Many of my proteas are coming into flower at the moment, so I am keen to sort out the protection they need for the winter. They are mostly hardy to about -3 degrees, but can’t tolerate frozen (wet) roots, so I need to combine a fleece cover with very good drainage to try to get them through the winter.

The proteas usually live in pots in one of my hazel domes in the sunniest part of the garden. The spot was chosen to give them the maximum hours of sunlight possible each day, but is also the most exposed section of the site. Last winter I tried covering the whole dome in a heavy (100g) horticultural fleece - a bit like a large tent, but it was damaged during one of the strong wind storms we get on the Dee Estuary, pulling the whole dome down. So I need a different solution for this winter. The most obvious answer is to get a greenhouse, but I can’t do that until after the site building work for the studio is done.

Nov 28th: So….. this year’s Plan A is to use the (emptied) raised beds as a safe place to cover and store them. The proteas are in air-pots with their bottoms’ sitting proud of the soil in the beds, which should make for good drainage. The framework for the canopy will be a wigwam of bamboo canes; strong, resilient and easy to correct if the strong winds get the better of them. The canopy itself will be made of a strong (40g) horticultural fleece, covering it in two directions: from end to end, and then from side to side. The fabric will be held down by laying a long wood stake along the length of it and securing that using tent pegs. In theory the covers will be easy to lift back on the bright sunny days and just as easy to put back in place when the temperatures drop.

The plants are grouped together quite closely, but with enough room to breathe. My scented geraniums also need winter protection from the frost, so I will use them to surround the outside of the proteas. The beds are protected from the worst of winds by the garden wall, so I am hoping that they will be less susceptible to wind damage this year.

Dec 28th: Update….. I started writing this blog entry earlier this month, just before Storm Arwen arrived. My raised bed tent solution didn’t last 5 minutes in that wind, so it was back to the drawing board again.

Plan B is to line the proteas up against the west facing wall of the garden, in front of the cordon fruit trees and to store them there. This wall offers good wind protection and a “tent” of horticultural fleece will help to protect them from frost. The top of the “tent” will be secured to the highest cordon trellis wires - I have used old fashioned clothes pegs to do this. The bottom of the tent is secured using a combination of wood stakes, poles and bricks. I did try using tent pegs, but they were easily pulled out by the first heavy wind we had. It has been up for 3 weeks now, and so far so good. The ends are left free to / open to allow free moving air for the plants, and the clothes pegs have proved to be surprisingly resilient, even in the recent strong winds.

We have a week of warm, mild weather due over the New Year so I will lift the “tent” for a few days to give the proteas some light and fresh air. It’s going to be a long winter.

February 13th: Update: the tent solution is still in place and so far so good. The proteas are doing fine: they get enough light, water and air movement but are well protected from the frosts. The tent is holding up well: the top secured with pegs (all still there) and the bottom is weighed down with heavy planks of wood and bricks. The bricks are very necessary. And with signs of spring coming they should be relocated back into their hazel domes before too long.