Banana Plant Number one - Winter Protection - Cornwall

 

A few more pics of our morning walk after a good breakfast .

            Didn't need a coat . Didn't need a jumper .  It was foggy but warm .

It is forecast to be warm all week  . Starting to get that Autumnal look with blackberries and silvery cobwebs glistening in the hedgerow 

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    It soon cleared and after playing with other people's dogs ,chatting with friends and visitors along the way , we came home pleasantly tired .

 Soon revived with cups of tea , toast and orange marmalade .

  I decided to make a start bringing some of my more tender plants into their Winter shelter zones .

  Banoonaah number one - Musa ensete maurellii -  🐒🏝️🍌

 The one up on the bank .

                                    Bish ! Bash ! Bosh !

                              ......and into the wheelbarrow !

                       Then away to the woodshed ......

Where I pot it up in it's very large tub with some new compost mixed with perlite .

It is both standing on and surounded with polystyrene packaging and there is light coming in through the clear plastic corrugated roof .

  I just need to water it to settle it in . It now has some time to get it's roots down into the nice new compost before we go into Winter . 

 I don't cut leaves off , nor do I trim the roots . As we go into the colder months I hardly water it at all . I just keep it ticking over in a dormant state until late Spring .

                                    That just leaves these two .

       Musa basjoo - stays outside and I can throw a cloche over it if need be .

        

 ⭐ If you live up country , then you will have to bring this one under cover too .

   Best to see what people are doing where you are , but here in the far south west of Cornwall , Musa basjoo is fairly hardy .  It will get pretty tatty but it should recover .⭐  

This one will be next , but I just need to pace myself really and so I'll wait a few days to get my strength up again  .  Maybe tomorrow ..... see how I feel .

⭐ I forgot to say - useful tip ....after digging up your banana...dig out the hole nicely and put a bucket or large empty pot into the hole to keep it open . So it is an easier job to re-plant next year !   ⭐

             Off now for walk number two and a picnic .

                         " Everyday is a picnic day !"

                          Peace and love 🕊️🤍

                                          love Debbie 💐x

⛈️Dodging the showers 🌤️🌦️

 

                        There are still some hefty showers coming through !

I kept Ricardo company while he made a start cutting down the old grape vine arbor /arch  .

   At this point , I was a little worried that it might not turn out quite as I had planned !

It is going to become ( hopefully ) a very la-di-da and uppity over-wintering pergola for my Musa basjoo . 

When the weather starts to get really bad ....

I'm going to staple gun fleece or windbreak mesh onto it . Maybe a clear corrugated plastic roof or something over the top .

If we get a particularly cold weather warning I can throw an old coat or duvet over it .

  My thinking is that I want it to be tall enough , that we can use it again for a second year . After that , it will be left uncovered .

It is very rotten in places and pieces falling off . It would be great if we can save it .

                          Almost finished !                                                 

                                           Oh ! I love it SO much !

         A steaming hot Cornish Pasty for lunch and a nice cuppatea !  🫖☕

                                                       🌦️🌧️⛈️🌦️☀️