Frost protection: Winter film and fleece
Winter is on the way. It is getting noticeably colder and you know that the first frosts will soon be here, affecting vulnerable plants and trees. The rigours of winter do not sit well with our plants, so to stop the cold from biting too hard, give them a few degrees more ambient warmth.
Winter fleece for protection
At the first signs of winter, keep cold-sensitive plants and delicate trees snug and a few degrees warmer under a winter cover. Light polypropylene fleece has the advantage of being breathable and water permeable so that the plants underneath do not become dehydrated. It also filters the light, acting like a greenhouse - highly recommended for winter protection.
With fleece, you can protect not only your plants but also any buds opening on your hardies from the frost. However, non-hardy plants (citruses, rose bays, olives and palms) must be kept out of the frost, in other words taken in to overwinter, as fleece does not offer enough protection for more delicate plants. If the winter is not too harsh and the cold period not too long, you can place fragile plants together against the wall of your house and protect them behind a fleece screen. This will give you 3 or 4°C more than the temperature in the shade in the middle of your garden and those degrees can make all the difference to delicate species.
Fleece is also highly resistant to inclement weather such as hail. It is advisable to retighten fleece covers from time to time, using the opportunity to aerate a little. To prevent rotting, make sure that the fleece is not placed too flat against your plants.
Between March and April, remember to protect blossom because some shrubs dread those late frosts that can destroy young shoots and flowering buds (shrubs placed in peaty soil such as early rhododendrons and camellias). And don't forget potted fruit trees that can lose their entire blossom in a single cold night.
Between April and May, as soon as the risk of frosts has subsided, remove the winter fleece and any other overwinter protection. Nature will soon take over under the warmth of the sun.
