help in winter protection for azaleas in big pots

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gloriag Floyd, VA(Zone 6b) Oct 31, 2007

am moving to Floyd, VA, elevation 2850'. Apparently the winters are more severe than I realized. Zone 6 (b?). I just took down a bunch of azaleas and roses. The roses are ready to be put in large pots, and I am doing the same with the azaleas. However, the local nursery said they will not make it through the winter without protection.

My options are to construct some kind of frame and staple heavy duty clear plastic, or corrugated translucent/clear hard plastic, or put them into one of two available spaces: a unheated windowless workshop where I could enclose them in a makeshift plastic tent and then put a small heater inside the smaller enclosure and provide light with fluorescent bulbs. The other is also unheated and is a regular school/classroom trailer. It does have windows. I could do something like that there as well.

Actually, the final possibility is encasing the elevated landing in heavy duty plastic and insulating the decklike floor. I could access this directly from the house. There is an outside electrical connection so that I could put in a small thermostatically controlled electric heater.

The final possibility is to purchase a portable, temporary greenhouse and put that into the classroom trailer with the little heater. Although it is getting cold, I think I may have a window of about 2 or 3 weeks to do something to save them.

Does any one have any other suggestions or advice for one of these plans?

Oh yes, the nursery said that they might make it insulated in sawdust. I thought maybe hay or straw


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Post #4142616
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bettydee La Grange, TX(Zone 8b) Oct 31, 2007

Is there overhead protection on the landing and would they get sunlight? Adding a layer or two of bubble wrap on the inside of the plastic wrap would provide some insulation, too. As long as you can keep the temperature inside the enclosure above freezing, the plants should be fine. I keep my larger greenhouse at 45ºF with a vented propane heater, but my little greenhouse has an electric heater and its temperatures at times has dropped down into the high 30s for an hour or two with no casualties. If the landing gets direct sunlight, you can place some black plastic garbage cans filled with water on the south side of the enclosed. These will release stored heat at night to help keep the temperature higher inside that encloser.

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