Re: Winter Survivors' (?) Report
- To: Mediterannean Plants List
- Subject: Re: Winter Survivors' (?) Report
- From: T* &* M* R*
- Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 12:25:54 +1300
- References: <3a906832.3297112@mail.u-net.com>
Tim Longville wrote:
>
> This is painful. I deserve a medal for bravery. Luckily you can't see
> my tears... OK: here goes.
Poor Tim
I weep with you. If only you weren't so ambitious. Perhaps the Canary
Isles would suit your style of gardening better <G>
>
> This has been the coldest winter on the UK West Coast, at least in the
> far north of it, since we've been here - viz. 15 years. Not the
> coldest in terms of single minimum temperatures (95/96 had a couple of
> nights which were much, much colder than anything 00/01 has thrown at
> us) but coldest in terms of the number of nights of frost and coldest
> in terms of the unbroken length of the cold. Even in this walled
> garden right by the sea, we got down to -5C on two nights.
About ten years ago we had a series of 9 nights when we got similar low
temps. As this came suddenly in May before we had even had any real cold
it caused mighty mayhem and destruction. The prolonged attack seemed to
be the killer, several things which survived the first few nights
eventually succumbed as the assault continued.
> But just a few samples, to give you the idea: every prostanthera
> except P. cuneata; a treasured Hibbertia scandens; every solanum
> except S. jasminoides and S. crispum; several of the more tender
> olearias, including all the colour forms of O. phlogopappa but not the
> white one, and (damn!) O. obcordata; several of the more tender hebes,
> including H. bollonsii (double damn!); most of the melaleucas, except
> M. squarrosa; most of the more tender callistemons; all of the
> isoplexis; all of the Canary Is. echiums; and a good many previously
> flourishing young specimens of various leptospermum species.
> On the other hand, let's be cheerful, there were also some slightly
> unexpected survivors. Well, there are 'as of this writing.' I don't
> kid myself that winter has necessarily finished with us yet. For
> example, Polylepis australis, untouched; Weinmannia racemosa,
> untouched; several tender-ish rhododendrons, such as 'Fragrantissima,'
> untouched; Agapetes serpens, only slightly damaged; and both Iris
> confusa and, even more surprisingly, Iris wattii show not even any
> leaf damage, let alone anything more substantial.
Just a couple of comments.
I was interested to see how tough Solanum jasminoides is. It is very
popular round here. A pretty thing but needs occasional severe pruning
if it is not to end up with a lot of dead wood. Our across-the-road
neighbour has a very nice one on a pergola over his drive entrance.
My Agapetes grows under the shade of a Camellia, which probably keeps
much of the frost off, but certainly I have never seen it bothered by
cold.
R. "Fragrantissima" does seem to be hardier than many people think, but
you might yet find the flower buds have been nipped, losing you a year's
bloom.
Weinmannia racemosa, in spite of its mostly tropical cousins, seems
totally hardy here, growing at up to a thousand metres even in South
Island. On our local hills it is common to above our regular (if
transitory) winter snowline, so I am not surprised at it being among
your surviviors.
It is a very nice garden plant. My books say it eventually becomes a
very large tree, but conveniently remains shrub-like for a good few
years. In the bush it stands out with its shiny reddish-brown young
growth. Unfortunately possums are as fond of it as gardeners, but for
different reasons! Over the last few years a very heavy campaign of
possum destruction in our local bush is definitely helping it to make a
comeback along with many of the undergrowth ferns, which had nearly been
extinguished. Possums are even more thorough than severe frosts..
>
> And of course - I tell myself sternly - this tiny garden was absurdly
> over-crowded anyway. *Now* I can try all sorts of new plants... - and
> try to plant them more intelligently and aesthetically... - and...:
> and what was the name of that white-trumpet-flowered climber of which
> you had spare seed, David?!
Better to look forward than back I would say.
Moira
(Our summer has got up to speed temperature-wise, but in spite of almost
no rain we are having a lot of unusual humidity and still a great deal
of low overcast so dark as to call once or twice for lights around
midday (in full summer!!!)
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
