Winter blankets are not just for your bed. Tender plants need cover from cold weather. Use plant blankets to protect, but not suffocate, vulnerable plants that are too big to put under a cloche, or too well-rooted to move to a cold frame or indoors.
Lest you think a plastic tarp will do, consider that plant blankets provide insulation, preventing frost damage or worse, and are also breathable, letting in light and moisture essential for plant health. Use them in conjunction with a simple frame to provide shelter from wind and protection from the weight of snow that might otherwise break branches. Fabrics also can used to wrap the trunks of saplings to prevent frost damage.
Above: Made of UV-stabilized spun polypropylene, a 100-foot roll of Floating Row Cover is $47.50 from Amazon.
Above: Made of sheep’s wool, a 2-by-1-meter Frost Protection Fleece “protects seedlings and young plants from wind, cooler weather and nocturnal frost,” says Manufactum; €8.50.
Above: Burlap is a great all-natural winter plant protector, and, perhaps, one of the most aesthetically pleasing options. A 100-foot-long roll of 12″ Burlap suitable for wrapping tree trunks is $62 from Uline.
Above: A 2 by 1 meter roll of Coconut Fibre Mat can be cut to size to wrap around outdoor planters and pots; €28.50 from Manufactum.
Above: A 5-foot roll of 40″ Burlap is $6.95 from Burlap Fabric.
Above: An 80-by-80-inch blanket of Natural Burlap Landscape Fabric is $7.98 from Home Depot.
Above: Measuring 3 by 12 feet, a roll of Natural Burlap is $43.10 from Jet.
Above: A set of three Plant Covers For Frost Protection made of polypropylene fleece is £24.67 from eBay UK.
Above: Made of 100 percent natural fabric, a Burlap Blanket measuring 3 by 24 feet is a protective wrap for shrubs and will work as a windscreen; $9.98 from Lowe’s.
Above: A Coconut Fibre Plant Protection Mat is made of woven coir fiber and can be cut to size; for more information and pricing, see Windhager.
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