I might add that I'd like to save and store 3 different sweet potato (vines). Hopefully someone will have some input for them as well. I do have a basement

Sue

I am so glad you said that Sue, I had forgoten about my purple sweet potato vines--they're so pretty!

Trudi, the pelargoniums need to be pulled before frost. The geranium forum has some pretty good info on how people winter them over. I take cuttings of the ones I like and pot those up. I haven't had any success with storing the roots, but I know people do it - I winter over the ones I like by cutting back most of the foliage and keeping the plant in a pot on the windowsill until spring.

Dahlia tubers can be dug up after the foliage is killed off by hard frost - shake the dirt off, dry them out a bit, and store them in paper bags or such. I put mine in paper bags by type, then in a styrofoam cooler in the basement. It's worked so far for me for several years. I've had better luck with the large dahlias than the small ones.

Cannas I haven't had any luck with, and elephant ears I haven't tried.

Good luck!

Trudi
Hi, I dig my elephant ears, cut off the foliage and let the bulbs dry for a few days, then bring in side and store in the basement. I also do the same with the canna's. The stems and flowers can be composted. Dahlia's believe it or not stay in the ground, and after a frost I mulch heavy with shredded leaves, they say that can not be done on Long Island, but I do it and the dahlias do come back every year. Geraniums I just bring them during the winter and keep as house plants with very little watering during the winter months (they like it dry anyway). I am digging up my taller cannas today, as tonight its going to get cold. I havent't tried over wintering the canna's but I've often thought about it, I just don't want to take the chance and loose them. You can store the above bulbs (rhyzomes) in peat moss if you want also, and replant in May.
Alberta

Interesting thread!

Along the same lines are Caladiums (treat like Cannas above) and Gladiolus (treat as cannas above). On the Sweet Potato vine, I can tell you what not to do: Do NOT store the tubers potted up in a refrigerator. I think you might do as the pioneers did and just wrap in newspaper and put on a shelf in a cool place.

I would give those dahlias a dusting of sulphur powder.

I am going to buy a big bag of Pro Mix for next year's container plantings (pots) and open it to let it dry out. Then I am going to layer my dahlia tubers with pro mix in some big bags. I have trouble with them either drying out or rotting, and I think the Pro Mix will wick a lot of moisture away from the tubers, and then remain damp enough to not let them dry out.

Trudi, Try to thinkof the name of that tropical vine with big red flowers -- I want one! LOL!

Lime

I looked it up, it's a Mandevilla, but I don't know the particular variety. I bought it off the ugly, unlabeled and wounded table at a nursery. I paid $5, took it home and lobbed off the worst parts, transplanted it and gave it some miracle grow. It managed to survive and has been in bloom since June. Hubs and I both like it so I want to keep it.

I've lost a few tubers over the years because they dried out or got moldy using the above-mentioned methods. Such casualties have been reduced by this approach: 1) clean off the tubers, 2) let air dry for a couple days, 3) spray with fungicide, 4) wrap airtight with saran-type wrap, 5) keep in a cool dark place.

So glad this was posted! I haven't done overwintering for a few years, and that was a failure, for the most part. (rotted bulbs)
Knowing all this next spring might motivate me to replace the dahlias and cannas and such that I love!
I did cut back and transplant some basil and heliotrope from this year.
thanks and good luck with the winter storage!

I've had horrid luck with cannas, when lifting & storing. I eventually treated them as annuals, since they'd never overwinter. I have this one beauty that I grew in a huge pot, and I loved it so I dragged the pot into the florida room one winter. It never really died back 100%. I just put it back outside in spring and it flourished. Same with my "Salmon & Pink" Agastache & "Black & Blue" Salvia's; just leave them in pots and bring them in. I have limited space, so I have to be picky with those that I want to overwinter. I've had iffy luck with dahlias; I used to dig them up, rinse, dry then store in peat, in boxes in my garage. The following spring, I'd naturally lose a few tubers. I'd pot them up in early spring (March) and bring those pots into the garage if it were too cold. For me, starting them later in May just didn't cut it; they'd bloom too late (Sept/Oct). I tried the saran wrap method with 100% disaster; nice moldy mush. I could've sworn that they were dried more than enough. Now, I just treat dahlias as annuals, although this year I have White Perfection and it's really pretty ;)
Gladiolas are the easiest; just dig them up, dry them out, and hang them in the leg of pantyhose in the garage. I did this for years, until I had my daughter in Sept 2000; just didn't have the time or energy to lift in store in October! Needless to say, they never returned, although sooooo many people in Z6 leave them in the ground and they come back. But it was a good thing; it opened up an entire bed to plant new things ;)

On the mandevilla - is it in the ground or in a pot? Whichever, you can maintain it in a pot over the winter. Give it a good shot of fertilizer - to toughen up the plant, not to promote growth. Let it stay outside as long as possible (it can handle high 40's for a bit).

Prune it back severely, to within a foot of the soil line, and cut back on the watering. When you bring it in, put it in as much light as possible, and maintain it on the dry side over the winter. It'll probably put on some new growth; just maintain it.

When you put it back out in the spring, whatever new growth happened inside may die off, but it should be fine after that.

PV

Thanks PV, and everyone too.

I just came in from whacking back a few beds in the garden. Whew! I haven't even made a dent in it all and already the compost pit is over my head with barrels of greens.

I had a few surprises--a preying mantid came along for the ride when I yanked a nasturtium out of the ground. I finally found nasturtium seeds! They're all on the ground under that yanked out plant.

Carefully eyeballing saved two preying mantid egg cases.

One is in a blue spruce grown from a live Christmas Tree. Not only did I find the egg case, but I was just in time to get seeds from its few first cones! Yippee!

For the cannas I first cut off the flower tops with their seed pods and placed them on a table, I'll get to them tomorrow to remove the seeds. The stems cut with great ease and were very juicy from yesterday's rain. I thought they would be woody at the base but they were very easy to cut.

I'm now in for the night, need a shower and have to pull a few thorns from my palms, but otherwise it was a good afternoon of work.

T

I overwintered cannas in the pot in my basement- usually low 50' during winter time. I do not do anything but put pots inside before first frost. They start growing mid March and I bring them in the house.

Mandevilla -- good to know. Thanks. I didn't realize they came in anything except screaming pink.

Lime

I successfully overwintered pelargoniums one year using a method that I swore was an old wives' tale and which wouldn't work.... but it did, much to my delighted surprise!

I dug up the geraniums, cut them back, washed the roots, let them dry, and then hung them from the basement rafters. In early spring, I potted them up (I may have soaked them first - sorry, I honestly can't remember) and watered them and sure enough, they came back big and beautiful! I was very surprised!

I haven't saved any for a few years now. This year I am going to try another method. I have to look it up for specifics, but it involves digging up, trimming back, washing and drying, and then storing in a cardboard box. We'll see....

Good luck!
Dee

P.S. Gee, I meant to do that this weekend, actually. I think a frost is forecast for tonight. Darn...

Motria, can I ask the brand name on the fungicide that you use? I have some stuff that I really really want to save!!!
Thanks
Linda

I don't lift anything. I probably should. My cannas survived the winter this past year, maybe they'll do it again? I'm doubtful.

Last month Garden Gate Magazine had information on how to store geraniums. Their website has a nice video on how to do so. See the link below. I have never stored geraniums before but I plan to do so this year using this process. (The video is pretty much what Dee described you should do).

Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering Geraniums Video from Garden Gate Magazine

Thank you for the video, that was very helpful.

Last night I was reading about cannas and lots of sites say that they are perennial in zone seven. I grew them once before, but they were miniatures, is part shade, and were not at there peak in health--and they didn't survive winter. Also last night, when I was walking Liz, we passed the library where behind the yew border, against the wall, there was a lone canna. Many years ago they did grow cannas outside the library so I think this is one that survived the yanking and has been growing each year on its own. But it's agains the brick wall and behind the yews where it is sheltered from wind, and that brick wall gives off radiant heat which might create a micro climate.

The cannas here are in an exposed site, in good well draining soil, but still completey exposed to the wind and elemants. I will dig them out, but still hope that any wee bits left behind can regrow and emerge next spring. If I have an abundance of roots I may transplant a few now, mulch them very well and hope for the best.

T

Oh my goodness, dkotchey - thank you, thank you, thank you!

After I posted, I went through my bookmarks to find the info on storing the geraniums. Couldn't find it anywhere - darn, I guess I didn't save it. No problem - I'll google it. Couldn't find it anywhere. And I couldn't remember for the life of me where I found it.

In the shower this morning, Garden Gate popped into my head. I get their e-mail tips, and I thought I might have seen it there. Haven't gotten around to checking yet, but you verified my thoughts - and supplied a video! So thank you for helping to save my sanity - and my geraniums, lol!

:)
Dee

I don't know what the temps are in Long Island, but I have left dahlia, elephant ears (the regular green leaf) & cannas in the ground overwinter & they have come back. I did that without mulching, but I would think a little mulch would definitely work.

I plan to keep a lovely variegated Plectranthus as a winter houseplant.

I've kept a few annuals, like Cat's Whiskers and coleus, alive over the winter by taking cuttings and rooting them in water. Cannas stay in the ground here, but I found out the hard way that plants in containers are a zone more fragile. A lovely canna in a large pot one spring had begun to show new shoots when a late freeze did it in. I've overwintered pelargoniums in my garage by withholding water until about February when I repot them and begin acclimating them on warm days.

P.S. Sorry to have been away so long. Hubby's had a couple of heart surgeries, but is on the mend now~

Hey Linda - I use Fungicide-3 spray by Schultz - Garden Safe. It's an ecologically friendly neem oil product. Widely available at the big home stores.

See:
http://www.gardensafe.com/ProductCategories/indoorinsecticide/Fungicide3/

Trudi,

My method for overwintering Pelargoniums and Dahlias is rather crude but has worked so well I have to give loads away every spring now.

Pelargoniums... Dig out of containers/ground and shake off excess soil. Leave on newspaper or dry surface for a couple of days, then shake off any remaining soil, remove any dead stems, clip off flowers, and throw in a box with ventilation. I choose a Chiquita banana box - works for me. Just stuff them in there. Cover and place in a cool dark place for the winter. I place them in a closet in the basement where the temps get down to 5C (40F) and the humidity is about 50%.

Last February I went and took a peek in the box and two plants were actually flowering... in the dark... roots naked... no water... go figure!!

Dahlias... Pretty much the same. Dig up, shake soil, dry in sun on dry surface for a couple of days, shake again. But this time place each tuber bundle in loose newspaper and then in box in same closet.

I have better success separating tubers in the spring than in the fall as some folks do.

In terms of the Dahlias, I would certainly try to see if they would be hardy in your area as others have suggested. Much less work for you! :O)

I just pulled up some of my 4 O'clock tubers on Oct. 26th following the first killing freeze. I didn't know what I was doing but given your description on what your mother did, I think I did ok :D

Drippy,
My Pelargonium (Zonal Geranium) kept right on blooming between our Sept. 20th first frost and several other frosts and didn't kill over until Oct. 26th. I think you should still be able to dig them up/winter them at least until a killing freeze. Actually I don't know why you couldn't anytime up until the ground freezes? Ground temps are a lot warmer than air temps.
I just dug up and brought in a few plants a little over a month ago, cut it back to about 6" and adjusted to less light over a 2 week period. Now they are full plants again and sitting among my over-wintering peppers:D

Vera

I absolutely LOVE carrying stuff over the winter--such a sense of thrift and accomplishment! Last summer was my first with elephant ears. In the fall I removed the leaves and put the pots into a closet--room temperature. In the spring I tipped them out and replanted the bulbs, and they've done beautifully. Acidanthera corms like room temps as well.

My other overwintering triumphs have been the tradescantia-type and potato vine trailing plants. I take cuttings, root and/or pot them up and just keep them watered over the winter in a bright room or under lights. Then in the spring I take more cuttings to have fresh plants, although I've planted out straggly plants and just cut them back as well. This year I have green and white, tri-color and dark purple tradescantia, green and purple potato vines, and three types of begonias. I've done pelargonium this way, too.

This year I have gladiolus, callas and caladium to dig up and see If I can carry them over.

I haven't succeeded with dahlias in this zone yet; zone 8 was much easier for me. I don't have a cold-but-not-freezing place. I think that's the key.

Should have mentioned this earlier. I've read that if you're in an iffy zone for overwintering dahlias or elephant ears, say, some folks like to plant in pots which are then plunged into the ground because it's much easier to simply bring the pots indoors when frost threatens.

Even here in zone 8, I don't cut back my lantana or Salvia guaranitica until new growth shows in spring. And, yes, lantana takes its sweet time to overcome dormancy, but then it's a tropical plant. Cultivars such as 'Athens Rose' and 'Miss Huff' are more dependably perennial than others, although I've found 'Pink Caprice' to perennialize as well.

By the way, my Plectranthus, variegated Pentas, and Angelonia survived this morning's frigid lows of 38...

Ah, Dirty, I am happy to see a reference to Angelonia -- is it an annual or a tender perennial? I want to try my hand at holding it over winter if it's perennial.

Has anybody overwintered Angelonia? If so, how'd you do it?

Lime

Gee, I'm really second-guessing myself here this morning. I just dug up all my geraniums (pelargoniums) and laid them out to dry. I came back in to double-check the directions (I'm following the Garden Gate overwintering-in-a-box method), and now that I look at those photos, those geraniums look pretty darn shriveled and dried.

My geraniums are still green and vibrant, some with viable buds and some still in bloom. Boy, I sure hope I didn't dig them up too early. I'm just afraid if I wait too long they will get hit with a frost and I'll lose them all.

Well, I guess unless I plan to plant them back where they were, I have to move forward with the cardboard box...

:)
Dee

Dee,
I decided to dig up the rest of my geranium on Oct. 31st following our first hard freeze Oct. 26th. These plants were absolute much on top....eesh! I just cut off the tops (leaving a little stub at the base) and now have the roots stored in a brown paper bag with my 4 O'clocks. Now only time will tell :D
I have to practice this whole idea of storing roots, because next year I will have my fist Dahlia....that's if they germinate for me first:D

Vera

Great information here!
My kitchen is a jungle with all the plants I've been bringing in from outside.
With Dahlias (and any tuber), a cheap solution for fungicide is dipping them in a bleach/water solution. Our winters are extrememly dry here, and I usually don't have a problem with them getting moldy. I put them in shoeboxes after they've dried.

Linda

Hi Linda,

How do you make your bleach water? How much water and how much bleach?

T

Trudi,

I always wing it (and, unfortunately I get too heavy-handed with bleach...).

But I think I use around half a cup and pour it into a Tidy Cat kitty-litter bucket that is almost full of water.

I'll try to find a real measurement for you. I think I read about using the bleach-water mix here on GW...might have been the Dahlia Forum....

Linda

diggerdee, I'm in the same boat you are. I dug mine up today because I was worried about freezing but mine are tender and green!flowers, buds, and all they still look so fresh! Well, I guess we'll just hope for the best!

Shoe boxes huh? I like that idea better than paper bags....they don't stack too well LOL!
Thanks for the tip :D

Vera

LOL, Vera!

Cateyanne, I took another look today at my dug-up geraniums. After sitting for almost forty-eight hours in a flat in the garage, they still look good, lol! Blooms still blooming, leaves not droopy, all still green...

Oh well, like I said, unless I'm going to replant them, I guess I will give them another day or two and then box 'em up! Not that I would do this anyway, but if I were to replant them, with my luck we'd have a hard frost the morning after I planted them, lol!

I plan on wintersowing more this year anyway. It would just be nice to have some already started and a bit bigger to go out in spring.

Good luck!
:)
Dee

This is an exciting year for me.... Before wintersowing, I used to spend so much money on geraniums (the annual geraniums) and would store them in my unheated garage for the winter. I would snip the blooms and keep them in their pots (or pot them up if they were in a huge planter) and hope for the best. I've always had pretty good luck, but worried all winter because they looked so "sad"... but would always perk up in the spring with a bit of warmth and some fertilizer.

Now.... I am ready to put my geraniums away for the winter
and this time I have about 25 MORE! I sowed geraniums from seed (inspired by another wintersower) and now I am not worried about them overwintering.

Hey, if we get unusually cold weather and for some reason they don't last in the garage - I'LL SOW MORE next spring.

Wintersowing forum... gotta love it!!

Carrie

Trudi!
I found the "recipie" for the solution:
"10% bleach/water solution for up to half an hour" (posted by Poochella in the Dahlia Forum).

I usually leave them in the bucket for a while, then dry them on newspapers-- and try to label the tuber with a Sharpie.
I do this whole thing for Cannas and will probably do it for the Gladiolas I put in this year too.

Vera,
Love the shoeboxes. They do stack nicely. I use paper bags for the Begonias, because they are smaller. I love when my husband has to get a new pair of workboots because he gets those nice big Wolverine boxes with the flip tops. Those are my favorite for storing tubers.

Linda