T&M perennial offer

[Vince G]

Like many of us on here I'm a sucker for a plant bargain!

In the early summer I purchased one of T&M's mixed perennial bundles. All the usual stuff: foxgloves, geums, delphinium, aquilegia, dianthus, verbena....you know the sort of thing. Potted them up and grew them on for a couple of months before planting out about 6 weeks ago, and most are doing fine. The verbena, the dianthus and a couple of the delphiniums have even flowered.

I saw the other day that T&M were repeating the offer with largely the same variety of plants, so I thought I'd buy it again and just pack in a few more plants in the same bed. They arrived today and of course they're quite small - none are bigger than a couple of inches in height.

So my question is this: having grown the first batch on for a couple of months before planting them out, am I going to be able to do the same for the latest batch, i.e. is it going to be ok to plant them out in early November, will they establish OK? Or should I keep them in their pots and overwinter them either in my unheated utlity room, or unheated polytunnel?

In terms of planting out, bear in mind I live in probably the most consistently warm part of the country, eastern Suffolk.

[mothhawk]

I would keep them in their pots in the polytunnel. They won't be doing any growing in November to get themselves established in the ground. The soil is cold, and any top growth will have died down. So if you've room better to give them that bit of extra protection and plant out in Spring when they will be wanting to grow.

[Peanut]

I have bought those perennial bundles in the past, they are teeny aren't they!
I potted mine into 9cm pots first and then planted out. I would do the same again and depending on how much growth/roots they have put on by November then I would be tempted to plant out if your winters aren't too bad, otherwise keep them in the poly till Spring.

[Vince G]

Thanks both