Re: weather/tropicals

Daryl, 
I've never seen a waxed cardboard rose cone, but I haven't been
gardening that long. These are styrofoam, I'm sure like your waxed
cardboard variety. What the manufacturer doesn't often put on the label
is that you should cut a few small holes in them to allow air
circulation. I don't use them for roses; I use them for early and late
frosts that threaten valuable tender plants. My Fritillaria raddeana
comes up in early spring and I'm afraid of losing it on nights that get
especially cold. So I put some on them. If a late freeze is going to
destroy every daffodil and I idon't have time or energy for sheets, I
plop a rose cone over strategic ones. Iconsidered trying a rose cone
over my coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby', because these don't tend to return
here and I've read it could be becuase of a wet crown. but I forgot -
wonder if it is too late.

Anyway, rosecones with airholes seem to me to be a handy solution for
keeping moisture out while also providing a bit of insulation. I shudder
when I think of people leaving rosecones on until May with no holes -
like to cook the shrub inside, even if the cone is white. A little bit
of air helps.


Kitty
> Kitty,
> 
> How does a rose cone allow for air circulation? What do they look like now?
> The only ones I'm familiar with are plain waxed cardboard.  I've been in the
> south for more than 2 decades, so haven't looked at one in that long. I
> assume there's new technology. If there was something that insulated a bit,
> kept things dry but ventilated, it could solve my problems with plants that
> need winter dry.
> 
> Daryl
> 
> >
> > I bet you're right about not wanting to be soggy. But would plastic heat
> > up too much under summer sunshine, not allow air circulation? Perhaps a
> > few perforations wouldn't hurt. I know nothing about Plumerias, just
> > guessing. Here, when I want to avoid sogginess, I use a rose cone which
> > insulates but does allow for air circulation. Burlap works too, or
> > netting that encloses leaves stuffed around the plant.
> 
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