Cold Climate Gardening

You were smart to bring them in. You don’t want the roots to freeze. Once they are in the ground, I would try to protect the tops for about a week to let them settle in. (The traditional vegetable garden protection is bed sheets from the house. You could also use the pot they just came out of to cover them at night. Of course, all the covering has to come off for the day. And if you get far enough below freezing, nothing helps.) After that the roots should still keep growing until the ground freezes hard. The nursery bed is probably a good idea. But don’t just depend on the tags to stay in the ground …

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Planted Colchicum atropurpureum in the ell of the house this past Saturday, and I see something, either cat or renegade chicken, has dug up the tag. {Sigh} This is especially a problem as I’ve planted many different varieties in the spot. It’s sort of a nursery bed for my pet colchicums, as I think it is particularly warm and sheltered. The C. ‘Autumn Herald’ that I planted last week in this same spot has broken the surface; that was good to see. Also planted C. speciosum ‘Album’ on the shady side of the house, where it can bloom through some nice dark ajuga leaves. All the C. byzantinum (or what I think is byzantinum) that came with the house and …

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