Over Wintering Watering??

Ive read that dormant perennials don't need light which is why some people store their pots in a garage over winter. What about water?? Surely they still need watering don't they? But how much?

I meant over Wintering of course!

 

Nobody to reply Cindy!

Dormant perennials don’t really need much attention at all over winter esp if outside. If indoors they shouldn’t dry out completely so, Cindy, very little. If hardy they don’t need to be indoors at all.
I think plants are stored in garages etc mostly to protect them from frost ....applicable really to tender or small/young plants

 

As said why store hardy perennials under cover, they will do ok outside and you dont need to worry about watering.

I store tender perennials in the garage and the amount of watering required varies from plant to plant.

 

Any particular plants you are looking to overwinter ?

A lot of 'tender' plants are becoming more 'hardy' in our warmer winters and just leaving them in the garden soil with some simple protection like a covering of compost, peat or fleece can often do the job.

Are you in a very cold part of Sussex or a more sheltered urban area ?

 

That's ok everybody is probably fed up with me.....Im fed up with me so I cant blame them

 

@pete and @ricky101 Im having a complete start over and having loads of manure dug into my soil so rather than the plants getting wrecked I lifted them all and they are now mostly in pots. Not sure if I'll be well enough (just been diagnosed with Meniere's to add to my long list!) to replant them all back in so was looking to store in the pots over winter, probably staying outside actually as it happens. To list a few, Delphinium (lots), Phlox, (even more lots!) Hardy Geraniums (lots), Scabiosa, Verbina, various Campanulas, Agapanthus, Buddleia Buzz, Linum, Platycodons and so on.
@ricky101 Im in Eastbourne so not particularly cold but can be quite windy. Incidentally last year (first real attempt) I lost all but one of my Delphiniums over winter.
Was thinking of trying some Heaven Scent Polmoniums (?????) instead next year as want more fragrant plants.

 

Aw no @cindy!!! Nobody is fed up with you.

I just can't offer you any reliable advice..that's all.

I overwinter plants in my unheated ( but well bubble wrapped greenhouse ) and if they have foliage they get a little occasional watering but not when the temps are very low. That's how I do things, may not be correct but things seem to survive to enjoy another summer!

 

Would think placing the pots against a wall and using some fleece if the frost gets really bad is your only practical option, short for building or buying some temporary cover.

Have you used some raw farmyard or horse manure which will take some time to degrade ?
Not sure how long it takes, but would have thought you could replant by mid October which sill gives the plants a chance to get settled in.
Has it been put on as a top dressing or dug in ?

Perhaps others can confirm this point ?

Our Delphiniums where all lost this year, probably slugs before they even pushed up though the soil.
We have bought some reduced post flowering ones and taken base/root cuttings/divisions and they are all growing away well in pots, so will only plant them in the soil when the new growth is strong next spring.

Noticed our local Asda store selling large pot grown ones in flower last week, but for £10 !

 

@ricky101
Its going to be dug in at the beginning of next week and its the bags of sterilised manure from the garden centre so assuming not raw. That's if the man turns up of course. Very little faith in tradesmen these days but he did seem very nice when he came round to quote me. Will put pots up close to the house and under the garden bench and will keep everything crossed
£10 wow that seems expensive. I got mine from the local garden centre for £2.89 and they all grew to full size (ish). Sadly though the centre is closing at Easter next year.

 

Don’t worry Cindy....nobody is fed up with you at all. It’s all part n parcel of the forum. I guess we all want you to progress with your garden and planting.

 

My garden doesn't really get watered over the winter. Without the heat from the sun, the soil doesn't tend to dry out.. in pots I have; buddleia, dahlias, lilies, chrysanthemums and a couple of trees. They all survive without any trouble.

The main problem I have here is wind. It can be quite scary.

G.

 

The price to pot size ratio is an interesting subject. I'm not a particularly patient gardener. I want my garden to look nice now. I have always hummed and harred over whether it's better value to buy a bigger plant for slightly more money. I usually ended up buying the biggest plant I thought could afford.

After a couple of years growth I have discovered that the size of the original plant is irrelevant.


I bought my aster last spring. I cant remember which size I went for in the end. Possibly a 3l pot. I didn't have anywhere to plant it at that time so potted it up in a tub as it is in the picture. Earlier this year, I took the plant out of the pot and cut it into 4 equal pieces. If I could have got the piece that's left in the pot, in the ground, I would have grown a fully functional hedge in only a year. The pot is only there because there is concrete under the soil. Hopefully I will be able to get that out at some point.

The moral to this story is, there is no need to spend a lot of money on big plants when smaller affordable plants are available.

G.

 

Agreed but the time of year is relevant too. Buy a big ...herbaceous perennials.....plant in late summer or when flowering is over and immediately divide it and pot up or plant out and the following year you will have 4 or 5 large flowering size plants. Depends on type of plant of course. If discussing delphiniums I would wait until they had become established, say 2 years or more

After a couple of years plants can be divided and, hey!, you have plants galore.

Over winter into early spring I often buy perennials half litre size .....cheap.....and pot on. By late spring, after further potting on, I have plants considerably larger.

Of course, as with everything, compare suppliers and prices....costs can vary enormously irrespective of quality

 

Im going to leave my Delphiniums in pots. They have all started to show new growth. I was wondering though should I cut this off as the frosts approach or leave it on to die over winter?