When a north facing garden is south facing

I was intending to leave the dahlia tubers in the pots but that doesn't seem to be the norm for whatever reason. Good to know on coleus, wishful thinking on my part perhaps. I was thinking to keep everything in garage but wanted to make more use of outside space if possible and at least that way stuff that is not completely dormant gets some light

 

If you remove the Dahlias from their pots and store just the dried off tubers they take up less space, they will need fresh compost next year anyway.

I agree, some things that dont go totally dormant will do a lot better with some daylight.
As I say, a lot depends on what the plants are and even how well developed they are.

 

On the amount of light, it's worth bearing in mind that the sun's not just lower in winter, but it follows a much shorter arc across the sky. So it only really "rises in the east and sets in the west" around the two equinoxes. like now. In winter it rises closer to the southeast and sets toward the southwest.

My front garden is northwest facing so it gets zero direct sun in winter. But in summer it gets enough sunshine to grow things like roses, erigeron and even oregano.

On the dahlias, last winter I lifted most of mine but left a few in pots in the greenhouse. The ones overwintered in pots did noticeably worse (despite being well fed) probably because they would have preferred some fresh compost.

 

My plastic containers are about 70 cms long and tall. Three 8" pots + plants fit underneath. I mainly use it for pelargoniums and osteospermums which keep their top growth over winter.

 

Yes that's true I probably will remove them then thanks

 

Thanks for your insight on both points. Our front garden is north facing and I've started experimenting with planting some herbaceous perennials as it's mostly been woody perennials up to now planted by previous owners.

 

Thats good to know, I might think about that for extra insulation in the polytunnel

 

Indeed @pete - huge variations around the country, and the big factor is the length of time any ground stays cold/wet or hot/dry. A couple of hours of light frost [ ie down to about minus 1 or 2 is nothing] does less damage than an even lighter one that lasts most of the day. Once you get below the minus 5s and 6s, which we still get here despite the milder winters, it becomes different again. The length of time ground stays frozen causes more problems. We've still had upwards of 40 frosts here in the last couple of years, and that's still a mild winter as far as I'm concerned, because they haven't been as low or as prolonged.

Dahlias have to be inside my house to guarantee they survive. It's the wet cold that's the problem, so even sheds or outbuildings won't necessarily work. A porch or conservatory is ideal. The plastic covers are even worse because the swings of temp in them are greater than a proper greenhouse. I kept some dahlias in plastic boxes inside my growhouse [polycarbonate] but it was still too damp. Fine for starting them off in spring, but not for overwintering. If there's any dampness on them, it spread very easily into the tubers.
Cordylines usually stay outside, but they can be hit and miss here if in the wrong site. Big swings of weather and temps saw a lot of them off a couple of years ago - going from plus 7 or 8 to minus 9 and 10 at one go. They cope better with the more 'normal' weather we used to get, where it gradually gets colder from September onwards, and don't mind those much lower temps, or snow, but not when it swings so much. I've never seen so many dead ones as I did that winter into spring, and it killed off lots of other thigns that would normally cope too. In really sharp draining soil they manage better, especially when well established, but if they're in a pot you can at least move them under some cover.

 

Cordyline can get killed down here also, maybe every 10 to 15 years we get a cold enough winter to kill them back to the roots, lost a big one 2yrs ago.
I agree continuous frost is the worst kind, hence why I think winter sunshine is important to any thing borderline hardy, it's often enough to just thaw something for a few hours and break the cycle.

 

All good info thank you. It's my first winter having plants in containers so sure it will be a live and learn experience and could be different one year to the next.

 

It's always about location, even the site within a garden, but the amount of sun available compared to the length of time a frost hangs around, makes a huge difference, and that's often the problem here, and will therefore be more problematic for you @Mattyp. If you have a very sheltered town garden, that's also different from a more rural site, or one with some altitude, and/or with more exposure.
We often don't get enough sun here after a frost to thaw ground out, because it can change very quickly to a murky spell, before clearing again at night, or changing to sleet/snow. If it's sunny and you get a quicker thaw, that's much easier. When you have wet ground that freezes, rather than just a dry frost, that's also very difficult for half hardy plants to manage for any length of time.

You have to experiment - it's the only way, but when in doubt, err on the side of caution. I've learnt the hard way about trying to keep stuff outside here, especially in the ground.

 

Yes big variation even in our modest suburban plot. Our back garden faces almost due South but that means the bottom of the garden facing the house is facing due North. If we have frost, the bottom third of the lawn and the beds beyond don't thaw all day.
Ironically in spring the small front lawn grows much more than all of the back even though that's the N. facing garden. I put this down to the fact that the open driveway both sides allows sun in the morning and afternoon even though it's in shade of the house in the middle of the day. Sometimes you just have to try things and be prepared to move them if they don't thrive.

 

I can't count how many times I have bought a plant for a specific spot, matched to the prevailing conditions with due diligence, only to find it is not happy. I move it somewhere that, on paper, is not ideal ... and it romps away! Or sometimes, it just moves itself and sets up shop in an unpromising location, but somehow makes a go of it.

 

I've tried some crocosmia this year in front north facing garden as neighbour has some thriving against north facing fence but ours haven't really grown or flowered. So there are subtle differences and complexities

 

Yes the premise is 5 hours or more proper sunlight denotes your best situation.