Overwintering in containers--yea or nay?
Posted: Aug 26, 2011 10:26 am
Chris W.--
With fall and winter around the corner, I am planning out my steps for winter storage of all my potted perennials!
Over the past few years, I have had great success with placing my containers with hostas, daylilies, ferns, clematis, etc. in the garage to overwinter. I will do so again this year! (I've read these plants require the cold season/dormancy, so the garage merely protects the roots from the extreme temps.)
However, my puzzlement is over some new plants I acquired that I still have in containers. (I don't know if/when I will plant them in the yard, so I need to protect them until next year.)
Question 1:
Should I overwinter the following perennials in the house, where the temp is around 65 degrees and they get some sunlight, or should I just put them in the garage that can get down to 35 degrees and has very little sunlight?
--Azaleas
--Rhododendrons
--Boxwood
--Pieris japonica Mountain Fire
Question 2:
What does the greenhouse do to overwinter the perennials that need to have a dormancy period? Constantly open the roof to keep the heat out? (I assume sunlight/darkness is not a necessary factor for semi-evergreen plants?)
Question 3:
If I kept a few heuchera/ella in the house, how damaged would their health actually be?
Thanks! Who better to ask than a beloved greenhouse expert!
Carrie
With fall and winter around the corner, I am planning out my steps for winter storage of all my potted perennials!
Over the past few years, I have had great success with placing my containers with hostas, daylilies, ferns, clematis, etc. in the garage to overwinter. I will do so again this year! (I've read these plants require the cold season/dormancy, so the garage merely protects the roots from the extreme temps.)
However, my puzzlement is over some new plants I acquired that I still have in containers. (I don't know if/when I will plant them in the yard, so I need to protect them until next year.)
Question 1:
Should I overwinter the following perennials in the house, where the temp is around 65 degrees and they get some sunlight, or should I just put them in the garage that can get down to 35 degrees and has very little sunlight?
--Azaleas
--Rhododendrons
--Boxwood
--Pieris japonica Mountain Fire
Question 2:
What does the greenhouse do to overwinter the perennials that need to have a dormancy period? Constantly open the roof to keep the heat out? (I assume sunlight/darkness is not a necessary factor for semi-evergreen plants?)
Question 3:
If I kept a few heuchera/ella in the house, how damaged would their health actually be?
Thanks! Who better to ask than a beloved greenhouse expert!
Carrie