Hey guys, I live in an apt and do all my planting in containers. Some of the things I have are ment to come back every year. I don't have any place to store them in the winter like a garage where they wouldn't freeze and was wondering what I could do to help them make it through the winter. Everything I've had never comes back. Do you think if I would wrap the pots in insulation and mulch the top that the freeze wouldn't get them and they would survive. I guess I just need them to go dormant and not freeze so that they will come back. Does this sound like it would work or is there a better idea out there?
Winterizing Containers.
I don't think that would work... they would freeze and the insulation would just insulate the freeze in....... and they need to get moisture..... I live in KS and I have some pots on my deck that always come back... weeping weigelia, a hydrangea tree and rudbeckia (autumn sun). Reseeding annuals maybe, like portulaca (rose moss), marigolds...... ? I tried balloon flowers last year and they never reappeared this year. Oh, yes I did a pot of herbs and they came back.. I like them cause they are one of the first things turning green in spring.
Last year I even added some annual little cigar plant.... hope someone more knowledgeable than I responds..
First choice would be do you have a nice sunny window or something where you can bring at least some of them inside for the winter? Some plants like to be in the dark and allowed to go dormant for the winter, but others don't need that and may do just fine if you treat them as houseplants for the winter (it would help us give you advice if we had a little more info on what plants you have)
If you don't like that idea, then there are small little greenhouses or coldframes that you can buy for anywhere from $20 or so up to a few hundred depending on what size you need.. Combining something like this with your idea of insulating and mulching (or buy a small heater to put in the mini-greenhouse) should be enough to keep most plants alive through the winter unless they're super-tropical like plumerias. If you like this idea, I would post over on the Greenhouse forum and see if anyone has a brand/source they can recommend.
I would heavily mulch the tops and cover with a really thick blanket the ones that you can't bring in. Always remember to uncover the next morning before the sun is shining on them.
Do you have a storage bin in your apartment . . . like in the garage area? Not all plants will survive in the dark, but some plants that are meant to go dormant - e.g. roses, lilies, hostas - will do nicely in a dark cool place with just enough water through the winter to keep them from completely dehydrating.
I have been growing coral bells in pots here in Minnesota, and most of them come back in the spring just fine - even the pot that I left on top of a post with no mulch except its own leaves. Your coldest winter temp. can't be all that much below freezing, can it? Tender annuals won't take a hard frost, but petunias and pansies actually like cool weather and will come through a light frost just fine. They will often handle a hard frost if they are covered well enough while the temperature is below freezing and then uncovered when it warms up again.
Scoolie ~ you are in a similar climate. What plants have you tried that haven't come back? I have many that do and even a few that don't lose foilage when overwintered. Tell us.....
I had a lot of lily bulbs that didn't come back. 3 out of maybe two dozen survived. My dragon wing begonias didn't make it either. I also had one coral bell that bit the dust. This year I have a lot of new lily bulbs. My dragon wings are not doing so good for some reason this year so I'm gonna see if I can take cuttings and bring those in for the winter. I also have another coral bell plus I have some lantana I will try to bring through the winter. I bring my ferns inside and they do well enough so that they don't look too shabby by the time spring comes and they can go outside. The main problem I have is a lack of space living in an apt. so the more that I could leave outside the better. These are some big pots that I have.
Scoolie when the pots stay outside what side are they on? e/w/n/s? The reason I am asking is I move stuff up against the house wall and on nights when we have freezes, I cover with old blankets. If needed, a light could be added for warm. I am sure I would lose the more delicate plants if it were a hard freeze so would move them in. The dragons wing is one. I cut mine back and do provide more protection. I have milk n wine lilies, day lilies, asiatic lilies and agapanthus in pots with no problem. I don't even shelter them. The pots are large and I do leave mulch on them. (summer mulch to retain moisture) Covering plants has worked for the ponytail plant, grapefriut trees and sword ferns too altho they do get ratty looking. That is more because of water deprivation. I get lazy when it gets cold...
Podster, my balcony faces mostly east venturing a little north. The balcony is covered and the pots that I do leave out I do move close up to the wall. The ones that are out by the front door have a deeply sheltered location that only faces east and is procted from the north winds. There is also a security light that stays on from dusk to dawn.
scoolie, I'm thinking the east should be ok and it sounds sheltered enough. The light I suggested would be for heat under the blankie, of course protected from causing fire or damage. A thought did occur tho, you said balcony, 2nd floor? Maybe that would make it too cool ~ just not sure.
Scoolie, I live in zone 5b and I have a lot of perennials in pots. The ones that don't come back either freeze (20 to 30 below weather over a ten day period), or dry out from lack of water. Could you be leaving them dry all winter? They need to be watered monthly if you live in a dry area. If you get lots of rain they could be rotting. It's good that you put your pots up against the building. I do too, but my hostas come back no matter where I leave them.
Another question, how big are the pots they're in? If they're in too small a pot they may have more trouble than if they were in a bigger pot. Most of my pots are foam, but some are terra cotta or ceramic. I have a few fiberglass that carry over just fine during the winter.
This year I had a problem with my orientals. They froze over the winter. I usually treat all my lilies as annuals and plant them new every year. I don't want to waste the pot space while they grow on to store up food in the bulb, so I pull them out early. In your zone the asiatics should return every year with no problem. It sounds environmental to me.
P.S. I have that dad-blamed dusk to dawn security light too. I've tried planting morning glories and moonflowers and they don't like that light!
Scoolie, I live on the 6th floor and it's very exposed. I still think it's environmental not temperature.
2nd level concrete floor. banister deck railing. I never thought about that having any thing to do with it. The main problem I have with putting blankets on things is that I leave the house at 5:15 in the morning to go to work. It would still be a few hours of freezing temps before it warmed up enough to take them off. I also don't get home until around 7pm.
It could have been the water problem. Sometimes the rain blows in and gets them soggy. The others probably didn't get enough water. I don't know what the deal is with me and watering this year. Last year I watered everything every day, sometimes twice and everything thrived. This year it's been hotter and dryer than last. I haven't watered as much and I've had some things rot on me. I had a wishbone plant in a hanging basket that usually looks like something you'd see in a botanical garden display. Full, lush and bursting with blooms. This year blooming was sporadic at best. A big dissapointment.
The only thing I've found that doesn't mind the security lights are my ferns. They could care less.
I have been know to leave mine covered for the day if we have cold days with no problem. I wouldn't leave plastic on it where it would heat up too much inside.