable food resource, and insects hibernate in hollow stems and among dry leaves. Examples Eryngiums, grasses, hydrangeas