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Re: Overwintering perennials in pots





I have successfully overwintered various bulbs (oriental lilies, asiatic
lilies, etc.) and coreopsis verticillata in pots.  The ones that perform
the best are those that are in really large pots -- the deeper, the better
-- although I try to stay away from unsealed clay as it is too porous,
dries out too quickly, and can crack when exposed to our crazy winters in
zone 5/6.  I have put these in a sheltered place under my back two-level
patio next to the house for the winter.  If the soil got dry, I watered
them (about once a month).  If the weather threatened below zero (as it
often does in zone 5/6), then I would cover them with an old blanket.  The
pots that held more tender perennials (brugmansias, crocosmia, etc.) went
into the basement where they would lose their leaves and go into a dormant
state.  I would still continue watering once a month for these, too.

During the summer, I treated them like any annual flower -- extra water and
fertilizer (slow release as well as water-soluble).  In the fall, I cut
them back to about 1 - 2" above soil level after the first frost, then
under the patio they went.  A friend of mine replaces the soil every other
year in her pots and mixes in compost at that time.  Her plants are
beautiful and fill out the pots to overflowing.  I must admit that I get a
little lazy about those sorts of things...

Hope all of this helps.


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