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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
Hi
I recently ordered a gunnera manicata by mail order. I wasn't expecting it to be delivered before spring, but anyway, it's turned up now - a small but healthy-looking stump in a 3" pot. How should I store this over winter? Would it be OK at the back of the shed? Or is it likely to get eaten by something? Does it need to be kept moist? Should it be in the dark or light? Warm or cool? Kept wrapped in its cardboard box that it was delivered in? Or taken out? Thanks for any advice. I really am not sure what to do with it! Cheers Will |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
wrote in message oups.com... Hi I recently ordered a gunnera manicata by mail order. I wasn't expecting it to be delivered before spring, but anyway, it's turned up now - a small but healthy-looking stump in a 3" pot. How should I store this over winter? Would it be OK at the back of the shed? Or is it likely to get eaten by something? Does it need to be kept moist? Should it be in the dark or light? Warm or cool? Kept wrapped in its cardboard box that it was delivered in? Or taken out? Thanks for any advice. I really am not sure what to do with it! Cheers Will Good on the supplier who sent it to you out of season. There are too many suppliers who will only deliver during the summer months. I would decide where you want to plant it bearing in mind the massive size to which it will grow and it's requirement for wet/boggy conditions. Plant it now and cover the whole crown with a mulch of straw to protect the crown from frost. If the crown does get frosted you tend to end up with frost damaged leaves which do not look attractive. In early spring feed it with anything Nitrogen rich (pelleted chicken manure) and stand back--these things can get huge. Alternatively if you wish to wait until spring to plant then just keep it in it's pot in a near frost free place and don't allow it to dry out |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
Thank you for the responses - very helpful.
I know about protecting the Gunnera once planted and growing, but given the dire warnings about the winter ahead, will probably opt for indoors/frost-free while it's still unplanted. We already have a bit of bog garden prepared for the fellow, come spring. Cheers Will |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 28/11/05 0:38, in article
, " wrote: Thank you for the responses - very helpful. I know about protecting the Gunnera once planted and growing, but given the dire warnings about the winter ahead, will probably opt for indoors/frost-free while it's still unplanted. We already have a bit of bog garden prepared for the fellow, come spring. Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 28/11/05 12:14, in article ,
"Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! Holy cow. They sell for around six pounds here , for one in a pot that's 8" across the top (I can't think pot sizes in litres). Even B and Q has them for around 7 pounds 50. At Crarae garden, self-seeded gunnera manicata are virtually a weed, all down the burns and ditches :-) Yes, well, it would have been a lot better if I hadn't made a vital typo! We sell them for £15.50 in 15 (fifteen) litre pots, not 5!! Sorry about that piece of carelessness. To some extent, price depends on the size of the crown of the plant. A 5l pot is about 9" across, Janet. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
#7
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message k from Sacha contains these words: On 28/11/05 12:14, in article , "Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! Holy cow. They sell for around six pounds here , for one in a pot that's 8" across the top (I can't think pot sizes in litres). Even B and Q has them for around 7 pounds 50. At Crarae garden, self-seeded gunnera manicata are virtually a weed, all down the burns and ditches :-) Yes, well, it would have been a lot better if I hadn't made a vital typo! We sell them for £15.50 in 15 (fifteen) litre pots, not 5!! Sorry about that piece of carelessness. To some extent, price depends on the size of the crown of the plant. A 5l pot is about 9" across, Janet. Ok :-) However, for anyone thinking of buying one; I found that a much smaller plant (a self-seedling with two tiny leaves the size of my palms)) rapidly over-took one bought from a GC in 5 L pot. As with so many other plants, plant one as small as possible, it will establish and grow away far faster than larger more expensive ones. Janet I believe that's because the larger more expensive plants are usually supplied in pots that are far too small and they are potbound. Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
"Rupert" wrote in message ... "Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message k from Sacha contains these words: On 28/11/05 12:14, in article , "Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! Holy cow. They sell for around six pounds here , for one in a pot that's 8" across the top (I can't think pot sizes in litres). Even B and Q has them for around 7 pounds 50. At Crarae garden, self-seeded gunnera manicata are virtually a weed, all down the burns and ditches :-) Yes, well, it would have been a lot better if I hadn't made a vital typo! We sell them for £15.50 in 15 (fifteen) litre pots, not 5!! Sorry about that piece of carelessness. To some extent, price depends on the size of the crown of the plant. A 5l pot is about 9" across, Janet. Ok :-) However, for anyone thinking of buying one; I found that a much smaller plant (a self-seedling with two tiny leaves the size of my palms)) rapidly over-took one bought from a GC in 5 L pot. As with so many other plants, plant one as small as possible, it will establish and grow away far faster than larger more expensive ones. Janet I believe that's because the larger more expensive plants are usually supplied in pots that are far too small and they are potbound. Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. I meant potting on and not repotting--guess I am really showing my age |
#9
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 29/11/05 0:03, in article , "Rupert"
wrote: "Rupert" wrote in message ... "Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message k from Sacha contains these words: On 28/11/05 12:14, in article , "Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! Holy cow. They sell for around six pounds here , for one in a pot that's 8" across the top (I can't think pot sizes in litres). Even B and Q has them for around 7 pounds 50. At Crarae garden, self-seeded gunnera manicata are virtually a weed, all down the burns and ditches :-) Yes, well, it would have been a lot better if I hadn't made a vital typo! We sell them for £15.50 in 15 (fifteen) litre pots, not 5!! Sorry about that piece of carelessness. To some extent, price depends on the size of the crown of the plant. A 5l pot is about 9" across, Janet. Ok :-) However, for anyone thinking of buying one; I found that a much smaller plant (a self-seedling with two tiny leaves the size of my palms)) rapidly over-took one bought from a GC in 5 L pot. As with so many other plants, plant one as small as possible, it will establish and grow away far faster than larger more expensive ones. Janet I believe that's because the larger more expensive plants are usually supplied in pots that are far too small and they are potbound. Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. I meant potting on and not repotting--guess I am really showing my age One of the reasons for that may be because when nurseries sell plants that have just been potted on, some customers think they're being 'cheated' because they're being charged the bigger pot's price but "this plant doesn't fill the pot". In fact, very often, if we have just potted on a young plant, we charge the smaller pot price. I repeat *some* customers - most are too sensible to think that way. And of course, potting on thousands of plants a year does take time, along with all the other work of a nursery as well as dealing with customers. As to garden centres, they don't do potting on, in the main. They're plant supermarkets and other than watering the plants (in some cases!) they don't do anything to them at all. Plants come in by the lorry load from all over the place and are out the door next day, if the gc can arrange things to its satisfaction! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
#10
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
"Sacha" wrote in message .uk... On 29/11/05 0:03, in article , "Rupert" wrote: "Rupert" wrote in message ... "Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message k from Sacha contains these words: On 28/11/05 12:14, in article , "Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: Good call, IMO. It sounds a bit of a baby to be planted out just yet. I don't know what you paid for your plant but we sell them here at around £15.50 in 5l. pots. A customer came in and was incandescent with fury and regret because he had just bought one the same size at a garden centre but paid over £50 for it! If yours was proportionately as expensive as that, it deserves some tlc! Holy cow. They sell for around six pounds here , for one in a pot that's 8" across the top (I can't think pot sizes in litres). Even B and Q has them for around 7 pounds 50. At Crarae garden, self-seeded gunnera manicata are virtually a weed, all down the burns and ditches :-) Yes, well, it would have been a lot better if I hadn't made a vital typo! We sell them for £15.50 in 15 (fifteen) litre pots, not 5!! Sorry about that piece of carelessness. To some extent, price depends on the size of the crown of the plant. A 5l pot is about 9" across, Janet. Ok :-) However, for anyone thinking of buying one; I found that a much smaller plant (a self-seedling with two tiny leaves the size of my palms)) rapidly over-took one bought from a GC in 5 L pot. As with so many other plants, plant one as small as possible, it will establish and grow away far faster than larger more expensive ones. Janet I believe that's because the larger more expensive plants are usually supplied in pots that are far too small and they are potbound. Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. I meant potting on and not repotting--guess I am really showing my age One of the reasons for that may be because when nurseries sell plants that have just been potted on, some customers think they're being 'cheated' because they're being charged the bigger pot's price but "this plant doesn't fill the pot". In fact, very often, if we have just potted on a young plant, we charge the smaller pot price. I repeat *some* customers - most are too sensible to think that way. And of course, potting on thousands of plants a year does take time, along with all the other work of a nursery as well as dealing with customers. As to garden centres, they don't do potting on, in the main. They're plant supermarkets and other than watering the plants (in some cases!) they don't do anything to them at all. Plants come in by the lorry load from all over the place and are out the door next day, if the gc can arrange things to its satisfaction! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk Agreed. I always tend to forget the distinction betweeen a Nursery and a garden centre. One of the local nurseries has slowly changed into a garden centre (of the worst type) and the acres of geenhouses that used to grow superb perennials have been converted . If you can be bothered to wade through the vast displays of scented candles, green wellies and farmhouse jam you can eventually find a few green things. I know the owner and he also finds it very sad but most profitable. In defence he says that the business now employs more people than ever and that he does still grow half a million winter flowering pansies each year. I suppose it could be worse--he might start with Bussy Lizzies. |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 29/11/05 7:36, in article , "Rupert"
wrote: "Sacha" wrote in message .uk... On 29/11/05 0:03, in article , "Rupert" wrote: snip Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. I meant potting on and not repotting--guess I am really showing my age One of the reasons for that may be because when nurseries sell plants that have just been potted on, some customers think they're being 'cheated' because they're being charged the bigger pot's price but "this plant doesn't fill the pot". In fact, very often, if we have just potted on a young plant, we charge the smaller pot price. I repeat *some* customers - most are too sensible to think that way. And of course, potting on thousands of plants a year does take time, along with all the other work of a nursery as well as dealing with customers. As to garden centres, they don't do potting on, in the main. They're plant supermarkets and other than watering the plants (in some cases!) they don't do anything to them at all. Plants come in by the lorry load from all over the place and are out the door next day, if the gc can arrange things to its satisfaction! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk Agreed. I always tend to forget the distinction betweeen a Nursery and a garden centre. Lots of people do - we don't! ;-)) One of the local nurseries has slowly changed into a garden centre (of the worst type) and the acres of geenhouses that used to grow superb perennials have been converted . If you can be bothered to wade through the vast displays of scented candles, green wellies and farmhouse jam you can eventually find a few green things. I know the owner and he also finds it very sad but most profitable. In defence he says that the business now employs more people than ever and that he does still grow half a million winter flowering pansies each year. I suppose it could be worse--he might start with Bussy Lizzies. That's happened to several places but it usually involves a huge outlay in terms of extra space, stock, staff and the subsequent pressure to be profitable and 'meet targets' etc. What was one of my favourite nurseries in Jersey did exactly this over the years and one had to wade through a ton of tawdry goods to get at the plants which were relegated to 'out the back'. And then the interesting variety of plants that they sold started to decline until they were just selling all the bog standard stuff to be found in any gc, the kitsch paving and ornaments and 'worter feechas' etc. A few of the big gcs are in serious financial trouble because people just aren't spending on non-essentials as they did at one time but some gcs have invested millions - literally - in expansion. And after all, there are only so many people to buy x number of plants or other goodies. Two gcs in this area have done exactly this type of expansion and one is struggling hard after being taken over by a large group but there has been no corresponding growth in local population to buy all the goods they now stock and they continue to have some considerable worries. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 29/11/05 9:58, in article , "Janet
Baraclough" wrote: The message from "Rupert" contains these words: "Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... Ok :-) However, for anyone thinking of buying one; I found that a much smaller plant (a self-seedling with two tiny leaves the size of my palms)) rapidly over-took one bought from a GC in 5 L pot. As with so many other plants, plant one as small as possible, it will establish and grow away far faster than larger more expensive ones. I believe that's because the larger more expensive plants are usually supplied in pots that are far too small and they are potbound. Partly, but the same is equally true of field-grown and bare-root plants. . Anything at all which limits early root establishment. A 1ft bare-root tree will easily overtake a 4ft bare root tree in a very short time Come to think of it I have yet to buy a potted plant that does not need repotting immediately---I suppose that's the result of everyone demanding what appear to be excellent plants at ridiculously cheap prices. I've often seen "pot grown" plants for sale in bad GC's and bad nurseries in the opposite state. They appear to have been introduced to their pot and compost about 10 minutes ago, and if you tilted the pot the compost would fall out. (Show me a GC or Shed that doesn't pot up the left-over bare root-roses and hedging at the last possible moment in spring; good places wait until they settle and establish, bad ones put them out for sale right away, at the "potgrown" price.). Good nurseries will generally decline to sell any propagated plants they have only just potted up or potted on, but I have to confess that on occasion when I've spotted something small and irresistible on the propagation bench or in a.growing-on house, I've begged until they gave in :-) You sound like the sort of customer who my husband goes and digs up bits of the garden for! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
"Janet Baraclough" on occasion when I've spotted something small and irresistible on the propagation bench or in a.growing-on house, I've begged until they gave in :-) You sound like the sort of customer who my husband goes and digs up bits of the garden for! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) She would have married him if she had got there first--come to think of it so might I. |
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 29/11/05 11:59, in article , "Rupert"
wrote: "Janet Baraclough" on occasion when I've spotted something small and irresistible on the propagation bench or in a.growing-on house, I've begged until they gave in :-) You sound like the sort of customer who my husband goes and digs up bits of the garden for! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) She would have married him if she had got there first--come to think of it so might I. LOL! I met Ray because I was a customer here, refurbishing a garden in a village about half an hour away. When we got married, thanks entirely to David Poole who introduced me to the nursery, Andy Mabbett said "some women will do anything to get cheap plants." ;-)) Just the other day, Ray dug up some bits of Canna for someone, though it was a male this time. But I'm quite used to seeing him disappear into the shrubbery with some strange woman....... -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
#15
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Storing unplanted plants over winter (Gunnera)
On 29/11/05 13:43, in article ,
"Janet Baraclough" wrote: The message k from Sacha contains these words: You sound like the sort of customer who my husband goes and digs up bits of the garden for! I've met a few like him. That's my favourite kind of nurseryman :-). If he knows someone is genuinely keen and interested in a particular plant and we haven't got some potted up, he will always try to find a root or two for them. People have been generous to Ray with plants from all over the place, so I suppose he likes to give back where he can and of course, he recognises a genuine love of plants when he sees one! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove the weeds to email me) |
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