When I Overwinter Tropical Garden Plants - My 5 Stage Plan

Today's video is a chat about when I overwinter, winterise or start protecting / digging up / wrapping and bringing in some of my more tender tropical style plants and what I do when winter freezes and hard frosts arrive in my Lincolnshire exotic jungle garden. I go through my 5 stage method, detailing which plants I bring in as the autumn weather gets colder and the weather conditions and temperatures which I look out for so I can ensure my palms, Musa basjoo banana plants, Dicksonia antartica tree ferns and cannas are protected from the worst of the cold. I hope this helps you organise your garden winter preparations and provides an insight to those of you wanting to add more tropical style plants to your UK garden.
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Overwintering Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' red banana plants: • How I Overwinter Enset...
Full UK Dicksonia antartica winter care guide: • Tree Fern Winter Care ...
Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex' Winter Care Tips: • Tetrapanax papyrifer '...
Overwintering Colocasia esculenta elephant ears tropical plants: • Overwintering Colocasi...
When to overwinter tropical style garden plants: • When to Overwinter Exo...
5 Exotic Garden Winter Care Mistakes: • UK Tropical Garden Bas...
0:00 Intro
0:56 Location means everything for overwintering & check the weather forecasts!
2:40 1 - Bring in the tender tropical plants & houseplants
4:21 When to bring in tender tropical plants & houseplants from your garden before winter
4:48 2 - When to dig up, bring in and overwinter red banana plants - Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’
7:25 3 - When I prepare Gunnera, cannas, Musa basjoo banana plants & Dicksonia tree ferns for winter
11:13 4 - Wrapping half hardy plants with fleece ahead of a sharp frost or colder winter freeze
13:34 5 - Protecting & wrapping exotic & tropical style garden plants ahead of a deep winter freeze
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Thanks,
George

[@aquachimp1]

This one should be on the telly!

[@NinjaTeaDrinker]

It really should!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, I try my best to be as helpful as I possible on here whilst making the vids as watchable as I can!

[@alanbrick7333]

Excellent, concise info. cheers.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Alan, great to hear it was helpful and all the best with your winter prep!

[@NinjaTeaDrinker]

This is GOLD! Nice one again George, thanks

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, pleased to hear it was so helpful!

[@darren9279]

Another great video George 🌴 🌴

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Darren, I'm pleased it was helpful!

[@irismoles9369]

Good advice thankyou George

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much Iris, happy to help!

[@missdimples1982]

Great video George, thank you

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much as always 😊

[@Omlittlebuddha]

Great video george. Gardening is a full time job for sure. I’m still planting out into the ground and splitting ferns. All tenders are indoors. Time to get the grow lights out. 😮

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks! Yes, it's a good time to split up the ferns while it's mild and damp - this time of year certainly races round doesn't it! I still think it can be as high or low maintenance as you want it to be to an extent, I've not had a lot of time actually 'working' on my garden this year, watering has been less than usual with the weather and it's only really been a day or so of getting the plants out and back in again at the ends of the season. When it comes to 'building' and progressing the garden projects though, that can definitely swallow up the hours like nothing else!

[@YorkshireKRIS]

Great, to the point video full of advice a totally agree with. Storm due to hit us mid week but no proper early cold forecast.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Kris, I thought I'd go back to the basics of what I do here. I guess I try to push certain plants and take advantage of the later frost dates but equally, once you're into late October / November, the gains become marginal and sometimes the priority is just getting it done on a day that suits you. Yes, I've been keeping an eye on that storm, I guess the silver lining is the lack of a second chilly blast forecasted isn't it. Hopefully it doesn't cause too much damage and realistically I'm going to try to get most of my garden 'ready' in a couple of weeks time. Good luck with all your winter preparations!

[@musicfortripping5843]

I need this refresher at this exact moment lol I took in my 2 ensete today but have been wondering when to cut my bajoo and gunnera, fantastic video as always man❤

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much, great to know it's helped you as things are getting colder again. Good luck with it all!

[@mrchuffy6535]

We have brought in some Ensetes and left a few out for a while longer. The plan is we will have more chance if we have a spread of different times. (certainly not because it was hard work and I had enough last week). thanks George great content again.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks and that definitely sounds like a wise, well thought-out and structured plan! I'm the other way really, I'm lazy so try to get it all done in one go then it's done!

[@thomaskrell3379]

Hi George, great video with lots of information! Keep them coming! Greetings from Germany zone 7/8. All the best! Thomas PS: You did not mention heating cables and other active methods for really cold temperatures or sensitive plants. Could you do a video about that? I have a Washingtonia palm and also Phoenix. THANKS A LOT!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Thomas and thank you very much! All the best with your winter preparations this year. As for the heating cables etc., whilst it's something I've considered in the past but I've generally made the decision not to replace plants that require specific heating in-situ to get them through winter. It's not just the cost and time but more that most of the plants that need it get big relatively quickly. Fair play to people like yourself and other growers in Eastern Europe etc, the full on heated enclosures in winter let you take advantage of having some impressive exotics to enjoy in your generally warmer summers. I would probably use some tubular heaters under protection if there was a properly cold spell forecast as an emergency measure and may come back to growing more borderline plants in the future. If I do I will document my experiences, successes and failures as usual!

[@PaulConnor100]

Great advice as usual George, I've been watching the weather like a hawk .I'm still gambling with the Ensete's but hopefully I will get to late November like you and dry store 🤞

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Paul. Yes, it becomes second nature at either end of the season doesn't it! I think any point from now is fine for bringing the Ensetes in as temps are heading down to the 10 degree days and 5 degree nights but it's definitely worth risking it a bit longer if possible. I'm just wary that at this time of year, the next cold dip will likely be a freeze so I don't want to recommend pushing things too much!

[@DJSupaflyguy]

👌👌👌👌

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks for the support as always!

[@ic8466]

thanks george it always helps. i told you last spring that my Butia palm was absolutely fine after a -11 and prolonged -8s and -9s but i was wrong because i had major spear pull after that. however it has started sending new growth out about 2 months ago. i should of listened to you. i will this year though. cheers bigman!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, happy to help. Yeah, it can be a bit of a rollercoaster with some palms following a colder winter spell and as you've found the damage doesn't always show itself straightaway. Well done for persisting with it though and fingers crossed we have a milder winter to give it a chance of recovery next year!

[@ic8466]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden yes i really hope so. 🤞

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Yep, we could do with one!

[@stevebacon1026]

Hi paul . Its very wet here in kent, but still mild ! Im ready and waiting with my straw , leaves, fleece and hessisn sacking in hand! Me tree ferns look just as good as they did a few months ago. Me nanna is torn to shreds with the wind weve been having , but new leaves are still popping up.! What a weird way the weathers behaving these days. Take care george luv to you wife and yer little pumpkin!. Regards steve.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Steve, hopefully it stays milder for a while yet, but you're right, it's certainly wet here too! It's definitely looking like a later autumn again and I'm sure the tree ferns will be perfectly happy in the mild, wet weather. The bananas will slow down soon but as you say, they keep pushing new leaves up and leaf damage doesn't really matter at this time of year does it. Thank you very much and all the best to you and your family too!

[@marianne9798]

Yayyy George is back (love seeing you and your vids). Thanks for info. It's pretty mild in South East so not done anything except Ensetes and houseplants in. It will be a headless chicken moment when I see colder temps coming! I think most losses for people are from good intentions of putting plants in sheds, summerhouse etc but not realising these freeze too unless you have heating in them. It was a mistake I encountered last year. Plants were fleeced in my outbuildings but still froze as no heating. So this year I'm reluctantly bringing most indoors if I can carry them in!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Haha thanks Marianne, I've been trying to upload on a weekly basis this autumn but a few have been visits to other gardens (speaking of which I've got one very exciting one coming up I'm sure you'll enjoy!). It sounds like we're both in a similar position then except I'm chancing the Ensete out for while yet. That's a very good point and why I don't tend to recommend shed / garage storage in vague terms these days as there's a big difference between a warmer brick garage adjoining a house and a small wooden shed at the far end of an exposed garden. You're completely right, although they may keep the frost off, the temperatures won't be much different to outdoors during a prolonged freeze. Anything tender it's well worth bringing inside if that's the only option. Good luck with it all and I'll probably be joining you in the headless chicken moment!

[@marianne9798]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden can't wait to see the next garden you talk of. I drop everything to watch your vids as they (and you) are SO uplifting!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Marianne, that really is kind of you! I can't always upload as often as I'd like but really focus on the videos I want to make and the ones I think will be the most helpful so it's great to know they're appreciated and make a difference!

[@marianne9798]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden they really are appreciated (and amusing with some of the banter) by us all. Thank you for everything you share

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Plenty more planned Marianne!

[@gixxysquidward1076]

Great advice as always, thank you! all mine are in pots until I get the big garden next year so the Dwarf cavendish is in the house and the plan for the red canna’s are to bring them in to the conservatory in pots along with the small Odoratas if we go below 5deg along with the Agave pups!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much and it sounds like you've got a plan together. I didn't mention Dwarf Cavendish specifically in this vid but you might have noticed mine in the pic with the Alocasia, I brought it in then too. Good luck with all your preparations and I hope you enjoy looking ahead & planning the big garden!

[@davidbanner9001]

I'm planning on digging up the Ensete this weekend here in Cambridgeshire. Not because of the temps, but because they are the only things I need to dig up and I'm not sure when I'll get another chance? I totally believe in leaving plants out as long as possible or indeed convenient.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Sounds like a plan, I'll probably be going for it next weekend anyway and you're completely right, it's about leaving them as long as possible but making sure it's a time that works for you (before it gets too late!)

[@martinfisher5109]

Thanks once again for the brilliant advice and video. Our garden is slowly starting to look rough in places arundodonax and rheumpalmatum, though the rest far from going to sleep.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Martin. Yes, we're definitely past that tipping point now aren't we where some plants are browning or looking battered but others are keeping the exotic vibe going strongly. On a sunny day it still looks tropical, on a cold and grey day things certainly feel bleaker!

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

Great advice as always mate. Storm has knackered my yucca filifera australis snapping some of the roots as was already at an angle. Gonna have to stake it which is a ballache. Hopefully it'll survive, shame as it had been growing well for nearly 5 years in the ground. I created the problem myself by planting in a shady north facing raised bed in the front garden, it was always gonna lean out hunting for sunshine. Lesson learnt as always👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you as always. Sorry to hear about your filifera australis, I hope it makes a full recovery. Obviously it's not the ideal candidate for a shady north facing garden but I wouldn't beat yourself up, these things happed don't they. More storms on the way so hopefully they aren't as damaging!

[@staffordshireShane]

Unusually Iv still got shorts on here in BlytheBados 😀 . im making the most of the mild autum 🙂 2 weeks and we start with frosts here so iv started moving a few things in today ,2 plants a day and i should be already by 12th of November .

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Good man Shane! It's all very well having these milder autumns as long as they don't drop us into a surprise freezer again! It makes a change not being bitterly cold outside though and if I had the free time, it would have been a good weekend to get my polytunnel built up (maybe leaving the cover off until after this week. I'm aiming to get most of mine sorted on the Friday 10th otherwise it'll be another fortnight before I get the chance and that might just be pushing it...

[@DonMurrayYT]

Ah George I went early. Houseplants are all back indoors (looking better than ever,) and an ensette and a Colocasia dug up. Then I came to my senses. Nothing below 8 or 9 at night for the next week or two, so I’m leaving it all in until the frosts. I’m hoping against hope that my tree dahlia flowers mid November or so. It’s about 14 feet tall and is already magnificent, it’d look amazing with flowers. Good to see something from you. Hope all is well with you and the family.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Don and thanks, everything is good here and I hope you are too. I wouldn't worry about going early in the scheme of things, it's just a case of balancing efficiency and optimal practices against what time you've got and the weather. I brought all my Aeoniums close to the house but decided to leave them out for the same reasons as you. I'd rather get the Ensete and everything done in the same weekend in a couple of weeks so I'm only getting muddy once! Good luck with your tree dahlia, that's quite a size and it would be amazing in flower for sure. Not one I've grown yet but something I'll certainly consider when it comes to planting closer to the house!

[@DonMurrayYT]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden They’re super easy George. Just start off like a normal dahlia, put in after the frosts and feed like a banana. No staking either. They flower really late so it’s a race between them and the frost. Great foliage.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, that's what I've heard from others. Good to know about the no staking thanks. It's the late flowering that offers the potential frustration isn't it but I guess that's also the excitement in the challenge!

[@AsSa-qg1hp]

This is what I’ve needed!! Brilliant video. Is there a printed copy of your phases? I’m in the southern United States so totally different climate but erratic. We can go from -1 C to 21C in one day. Last winter we had a weeklong of -15 to -18. But then the fig tree was putting on fruit in January due to extreme heat. Thank you for the great information!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you so much, I haven't got a printed copy but will work on something ready for next year, that's a great idea. Wow, you've definitely got a variable and challenging climate haven't you. It's interesting how there's so many of us trying to grow unusual and exotic plants around the world despite the weather but it affects us in completely different ways isn't it. Our struggles are that it's grey, wet & cool for so many months and we rarely get consistent summer heat to allow for palm damage etc. to be outgrown but your brutal temperature swings are definitely a gift and a curse combined!

[@rj12341]

bought in my colocasia esculentas to dry store them today, im hoping it wasn't too early!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

I's say it's just about the perfect time as the overall temperatures are starting to get colder than the 10 degree days and 5 degree nights over the next week or so and they won't be growing much any more. Good luck with them!

[@Arturo_G]

Hi George! Thanks as always for your tips. I wonder if you have made any video explaining how you water your plants. Did you? Or maybe in UK there is no need for watering😅😅

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Arturo and thanks! I haven't done a specific vid on watering but I do everything by hand with a hose, prioritising the Gunnera and tree ferns which enjoy more moisture and humidity. You're right, this year has certainly been a properly wet one and watering has been a lot less than other years. Last year though, watering took a lot of time with the heatwaves and dry months. Long term I want to set up some kind of rainwater harvesting and an irrigation system though.

[@Arturo_G]

Amazing, thanks for your quick answer. That will be a very interesting topic when you do experiment with those systems. I ve tried automatic watering for 50-60 pots during the whole Sumner and worked excellent after discovering some basics. Now I wanna try with the garden. Love your videos man. Always relaxing and inspiring. Hugs from Spain.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Arturo and all the best from grey & windy England! For your quantity of pots in a warmer climate I'd definitely consider automatic irrigation - have you got any tips or advice you'd be able to share?

[@tropiclaud]

Thanks George, comprehensive and informative as always. I’ve seen from earlier vids that you used to grow your palms in pots. I have a waggy in a plastic 70L. Do you suggest any type of wrapping for the pot at this point? Or is that not necessary for a palm as as the trachy? I’m in west mids.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi and thank you very much. Yes, I still have plenty of palms in pots haha (mostly Trachys) and what I'll be doing is moving small ones (under 10l) into the polytunnel and dragging the rest closer to the house. That's what I did last year and they came through OK but yes, I'd basically treat Waggies as pretty much as hardy as fortunei.

[@bethechangebath7663]

This is so helpul thank you. Last year i lost 4 cordyline ( of all sizes and types) any ideas of how and when to protect them this year?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi and thank you very much. Cordylines are a bit tricky, they can be very tough in larger sizes but they have their limits and I lost a lot of smaller plants too. I would potentially use fleece jackets for small-medium sized plants when there's a prolonged freeze and treat them similar to how I mentioned Phoenix palms in this vid. Ultimately last year it was a testing combination of low temperatures and a long duration of cold which hit them hard but some short-term fleecing and moving any potted plants close to your house will give them a better chance during borderline conditions. Light frosts and short duration freezes shouldn't be a problem though.

[@richardjohnson7984]

Cheers George! Question re: Tree fern, at what point do you stop keeping the crown watered, and once wrapped for winter do you still need to apply water to the crown? Thanks, Rich

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi Rich, I generally leave the rain to water them all autumn then pop the fleece / straw / leaves in the crown late autumn. Unless it's a prolonged dry spell, I won't worry about watering into the crown much over winter, I just give the rest of the trunk a spray down if it's been a dry week (but isn't freezing). I generally only wrap them for the minimal time required to protect from prolonged freezes.

[@stevebacon1026]

Sorry george! Your not paul your george!!! Yes im a muppet!🤣

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Haha don't worry - I thought you were replying to another Paul who commented!

[@user-rd3yx4tk9w]

Do tree ferns need watering in winter. If so do you need to take the fleece off. Sorry if its a daft question.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi, it's not daft at all and I actually made a quick vid one winter reminding people to water them! Obviously while the weather is like this, they'll do just fine without additional water but if things turn drier they'll definitely appreciate a good spray down. I don't water them while it's freezing but as soon as temperatures get milder or there's been a week without rain I make sure to water them. You can leave the top foot of trunk wrapped and spray down the lower trunk and that'll be just fine. Freezes and winter winds can really dry tree ferns out so I always think a soak in between helps to reduce the stress and improve their resilience.

[@battsd154]

Great information George. I'm starting my garden next year and was lucky to grab a couple of large trachycarpus fortunei from B&M Bargains a couple of months ago for £150 each. They are about 6 feet tall, the trunks are around 8 inches in diameter, in large pots and I'm planning on planting them in the ground next year. Should I be protecting them this winter? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hi and thanks. I had some similar palms a good few years ago and just kept them close to the house and they did just fine. It would have to be an exceptional cold spell to freeze them through to the point of causing damage. I know it's very wet at the minute but just keep an eye on them not drying out if winter and early spring prove to be especially dry. Good luck with them and I'm sure they'll look great in your garden!

[@battsd154]

@GeorgesJungleGarden many thanks for your advice George. I'll be sure to move them closer to the house. Love your channel mate, best wishes from North Yorkshire 👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks, I appreciate it! All the best with your winter preparations and I hope we can start looking forward to next year very soon!