This is my second year of planting my perennial garden here in the Ohio river valley (zone 6a) and winter is just around the corner (sob)
...now I am concerned about what special care I need to give to some of my new plants that I would like to come back next year. (and FYI we get intermittant snow cover so not a lot of insulation provided for temperature swings).
Any advice from more experienced gardeners around our zone would be appreciated. Any thoughts? :
Sweet potato vine. Can I take cuttings and root now now or should I just buy starts next spring?
Blackberry Lily and Pardancanda: Someone told me I needed to dig the tuber and bring it inside? Do you agree?
Crocosmia: Again, I was told to dig the tubers and bring inside.
Bearded Iris: Do I mulch them up to or over the rhizomes or do I leave the rhizomes partially exposed?
Lantana: I'm going to try to overwinter these in pots inside my garage. Good idea? I hope so.
Rudbeckia hirta: Cut back and winter mulch or just pull out and start again next year?
Alocasia: Dig and bring in tubers after first frost. Store in dark place?
Verbascum, Digitalis, gaillardia: Cover with winter mulch and hope for the best?
Those are my questions for now! Thank you very much (in advance) for sharing your opinions and experience. (-: t.
Getting ready for winter: What should I bring inside ?
Tabasco,
Crocosmia should be hardy in your zone (but you are at the upper range of hardiness). As it spreads, I would dig some up and leave some to see how it overwinters outside for you.
Bearded Iris - - - do not mulch! The tubers will rot.
Alocasias - lift the tubers and store in vermiculite or sphagnum moss - - see link: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/544755/
Sweet potato vine - - easily overwintered by taking cuttings
nathalyn--just the info I need. Thank you.
One more question about mulch--my new siberian iris are mulched with pine bark mulch all the way up to the stalks...don't you think this should be pulled away from the base so they don't rot...or not?
Also, my new hostas are planted with much of the soil mounded right up on the stems ---about 2 inches high on the stems...isn't this too deep?...
That alocasia/colocasia thread is really full of information...wish I could figure out which I had...
Here's pic of one of mine...does anybody know which kind it is? Maybe I'll post it on the tropicals thread to see if I can get some info....
thanks again. t.
tabasco,
I would say you may want to lift the hostas, it does sound too deep, your new leaves won't want to come readily. I make sure the crown is just below the soil.
Kelly
Siberian iris don't form tubers like Bearded Iris and are not prone to rot. Most Siberians are also hardy to zones much colder than yours but do benefit from a layer of mulch in colder zones.
Hostas actually love cold winters, but a layer of mulch can prevent the eyes from getting damaged from a late spring frost or from coming out of the ground if there are repeated freeze/thaw cycles. I would remove the mulch once the threat of frost is over.
Definately save that ear! LOL I was going to say that when I saw the title. I remember seeing it on your porch. I think it is an Alocasia plumbae http://www.agristarts.com/aloc_nigra.htm
I don't bother saving the sweet potato vines myself. They are too easy to come by, not that pricey and easy to propogate.
I don't have any problem overwintering Siberians here even without mulch. I believe because we are so close to the river, we are in a micro climate closer to zone 7.
tabasco,
your belamcanda, pardancanda, and rudbeckia should all be fine as they're hardy well below your zone.
tabasco, I'm in a whirlwind of garden winterization to.
In some of my containers, where I'm digging out tender bulbs anyway, I find sweet potato tubers and just store them with the other bulbs. In spring I plant it and keep pulling off the sprouts until I have all I need. One large tuber can supply you with tons!
The blackberry and candy lilies should be perfectly hardy for you; never a problem with them returning here.
What crocosmia varieties do you grow? My sources say 'Lucifer' is about the hardiest (to zone 5 with mulch), but that many are zone 7 hardy. From what I understand they bloom best when undisturbed, so I don't want to dig them unless I have to. I have some lovely, short golden yellow ones from a trade that I'm unsure how to overwinter.
And that Alocasia is stunning! By all means save it and all of its babies!
thanks, gemini--
I don't know what kind of crocosmia I have--I have red and yellow, at least, and maybe a few more...have to look them up again...I guess I will treat them like iris and hope for the best...
I, too, thought the pardancanda and bellamcanda would be hardy, and I plan to leave them in the garden as you suggest, although I thought it was interesting that a book I read on Ohio gardening said to lift them...that's when I lost confidence in my first plan to just treat them like iris.
Thanks for the compliments on the alocasias. I do love my alocasias--I have one pot on either side of the front door--but I don't know if I should just bring in the pots and set it in the basement, or if I should dig out the tubers and wash and dry them and put them in a bag in a dark place, or something like that...the aroid thread is full of great information, I just can't figure out what applies to mine!
It't still warm here, but this weekend it's supposed to cool down. Just got two giant boxes of bulbs from Scheepers to put in, so that always marks full blown Autumn for me...sad to see summer go...
Thanks for all the good tips. t.
t, when in doubt about elephant ears (I still can't figure out what kinds I have either!) , I just store dry in the pot. A garage or basement is perfect. My bulb types and fibrous rooted types overwintered well like that.
t,
I get turned around.
Does the house face South?
I'd try wintering those EE's of yours in a south window.
W/ all the glass you have............
I have an Idea for a greenhouse for you.
I know you can't do free standing.......
how about a glass entrance attrium attached to the house?
I saw one over by Jeff Ruby's house.
Really classy looking.
Ric
Hi, ric--Yes, good idea about the entrance atrium. We have an architect drawing up plans for such a thing off the back/side entrance which is south facing, too, and then do some other remodelling that will be horticulture friendly on the back end of the house (as we talked about when you were here, I think)...Maybe we could have an atrium off the front door too...I would like that but I don't think the neighbors would. They are pretty stuffy.
Did you get a good steak at Ruby's? LOL. We are going to The Precinct tonight.
I will set the EEs in the south facing basement window and see how they do...or can I just let them go dormant and not worry until spring?... I love my EEs...got them for half off at Wolfangles, but I've forgotten what they are...never dreamed I could grow such a thing.
T,
That is an incredible house for plants.
W/ that ceiling height........some Monster plants in there.
I can see a conservatory off the back/side easily.
Come Spring I'll get you hooked up w/ some more Aroids.
I'm getting pups and runners galore.
Ric
Badseed--didn't see your post up there until now. Yes, that is my alocasia! Thanks for IDing it. And Agri-starts is a neat website, too.
Nathelyn, Mickgene, gemini--thanks for all the good direction on winterizing. I'm going out right now to take care of things.
Thanks Ric for your comments. We can have another RU at our house this spring if you share some EE starts with me. And btw, the brugs you gave me are doing great. I suppose I bring them inside and put them under lights, right?
Tabasco - Sweet Potato Vine is extremely easy to propogate. I don't even bother with rooting hormone - I haven't missed one yet.
Steve
My questions are about calla lillies. I am zone 5. I bought them in spring of 04. They are minis. I had at least 30 flowers. I left them in over winter. I was told they needed to be dug and would not come back. All of a sudden here comes the leaves!! I was so happy. But, not many flowers. I did fertilize a couple of times. Do you think it was a fertilizer problem or do you think I should dig and replant in the spring. Kim
I'm finding the mini callas are much hardier than previously thought. I know people who have successfully overwintered them without protection here in zone 6. From what I've read they are fertilizer hogs, so that probably is the problem. Neal.