Winter Creeping in... and Plant Worry!

Well, I guess it was coming. Farmers Market was over as of the last weekend of October, and Thanksgiving's just 2 weeks away (:::gasp:::).

I'm very bummed though, because tonight's the first real "frost" coming. That means that a majority of my day will be covering the outside beds, because I use them throughout the year for the restaurants. So, I create mini-greenhouses over each bed, which allows me to use them for most of the cold season -- and even when it's too cold for them to grow in those, it keeps them warm enough that at the first sign of spring -- usually March -- the plants grow right in, without hesitation.

In the scope of things, we do (usually) have pretty moderate winters -- take this from someone who grew up in the Northeast! So the weather isn't too much of a concern in overwintering plants -- except for those tropicals we plant, since we ARE on the border of some more tropical zones. But there are a number of things you can do, depending on the plant, that can enhance your plants' growth pattern, and keep them snug and cozy for the short cold season that we have.

Tropicals that need some winter cover overwinter in Raleigh, NC:

• Pineapple sage - I'll be covering the plants with Agribon for another three weeks or so (you could just as effectively use any thin material, such as a sheet), hoping to eek out at least enough life for use around Thanksgiving -- what a GREAT sage for stuffings! Plus, because of our very strange, dry summer, the flowers bloomed late, and I'm trying to keep them going for a little while longer, too.
• Lemon verbena - Though you don't need to completely cover these plants, it's preferable to have them planted someplace that's somewhat protected from brutal winter winds. I've had some lemon verbena plants going for more than 5 years now, and they come back every year, without any particular mulching (beyond the leaves that fall on the bed in the autumn).
• Neem tree - This tree is native to India - Zone 10 - where it grows year round. In my (now) 4-year experiment, I have found with a neem tree I planted outside that it becomes deciduous (it goes to sleep in the wintertime), but comes back every spring. As a precaution, though, it should be planted in a semi-protected area.
• Eucalyptus - Another tree native to a tropical zone (Australia). Silver dollar eucalyptus tends to be a hit or miss situation in this zone -- I've seen some beautiful silver dollar eucalyptus trees in this area that have lasted 10, 15, even 20 years, and gotten to be more than 25 feet tall! Then, one winter with an extended cold, icy period would just wipe them out. I've had one going for about 7 years now; it's about 6 feet tall, and I do absolutely nothing to protect it in the wintertime. There were a few years when I thought I'd lost it for sure, but in the spring, it just resumed growing again! As for the blue gum eucalyptus (the tree of the koala bear), I had one live for 3 years and get about 10 feet tall, but a cold spell just wiped it out. I might try it again, though -- I'm stubborn! ;)
• Bay laurel - This tree actually grows more like a large bush in our area. Again, I recommend a wind-protected placement, and then I would definitely cover it with a sheet, Agribon, or something similar in the wintertime. You can always keep it in a large pot on your deck, and move it inside for the winter!
• Lemongrass - Lemongrass is hit or miss on whether it will come back when it's permanently planted outside. Except for in the greenhouse, I always keep it in a pot outside (though I might try otherwise next year), and let the autumn leaves mulch over the plant in a protected area.
• Scented geraniums (if you dare!) - These are hard to keep going in the ground here, but I have done it, and kept the plants going for 4 years before I lost them! Again, protected from wind in the winter with a good mulch and/or material cover seems to work.

As for my outside mini-greenhouses, we do what some people would call a souped-up row cover on each of the beds! We use 3/4" flexi-PVC (bought by the roll at Lowe's or Home Depot), cut it to size, hoop them over the beds, then spread cheap greenhouse plastic over the hoops, then clip them with either row cover clamps or (more often) with good ol' laundry clips (bought in bulk from the neighborhood WalMart). Sometimes, I then cover the whole bed area with Agribon on top of it.

Regardless, I still worry about many things throughout the winter, not the least of which is fungus, rot, and bugs (who love to live in protected areas), but come March, I'm a much happier person, because everything is lush, lush, lush when many are just seeing buds breaking through the ground!