Gardeners' World: How to care for houseplants
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Monty Don often shares gardening tips and tricks with his followers on social media. Recently, he appeared in a Gardeners’ World video to recommend to viewers which gardening tasks they should do in their spare time in the coming days and weeks.
One of the tasks Monty mentioned was protecting certain plants from frosts.
As the weather turns colder, frost will start to appear in gardens, especially in the mornings.
Some plants are not sturdy enough to withstand frosts, such as evergreen agapanthus.
Monty offered viewers tips on what to do to protect this plant from the cold weather.
He said: “Evergreen agapanthus are not frost-hardy so will need bringing indoors so they are protected from the cold over winter.
“I bring mine into the greenhouse.
“But a cold frame or a frost-free shed will do the job as well.”
However, Monty explained that “herbaceous agapanthus are much hardier”.
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Therefore, as long as this plant “has good drainage”, they can be left outside.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has also shared advice on what gardeners should do to prevent their plants from winter damage.
The organisation recommended protecting plants from cold, wet weather by wrapping them with horticultural fleece.
You can also prevent roots from freezing by wrapping them with bubble polythene or straw.
As for plants growing in containers, the RHS advised keeping containers in dry, sheltered areas, grouped together for mutual protection.
Planting windbreaks is also recommended. The RHS said: “A cold and windy site will often require windbreaks of additional planting such as hedges.
“Strategic placing of temporary woven hurdles, netting or similar materials on deeply embedded stout posts can help in the short-term.”
Caring for indoor plants is just as important as watching after outdoor plants at this time of year.
Monty said: “It’s a good idea to bring all your houseplants outside at this time of year on a fine day and give them a once over.
“Cut off any dead material, check them for any pests or disease, clean them, and then give them a good water, making sure they drain well.
“And when you take them back indoors, your house is going to be warmer and drier throughout winter, so if you possibly can, give them a good misting.”
A good tip to keep plants watered and misted is to use your shower head to do so – or to even shower with your plants.
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