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Folding Shrub Covers - Has Anyone Tried These?

corunum z6 CT
9 years ago

And if so, did they work well for you? I bought a small lot on eBay, so we'll see. This one is 22' tall and covers a potted hydrangea that is full of buds which can be deer candy, so it's covered. The covers come in varying heights, are secured with included plastic stakes that tie down the bonnet, and big box stores carry them. This is the first year I've seen them. Anyone else?

Jane

Comments (6)

  • val (MA z6)
    9 years ago

    I have not seen this particular type. I would be very interested in hearing how they work for you this winter.

  • bill_ri_z6b
    9 years ago

    It looks kind of flimsy to me, and with high winter winds pushing and rubbing it against the plants, it would probably cause a lot of damage. The idea is sound, but I think it would have to be made a lot better, and it must NOT touch the plant, even in heavy winds or snow. I suppose if you have a deer problem it would definitely help with that. Good luck with them and let us know how they worked out for you.

    {{gwi:5901}}

  • seanm10660 z6b
    9 years ago

    I'm trying a few for the first time this winter, too. For my camellias going through their first winter, and a rosemary that I was able to get covered, too. The camellia in the back yard already had been nibbled by a deer or squirrel, so for me it will be worth it just for that. We'll see how they do once the snows come, but they actually seem fairly sturdy to me once set up. They are kind of like a pitched tent, with tensioned poles keeping it propped up.

  • corunum z6 CT
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sean - exactly right on the tent idea. Fairly gusty winds (30mph) did not upset them and like you, I already had deer damage, so these 'tents' are already working. I checked the hydrangeas under the cover and they seem just fine. May help with wind damage, too. We'll see.
    Jane

  • bill_ri_z6b
    9 years ago

    I guess they're sturdier than they look in the photo. That's good.

    Sean, what camellias are you growing? I have five. One is a fall bloomer called "Snow Flurry". It's very hardy and has never suffered any real winter damage. I've had it for over 16 years. It had at least 300 flowers this year, and in fact, up until two days ago, there were still at least 30 open flowers, but the recent cold nights turned them brown. I have four spring blooming types. "April Blush" is 7 feet high and 6 feet wide and has hundreds of buds for next spring. This one is also about 15 years old. It suffered a major dieback in the 2003-2004 winter cold spell, but was growing back by the following June. I have another of the same type, not quite as old and a bit smaller because I used to have it in a pot for many years and brought it indoors. Now it's in the ground for the past 8 or 9 years. The other two are "April Dawn" and "April Rose". They both have 80-90 buds right now which bloom right around April-May. They're only about 7 years old. I don't protect any of them. I hope yours does well for you too.

    {{gwi:5901}}

  • seanm10660 z6b
    9 years ago

    Bill-I've got 4 camellias, all planted this past year, so all going through their first winter. Two in the front yard are Korean-type zone 6a Camellias: Longwood Valentine and Bloomfield, both from camforest. Both are in too much sun until some surrounding stuff grows in. Bloomfield took its first summer in stride, but Longwood never really looked happy. If it survives the winter, I may move it.

    Then in the back I have an April Kiss which I bought locally on the Cape, so its much bigger than my others (~3gallon), but it wasn't put in the ground till labor day. It looks happy in partial pine shade, but this was the one I caught something munching on already.

    Right next to it is a tiny tea camellia (camellia sinensis) from camforest. Supposedly z6b, but we will see. It put out some nice little white flowers starting in Oct, but the later ones got browned out.

    I hope to not have to protect them beyond this first winter, though with the deer browsing I already saw, we'll have to see.
    Sean