On 2009-10-24 16:19:32 +0100, "Bob Hobden" said:


"Sacha" wrote ...
"Bob Hobden" said:
"Sacha" wrote ...
David in Normandy said:
Judith in France wrote:

Did the gales catch you out David or did they miss you? We have a
tree man coming to sort out a big Theole with a few broken branches.


We escaped unscathed. Only had a couple of mild frosts too so far.
I guess it will soon be time to fold the leaves over on the gunnera
manicata and bring in other tender plants. We lost the New Zealand tree
ferns last year - forgot to cover them. Both dead.

David, if you get any more tree ferns, covering them is certainly one
way
to go but Ray stuffs dead leaves down the crown. All ours came through
last year, though I admit I was surprised. They are still in full leaf
(frond?!) here at present, so we don't want to cut them back just yet.
The Gunnera is definitely in autumn mode.

I just stuff the crown with leaves and old fronds but do not remove any
green fronds. Indeed some of those fronds that came through last winter
are
still green.

Yes, that happens to ours most years. Then those fronds start to look a
bit tired and we cut them off.

It's then that I stuff them in the crown. :-)

Sorry, I meant that sometimes I have to cut them off in spring - they
do winter and then get exhausted as the new croziers are coming through.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon