Hardy Tropicals UK

ConcreteJungle wrote:Very big for £20! I might have to replace mine - but really want to bring back mine from the dead after leaving it outside all winter.

Did yours get frosted?

Its actually ok - still alive!! Brown (basically dead) fronds on all the outer ones- and mostly green in the centre - so should be ok i hope, i messed with the centre spears, and nothing came out of place, seemed very rigid. Again - foolishly didnt protect it as much as i could of. Didn't even wrap up the fronds, dodnt wrap it up with fleece, yet i actually spent an hour carefully cutting all the needles off in summer. I only put a fleece jumbo frost cloche over it, and in january put polythene sheet on top part due to the constant rain!! Good job only had like 4 days of frost all winter!! All minor ones too, Will keep it in its spot and let it play out - and update later in the year on it.

ConcreteJungle wrote:Didn't even wrap up the fronds, dodnt wrap it up with fleece, yet i actually spent an hour carefully cutting all the needles off in summer. I only put a fleece jumbo frost cloche over it, and in january put polythene sheet on top part due to the constant rain!! Good job only had like 4 days of frost all winter!! All minor ones too, Will keep it in its spot and let it play out - and update later in the year on it.

I saw a P. roebelenii in St. James' Park in early Feb and it was in pristine condition, but that part didn't even get one frost (not even on 20 November). My guess is it was only planted last year, but if it's been there for one more winter (i.e. 2012/2013) that would be an interesting data point on its hardiness.

Always the good looking ones are hard to keep!!!