I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the
whole pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light
though? What is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for
next year?

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"David in Normandy" wrote
I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the whole
pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light though? What
is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for next year?

I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

On Oct 22, 10:50*pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"David in Normandy" *wrote I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the whole
pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light though? What
is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for next year?

I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

Bob, I have tried this many times but I have always lost them, maybe
my greenhouse in the UK was too cold in Winter.

Judith

"Judith in France" wrote ...
"Bob Hobden" wrote:
"David in Normandy" wrote I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in
flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the
whole
pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light though? What
is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for next year?

I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in
the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging
for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of
the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can
cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.

Bob, I have tried this many times but I have always lost them, maybe
my greenhouse in the UK was too cold in Winter.

Ah, I should have said, ours is kept at min 45 to 50°F so cool but not too
cold and never frost.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

Bob Hobden wrote:
I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.


Thanks Bob. It sounds like I've got to bring it in now then before the
frosts get it.
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Oct 22, 11:18*pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Judith in France" *wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" *wrote:
"David in Normandy" wrote I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in
flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the
whole
pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light though? What
is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for next year?

I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in
the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging
for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of
the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can
cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.

Bob, I have tried this many times but I have always lost them, maybe
my greenhouse in the UK was too cold in Winter.

Ah, I should have said, ours is kept at min 45 to 50°F so cool but not too
cold and never frost.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

Next year then for me as I have lost this year's already. I have an
unheated part of the house, I wonder if it would be too cold there?

Judith

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:34:15 +0200, David in Normandy
wrote:

I've got a lovely yellow begonia still in flower in a pot outside at the
moment. What is the best way to overwinter it? Should I wait until the
frost kills off the top growth then dig out the corm or just put the
whole pot in a cold but frost free shed - it won't get much light
though? What is the best way of keeping the corm alive and healthy for
next year?

I don't have a greenhouse. I have recently taken the plants (still
flowering) out of the pots, shaken the soil off, and left them under
cover for the tops to die down. Then I will store the corms in my
garage till Spring.
One thing I would warn everyone about is vine weevil. They love
begonia corms. One year when I retrieved my corms from the garage in
Spring there were just empty shells. Vine weevils had eaten away the
insides. So check each corm carefully before storing.
I found a couple of vw larvae in the compost, so poured a kettleful of
boiling water onto the compost which I will dispose of later. They
were the only signs of vine weevil I had seen this year!

Pam in Bristol

On Oct 23, 9:02*am, David in Normandy
wrote:
Bob Hobden wrote:
I still have some of my mothers and she died in 1993. I just put them in the
greenhouse, stop watering completely and after all the growth has died,
clean up the soil surface and put the pot on it's side under the staging for
the winter. In the spring you will see tiny green buds on the surface of the
corm at which point you repot into fresh compost and spray lightly with
water. Over the next few weeks increase watering slowly at which point the
plants should be in full growth.
If you want to increase your plant, when the corm is big enough, you can cut
it into half or even pieces if you don't mind a lot of smaller plants.

Thanks Bob. It sounds like I've got to bring it in now then before the
frosts get it.
--
David in Normandy. *
* *To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
* *subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
* *by a filter and not reach my inbox.

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.

Judith

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 in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On 2009-10-23 18:42:36 +0100, 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.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha wrote:

The Gunnera is definitely in autumn mode.

Mine has been looking miserable all Summer. I planted it in the dampest
part of the property where the soil is usually wet. However it baked
hard and the plant sulked. It has picked up over the last month or two
with all the rain - just in time to die down for Winter. It was doing so
well in Spring too. I bought it in a 5" pot three years ago and it
spreads about 6 feet wide 6 feet high now :-) ... when it isn't sulking.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On 2009-10-23 19:07:19 +0100, David in Normandy
said:

Sacha wrote:

The Gunnera is definitely in autumn mode.

Mine has been looking miserable all Summer. I planted it in the dampest
part of the property where the soil is usually wet. However it baked
hard and the plant sulked. It has picked up over the last month or two
with all the rain - just in time to die down for Winter. It was doing
so well in Spring too. I bought it in a 5" pot three years ago and it
spreads about 6 feet wide 6 feet high now :-) ... when it isn't sulking.

Ours is in a shady and damp area of the garden and is the triffid of
the whole place. This area rarely dries out completely. One minute
there's nothing to be seen and the next it's 10' high - seriously. I
really must take a pic of it next year because I used to have one of
Ray standing under a leaf and it dwarfs him and he's 6'2. The next
minute - or so it seems - autumn is upon us and it's collapsed and is
looking truly pathetic, sad and wan.
--
Sacha

"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.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London

On 2009-10-23 22:47:15 +0100, "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.
--
Sacha

"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. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London