overwintering annuals in zone 5

what is the correct way to overwinter:

sweet potato vine
nemosia
morning glory w/out blooms
annual salvia (tall deep purple spikes)

in zone5?

Ooohh! great question, I would like some tidbits as well! ;0)

If they are truly annuals, then they won't come back next year, no matter what zone you live in or no matter what you do to them. http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/27.html Collect seeds and plant again next Winter would be your answer.

Sometimes annuals are confused with perennials that are hardy to warmer zones. Only perennials can be overwintered. The correct way to overwinter them would be to keep them in a heated greenhouse or into your home as houseplants.

Your morning glory should reseed itself and you should have it back next year in zone 5. I heard the sweet potato vine has a tuber you can dig up, store in peat or something similar, and replant next Spring. It's worth a try. I'd root some cuttings first and store them in your house (assuming you don't have a heated greenhouse).

Good luck!
Cheryl

maybe I should restate my original question:

what is the correct way to overwinter (meaning (in my case) digging up the plant from the ground & bringing it either to a garage or my basement, forcing it to go dormant):

sweet potato vine

nemosia

morning glory w/out blooms (no seeds to save!!)

annual salvia (tall deep purple spikes)

in zone 5 (b)?

all these are annuals in my zone & I can't expect them to live thru an Indiana winter.

daisygirl, annuals will only live for one year. You can dig them up and move them anywhere, but they will die anyways...no matter where you live.

Drats!! :~(

All I could think of when I was reading this was "plants are like people". LOL.

Sweet potato vine can be overwintered. Dig the tuber before the first frost and store like a canna. Maybe consider dusting with fungicide as a precaution. The others might be tough without cuttings. SB

What about lantana? I was hoping to grow mine under lights indoors this winter so it would be bigger next year. Is this possible or am I dreaming?

Lantana is a perennial. Good luck and have fun trying to overwinter it. You might want to let it out in the sun every warm day that you get. ; )

What is the best way to store Dahlias, I have tried and they always end up dried up.

I'm going to be overwintering dahlias for the first time this year, too. I'm going to dig up the tuber and store it in peat. Anyone else have a better idea so it doesn't dry out?

Hi all,
You can check dahlias and other stored tubers periodically to see if they are dry. If so, sprinkle lightly with water. I store mine in plastic bags that are not tightly closed....this seems to work well for keeping in a bit of moisture. If too wet, I open the top for a few days. If storing in peat moss, dampen it a wee bit before storing the tubers. But don't get it really wet or they will rot.

As for sweet potato tubers, they are difficult to get through our long winters without succumbing to rot. The application of a fungicide is a good idea, Stressbaby.

The salvia would probably root from cuttings, but it's probably too late now!

Toxi

I have a salvia that I bought as an annual, but it often makes it through the winter for me and if it doesn't it reseeds very well with no help from me. You might just want to leave yours and see what happens next spring. Mine dies to the ground, but comes back from the roots. I have been growing mine for so many years that I'm not sure of the name of it. Here is a photo.

susan

Stressbaby~ thanks for the tidbit of saving the tubers from my Margarita, and so they are saved for next year!
Lincolnitess~ gorgeous salvia, I planted one very similar if not the same. I'll look for it next Spring. :0)

I've seen that salvia, too Susan. There is a small bit growing at my BF's. It comes back every year, I'll be moving there next year, I'd like to get more of it, so pretty! I'm trying to save sweet potato tubers, I'm just keeping them in the basement.... I dug some "taters" from 2 kinds.

I have several perennial salvias. The perennial types are super hardy, drought tolerant, bug resistant, etc. Just wonderful. Your picture looks like one of them that I started from seed many years ago that is still thriving. It always puts on a good show in the fall. The flowers are excellent for drying, holding their color for years. Too bad I forgot the name...need to look it up in my old musty garden records.

oh, I think it is Salvia farinacea (Mealy Cup Sage). Annual in cold climates....supposedly a short lived perennial in zones 8-11. I've had it for maybe 15 years here in zone 6...go figure.
Here's a picture.

I think that is the same one I have here that has been overwintering in zone 5. Each plant normally lives only 2-3 years, but it is such a good reseeder that I normall pull up lots.