in article , Nick Maclaren at
wrote on 8/4/03 11:01 pm:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

By all means, if people want to take cuttings to ensure another year's
produce, well and good. But I don't think we'd got into those realms up
until now, or did I miss something? Tis is NOT the same as saying one can
safely grow such a plant outside just because it's in the SW.

Well, I may have been at fault. It certainly had naturalised at
Trelowarren in an derelict greenhouse in a walled garden, but that
must be about the most sheltered location in the UK outside Torquay!

Even Cornwall can have its cold spots! But the conditions you describe do
sound very sheltered and ideal.

I did assume that people in the extreme south west could mimic those
conditions if they actually try, though I would not regard Dartmoor
as comparable to Helston. And I was assuming that such protection
would involve some way of diverting the rain from the soil around
the roots in winter.

That may be true of areas closest to the sea and keeping cold water from
standing on the roots would be a must, IMO. But while it's worth a try if a
plant isn't too expensive, it's a bit more fiddly than quite a few people
might want to attempt. All too easy to forget the diverting the rainwater
etc.


Ipomoea will NOT be reliably hardy or even half-reliably hardy in all of the
SW of England. And it needs a lot of sun hours to produce its best display.
It isn't a question of 'may' need some protection against winter wet. It
most certainly WILL. This is a plant that grows best in sharply drained
conditions with a lot of daily sunshine. It seems clear to me that England
rarely offers those conditions and especially not over winter. That said,
if someone cares to make the experiment, taking cuttings as 'insurance',
well indeed, why not give it a try? But nobody should be encouraged to
believe that their original parent plant will survive a winter just because
it's in the SW of England. Location, location, location.

Yes, that seems right. The derelict greenhouse gave it some reliably
dry soil to overwinter in, even though there were panes missing in
the roof. And, similarly, some extra warmth in the summer.

Absolutely. It sounds as if that particular plant found the ideal spot!

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk