Coldest winter in Britain

Bitter north-east winds compounded the misery for icy Britain this weekend as forecasters predicted the Arctic weather could last another 10 days, making this the coldest winter the country has endured since the notorious winter of 1962/3.

The sub-zero conditions, which have virtually brought the country to a halt, will certainly have had an affect on our Canna collection.

I will not be surprised if we have lost 50% of the collection to frost, the recording thermometer in the largest of the polytunnels showed the temperature had dropped overnight to -15C, and although the cannas are in the soil, covered by fleece, the temperature must have affected the top 5-10cm of soil and destroyed the frost tender rhizomes.

We will let you know what the damages are when the temperatures start rising in March and we would expect to see new shoots emerging.