Georgia Gardening: What is your experience with tender perennials?, 1 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
That's right. I just put a heavy duty tarp over most of my large containers. I laid the tall plants down on top of the stone terrace and placed the tarp over everything. Then I anchored the tarp with stones. My ponytail palm had some leaves that were exposed and they got burned but the plant came out fine.

Again the tropical hibiscus did not make it. The ficus plants did not make it but I had plenty of those inside. A lot of supposedly tropical ferns did make it but some didn't such as tree fern and blechnum.

I think if I had watered at least once a month some might have made it. The other thing to try is using bales of wheat straw on top of the plants under the tarp. That should provide more insulation.

I've read in magazines where people in colder climates than ours have wrapped banana trees in burlap and placed them in their crawl spaces with no ill effects.

Brian Williams has an excellent article in the tropical forum about going above and beyond what most of us are willing to do to save large plants through winter.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/560038/

Another plant that I've had outdoors (covered porch though to keep rain out of the pot) for years is agave parryi. My agave americana is not as hardy (lots of damage) although the huge ones in Myrtle Beach seem too big to move indoors so what is their secret? The rest of my agaves go indoors for winter.

Here is agave parryi.