Hi Molly. My pink sauv. was over 6' tall when I wintered it over in the basement as you indicate. The top part of the trunk 'hollowed' out as you mention but the rest stayed viable.....though it was overall the longest of my brugs to wake up when I started watering and put them under lights in late april. I think I'm going to cut the tops off this year and try the bucket o brugs trick but still winter over the rootballs as a backup (& multiplier). Good luck.

Hi Molly,

Do you have a sunny window or bright window upstairs you can keep it by?

Wildcat

Wildcat
I do have a west facing picture window,but I also have 8 housecats.I would be scared to death that they might chew it,and poison themselves.I have no houseplants because they do chew them.

Hi Molly,

LOL! No, cats are smarter than that. Mine only chew on things they like...like my ponytail palm...LOL!

We have had cats for over 20 years, now we have a large dog and one cat, and never did they eat on my datura's, brugs, lily of the valley's, azaleas, inside or outside.

Of course the wild catnip that grows in our gardens is another story. He sleeps in it, eat it, etc., gets all wonked out on it...LOL!

When you over Wintered yours last year, it dried out too much, that is why the branches dies back to the ground. The problem is when you keep a plant too wet in a cool dark area, they can rot.

The greenhouse when I now have to keep mine will be 55-60 F in the worst of the winter, but does get lots of light to keep alive. I water sparingly over the Winter...thorough watering, the none until they get dry. How long between watering depends on how many leaves are on, is it actively growing, how warm it is to dry out the soil, etc.

Anyway, with the monster plants I have, if animals were chewing on them and dying, there'd be dead dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, rabbits, chipmonks, possums, moles, deer, littered all over our neighborhood.

There isn't...although I wouldn't mind the erradication of most of the rabbits, squirrels, chipmonks, possums, moles, and deer.

Wildcat

Wildcat
I have been told that they will only chew on them once,and immediately stop as they taste like crap.They would not eat it, and therefore would not ingest enough to hurt them.
With that said,I tend to worry and am overly protective.
I may just try one in the window when I bring them in,and I can watch the cats closely to see if they are willing to touch them,I can always take it to the basement if it doesn't work out.
As for winter watering,mine last year were in gallon pots,and they might have gotten 4 cups of water all winter,but I think because the soil was so dry that it may have just run out the bottom.Are you saying to give them a good soak and then let them dry out before repeating?

I had some go hollow last winter as well, although the past few winters doing the same thing, had none. Strange.

However, I will continue to do as mantorvillain recommends. That way you have more plants to give away in trades (LOL), and also the back up as mentioned.

That being said, there are some plants that don't take kindly to being in darkness. My Peaches and Cream does not like that at all, so I keep her near the window, and she grows there and struts her stuff all winter long, just taunting me with promises to flower up. Last winter she did flower several times. Alas, this summer she has not flowered at all. Moody critters!

Wildcat
Jealosy is rearing its ugly head up here in SEMN....both for the size of your plants and your greenhouse. Having had the pleasure of MN winters in the past you know what I'm facing! Oh well, the blooms & scents I'm getting now do makeit worthwhile. I just keep thinking of that 'someday' when I actually do insulate half the garage for my lean to greenhouse and workshop. Always something to look forward to - grin. Keep those great pics coming everyone!

I kept my huge versi where it could get some light through a small basement window last winter. I stripped it of leaves/buds/blooms :( and even trimmed some of the top branches. I watered it just a little more than I watered the ones in more darkness. (totally dormant ones get minimal water around each holiday Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, Valentines and St. Patricks Day, it's easy to remember that way) There was virtually no stem die-back to the versi. It was sooner to leaf out and bloom this spring than the rest, but it took up a lot of room at 8ft tall and about that wide of canopy. I'll probably try to keep versi the same way this winter and cut others to soil level and share and do the bucket o brugs. I have a few in gallon or so pots I'll probably just strip and leave be with holiday waterings, I think they have a substantial root ball and can sustain themselves. I've lost my share, usually to over-care in the springtime, I have only lost one (species) during over-wintering (root-rot) and that was my first winter with them . They are pretty die-hard, even if there is total die-back.

Molly, when you water them when they are dormant, if the water runs away out the bottom due to the soil driness, then the roots are not getting the moisture they needed. You have to give them the one cup of water but slowly enough so it doesn't truck straight through. Try 1/4 cup 4 times over a day, that way the soil will hold it better.