On 22. 11. 2019 was the first frost on the ground. It is hard to remember when this has happened before. Even last year the dahlias froze just before all saints day. Now the green cabbage and the brussels sprouts have got the frost they need to taste really good. This is also the case with sloes. With a few precautions you can lay the foundation for a thriving garden in the spring.
Store dhalias for the winter
Already frozen dahlia foliage is cut off a hand's width above the ground and the tubers are carefully lifted out of the ground with a digging fork before the first rough frosts. No rain water should get into the hollow stalks. Therefore, this work should be done only in good weather. The tubers must then be allowed to air dry for a few days. This is best done upside down, i.E. The stalks are placed on the ground. It would be advisable to label the varieties according to color and size before frost and pruning make the plants unrecognizable. Injured and rotten tubers should be sorted out without fail. In any case, such specimens must be stored separately, so that they do not infect the healthy ones. The storage of the tubers in winter should be similar to that of potatoes.
Store rosemary only on very cold frost days
rosemary can tolerate several degrees of frost and even survive outdoors in mild winters. However, it is best to place the rosemary temporarily in a cool and bright room on very cold frosty days. Very suitable for this purpose is the hollow hallway of the house. As an evergreen plant, rosemary suffers especially in late winter. Sunlight in combination with frost dries out the needle-shaped leaves. True hardy varieties do not yet exist, even if promises are made in this direction.
Rosemary protects the soil from frost
Funcias have a beautiful autumn color now. The leaves should not be cut off, but left to draw in. They protect the ground from frost together with the foliage of the trees. Until the new shoots at the beginning of may everything is rotten. But a small stick should indicate where the rootstock is located. Dividing the cacti can be done shortly after sprouting, around the end of may.
Pruning hydrangeas correctly
Some garden owners simply cut back the hydrangeas now. But this is wrong, because the blood buds, which are now already created, disappear with it. In spring, remove only the old dead blood umbels slightly above the new buds. Some weak shoots can be shortened, however, so that strong young shoots can form from below. This then leads to an ongoing slight rejuvenation. With this work, however, you should wait until about the end of march, otherwise the danger of hibernation is particularly rough. The old bleeds can also protect a little. Especially hydrangeas are one of the most sensitive plants.
Other types of hydrangea, such as the panicle hydrangea, can be pruned in spring, as they form their bleeds on this year's shoots, just like roses.
Cacti need a winter break
Cacti (except leaf cacti) require a winter break from november to the beginning of march. The plants should not be watered during this period. An occasional light sprinkling is quite sufficient. In the dormant season the cacti want to stand a little cooler. If this is not possible, the leaves should not be cut off. Every four weeks the bale should be carefully moistened. The first watering in march in connection with a warm location ensures that the plants come to bloom. Fertilizing is done with a special cactus duster only two or three times in summer. Normal manure can poison plants even in evaporated form.
Butterfly orchids bloom three to four times a year
Butterfly orchids can often bleed up to four times a year. Unlike many other species, they do not take an extended rest period. But nevertheless, a short cooling off after the blood calls for its early continuation. 4 to 6 weeks in a cool bedroom at 16 to 18 degrees is already enough. Before that, the withered "bleeding stems" are cut off back to the second or third bud. New shoots are then formed there.