I went out to my solar "Greenhouse" today.

[Kansas Terri]

Actually, it makes a better cold frame than a greenhouse, but it is mine and I love it!

The half hardy plants that I had potted up and covered have, alas, all died excepting the mini-rose. The mini-rose is nicely dormant. That is, actually, fairly good, as it gives me another variety of plants that will live under greenhouse conditions! Most of my greenhouse plants break dormancy too soon, and are then are killed when it gets overcast and cold.

In the past I had tried- with no success whatsoEVer- to put a heater out there to keep the plants that had broken dormancy alive. But, when the cold did not get them the lack of light did: it is very overcast out here at the end of winter! So, rather than trying to fiddle to get things right in the greenhouse for growing plants I instead found plants that will survive the greenhouse conditions.

I now have iris, onions, strawberries, oregano, crocus, hyacinth, and now mini-roses! I love roses but my yard is too windy for them to do well: even the very hardy ones die in the winter! Instead I shall grow little roses in the greenhouse, and as they bloom I shall bring the pots inside for everyone to enjoy! (Especially me!)

This mini-rose is a coral red and I can find pink, white, and POSSIBLY yellow next month during Valentines day. I WANT a bi-color or two, but I shall have to LOOK for that one!

At any rate, everything looks like it should. I watered anything that looked dry, covered the half-hardy plants with my plastic sheet to keep the temperature more even, and went back inside.

 

[CanadianLori]

Pictures? pretty please?

 

[zigs]

I got some double glazed units on one of my cold frames, keeps the worse of it out but still lets the light in.

 

[Pat]

I am glad your post mentioned watering your dormant plants, I have just put my tulip plants that I got as gifts out in the garage to go dormant but I still have to water them.

 

[Kansas Terri]

There is, alas, nothing much to see to take a picture of! There are dead plants in pots and one pot with dull green stems in it!

Also, I PROMISE, I will find what I need to move pictures from the camera to my computer! Not to mention buyig batteries for the camera! LOL!

I know it is around here somewhere.

Zigs, the problem with light is that the sky here is heavily overcaste during the late winter. Even the plants in my South facing windows either die or get leggy and flop over. Between the overcast skies and the short days the plants are flat out sickly.

PS: Pat, do not give them MUCH water: when the plant is dormant it only needs a little water. It has been a month since I watered my dormant plants, and some had soil that was slightly damp so I did not water those at all.

 

[CanadianLori]

Oh, I can get a good look at dead plants right outside my back door. When you get your camera sorted out maybe we can post pics to see whose looks deader