Glorious sunshine today but a nip in the air in the shade.
First stage winterisation was the removal of house plants ie kentia palm, Madagascar dragon tree, banana,coffee, dracaena, yucca, ficus, Mother-in-Law's tongue. The spider plant and one of the dracaenas threw tantrums and failed to thrive, the kentia palm and banana got sunburn and the Madagascar dragon tree became rather bedraggled. However the other two dracaenas and the yucca romped and the three ficus plants perked up. The banana and Mother in Law's tongue both put on a growth spurt.
Second stage was the removal of the basil which lives happily in the garden as long as it's frost free. I didn't want to lose the unusual Greek basil with it's tiny leaves, so I cut some and let it grow roots in water and then potted it. I hope that on a sunny windowsill it will overwinter in the house and provide basil for Italian dishes. The sweet basil grown from a Lurpak (Danish butter) freebie is still fairly small so that should overwinter in the kitchen.
Today I finished Stage Three, plonking plants in soil to keep their roots warmer. In the last few days the standard oleander, 'Blue Arrow' juniper, mimosa, lavendula augustifolias, lavendula stoechas 'Bella Rouge' and fuchsia' Riccartoni'have gone into a nursery bed along with a phoenix canariensis and a couple of myrtles.
The last stage will be frost protection but since I've see roses blooming here in December, it may not be for months yet, with luck.
For anyone visiting this blog from the USA or Canada, generally the UK is Zone 8 or 9
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