9 replies to this topic

[Richard Bunn]

I know it may seem like a strange time of year to be starting this thread but bare with me, I have a good reason.

We constantly get queries from newbies regarding hardiness of Dionaea in Great Britain. I thought it would be a good idea for those of us that have overwintered these plants outdoors for a couple of years, also stating if this includes one of the bad cold snaps, to say where they live. Hopefully we'll have a useful pool of data by winter.

This way people can visit this thread, which I will request to be made a sticky, and see if anybody is successfully doing this near them.

Edited by Richard Bunn, 28 July 2012 - 17:52 PM.

[Richard Bunn]

I'm in Midleton, Co. Cork Cork, Ireland. Hardy as of last winter but not subjected to one of the arctic snaps.  I'll keep a test plant outdoors year round from now on and update as necessary.

[Marcia]

I found this website giving the hardiness zones for the Britain and Ireland. I don't know if it's any good :)

http://www.trebrown.com/hrdzone.html

[Richard Bunn]

That's useful to keep in the armoury.  Thanks Marcia.

[manders]

Mine survived outside to -10C but in very large tubs, probably similar to being in a bog garden.

[gardenofeden]

According to that map, I live in zone 8a. Flytraps are not hardy overwinter with me outside, unprotected. I think is worth differentiating between being hardy in unheated greenhouse and hardy planted outside with no protection, as some of the biggest flytraps I have seen have been grown in unheated greenhouses.

[mantrid]

Theres so many other local variables to take into consideration that will also affect survival when leaving outside.
There are two big killers in my experience
Extended subzero temps with drying wind.
Warm very wet conditions.
If your plants are kept just damp out of the rain and where they can get some sun so they are not frozen for extended periods they should survive no problem. An unheated green house or coldframe will provide this, but so will a sheltered south facing wall with a pane of glass leaning against it, possibly with something at the sides too.
In my coldframes up until last winter I also used a paraffin heater when the temp was below zero for more than a few days as I didnt have any winter sun where they were kept. But since moving a year and a half ago they get sun in the winter too and survived with no problem in the coldframes without any heating.

[Richard Bunn]

Actually I've been meaning to ask for a long time about paraffin heaters. Are they safe (non toxic) for the kind of plants you'd keep in an unheated greenhouse just for the period of a cold snap?  I know when I used to grow orchids as a teen the books said the fumes were toxic, so I just want to be sure for CP's.

[mantrid]

carbon dioxide and water are the waste products. with a bit of soot possibly if the flame is burning rich (orange). The seeho2 and water are raw materials of photosynthesis and I dont think a small amount of soot (carbon) is going to do any harm. Ive never had trouble using them though they were only lit for a few days at a time maybe about half a dozen times through the winter

[manders]

If you have soot then you will also have significant amounts of carbon monoxide, im not entirely sure what the efect of CO is on plants but as far as i know its not as harmfull as it s to animals.  In the old days, kerosine may also have had sulphur in it and would have given of SOx's which would have been harmfull.  These days kerosine sold for horticultural use is hydrotreated and is clean burning.  I have heard of burners going wrong though and killing everything in the greenhouse by covering with soot.

With the price of kerosine as it is in garden centers, it may well be cheaper to heat electrically.