Perennial Flowers

[Westi]

I keep getting conflicting advice so turning to you my experienced & knowledgeable forum friends.

I bought a right bargain of 80+ mixed perennial flowers this year! Only plug plants but all healthy & a good mix of colours & sizes. Now I have potted them on twice & they are several inches tall & still looking fine, growing on the staging outside but with a little wind break around them.

When do I actually plant these in the ground? My instinct says early spring when slightly bigger & able to fend for themselves but I have been told plant now but won't I loose them in the big beds if subjected to a proper frost & they loose the foliage indicator? Will they be too little to even survive a frost? I have also been told they will loose their foliage anyway in the pots but if they do that it will be fine as all labelled - well until the cats start playing with the labels which they will either option! Will they benefit from going in the tunnel over winter as the staging will be moved inside there anyway for the onions seeds & chillies etc. so they could keep growing a wee bit to be stronger; (or not).

The majority of these are destined for home as replacing the newbie grower plants I bought that turned out total thugs with a few earmarked for gaps in the flower bed at lottie. All the home beds are nearly fully prepped & fed with just the odd die hard removed ones popping up again.

Cheers in advance!

[tigerburnie]

What are they, is your soil wet or dry(ie clay or not)? General rule of thumb with container grown plants is you can plant them as long as the soil isn't too wet or frozen, but I add a bit of caution to that. Things I have in pots are usually plunged in the soil in the greenhouse over winter and plant out in the spring.

[Shallot Man]

What are they, is your soil wet or dry(ie clay or not)? General rule of thumb with container grown plants is you can plant them as long as the soil isn't too wet or frozen, but I add a bit of caution to that. Things I have in pots are usually plunged in the soil in the greenhouse over winter and plant out in the spring.

Tend to second tigerburnie.

[Geoff]

If you've got 80 and they are labelled I guess you have duplicates so you can hedge your bets. It depends a bit on what size pots you have got them up to, small pots can get frozen solid but if you are up to say a litre or preferably two litres it shouldn't be a problem. If the ground is in good condition, maybe too dry with you, plant some out while it is still warm and they'll start to establish before they die down. If you really have tunnel space the rest I would keep in there for the winter but don't move them in too soon, they probably won't all die down but when some have that might be the time probably at least late October. Any extra clues you can give us like names?

[Westi]

The soil both at home & the plot is sandy & free draining, but improved greatly over the years so not as sandy but still free draining. The home beds are alongside the house so warmed bricks or along the concrete fencing the neighbours built so still some heat retainment. Lottie is totally exposed & way colder than home.

I've just thought of another issue since my last post, we are extending the house at the back & side so I don't want builders trashing them. (No date yet). Hmm? Can I just keep potting them on for a few months or make a special bed at lottie & plant out then dig up & move them when the steel capped shoes are finished? Front beds will not involved in the mayhem so still need advice on them as above.

[tigerburnie]

I know you are a long way south from me, but I would have thought it's a bit late for potting on now, not much growing going to be happening now this late in the year.

[Westi]

Thanks all!

I will just leave them & pop them in the tunnel overwinter & plant them out when they spring into life next spring. I will do a quick check that they haven't outgrown the pots they are in & just pot on those that have roots showing so they are not in contact with the staging which does get pretty cold as it's aluminium.