Balconies and terraces in winter can also please our eyes with a bit of greenery. However, miniature conifers or deciduous shrubs wintering on balconies must be protected against frost. Exotic beauties susceptible to frost must spend the winter in frost-free rooms. We should also remember that not all plants should be stored until the next year.
Geraniums can still bloom in autumn as long as the temperature does not drop below 0 ° C
Most floweringbalcony plantswill not survive the cold winter outdoors. Although some species, such as verbena, can withstand several degrees of frost, the vast majority of balcony flowers die at the first frost.
To think about storing these plants until the next season, we must have a bright room with an optimal temperature within the range of 5 - 10 ° C. Of course, we will not provide such conditions in the apartment. That is why you have to save yourself with porches, staircases, bright basements and garages are also suitable.
Let's also remember that not all species are worth keeping. After storage at home, many plants lose their beauty, in the case of plants such as, for example, surfinia, it is difficult to obtain the same quality of plants as those purchased in spring gardening. However, it is worth leaving pelargoniums, fuchsia, lantanas, nightshades or hairy helpless leaves for the next season. These plants should be radically trimmed before being stored indoors, usually to leave only 1/4 of the length of the shoots. We water the stored plants quite rarely, usually every 1-2 weeks, remove the dead or withered leaves and check for the appearance of diseases or pests.
Exotic plants
Interesting exotic plants, beautifully flowering or ornamental trees and shrubs are also eagerly grown on balconies and terraces. Such exotic beauties as common oleander, datura, European olive, citrus or palm trees absolutely must be moved to the room. And this is long before the first frost sets in, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. For daturas, oleanders and olives, similar storage conditions must be ensured as for the previously mentionedbalcony flowersCitrus and palm trees can overwinter at slightly higher temperatures, so we can bring them into the apartment without fear, remembering to stood in a visible place, preferably near the south window, and as cool as possible, away from the radiator.
Plants wintering on the balcony
Frost-resistant coniferous and deciduous shrubs can winter on balconies and terraces. The most interesting will be the evergreen ones that decorate balconies all year round.They can be dwarf, slow-growing forms of conifers, such as white spruce (Picea glauca) 'Conica' or 'Alberta Globe', Norway spruce (Picea abies) 'Little Gem', mountain pine (Pinus mugo) 'Pumilio', scale juniper (Juniperus squamata) 'Blue star' or the creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontali s) 'Glacier'. The latter should be planted at the edge of the container so that the shoots overhang its edge, falling onto the balcony or terrace floor. Evergreen boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) or dwarf cotoneaster (Cotoneaster sp.) Can be grown from evergreen deciduous shrubs in balcony containers.
Exotic beauties, such as oleanders and datura, are moved to the rooms in October
Plants wintering on the balconyshould be planted in frost-resistant containers or pots. If they are wooden boxes, they should be properly impregnated. Ceramic containers should be marked with frost resistance, otherwise they may crack easily in frost.Sometimes containers made of plastic, stone, concrete or rattan are also used. All of them should have certificates of resistance to changes in temperature and humidity. As a general rule, pots and containers made of porous materials into which moisture can easily penetrate are definitely not suitable for this purpose. And this turns into ice during frost and can easily burst the container.
Palm trees and citrus in the apartment for the winter
Additionally, the plants must be protected against freezing of the roots. In the case of rectangular containers, preferably before planting the plants, from the inside, both the sides and the bottom of the container, should be covered with polystyrene. If we have abandoned this, the container will have to be covered from the outside for the winter. Round pots need to be wrapped with mats made of mineral wool or glass wool. Materials selected for thermal insulation of balcony containers, boxes and pots should be easy to use and quick to assemble and disassemble, so as not to make the balcony a mess.In addition to insulating the containers, it is also worth covering the soil surface with mulching material, e.g. sawdust or pine bark.
Frost-resistant deciduous shrubs and conifers winter on the balcony
Containers with plants must be covered with insulation materials for the winter
For covering above-ground parts of plants, branches and shoots of balcony shrubs, white, winter agrotextile is usually selected. It is easy to cover the plants with it (we attach it by tying it with string or pinning it to the ground), it is aesthetic and does not stain. More and more often, you can buy ready-made hoods for covering plants made of agrotextile. Natural materials, such as jute or straw, can also be used to cover plants, but they are usually less accessible to city dwellers and do not work so well on balconies and terraces.
Finally, an important note on wintering evergreen plants.Despite the fact that in winter all nature seems to be dormant, life processes in evergreen plants are constantly taking place. Therefore, you should not forget to water these plants also in winter. They should be watered abundantly in the fall, and in winter during the thaw.
