Winter gardening

[Cheerio]

Kansas Terri - That sounds delicious! Anything that starts with bacon has GOT to be good. Yum.

Gina - I'd love to see some pictures of your bonsai trees. I find them so fascinating. I received one as a gift once, but unfortunately I was not a good bonsai parent and it died in a couple years. Have you thought about maybe putting the trees that you move indoors every night onto a trolly or wagon of some sort to make it easier on yourself?

The evenings are starting to really cool off here in the northeast part of the US. It's apple season now so many of the orchards are bringing them in and selling them by the basket load and people are making applesauce and cider. Fresh apple cider is amazing. Soon they'll be bringing in the pumpkins and other hardier squash. I LOVE spaghetti squash. So versatile.

 

[Gina145]

Gina - I'd love to see some pictures of your bonsai trees. I find them so fascinating. I received one as a gift once, but unfortunately I was not a good bonsai parent and it died in a couple years. Have you thought about maybe putting the trees that you move indoors every night onto a trolly or wagon of some sort to make it easier on yourself?

Most of my trees are still in the early stages of training as I'm perpetually propagating new trees from cuttings or seeds, but I'll look for photos of some of the better ones.

I wonder what you did wrong with your bonsai. What species was it and where did you keep it? I know a lot of people have tried to grow Juniper bonsai indoors and they never survive. Unfortunately bonsai trees don't usually come with information about their requirements, so their owners kill one tree and then give up. Looking after them really isn't as difficult as people think - if they're suited to your climate. I've made life difficult for myself because of my love of species that can't live outside during our winters, but I've also got many that never need to be moved, which makes life a lot easier.

I wish I could use a trolley for moving my trees but unfortunately there's a short flight of stairs from my bonsai area to get them into the house. At least moving them goes a small way towards helping me keep fit. Now that spring has arrived I really need to find another form of exercise.

 

[Cheerio]

Gina- Yes, it was a juniper bonsai and I think it died because the climate I was living in at the time (American southwest desert) was way too hot and dry for the poor thing.

That is one way to stay fit, for sure. Is this a hobby or do you sell your trees?

 

[Gina145]

Cheerio I think Junipers need some cold so you're probably right. If you try again I guess the answer is to get a tree that's better suited to the climate you live in. Look for a bonsai version of the type of tree that grows in your area.

Bonsai is my hobby but I do occasionally sell off some of my excess trees. I usually only get the opportunity at my bonsai club's annual show, but on Sunday I went to a workshop with three trees, one of which was a nice juniper, but not really my kind of tree. As it happened there was someone there who really wanted that tree, so I sold it to him and used the money towards an olive tree that the host had for sale.

 

[Trellum]

I have a lot potted plants inside my house already So winter isn't any different than the rest of the seasons, because right now I really don't have the space for a nice garden, but this might change soon. I'm more of a pot gardener tho, right now this seems more convenient and realistic. So, I'm not worried about winter at all

 

[scotkat]

Normally my conservatory rechanges and I move my orchids further in to our home.
And take my fuchsias in to our conservatory and some geraniums for added winter protectection.

Then I can play indoors tending to them by spraying with tepid water while we wait for the following spring.

This year I shall be taking 9 standard whips home form Glamis Castle Greenhouse to tend to over the winter I nurtured them from wee cuttings.

And I have got trays of many rooted cuttings there which I hope can stay and overwinter in their pots .

But as for the whips I started them off and I want to see them grow in to full standards.

I gave 1 to 1 of our visitors who is a member of another garden forum who came ot visit us a few weeks ago.

 

[Cheerio]

Gina - I know taking care of Bonsai is an art and I am thankful there are still people that keep this ancient art still alive.

Sounds nice, Trellum. Do you grow anything you can eat or just stuff that is pretty to look at? Either thing is nice, but I am just curious.

Oh, scotkat, orchids are so beautiful and difficult for most people to grow. Another skilled artist here!

 

[claudine]

Last winter, I was spending time missing my miniature roses and whining for spring to show up. This year, I plan to start growing something else, this way it will be easier to survive these awful, cold months. I really, really hate winter.

 

[Pat]

This winter I will have more potted plants to take care of than I have had for awhile. I have good light in 3 rooms and will be able to put plants in those rooms. This coming spring I will start my seeds indoors so that I will be ready when the ground has warmed up enough to start planting.

 

[Kansas Terri]

I am in the process of acquiring a banana plant from a gent on-line. He has a plant with a pup (a baby plant) coming up from the base of his larger plant, but he is not certain it is ready to be removed or not. He says it will need protection this winter because it is so young (it is a cold-hardy variety that MIGHT be suited for my area, but it is a new variety so nobody is certain).

I have a shed with a window, and I think it will fit because it is still small. I figure a space heater would prevent it from getting too cold. I know that cold travels through the glass, so I think I could set the space heater directly under the shelf the plant will set on.

The banana variety is a Mekong Giant, and it has been successfully wintered over just a hundred miles or so south of me. I would expect it to die back to the ground every winter and sprout again in the spring: of course that assumes that a huge heap of leaves to protect the roots from the cold is enough protection for it!. .

Mekong Giant Banana: http://hookedonpalms.com/hardybananas/mekonggiantbanana.html

 

[zigs]

I used to wrap mine up with bubble wrap and hessian before the frosts came, it died one winter when I was away and didn't wrap it in time. I'm in zone 9b if that's any use?

 

[Kansas Terri]

Hessian.... would that be like burlap? I have only heard the term to describe a revolutionary-era soldier, and that would make NO! sense!

Zigs, because I live in Kansas I have been warned against bubble wrap. We get too much precipitation and the increased moisture might rot the trunk. With my old banana tree (Musa Basjoo) I used to pile the fall leaves on top. I lost THAT banana when the power company parked their truck on top!

I would like to get back into the banana game, because (where I live) it is a highly unusual plant! I would LOVE to get bananas from one, but because the top dies back to the ground that is not likely to happen. People in warmer areas than mine sometimes wrap the trunk and also add Christmas lights to keep the banana warmer so that the trunk does not die back, but my winters are too cold for that to help much.

 

[zigs]

Just googled Burlap, yep looks like the same stuff

You'd put the burlap on first, then the bubble wrap, capping it off with a circle of the stuff to keep the rain out. We get a lot of rain in the winter too.