Hardy Tropicals UK

First two winters that I had this in London I didn't protect at all. It died back to the ground, but eventually sprouted again in spring.

Last winter I caged the main stems in chicken wire and packed with straw, which worked pretty well.

This year it's grown so wide with so many stems, I'm thinking of trying instead of cutting back leaves and putting transparent plastic roofing sheet around it, and covering at the top with fleece. Is that going to help at all?

I think its that the stem is not hardy but the root system is..don't quote me though...

Roof plastic may be ok.

A big stem can have quite some freezing before it dies...mine was not fully protected last year but the top of the stem did survive, only the outside was frozen. Grew back rather fast in spring

I located a unused tree guard in my garden store so I am going to wrap that around the new Basjoo stem.

It depends on the size and the exposure, but 10 to 15cm diameter trunk are hardy to around -6C. However a several day freeze will gradually freeze the stem through, and once frozen will die.

I don't protect mine in NW Kent since 1993, and have only lost to ground level in 2009 and 2010.

You are lucky Dave living somewhere nice and warm for 4 years I protected mine, building a big box full of hay around them with a corrugated lid on the top...couple of years back I decided to leave them unprotected - died back to ground and proceeded to kill my roots. Needless to say I wasnt that happy come spring when nothing popped up.

Ive had this occur previously with single plants that didnt survive, I will always mulch and protect from now on...Im looking forward to next year though - I have 8 x 2'' Ensetes in my conservatory still throwing out new leaves at a rate of 1 every 2/3 weeks.

benbaron wrote:You are lucky Dave living somewhere nice and warm for 4 years I protected mine, building a big box full of hay around them with a corrugated lid on the top...couple of years back I decided to leave them unprotected - died back to ground and proceeded to kill my roots. Needless to say I wasnt that happy come spring when nothing popped up.

Ive had this occur previously with single plants that didnt survive, I will always mulch and protect from now on...Im looking forward to next year though - I have 8 x 2'' Ensetes in my conservatory still throwing out new leaves at a rate of 1 every 2/3 weeks.

If you lost them in 2010/11 winter that was an exceptionally cold one , and Lancashire was warmer than Kent last winter/spring.

People always assume Kent being in the south must be warm, but we are the closest to France and get continental blasts from the east.

Dave Brown wrote: People always assume Kent being in the south must be warm, but we are the closest to France and get continental blasts from the east.

you can say that again

call wrote:

Dave Brown wrote: People always assume Kent being in the south must be warm, but we are the closest to France and get continental blasts from the east.

you can say that again

And you are 50 miles closer than me.

I do this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1osRP1g3pY

Franck

Hi , l live in Rugby in the midlands my musa have never been protected and l had them loose there “ trunks “ only once in ten years . At present they are producing leaves and about 8 foot tall .
My problem like most l assume is the wind destroying the leaves