On 29/09/2012 15:05, Jake wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:00:55 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2012-09-29 14:53:43 +0100, stuart noble said:



Last winter was bad for violas and pansies round here. Most died and
others looked very feeble until the spring. I think coming out of a
hothouse into an English winter was maybe too much of a shock

Do buy them from someone who grows them 'hard'. It pays dividends for
the gardener but those coming in off huge lorries and going out through
cash points may have been over-cosseted.

For the last two years, I've grown my own, only to see them succumb to
the weather. They weren't cosseted (grown in unheated greenhouse) and
were properly hardened off. This year I'm not bothering with winter
bedding at all. I've got some outdoor quality silk flowers for where
it matters (runs away to hide ...).

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.


Yes that's how I feel. I'll be looking at empty containers this winter.
Thanks for the suggestions re Autumn sowing