I am moving to Floyd, VA, elevation 2850'. Apparently the winters are more severe than I realized. Zone 6 (b?). I just took down a bunch of azaleas and roses. The roses are ready to be put in large pots, and I am doing the same with the azaleas. However, the local nursery said they will not make it through the winter without protection.
My options are to construct some kind of frame and staple heavy duty clear plastic, or corrugated translucent/clear hard plastic, or put them into one of two available spaces: a unheated windowless workshop where I could enclose them in a makeshift plastic tent and then put a small heater inside the smaller enclosure and provide light with fluorescent bulbs. The other is also unheated and is a regular school/classroom trailer. It does have windows. I could do something like that there as well.
Actually, the final possibility is encasing the elevated landing in heavy duty plastic and insulating the decklike floor. I could access this directly from the house. There is an outside electrical connection so that I could put in a small thermostatically controlled electric heater.
The final possibility is to purchase a portable, temporary greenhouse and put that into the classroom trailer with the little heater. Although it is getting cold, I think I may have a window of about 2 or 3 weeks to do something to save them.
Does any one have any other suggestions or advice for one of these plans?
Oh yes, the nursery said that they might make it insulated in sawdust. I thought maybe hay? I don't know that I can get sawdust delivered.
Gloria
need to winterize azaleas and rhodendrons for zone 6a now.
Any of these methods could work. Just try to keep the temps above, say, 40 degrees and you should be fine. You can also wrap the pots in bubble wrap - it's a great insulator. Also mulch the pots right up to rim.
Don't know what kind of roses and azaleas you have but my potted roses survive just fine in an unheated garage, just don't let them dry out. If no garage, a trench to bury the pots and heavy mulch should work. Placing pots close to the south wall of the house and heavy mulch over pots could also work. Hay and shredded leaves are usually good mulch and easy to get. Old Christmas tree also will help protect pots and the best thing is a good snow cover all winter, this is not usual around here much any more. If they go dormant they will not need light. If the nursery says they will live with saw dust mulch they can't be too tender so letting them go dormant and kept moist with some protection sounds like it will work. Hopefully others can also give you some help. Good luck. :)
Yes but the question involved leaving them in pots.
My roses and Rhodie are in the ground - not in pots. So I usually mulch the heck out of them for the winter. The Rhodie gets an "A" frame to protect it from snow falling off the roof of the house, and a bit of extra mulch tucked inside the frame.
The roses get 6 to 8 inches of leaf and bark mulch, all mounded up.
Both get plenty of natural moisture throughout the winter.