We put plastic up on our screened porch to winter over those "potted" plants I so insisted on having,... All Kinds of tender flowering cactus, Norfolk Island pine, Jades, Mandivilla and a fifteen foot Bird of Paradise (don't ask). Looking out our glass doors there appears to be a tropical jungle. Since the porch is south facing, it collects a great deal of solar heat- so much so that it gets to be in the upper 80's on sunny days and we can open our glass doors and heat the house for a good part of the day. Maybe those potted plants aren't such a bad idea afterall. Now...maybe a pool?
Jude
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Jude, nice to read your news on the blog. Tell me, are you able to use the same Mandavilla plant year after year? In the Northern Piedmont of NC (the mainland, as I refer to it in my comments) our Mandavilla plants are annuals. If your system works, I am truly impress! Your porch sounds lovely and inviting during a cold winter's day.
ReplyDeleteHope Philip's cold is getting better.
Friends in Cincinnati have carried two hugh Mandavillas over for years. they just bring inside and water lightly until spring.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear about your indoor garden. I bought plastic to put on my screened porch and have been laughted at and told that the wind will rip any plastic made. Thinking of cardboard strips to help reinforce. How did you do yours?
I have wintered over the same Mandavilla plants for six years now. An application of fertilizer in the early spring gets them going strong. We use wood lathe on our plastic and have had no problem with the wind and heaven knows we have wind! The temperature on Ocracoke has dropped into the 20's the past couple of nights but our porch has not dropped below 42 degrees. Jude
ReplyDeleteWow! I will have to try and hold over my Mandavillas next winter. I didn't purchase one this past summer because in the past, the plant was treated as an annual in the Roxboro, NC area. These are beautiful plants. Thanks, Jude, and other bloggers for the great Mandavilla tips!
ReplyDeleteOne just never knows what good advice can be learned on this blog!
Hey Jude,
ReplyDeleteI'll pass along to Chris what you are doing with the screened porch. (I am not sure he could build you a pool but he would probably try!)
I know he would. He's a sweet boy.
ReplyDelete