View Full Version : Anyone growing Ensete outside in the UK?
xyzzy
01-22-2009, 06:04 AM
Hi,
I am trying to grow Ensete outdoors this year for the first time. I know it's an awful year to pick - the coldest for over 10 years, blah, blah, blah, but I had no choice because one of my plants was simply too big to bring in.
I have lost the leaves, but the pseudostem in still hard, despite one frost of -9 C and another at -5 C
Has anyone else done this in the UK winter climate? or tried to do it? Please let me know details of attempts, Ta.
Jack Daw
01-22-2009, 08:01 AM
Hi,
I am trying to grow Ensete outdoors this year for the first time. I know it's an awful year to pick - the coldest for over 10 years, blah, blah, blah, but I had no choice because one of my plants was simply too big to bring in.
I have lost the leaves, but the pseudostem in still hard, despite one frost of -9 C and another at -5 C
Has anyone else done this in the UK winter climate? or tried to do it? Please let me know details of attempts, Ta.
I don't really know about UK, ut one guy fromCzch republic (average -20 in winter) left one Ensete glaucum outside, just to see, how it goes. It took 4 nights of -12 in a row and still survived. Lost all the leaves though and was getting over it half the spring.
Hope it helps.
xyzzy
01-22-2009, 08:25 AM
Mine is Ensete Ventricosum Maurelli
Does anyone know if that is more of less cold hardy than Ensete glaucum.
I am wondering whether to cover it with garden fleece????? - more to keep the wet out of the leaf bases than for cold protection, as I notice they all have pools of water in them.
Jack Daw
01-22-2009, 09:03 AM
Mine is Ensete Ventricosum Maurelli
Does anyone know if that is more of less cold hardy than Ensete glaucum.
I am wondering whether to cover it with garden fleece????? - more to keep the wet out of the leaf bases than for cold protection, as I notice they all have pools of water in them.
That's a bigger problem, I know only about one person, that can answer well enough for you to be sure. No more words, see the link.
Bilder 2007 (http://www.bananenhobby.de/Bilder2008.htm)
or the index page
Bananen, Anregungen u. Tips. (http://www.bananenhobby.de/)
Contact him, he tried a lot in Europe, also with Maurelli. let us know, how will it do.
xyzzy
01-22-2009, 09:30 AM
Wow! he does very well, but it looks like he digs his up in winter and replants in spring. I think the winters are milder in the UK than in Germany, which believe it or not, makes it harder here!
If dug up, they will not go dormant and grow lots of leaves ( about 1 every 2 weeks) using up all their reserves and are very weak or dead by spring. I think mine will probably overwinter outdoors without digging it up, but am not sure how much protection to give it. Adding protective fleece takes light off and it is anything but dormant at the moment, even though every leaf it puts up gets killed by frost and will do until about March probably.
This is a problem in the UK as bananas are hard to overwinter here because it is not cold enough for them to go dormant, but cold enough to give them problems, and worse still, wet and damp to rot them and soak fleece protection etc! Also we have quite a lot of extreme winds here.
Jack Daw, can't thank you enough for posting this. I had seen it when I first joined and couldn't remember where. I'm using this for next years model for my back yard,only not as much(maybe).
buzzwinder
01-22-2009, 11:50 AM
Bob, "maybe"?:ha:
Chironex
01-22-2009, 01:16 PM
Holy schnitzenbruben! That Ensete Maurelii is gorgeous!
51st state
01-22-2009, 05:45 PM
Mine are dug up and hiding from the cold in the polytunnel. they do go pretty much dormant in UK winters. the water in the leaf bases would worry me. It's a bit late to start protection but horticultural fleece is your best bet.
lt_eggbeater
01-22-2009, 10:47 PM
Hi,
I am trying to grow Ensete outdoors this year for the first time. I know it's an awful year to pick - the coldest for over 10 years, blah, blah, blah, but I had no choice because one of my plants was simply too big to bring in.
I have lost the leaves, but the pseudostem in still hard, despite one frost of -9 C and another at -5 C
Has anyone else done this in the UK winter climate? or tried to do it? Please let me know details of attempts, Ta.
Is that the same as ENSETE VENTRICOSUM abyssinian banana?
griphuz
01-23-2009, 04:04 AM
Jack, is that guy from Czch republic you're talking about the guy from bananenhobby.de?
I would like to see pictures/ read his report on a glaucum overwintered in that climate! I even have trouble with them inside, at 5 deg C!
Kind regards,
Remko.
Mark Hall
01-23-2009, 04:18 AM
I have grown Maurelii,Montbeliardii and plain Ventricosum all out side unprotected and all three survived. They were very late to re start in the summer and never made good growth for the rest of the season. The lowest temps were-8
If protected you should be fine. Its a bit late now as we have had some very cold nights and damage may have been done. Fleece would be a good option like Kev said. Failing that a tempory rain shelter over it and then a fleece wrap round to keep out the wet and the cold.
Here is a link with a little info on what has come through for others in the UK
Hardy Tropicals - View topic - cold hardy nanas (http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2278&hilit=overwintering+Maurelii&start=0)
If you click on search you will find other threads with pictures ( mine inc)
xyzzy
01-23-2009, 05:19 AM
Re:- Is that the same as ENSETE VENTRICOSUM abyssinian banana?
Yes, but it is a red variant.
It may be colder in many UK areas, but here in coastal Devon they don't. Mine is definitely not at all dormant. All leaves were killed a couple of weeks back but it has grown a new one and opened it already and a new one has started in the middle. Tonight we have minus 2 degrees C forcast, so I might be back to no leaves again by tomorrow. I think if it did go dormant, it would have a better chance as it is using up it's reserves keep trying to grow.
The pseudostem is 95cm circumference, so I doubt it has reached 0 degrees C in the centre, even when the air has been -9 degrees C for 3 hours!.
Very wet here. Torrential rain and flood warnings yet again last night.
Sat I will try to dry out leaf bases with tissues and see if I can thread garden pleece between them to cut down how much rain gets in.
Having said that, it seems reasonably happy so far and has had water pools in it's leaf bases all autumn and winter so far. I guess my main concern is that it is using up all it's resources by keep growing endless leaves which promptly get damaged by frost every time within 2 weeks of each leaf opening.
Bananaman88
01-23-2009, 07:29 AM
Holy schnitzenbruben! That Ensete Maurelii is gorgeous!
Yeah! So is the girl standing in it/behind it! Also, did you see the size of the fig he was holding??? I'd love to grow a fig that got that large. I'm growing the Celeste fig now but they don't get much larger than a big marble.
xyzzy
01-23-2009, 07:53 AM
My figs never ripen. Eventually they just rot, but are not at all soft.
Perhaps I am growing the wrong variety?
damaclese
01-23-2009, 08:44 AM
the Wiki says just about every thing you need to know about this plant here is a cut and past i wrote most of this my self
==Description==
Botanical Name: Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (en-SET-ay ven-tri-KO-sum) also known under the common names of False Banana, Red Abyssinian Banana, Red Leaved Banana, Wild Banana
Ensete Ventricosum belongs to the family Musaceae sub-species Ensete. There are approximately 37 species in this genus.
The wild form of Ensete ventricosum is widespread in tropical Africa from Ethiopia, through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania south to Mozambique and South Africa (Transvaal), and west to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ensete is cultivated for food only in Ethiopia, where it was first domesticated possibly about 8000 years ago. The center of Ensete cultivation is in the mountains of south-western Ethiopia.
Ensete Ventricosum 'Maurelii' is a banana-like perennial has large paddle-shaped leaves, that range in color from deep claret brown to red-purple to pale green, produced from the center of the plant, having thick midribs with bright red undersides. White flowers are borne in inflorescences 3 to 4 feet long. Fruits are banana-like but dry and unpalatable. At maturity in approximately 5 years, they can reach heights of up to 30 feet, but are more likely to grow to approximately 20ft.
Ventricosum are grown primarily for the food value of their corms in their country of origin (Ethiopia). The corm being a rich source of high-grade food starches reaching a mature weight of approximately 40 kg.
In Europe and most of the western world this species is grown as an ornamental. Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' is a sport of the normal green Ensete ventricosum not a distinct or separate species. To reproduce it must be either tissue cultured or the corm must be divided to produce the red offspring. It does not normally grow true-to-type from seed the offspring of the seed will most likely be of the common green variety. However, they can produce red offspring from seed but the chances are 1 in 10,000.
==Cultivation==
*Mature Height - 6'-10', 20'
*Survival Zone -9-11
*Fruiting Zone - 9-11
*Cold Hardiness -9
*Wind - moderate
*Sun - lots of sun
*Taste Description - N/A, however the corm has been known to be cooked and eaten.
*Personal Notes - dose not like high Humidity
*Growth tips -
Easy from seed.
This banana will not naturally pup. You must cut the meristem stem at soil level to fours pupping. allow to dry out between waterings. Do not wet crown of plant rots easily. Like fairly strong sun but can tolerate up to 60% shade. like high temps. Not suitable in highly humid climates. Comes from a dry cycling highland plains area. If grown in pots dose OK but not grate do to its rather enormous root system. Has a tendency to go dormant in low light. Will die if attacked by aphids and not treated right away. repot every 3 months or when roots show out bottoms of pots typically 3 to 4 times a year rapid grower feed 10-10-10 keep firt away from corm if potted better to use water soluble firts to prevent burning of the corm
xyzzy, a trick here is when the figs get about as big as they're going to put a bit of olive oil on the blossom end . Don't understand why but it seems to work.
xyzzy
01-23-2009, 09:46 AM
Ta for that Bob.
Jack Daw
01-23-2009, 10:43 AM
Jack Daw, can't thank you enough for posting this. I had seen it when I first joined and couldn't remember where. I'm using this for next years model for my back yard,only not as much(maybe).
Glad to be of service, I too saw it some time ago but only now, after 3 hours of searching, I found the link, just as someone was asking for the Maurelli.
I believe that Maurelli pictures were the best I have ever seen of Maurelli. Especially with that lovely girl in there :)
Cheers
Jack Daw
01-23-2009, 10:50 AM
Jack, is that guy from Czch republic you're talking about the guy from bananenhobby.de?
I would like to see pictures/ read his report on a glaucum overwintered in that climate! I even have trouble with them inside, at 5 deg C!
Kind regards,
Remko.
I would really like to help you, but it's all in German and I can't really translate it not feeling asamed :)
He's from Germany, seems like a nice guy, he also has some links on his web on other German nana growers.
Scroll down in here (http://www.bananenhobby.de/Sorten.htm).
It says for Ensete glaucum something like:
Wintering: At about 10°C. It has to be overwintered in especially dry conditions. You have to get it inside (he porbably gets it to the cellar) than "Ensete ventricosum Maurellii". Temperatures around 0°C affect the leaves badly.
Hope to have helped somehow. It seems, the word DRY was stressed, as if he had soem really bad experience.
Oh , there was a Banana under her.......didn't notice(LOL). Actually I've collected and fabricated several plastic greenhouses along with some long run time kerosene heaters /foam insulation etc, and plan on getting an early start in spring and some fall season extension to see how far I can push it this year. Seeing that Maurellii was inspiration enough, my back may disagree when I have to dig it though.
Jack Daw
01-23-2009, 11:03 AM
Oh , there was a Banana under her.......didn't notice(LOL). ...
Indeed there was :) :) ;) :D
xyzzy
01-23-2009, 11:14 AM
Mine doesn't get marks on it's leaves until about -3 degrees C, but -9 degrees C kills it's leaves completely, even the midribs. -6 C kills leaves but not the midribs. It has been very wet all summer and thrived in it and the leaf bases have been full of water all year and it seems to be doing OK at the moment - so far at least.
I suspect the advice given is more crucial for small plants. Mine is not quite as big as the very big one on the website, but is bigger than all the other smaller ones he shows.
I have no way of bringing it in because it is too big - in summer the leaf tips reached 16ft high, but it is just the 6ft stem at the moment, with I new leaf pushing out the top.
Mind you, they say Monstera Deliciosa needs 10 degrees C and it doesn't. It doesn't get leaf damage until -3 C. Most years mine flower in the garden in january. They also say bilbergia nutans is a tropical indoor plant, but that is unmarked by -12 C!
Anyway, I'll try to cover it from the rain more as it looks like they don't like wet too much. Best not to give it a harder time than necessary!
- not if I want it to get as big as the biggest one on the German website. Slightly cautous though, because it may prefer fresh wet and well aired, than stagnant damp and poorly ventilated due to being covered???????????? Any ideas???? Could the good ventilation be why it is not having a problem being damp?????????? I think most fungi/bacteria don't like continous changing fresh water with each rainfall, nor fresh moving air.
After all, clothes washing in a washing line does not go smelly if out all week, but indoors it is infested with bacteria which make it pong quite rapidly.
I have never tried growing Ensete glaucum though. E Superbum does not overwinter out doors here either.
damaclese
01-23-2009, 12:11 PM
out of all the Bananas this is the species i have spent the most time studding i wont say I'm an expert but i know a grate deal about EV they are a semi dry loving plant growing at altitudes of 2000ft or higher they have large root systems 3 meters or more and grow to 30ft in height moving them after they get bigger is bad. if you intend to keep it in place i suggest you build a green house of sorts around it every winter in that way it has a chances of becoming something of a spectacular specimen if grown well it can survive up to 10 years
griphuz
01-23-2009, 12:13 PM
I don't think this gentleman overwintered his glaucum outside actually. There's no reference whatso-ever (I do speack German), So I guess he just digs it out as well.
I'm still having difficulties believing overwinteringstories of Ensetes (being Maurelli, or plain ventridocum) planted out in europe or the UK, but offcourse the experience people have with it doesn't lie...
My feeling is that it would eventually just rot away if it doesn't freeze to death.
Even if you overwinter them at 5 to 10 deg C you have te keep them really dry, really really dry,...outside with protection that's even more difficult, AND it's colder,...I don't get it,...
Kind regards,
Remko.
damaclese
01-23-2009, 12:23 PM
I don't think this gentleman overwintered his glaucum outside actually. There's no reference whatso-ever (I do speack German), So I guess he just digs it out as well.
I'm still having difficulties believing overwinteringstories of Ensetes (being Maurelli, or plain ventridocum) planted out in europe or the UK, but offcourse the experience people have with it doesn't lie...
My feeling is that it would eventually just rot away if it doesn't freeze to death.
Even if you overwinter them at 5 to 10 deg C you have te keep them really dry, really really dry,...outside with protection that's even more difficult, AND it's colder,...I don't get it,...
Kind regards,
Remko. I'm in total agreement with you they rot so easily even when i bring mine inside i have troubles with them i have to keep a fan running on them at all times to dry them out fast after i water them
xyzzy
01-24-2009, 05:32 AM
Well, my plant is about 8 years old, but this is by far the coldest winter we have had so far in it's lifetime - not the wettest though! In fact by SW UK monsoon rain standards it is a dry year! Other years we have only had 2 or 3 frosts a year and none lower than -1.5 C, so this year is a nightmare with -9 one night and a second at -5 C! Back to wet and frost free at the moment again though.
xyzzy
01-26-2009, 05:41 AM
Well, if we all think wet is the main problem, has anyone tried these fleece bags like on:-
http://www.celtlore.co.uk/lyd/Jacket.jpg
Obviously after the frost has zapped the leaves or it would not be possible to get a bag big enough (max size 2.0m x 2.4m).
Or would this trap too much humidity in the bag and cause more problem than it solves????
griphuz
01-26-2009, 07:12 AM
I sometimes use bigbags (if you order 1 M3 sand or gravel you get it delivered in a bigbag usually) and that works great! It keeps the rain out, but can still breathe.
I'm sure I won't be able to overwinter an Ensete with it though...
Kind regards,
Remko.
xyzzy
01-26-2009, 07:35 AM
I sometimes use bigbags (if you order 1 M3 sand or gravel you get it delivered in a bigbag usually) and that works great! It keeps the rain out, but can still breathe.
I'm sure I won't be able to overwinter an Ensete with it though...
Kind regards,
Remko.
Hi Remko,
The gravel bags aren't big enough here in the UK, as I need one about 9ft high, but I will order a bag big enough from the garden shop made of 70 g/sq m garden fleece.
Re:-"I'm sure I won't be able to overwinter an Ensete with it though"
Probably not in zone 8a, no. In terms of frost, it is 9b here in Coastal Devon & Cornwall and the Scilly Isles nearby, in terms of frost, is zone 10!, but it's not like US zone 9b or 10 , because we only get as much sunlight at US zone 2 - Boo Hoo!. It gives a bizarre combination, which is quite unpredictable what will or won't grow here.
See zone map:-
http://www.celtlore.co.uk/lyd/zones.jpg
Having said that, E Ventricosum (red or green) is much more hardy than most Ensete. For some reason E Ventricosum thrived last summer and we hardly had any sunny days at all, yet it really liked it! Probably wouldn't flower in those conditions, but grew enormous lush foliage.
damaclese
01-26-2009, 08:08 AM
the zones ratings are a tricky thing. they don't take in to account the number of off chill days or the higher averaged mean of a typical area. the new sun set zone system is a better means of understanding your specific climate. for example here in Las Vegas NV are sunset zone is 11 that not only takes in to account the number of cold days but also takes the average mean for the intier rang of temps. even though we have a USDA hardyness rating of 9a its extremely hard to grow tropicals here do to the high averages we receive in a given year. even this dose not take in to account the altitude in which i live. being at 2500ft above sea level presents its own problems for me. i have to keep the ultraviolet in mind. i always plant in one or two shade levels lower then what the plant growers recommend. and in that way iv had more success then most. so when they say sunny Las Vegas they really mean it. LOL i hope that all doesn't sound like I'm drowning on. i know allot of you all have a grate deal of experience but for those of you that don't keep this info in mind!
xyzzy
01-26-2009, 08:12 AM
You make me feel much better that someone else lives somewhere where hardiness zones just don't really predict what you can or can't grow. I am not alone then!:woohoonaner:
damaclese
01-26-2009, 08:59 AM
Glad i could be of assistance and as the tag ling at the bottom of you post say theirs no such thing as i cant grow it just depends on how much you are wiling to do to make it so!
dablo93
01-26-2009, 10:09 AM
that zone map is old,
west belgium and holland are also for a part in zone 9 and i dont think that moscow is zone 4/5, it is a zone 6.
a large ensete has not a big problem if it gets once beneath -4..
i'm not gonna try it in zone 8b because i dont like to protect things, its safe inside!:D
griphuz
01-26-2009, 10:31 AM
Dablo,
The zone map is not tha old actually, and calculated over years of time.
Belgium and the Netherlands are in the zones pointed out on the map, and not even nearly in a zone 9 for sure, you are even lucky if you can make it to a zone 8!
These last few winters (except this last one 2008/2009) were very mild and could give you the idea the zone moved, with the global warming as a cause for that, but don't be fooled. It is a proces of years, and for now the very wet springs and summers are all we see from a possible global warming.
I have yet to see a confirmed overwintering of an Ensete in the benelux, protected or unprotected, and I have been in the exotics for 10 years now...
Coastal Devon therefore might verywell just be mild enough in winter indeed, and if kept dry, the plant won't get the stress of being dug out each year.
Kind regards,
Remko.
xyzzy
01-26-2009, 10:33 AM
Hi dablo93
So are you in Holland?
My PC will not display the maps from the forum since I swapped to vista.
How do you keep an ensete indoors! Isn't it too big?
damaclese
01-26-2009, 02:33 PM
Hi dablo93
So are you in Holland?
My PC will not display the maps from the forum since I swapped to vista.
How do you keep an ensete indoors! Isn't it too big?
Funny i ues vista and have all the maps show for me
damaclese
01-26-2009, 02:43 PM
its important to keep in mind that thou you may be in a particular zone there are many factors as to what the actual zone you little piece of earth really sits in for example Devonshire is warmer it sits near the cost and two the golf stream flows right by theres in some palaces less then 1/4 of a ml out from the cost so that just one example of the kind of things that can help to moderate the temps walls are good at holding heat moutons can block winds or if you sit in a low spot cold can settle in around your home thees are just a few examples of the many factor that influence the meen temps
dablo93
01-27-2009, 02:37 AM
it is still small, if it survives the winter it will become big this summer but I'll see what I'll do with my ensete when that happens.
@Remco; in the winter 06/07 was a unprotected musa somewhere in the netherlands and it survived. it was on a very mild place with once -4 and a few nights -2.
edd82
01-30-2009, 04:40 AM
Mine doesn't get marks on it's leaves until about -3 degrees C, but -9 degrees C kills it's leaves completely, even the midribs. -6 C kills leaves but not the midribs. It has been very wet all summer and thrived in it and the leaf bases have been full of water all year and it seems to be doing OK at the moment - so far at least.
I suspect the advice given is more crucial for small plants. Mine is not quite as big as the very big one on the website, but is bigger than all the other smaller ones he shows.
I have no way of bringing it in because it is too big - in summer the leaf tips reached 16ft high, but it is just the 6ft stem at the moment, with I new leaf pushing out the top.
Mind you, they say Monstera Deliciosa needs 10 degrees C and it doesn't. It doesn't get leaf damage until -3 C. Most years mine flower in the garden in january. They also say bilbergia nutans is a tropical indoor plant, but that is unmarked by -12 C!
Anyway, I'll try to cover it from the rain more as it looks like they don't like wet too much. Best not to give it a harder time than necessary!
- not if I want it to get as big as the biggest one on the German website. Slightly cautous though, because it may prefer fresh wet and well aired, than stagnant damp and poorly ventilated due to being covered???????????? Any ideas???? Could the good ventilation be why it is not having a problem being damp?????????? I think most fungi/bacteria don't like continous changing fresh water with each rainfall, nor fresh moving air.
After all, clothes washing in a washing line does not go smelly if out all week, but indoors it is infested with bacteria which make it pong quite rapidly.
I have never tried growing Ensete glaucum though. E Superbum does not overwinter out doors here either.
I too live in the uk (Wiltshire) and have an Ensette Maurelli that's getting rather large indoors. I bought it last year and it was under a foot but now the tip of the top leaf is approaching 6 foot. This has got to be the most vigorous plant i've ever grown! It's currently sitting by the front window right next to a radiator and loving it. I accidently left it outside when the frost first came and all the leaves died bar one, I quickly brought it inside the next day hoping to save it and to my suprise it's grown another 6 large, beautiful and healthy leaves :-)
If it keeps growing at the rate it is I think it will easily get to 12ft by the end of the summer which may be a touch too big to bring inside so I would be very interested to know the outcome of yours xyzzy.
ps. Thats great to hear about the Bilbergia Nutans as I have one inside that is currenly flowering, I did wonder if I could bring it outside in the spring, glad to hear that I can :-)
pps. I went to the eden project in cornwall back in the summer and it looked like they had a lot of Ensette Maurelli growing outside. It looked like they had far too many to overwinter indoors so it might be worth contacting the guys at eden for a definitive answer...
xyzzy
01-30-2009, 04:56 AM
What you can grow in Wiltshire will probably depend how close to the sea you are. On the very coldest Devon nights there can be 10 degree C difference between the coastal temprature and the inland temperature!
I will let you know how badly my Ensette Maurelli gets knocked back by our UK winter. I would be astounded if it did not make it, as currently it is doing better than my basjoo which have got squishy pseudostem leaves, though or course the Ensette Maurelli pseudostem is very big and I suspect smaller ones the width of my Basjoo plants would be far less tolerant.
Yes, if your plant is 6ft, it will probably be 12-14ft by the end of next year. The bigger they are the faster they grow.
Outdoor Bilbergia Nutans in Devon is currently in bud, but not yet in flower. Flowering them outdoors can be difficult because although slugs don't eat the leaves, they consider the flowers a real feast! If you can control the slugs they would flower outside during feb without any problems.
Good luck
edd82
01-30-2009, 07:03 AM
What you can grow in Wiltshire will probably depend how close to the sea you are. On the very coldest Devon nights there can be 10 degree C difference between the coastal temprature and the inland temperature!
I will let you know how badly my Ensette Maurelli gets knocked back by our UK winter. I would be astounded if it did not make it, as currently it is doing better than my basjoo which have got squishy pseudostem leaves, though or course the Ensette Maurelli pseudostem is very big and I suspect smaller ones the width of my Basjoo plants would be far less tolerant.
Yes, if your plant is 6ft, it will probably be 12-14ft by the end of next year. The bigger they are the faster they grow.
Outdoor Bilbergia Nutans in Devon is currently in bud, but not yet in flower. Flowering them outdoors can be difficult because although slugs don't eat the leaves, they consider the flowers a real feast! If you can control the slugs they would flower outside during feb without any problems.
Good luck
I live near Bath so not as close to the sea as I would like. Looking at Google Earth it's around 35 miles from my village to weston-super-mare and maybe 25miles to Portishead so I guess i'm too far inland to get the warmer coastal temps.
It's funny you say that about the Basjoo as mine is looking rather squishy too. the leaves fell off early in the winter so I put garden felt over it to see if it will save the P-stem. It's not looking great but it's the first time i've tried so we'll see.
Wow, I can't wait to see Maurelli at 12 feet, that's monsterous compared to the other plants in my garden :-)
Unfortunately my garden suffers with slugs and woodlice very badly. I'm actually debating cutting up my strawberry patch as every year the woodlice get to them before I do, it seems like such waste. The slugs are just as bad but with a little persitance I could prob keep them under better control than the woodlice. I've got lots of new shoots/pups coming off the Bilbergia so I might try planting some out in the spring and leaving the some in the house for comparison. I'm suprised that they flower so early but i'm glad to hear that with some help it may very well flower in my garden. Do you know if they need a sunny spot or could it flower in a more shaded area? (sorry I should google it really).
Thanks for the info.
xyzzy
01-30-2009, 07:44 AM
Bilbergia Nutans flower just about anywhere they don't get eaten by slugs. You can grow a lawn out of them! They flower in shade or in full sun.
As for the M Basjoo, they can often get squishy outer leaves on the p-stem, which eventually dry out and die off, but that just means the stem gets a bit thinner and normally quickly thickens as the new leaves come up next spring. I have only ever known a full p-stem to go through frost once ever. End of feb they will no doubt start growing again.
I note M Sikkimenisis thinks winter has ended now and is growing it's first 2009 leaf now.
Surprisingly M Itinerans outside (under trees in the orchard - happy there but won't take wind chill) are not growing yet.
Have you tried growing Swiss Cheese plants outdoors in sheltered places, e.g next to walls or under trees? They survive here out all winter and flower in January. Even a very hard frost only gets the leaves and they come up again, but most years, even this one, they don't even lose leaves (Again, they lose their leaves if the slugs eat them!). Warning, Swiss Cheese plants will not tolerate full sun.
griphuz
01-30-2009, 08:05 AM
@Remco; in the winter 06/07 was a unprotected musa somewhere in the netherlands and it survived. it was on a very mild place with once -4 and a few nights -2.
Yes,....meaning? What I was trying to point out was that one year, or for that matter even 10 years does not change a climate-zone.
So even if you have 5 or 10 very mild winters on a row, the climate zone will not be moved,...it's very well possible that the next 5 or 10 years will give very cold winters,....you never know,....but the averages are calculated over longer times.
The Netherlands for that matter is a zone 8b at the warmest part if I'm correct, zone 9 is pure wishfull thinking aka fooling oneself with warm thoughts ;)
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