Last week I posted about how the garden was revving up, the starter motor whirring. This week, the cold got into the battery and everything came to a grinding halt.
Several days in a row with sub zero temperatures and I needed to swing into action to protect my plants.
Greenhouse temperatures
I’ve had my greenhouse for almost three years now and this week was the first time that I was worried for my plants. Overnight lows of -7 degrees C made for below zero temperatures in the greenhouse. It’s astonishing how much the temperatures can fluctuate when it’s cold at night but sunny during the day. From a min of -2.6 to a max of 24.3 in a single day. Yesterday was so warm in there, the deckchair came out for my friday tea break.
During my first summer and winter with the greenhouse I logged the temperatures daily both in summer and winter to get a feel for how it responded to the weather. I now usually just know how it’ll be in there without having to check but still use the thermometer to monitor really hot days and really cold nights. Anyone new to having a greenhouse should definitely invest in a max and min thermometer.
Greenhouse manoeuvres
I have a small annexed section of the greenhouse which can be heated if needs be. A thermostatically controlled fan heater does the job very well, although ideally I’d have a bit of insulation up too. I don’t need to keep it above 5 degrees as I’m pretty sure none of my current plants need it warmer than this.
This week it’s been chock a block in there as I’ve needed to squeeze in plants such as brugmansias and hedychiums which would usually be fine in the unheated section. I’ve also even put a few of my pelargoniums in there as temperatures plummeted and they looked very sad.
Getting Fleeced
I’ve never had to deploy fleece in the greenhouse before but with the heated annexe full up, I needed to protect some more pelargoniums and various cuttings and succulents. I think they’re happy under there.
However, I forgot all about my lovely Epiphyllums in the hanging baskets. The RHS website says they’re only hardy to 10 degrees but I’m sure mine have survived lower than that. Can they survive the -2.6 degrees? I’m not at all sure and could curse my forgetfulness. That’ll teach me not to look up!
Meanwhile the alpines in the sand boxes are revelling in the cold and highly amused by the sensitivity of the plants around them.
Bulb table
The bulb table by the door gets an icy blast when I open up the greenhouse and they don’t mind. The potted snowdrops are still going strong and are now joined by a few pots and pans of other bulbs. These are fine outdoors or course but just bringing them into the greenhouse gives them a chance to show off untroubled by ice and snow.
Some pans have taken the place on the windowsill where the pelargoniums were. Again, they’d be find outside and I’ll move them back out when temperatures rise. For now, they’re cool enough and have a chance to open fully for all to admire.
Crocus sieberi ‘Ronald Ginns’
Outside, in the freezing temperatures, this delightful crocus would be tightly shut and may well have collapsed. Inside the greenhouse and warmed by yesterday’s sun they opened up to reveal egg yolk stamens. I love the flecked patterning on the outsides too, in Dairy Milk purple.
Red Kite Roost
Red kites are frequent visitors to the garden. This week two kites were roosting in the neighbour’s Catalpa tree and I was able to get a few shots with my zoom lens by hanging out of my bedroom window. I wish I had a better zoom but hopefully you can see this beautiful creature surrounded by gentle snow.
It was a moment of calm but as soon as I’d captured the shot I quickly closed the window and warmed up with a cuppa.
This seasonal diary is part of a weekly link-up of garden bloggers from around the world, called Six on Saturday. For more information and links to other blogs crammed with gardening activity, check the blog of host The Propagator.
The covering of plants in the glasshouse has become an everyday routine here. We simply apply fleece and haven’t put in heaters at any stage yet. So far, all plants have survived.
Hi Paddy, I do feel a bit guilty when the heater kicks in. I think I will buy more bubble wrap to improve insulation.
Lovely Crocus. It’s surprising how much the temperature can vary in a greenhouse. I keep mine quite cold as it’s mostly alpine plants in there and it’s dropped to -5 this week! Brrrrr!
That’s really very cold but as you say the alpines don’t mind at all. Tough little things.
That’s a very pretty crocus. I’ll have to inspect the cuttings I have in the mini greenhouse to see how they’re doing. I was a bit surprised to find the water I’d left in the watering can and stored in the shed was slushy this morning when topping up the bird bath.
Hope all Ok with those cuttings. Lots of things are more robust than we think they are.
You’ve done a bit like me, handling plants from one place to another. But for my part I don’t have a heated part so I managed.
At the lowest in the greenhouse I had -1,4 ° and at the highest 12 ° . The temperature difference is not the same as yours. I don’t get the sun until 1 p.m.
Fortunately this cold snap ends this weekend and we will soon see the damage… A mild spring weather seems to arrive according to the forecast
Hi Fred, yes warmer already today and some nice temps for next week. Next we’ll be moaning it’s too warm and everything’s developing too quickly!
My daughter bought me an orange tree for Christmas, unlike my lemon and grapefruit trees it didn’t survive the first really cold spell and I stupidly didnt even think about protecting it!
Hi Ann, that’s such a shame. It’s so easy to forget about things when times are busy. Even with good weather forecasting it’s very easy to get caught out.
I ordered a maximum/minimum thermometer, a heated mat and a roll of fleece for the greenhouse last month. They’ve all been put into action this week, and I’m hoping they will have done the trick. I hope all yours manage to pull through.
Keeping my fingers crossed for the epiphyllums. So far they look OK but its possible there is tissue damage. We’ll see. It sounds like you were very well prepared for the cold – the heated mat in particular sounds useful. I have one for propagation but didn’t think to use it to keep the plants warm.
What a beautiful crocus. Great to see the markings. It might just be on the list of things to buy myself!
Highly recommended Noelle. I’ve got a few more varieties on their way up – I love them all, even the weird yellow ones with tiger stripes!
I’m just wondering what our little flocks of goldfinches and starlings would do if a red kite turned up on their patch. Not that it would be any threat to them but I bet they’d freak out.
That’s an interesting point Jim. I can’t say I’ve noticed if the song birds stay away when the kites are about or if they know they’re not a threat. I’ll have to observe things a bit more closely as I’m intrigued!
It must be crocus week, although I showed my few last week. I haven’t seen red kites close to, but in those happy, bygone days when we travelled to visit Mr and Mrs Propagator, we would regularly count up to a dozen on our trip.
The kites are majestic but as you say, you’re most likely to see them on the wing. These just sat there in the tree looking very very cold!
What a wonderful greenhouse and a very clever thermometer arrangement.
It’s my pride and joy, Ciar. There’s always something lovely going on in there, and of course the occasional challenge!
Some lovely crocus there!
Yes, they’re a great colour and shape.