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T


he harsh freezing and snowy weather we experienced this winter has meant


that we have lost a lot of plants, with those from New Zealand and Australia being hit the hardest. My own sad fatalities include a mature


tree fern and New Zealand flax which had grown to a magnificent 6ft. in height! Last spring it produced some wonderful blooms, which, when gone to seed provided food for a woodpecker who worked his way systematically down the length of the stalk which allowed me to observe this colourful bird at close quarters.


Sadly this once impressive specimen with its bronzed leaves have been reduced to a heap of mush.


If you have cordylines or phormiums that have suffered the same fate, don’t give up on them just yet. To help them recover, cut back the stems from the dead crowns to reach the firm inner tissue and protect with garden fleece until warmer weather. If any stems of plants have been killed down to ground level, don’t dig them up. Cut back to soil level and hope the plant produces suckers from below the soil. When protecting plants always make


sure the material you use is breathable-horticultural fleece is ideal,


straw is good too, but plastic sheeting is not.


• It is still possible to save your Phormiums if they were attacked by ʻthe big freezeʼ


3 March 2011 4


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