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#1
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Overwintering pelargoniums
Can anyone tell me the best way of overwintering pelargoniums? I had some in
the border which I have lifted, potted up and put in a cold frame and some other potted ones in the porch that have stopped flowering. (The present Mrs Jones has issued an ultimatum - she wants the space for her cyclamen and azales which are flowering.) The pelagoniums in the cold frame have been badly scorched by the recent frosts. I haven't got a greenhouse, the garage is not really frost proof but I have got space under the house though but they would be in the dark all winter. Any ideas? |
#2
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Martin wrote:
On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 21:00:58 +0000 (UTC), "Trefor Jones" wrote: Can anyone tell me the best way of overwintering pelargoniums? I had some in the border which I have lifted, potted up and put in a cold frame and some other potted ones in the porch that have stopped flowering. (The present Mrs Jones has issued an ultimatum - she wants the space for her cyclamen and azales which are flowering.) The pelagoniums in the cold frame have been badly scorched by the recent frosts. I haven't got a greenhouse, the garage is not really frost proof but I have got space under the house though but they would be in the dark all winter. Any ideas? Ours are on bedroom window ledges. I used to over winter them in an office at work at one time. Geoffrey Smith once said on GQT that we should wrap them in newspaper and stash them on top of the wardrobe in the unheated unheated spare room. I've never tried that ruthless approach, as I've always kept them growing on windowsills all over the place throughout the winter: they'll keep on flowering, though they may look a bit scruffy. Then chop them back in late Feb, and use the new shoots as cuttings to make fresh plants. Mike. |
#3
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In article , Trefor Jones
writes Can anyone tell me the best way of overwintering pelargoniums? I had some in the border which I have lifted, potted up and put in a cold frame and some other potted ones in the porch that have stopped flowering. (The present Mrs Jones has issued an ultimatum - she wants the space for her cyclamen and azales which are flowering.) The pelagoniums in the cold frame have been badly scorched by the recent frosts. I haven't got a greenhouse, the garage is not really frost proof but I have got space under the house though but they would be in the dark all winter. Any ideas? Too late for this year, but next year you could take cuttings, which would take up a lot less space than the big plants, which you would then ditch once they'd finished flowering. I have one in the porch which has been flowering continuously (including all through winter) for about 4 years. It's not the most elegant specimen, but it gives a welcome splash of colour. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#4
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"Mike Lyle" wrote in message ... Martin wrote: On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 21:00:58 +0000 (UTC), "Trefor Jones" Maybe the Geoffrey Smith approach would work if I were to put them in the unheated space under the house. I'll give it a try for a few weeks and keep an eye on them. I've already cut them down quite hard to remove the frost damage. Geoffrey Smith once said on GQT that we should wrap them in newspaper and stash them on top of the wardrobe in the unheated unheated spare room. I've never tried that ruthless approach, as I've always kept them growing on windowsills all over the place throughout the winter: they'll keep on flowering, though they may look a bit scruffy. Then chop them back in late Feb, and use the new shoots as cuttings to make fresh plants. Mike. |
#5
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"Trefor Jones" wrote in message ...
Can anyone tell me the best way of overwintering pelargoniums? I had some in the border which I have lifted, potted up and put in a cold frame and some other potted ones in the porch that have stopped flowering. (The present Mrs Jones has issued an ultimatum - she wants the space for her cyclamen and azales which are flowering.) The pelagoniums in the cold frame have been badly scorched by the recent frosts. I haven't got a greenhouse, the garage is not really frost proof but I have got space under the house though but they would be in the dark all winter. Any ideas? Mine are still out there at the moment, but have stopped flowering now, so I will (given enough time) dig them up over the weekend. My plans are - to remove the green parts ie leaves and tender shoots, then to store the bare bones of the plants in a box in my garage. The box will not be sealed so as to allow air circulation. I will inspect the contents at intervals and in spring I will hope for the best. It will be the first time I have tried this. As I now have around 15-20 plants it seems the easiest method of overwintering. Bonus is I get to clean up the pots they were in. Then, maybe even use the pot for some kind of winter display. |
#6
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"Trefor Jones" wrote in message ... Can anyone tell me the best way of overwintering pelargoniums? I had some in the border which I have lifted, potted up and put in a cold frame and some other potted ones in the porch that have stopped flowering. (The present Mrs Jones has issued an ultimatum - she wants the space for her cyclamen and azales which are flowering.) The pelagoniums in the cold frame have been badly scorched by the recent frosts. I haven't got a greenhouse, the garage is not really frost proof but I have got space under the house though but they would be in the dark all winter. Any ideas? The garage might be OK provided you keep the soil round the plant on the dry side. Wrap the pots in bubble wrap or layers of newspaper. Put them all in a big cardboard bow up of the floor and away from cold outside walls. keep an eye on them just incase :~) jenny |
#7
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For the last three years I have been digging them up and putting them in brown
paper bags, storing them in a frost free closet in the garage. In spring I replant them in pots. In a few weeks green shoots appear on the braches and then grow rapidly. I avoid cutting off last year's leaves as long as possible. This was a tip from Park Seed Co. here in the U.S.A. Nancy Beckmann |
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