Garden

[Nataliesgramma]

I live in the Northeast........are there any tricks to keeping them alive over the winter?

[PINKdogWOOD]

We have a lot of big plants in pots we over winter in our dining room.  We have 3 separate windows side by side in our south wall that makes this this best place with space that we have.  Some don't mind being indoors, others will drop leaves but always come back fast by the time we get them back outside in the spring.  We're in Ohio so we definitely need to bring them in.  Place them all in saucers for watering which I do once a week.  During the holiday season in Dec-Jan, mu husband will put holiday lights in them and they look great.  No christmas tree for us, these serve the purpose very well.

[Brooklynny]

I live in the NYC area, and I have hosta and clematis plants in Fiberglas containers outdoors all year long.  Even with last year's nasty winter, I didn't lose any of the plants.  The clematis pots are on the south/sunny side of the house, and the hosta is in the north/shady side of the house.  The hosta had no winter damage and has, in fact, done so well in the past several years that I'll have to divide it next season.  Fiberglas is said to be a good insulator as opposed to clay/terra cotta which freezes and cracks in the cold resulting in possible damage to the plant.   Hope that helps.

[gardensla]

You didn't say which plants so not sure if they're woody perennial and shrubs or something more fragile.

If you can move them into the garage or basement and just let them go dormant that's probably best. If not and you can move them at all (not too heavy), store them in a sheltered location such as under the eves. If all that's impossible, you can add a thick layer of mulch to the top.

[Jackyl]

I'd like to know the same thing.  I've had three trees over the years and none have survived.  I put them in the gargage for the winter, I've not watered and then watered and no matter what, they die.  I think I need to give up on these.  Sorry I can't give you any advice, I need some myself.

[Brooklynny]

I forgot to mention...I also have a two-foot high Japanese Maple in a Fiberglas pot on my patio. I started it about four years ago from two seedlings that grew near my existing 15-year-old J.Maple (planted in ground).  I initially planted both of them in one small plastic pot to see if they would grow, and they did.  After a year or so, I transplanted them to Fiiberglas when they outgrew the plastic.  They've survived every winter since then in great condition.  I don't water them during winter, so any moisture they get comes from rain and snow.  They've outgrown their current pot, so I'll have to put them in a larger pot next spring to give them more room to grow.  I had also forgotten to mention that I have no indoor space for any of my potted perennials (and no garage or shed), so overwintering indoors is not an option for me.  

[PINKdogWOOD]

I guess I need to clarify.  The big potted plants we bring inside are more 'house' plants, none are really perennials per se.  We certainly don't uproot any perennials we have, everything is in the ground.  And almost everything makes a come back the following spring.  We don't worry about our perennials. 

[Nataliesgramma]

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@gardensla wrote:

You didn't say which plants so not sure if they're woody perennial and shrubs or something more fragile.

If you can move them into the garage or basement and just let them go dormant that's probably best. If not and you can move them at all (not too heavy), store them in a sheltered location such as under the eves. If all that's impossible, you can add a thick layer of mulch to the top.

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I have Bleeding hearts, coral bells, astilbe and Spiderwort in resin pots. Can I group them against the house and maybe cover them with plastic when it gets around freezing?

[RedTop]

I live in southern WV, and our winters are usually very cold and harsh, which does not bode well for anything left outside in a pot.  I have kept a bleeding heart plant alive in my heated basement over the winter, which receives low, indirect light.   I watered the plant very well two days before I brought it inside, but gave it only enough water to keep the plant alive for the 6 months it was inside.   My goal was to encourage it to rest and sustain itself, not try to grow.  My potted lilies are cut back once their growth dries out, then placed inside 2 sturdy cardboard boxes with covers, and put in a corner of my garage for the winter.   I have kept them alive this way for four years.   My garage is not heated, but rarely drops below freezing.  

[smoky22]

I'm wondering the same thing about leaving perennials in pots.  I live in TN and have two coral bells in fiberglass pots.  I couldn't decide where to plant them in the ground and I'd like to just keep them for next year.  I wonder if it would be better to leave them in a protected spot outside or bring them in to an unheated garage.  Our temps rarely go below zero in winter.