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Great article. I got caught out last year with weeks of snow lying on the ground and even lost some hardy plants. Will be at the ready with the frost protection this year!

PoshCloche, I bet we'll all have our plants wrapped up to within an inch of their lives and end up having the mildest winter on record!

My Aeoneum grew impressively candelabric in the border last year, until misfortune befell it on its journey indoors come winter. No problem - once repotted, all those little snapped off branches rooted themselves and are still going strong one year later. And my conservatory isn't unheated. Perhaps its the damp that kills them? I'm sure us gardeners balance out our carbon footprints anyway, with all the worthy trees and plants we nurture alongside the odd exotics.

Helen, you've made me feel better. Yes, I'm sure things balance out beautifully!

Hi Kevin,

these days in Berlin are nearly the same. Yesterday I walked into my garden to prepare a winter hideout for the hedgehong and found a plant looking like narcissus...

goodby-I`m looking forward for your next post

Jo

We have 5 pretty big olive trees in large-ish pots. They're adjacent to the house so may benefit from some of the heat escaping from the walls over winter. We lived somewhere else last year and they weren't so near the house then, didn't insulate them and they were fine. Do you think this was a fluke, and should we insulate them this year, and if so, what's the best way of doing this?

Thanks.

oh dear- what I meant to say was, my conservatory is NOT heated (most of the time) but my aeoniums don't seem to mind. As for olive trees, I met a grower who assured me (as they would I guess) that olive trees were hardy in this country- they just need a sunny spot away from nasty cold winds. And perhaps a heating duct?

Ooh, what a lot of comments. I look away for a moment and it all kicks off in the olive department. I've also got a large olive in a pot (unfortunately you can't see if for snow in the picture above) and it's been absolutely fine for the past few winters - even the horror of 2009/10. I reckon you'll be fine, Ed. Like Helen said, it's often excess damp and wet, not cold, that does the damage.

Hi Kevin,
We are about to move house and would like to take the plants in our boarder with us but my husband is concerned about the cold weather and whether they will survive if we take them out. Unfortunately we don't have a greenhouse to keep them in. Any advice?

Hi E_CH,
Moving house - what exciting stuff! I obviously don't know where you live, and the temperature extremes you face, but I reckon you should be fine moving most things now. As far as I'm aware, small trees, deciduous shrubs and roses etc are best moved in their dormant period, which they're entering now, so I don't think you'll have any hassles with those.

Established perennials naturally benefit from being lifted and divided in the autumn (or spring) and although autumn is all but gone, you just might still get away with it. I'd divide any perennials you dig up, putting half in the ground in your new garden and half in a pot to keep in a sheltered spot - you're hedging your bets that way! Although don't replant anything in deeply frozen ground - if the soil is frozen solid you'd be better to keep everything in pots until the spring. I hope that helps, although do come back with more questions if you have any - I'll do my best!