Hardening off

[MrsBertBibby]

I have various hardy perennials grown from seed this year, currently sitting inside my porch.

Can they make it outside, or are they no more likely to survive than the annuals? Would one of those plastic sheeted shelf sets be enough?

My porch is getting over filled as I keep potting up, I really need to get stuff out!

Start leaving them out in the day to toughen up a bit. It’s not just the cold it’s also toughening up from wind blowing over them etc. It’s not the same as tender annuals but I’d definitely not just put from porch straight into ground ...just a week of putting them in and out and then leave sheltered outside till big enough to put in.

My perennials are still looking weedy. But they are outside in a sheltered spot to grow on till they are big enough to greet out in the ground.

How big are they, OP? I planted some delphiniums, dianthus and lupins from the garden centre straight into the ground, and they’ve survived several nights’ frost (rural Scotland).
However, they were big enough clumps for me to divide each pot into three before planting. I kept the bedding plants indoors, as they were much smaller and hadn’t been potted on yet.

Good point about size, I was assuming grown from seed or cuttings. The pots I've bought from the garden centre which have a decent root system and were outside at the garden centre have just gone straight in.

Oh yes these are seedlings, not big enough for the beds yet! Here are some in their outdoor for the day spot. Catananche, snapdragons, and some others trays and trays of other things still in the porch.

I just wonder if they would cope outside 100%, or whether they would be adequately protected in one of those plastic jacketed shelves.

I'd just put them somewhere sheltered outside. They'll be fine. All mine from seed and plug plants have been outside all winter waiting to be big enough to go in the borders.

I’m guessing you’re a bit further south than me, MaryIsA. We reached minus 18C this winter in my garden!

-18! Maritime North West here - rare to even get a frost.

If I'd had a greenhouse they would have been in one - but moved house and haven't got a new one yet.

Besides the temperature and wind, be careful about too much hot sun in the middle of the day. My basil seedlings were outside in the sun a couple of days ago when it was very warm here, and they started to get white patches on the leaves. Google says too much sun too quickly. Learn something new every day!

I'd hold off personally, I stupidly planted out a bunch of stuff from the garden centre a couple of weeks ago and the death rate is...not good. Weather was great when I bought them but we promptly had several nights frost and it wiped out a fair few things. I'm in central Scotland, we got -16 this winter!

Disclaimer - first year here, before we only had planters and were in the middle of town and regularly stuck stuff out in March no bother. Live and learn

If they were perennials that apparently “died”, don’t be too quick to write them off.
I thought my two small bay trees had died in a severe frost, where every leaf shrivelled and fell, and there were bare sticks for months.
However, as soon as I blew £30 on replacements, they both regenerated from the base!

Funny we've almost certainly lost two bays at the front, but the same happened to the neighbours. It's very windy and they do not like that!