On 21/01/2013 11:16, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Broadback" wrote

After a fairly heavy snow fall on Thursday I cleared my drive. This
was fine until last night we had a light fall, so out to clear the
drive again. Where I had cleared previously under the snow was frozen,
however where I had not cleared it was completely free of ice and easy
to shovel away.

In their native areas the Pleonies I grow spend the winter under a nice
warm and dry blanket of snow. Come the thaw they respond to the slight
rise in temperature, increase in light and melted snow by blooming. It's
a system I try to mimic in a small way by bringing them up under the
eaves of the house in winter where it's slightly warmer, dryer and shadier.



I haven't dared plant my Pleiones outside. Perhaps I'm a bit too
precious about them, but when a potted plant was outside for the summer
it was attacked by galloping gastropods. I'm also concerned that they
may get too wet and rot. Certainly keeping them inside in a cool room
makes the blooms last much longer. What do you do to prevent yours
being chomped to death, or drowned? Unfortunately, I don't have a soil
border up against mmy house from which they could benefit. Are yours in
pots?

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay