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Cacti and succulents can bring a touch of the exotic to outdoor planting schemes, and make a striking addition to your garden. In the warmest coastal situations, and in city gardens there are a wide range of cacti and succulents that can be grown outside without too much extra care. However, in cooler parts of the country, some care will be needed to get these unusual specimens through the winter. Of course, planted containers can be bought in from the cold if space can be found, but if that is not an option here are some tips on how to protect plants growing outside in cooler climes.

Overwintering

Getting your plants ready for the winter is vital for their survival. Here are a few notes specific to overwintering cacti and succulents

• Some plants such as Opuntia will benefit from a covering of a heavy duty plastic or bubble wrap to keep out the winter wet as well as the cold
• Plants that are de-hydrated will be hardier. Allow pots and specimens to dry out slightly before you wrap them
• Bubble wrap containers that cannot be brought inside, to help prevent the roots from freezing
• Plantings that are at the foot of a wall, by an airbrick or under the shelter of an eave will stand a greater chance of survival
• When using non-breathable plastic and bubble wrap, never wrap the plant too tight. Allow for some air circulation
• Give the plant a good tidy up before wrapping; remove fallen leaves, debris and dead foliage. This helps to prevent decay

A recommended selection of hardier types

Aloe aristata
Agave parryi
Agave americana
Echeveria elegans
Echeveria secunda var. glauca
Hesperaloe parviflora
Opuntia cantabrigiensis
Opuntia humifusa
Parodia magnifica

In Queen Victoria鈥檚 day, a town tradesman owned or rented premises and his family lived above the shop. His backyard was filled with a workshop, wash-house, privy and stable, leaving no room for a kitchen garden. If he wanted to cultivate fruit, vegetables and flowers, he looked for a plot to rent outside the town.

In 1845, Hill Close pasture land began to be divided into garden plots which Warwick tradesmen rented. They planted apple trees and soft fruit, grew vegetables and flowers and kept pigs and poultry. They built summerhouses of brick or wood in order to shelter from rain or to sit and enjoy the view across the Common.

The gardeners were often enthusiasts, testing their own abilities to grow tender produce like cucumbers and melons, complete in the cultivation of flowers such as chrysanthemums, advance crops like strawberries under glass or even tend a vine. All such gardens had an abundance of fruit trees. At Hill Close there are still around 60 different varieties of apple and 11 varieties of pear.

The restored gardens at Hill Close, Warwick, offer an extremely rare opportunity to visit sixteen hedged Victorian pleasure gardens, reconstructed to capture the planting and personality of their original owners. Activities at Hill Close Gardens are supported by more than 100 volunteers in a variety of roles from helping with children鈥檚 activities, in the caf茅 or admin, as well as in the gardens, plant centre and potting shed.

Hill Close Gardens Trust
Bread and Meat Close
Warwick
CV34 6HF

Tel. 01926 493339

(Hillclosegardens.com)