Thank you for the information Alex. I got all excited thinking it might grow outdoors in your zone.

yea.. it got down to 17 degrees the other night.. i dont think any succulent will survive that.

if i lived somewhere where i could grow outdoors all year long...well... id be one happy grower :P

Listen to Auntie Sharon, she is the best!
Some pictures from a rather wet, cold and dark England.


Who says you can't use Parthenocissus quinquefolia as ground cover!
Regards to all.
Neil.

Oh my goodness Neil, you have that pest in Merry Old England????

Oh yes we have this pest in England. However it does pretty things up a bit! However it is not as much as a pest as Clematis armandii which is an evergreen clematis. That species is rampant, but the smell of the thousand of small creamy white flowers is sensuous. Sometimes when in the mood it flowers twice a year. Early spring and in the autumn/fall. Stunning plant if you have 60 feet of space.
I so hope you are well.
Regards from a most undesirable weather, moist England.

Neil.

Not really sure about succulents in 17 degree weather, but I thought Sempervivums can survive those temps especially if covered with nice layer of snow. They are alpine succulents and differ in cold temp tolerance from the tender succulents. Help me out to verify this @goldfinch4 @CDsSister @ValleyLynn

Semps, live in England and far north, On roofs and in dry stone walls, It depends on what species but after Scotland you have Greenland and the north pole.
Regards.
Neil.

So, Santa might have semps growing????

I don't think Santa has semps growing. The snow never leaves Santa's house.

Lynn, how about Alex's possible 17 degree temps? It should be oK for semps, right?

Yes it should. He could grow nice semps with those winter temperatures.
Alex, what are your summers like?

We definitely get colder temps than that and semps grow here. Snowcover is helpful!

Good thread. I'm moving it from Site Talk over to All Things Gardening so the discussion can continue.

Thank you for the move Dave.

Semps have survived in such Colorado winters before so will no doubt survive this years cold snap. Will see what the spring brings.

Back to Alex's original question here, as Ann said above, down here in FL this is the most active time of year for gardening. We plant our veggies starting in September and grow right through the winter months. I post something on ATP most days.

It's too darn hot for the most part in summer. All I do is prune a bit and blow off the walkways with the leafblower so we can still pass through. Then go float around in the pool.

Alex, have you thought of a job at a nursery or garden center at one of the big box stores? It's always a great thing to be able to work at something you're also interested in.

Alex, I grow Calandrinia spectabilis too. In my area with our mild winters, I can leave it outdoors year round. Needs bright light to full sun to have blooms in Spring to early summer It goes on semi-dormancy during our very hot summer days. . And then comes back again with new growth during late Fall to winter. It actively grows in winter, and can take our occasional winter rains, as long as I make sure the media has very good and coarse drainage.

But then again our cold winter temps may be just a walk in the park for your area... But that plant likes to feel cool as it wakes up from its summer sleep.

I do agree that 17F is really too cold for most plants. At the most, some succulents can bear the cold if protected by an overhang or planted as close to the house as possible so it can benefit from the heat from the house, or some like semps can be more insulated by snow cover. Cold and dry okay for some succulents. Cold and wet ...goodbye succulents..

I have just been looking up some recent temperatures in England, as they say it will be the coldest winter in 100 years. 1in 2003 it was 38.5 Centigrade or 101.3 Fahrenheit on the hottest day of the year in Kent! However in the winter it was minus 26.1 Centigrade or minus 15 Fahrenheit for long periods. Of course the more south ypu go the more sunshine there is and the Gulf stream runs of the west of our small island. this keeps things 10 F warmer than it should be.
Whilst a Head gardener in west Sussex, (which is known for its sun) for a large Estate. The lady owner had a lot of her garden open, all year round to the public. She believed that she had created "Micro climates" within the garden for certain species of plants! Knowing that the wind is normally south western there belts of trees and shrubs were planted, as windbreaks and protection.
A large walled garden had been built in the 1700s which was of course notably warmer if you are, as I was working outside, many smaller plants protected by hollows that were surrounded by bigger and hardier plants.
In all the years this wonderful plantswoman had this garden, she literally had created "Micro environments" by the use of plants and stone. I could and the public could feel it on a walk around; that is the many differing temperatures around the garden. Amazing but true.
Regards.
Neil.

A tree fern and an Acer in the snow and ice at -15F, that is not good for them, but their secluded spot and the warmth of the house keeps them healthy!

Interesting information Neil. Love the winter photo.

I believe it! about creating micro climates, or at least warmer zones, because I know it happens in general, that walls, and banks of earth, and stands of trees, etc. do affect the temperature, moisture retention, wind -- all that. I'd love to visit such a garden where these had been created intentionally. How wonderful!