Ok, so I know it's nearly Spring and winter is not a cause for concern right now but I have been naughty and looking into some "non native" plants to grow and wondering whether they can grow and survive a winter here in the UK....Yes, I have had my eyes on a rather cute Dwarf sized Banana plant suitable for a container and also maybe some tropical flowering plants (maybe I should wait for 2011 for those!).
Anyway, for any plants or veg which you are unsure are able to survive our cold, long, low light, wet winters outdoors you will need to find out at what temperature the plant can still thrive and then find out the Zone and Minimal Temperatures for your area by using a Hardiness Zone Map like the one above.
Here in Stockport, I am in Zone 8a with lowest temperatures of 10 to 15F/ -9.5 to -12.2C. So for plants which will basically die if left outside in the winter, I will need to either not grow them or protect them by bringing them indoors (greenhouse, garage, conservatory, living room etc). In some cases it is possible to leave them outside but to cover the plants with some form of protection from the cold and frost. Here is a useful link to an article on how to protect bananas outside over the winter.
Basically just carry out your research for each plant you are unsure of, find out lowest temperatures and duration that they can withstand that temperature and then decide your winter protection from there. For further details on Hardiness Zones, here is a link with a map of all the zones and temperatures in the British Isles plus information for other countries Pin It
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