SPIKES

[davidandbess]

Hi, is it possible to protect my spikes that I have round my swimming pool over the winter

Best regards D/B

[Newt]

What kind of spikes are you referring to? Are these fertilizer spikes or spikes that hold down a pool cover? If so, what are they made of?

Newt

[davidandbess]

sorry I should have mentioned it's the plant where the spikes shoot up from the bottom

Regards d/b

[Newt]

There are many plants like that. Do you have a name for the plant or maybe pictures? Do you know if the plant is a perennial or annual? Could it be a bulb?

Newt

[davidandbess]

sorry once again (you can tell I'm not much of a gardener)
here is a link to the kind I'm on about
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/p ... 8986.shtml
and as you remember my question was protecting them from the Michigan winter do I have to dig them up and take them inside or what
Regards D/B

[Newt]

D/B, yes, I can tell you aren't much of a gardener, but not to worry we can work with that.

I'll start with a few basics and we can go from there. Some of this you may already know so forgive me if I go over something you do.

In the US, and many other countries, there are plant hardiness zones. These zones indicate the average low temperatures of a region. The lower the number, the colder the winters. There are also heat zones, but considering where you live, you don't need to know about those. In Michigan the hardiness zones go from the warm of 6b to the coldest of 3a. I'm in Maryland in zone 7. Here's a Michigan zone map and a zip code zone finder. It will be most helpful for you to know your plant hardiness zone.



New Zealand cabbage palm aka Cordyline australis isn't a palm at all but a member of the Agave family. It is only hardy to zone 8 and maybe a warmer winter or protected spot in zone 7. That means it won't survive a winter outside where you or I live. You will need to bring them indoors or cover them somehow. They don't like wet conditions so I'm not sure how to tell you to protect them.

Here's some US sites about these plants.
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plant ... nt_id=2643
http://coolexotics.com/plant-20.html
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/p ... dStar.html

I would recommend that you add your hardiness zone to your location in your profile. That way you won't have to remember to tell us or we won't have to ask you each time you write in with questions.

Newt

[davidandbess]

Many thanks, btw what would be the best way to wrap and protect them, I have 8 of them surrounding my pool and don't fancy digging them up.

Regards d/b

[Newt]

D/B, you are very welcome. I hope you don't misunderstand, but are you absolutely certain your plants are Cordylines and not Yucca? The reason I ask is Cordyline plants are not usually sold much in the US and rarely as far north as you are. I see you are in zone 5. You may have noticed when you searched for a site to show me what they were, it was a site from the UK. Most of the UK is zones 8 and a bit of zone 9. There is one very small area that is zone 7. Some Yucca can be hardy to zone 5. Here's what some Yuccas look like.
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1077.htm
http://cactiguide.com/graphics/x_noncacti_yucca_600.jpg
http://www.magnoliagardensnursery.com/p ... tEdge.html

If you do have Cordyline you will need to wrap the leaves together somehow. I would suggest something soft and with a bit of give like pantyhose. Cut off the foot and then cut the leg sections in rings. Then cut the ring so you have a length you can use to tie with. Then you will need to cover the plants and insulate them. You don't want moisture to get to the crown of the plants so you will have to keep the snow off whatever you wrap them with. Then you can put piles of leaves around them and secure the leaves with some type of netting such as bird netting. Here's some ideas.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles10 ... tender.asp

From this site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/nature/gar ... tips.shtml

3. If any of you are growing tropical plants in your garden like bananas, these will need protecting as well. If they are growing in pots they can be moved inside for the winter, but if they are too large, or planted in the ground they will need some winter protection. The easiest way to protect bananas is to cut back any large low growing leaves to the trunk. Then put a circle of wire mesh around the stem and fill this with straw. Then wrap the whole plant with hessian sack or fleece.

Finally put a cap of polythene on top (but do not cover totally) to stop some of the winter wet running down into the plant, hopefully this will protect your plants from the worst of the winter weather. The same method of protection can be used for large cordyline's growing in the ground, or tree ferns. This should keep the plants safe until you unwrap them again next spring.

From this site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/w ... ther.shtml

Protect the crowns of tree ferns and insulate their trunks by wrapping them in layers of fleece or hessian stuffed with straw. Cordylines and palms should be treated similarly, by tying their leaves into bunches, to protect their crowns.

http://www.theplanket.com/?gclid=CODRz6 ... FQodWzh4-A
http://www.megagro.com/plant-frost-prot ... FQodpCUq9A

Newt

[davidandbess]

hope this works
link to pic
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 9826zPwPew

anyway if does'nt work then I will wrap up as you describe

In case I don't get back on this board for a while have a nice thanksgiving and festive period.
Thanks again for your prompt info

Best Regards David

[Newt]

David, looks like you already have it figured out how to wrap them for the winter. Quite a tropical garden you have. Since you have the names of the plants above the pics, all you need do is write in with the scientific names and it will make it easier to find info on them.

Hope you have a good holiday too.
Newt

[davidandbess]

no no no no no !! I just took those pics from webshots
that is not my garden lol

[Jess]

Hi

Nice garden, even if it isn't yours!
If you do decide to protect with the bubble wrap rather than with fleece and/or straw just make sure you take it off occasionally when the weather is a little warmer during the day through Winter as your Cordylines will benefit from a little fresh air occasionally.

[Newt]

Well, it is a nice garden even if it isn't yours. No wonder you were asking. I should have realized that.

I agree with Jess that the plastic can cause the interior to heat up with sun on a warm day.

Newt