Since I am in the slow process of moving about 3 and a half hours north of my current position, I was not all that certain how I was going to handle my bulb collection. The southern location has enough window light to move everyone indoors when it starts to get cold, and I just allow them to struggle through the winter with lower light, and grow as they wish. At my new northern location, there is very little window space or light, so I have been forced to place them all into a forced dormancy... something I would not ordinarily do. I have a 4 shelf mini-greenhouse with a plastic cover, that can be easily rolled on casters. I placed it at the darker end of the basement, gave every Hippeastrum a haircut so they would fit on the shelves, and hung a black lawn sized garbage bag, flat, in the front, so they would stay mostly in the dark... since there's a light bulb that remains on almost all the time in the laundry room at the other end of the basement. It about killed me to cut off all those beautiful leaves, but I just didn't have a choice. The pots will dry out, and remain dry until I see some sort of life in early spring... or until such time as I am able to bring them back up out of the basement and onto the deck outside. I really hope I did the right thing... I just didn't have any other choice. I've never forced a bulb before, as most of you know... preferring to allow them to grow as houseplants, on their own schedule. I did re-pot the majority of them at the beginning of summer, using larger unglazed clay pots and putting 2, 3, or 4 bulbs together in each pot, to save space and kind of conglomerate them into a smaller collection due to space restrictions. The few other plants I have that aren't bulbs fit in a few windows, and should get enough light to make it through winter. I'm just hoping for the best... this is not my usual pattern of growth when it comes to my Amaryllids.

The last two years I simply wrapped mine in frost cloth if it was going to get really cold. Well, last year I didn't have to, but I was set up for it by inserting three poles in the ground ahead of time. When it got to 17 I wrapped it, only because it was tiny. Now mine is a good size and I'll leave it. A friend in the neighborhood grows it just fine, no problems at all being hardy in the ground and evergreen. I would say if it's small and can afford itself little protection, mulch well, and wrap if necessary only when it hits those cold temps. and it's small but leave it where it is. If it's large, don't worry about it!

You have enough inside space for this one! I agree, they can probably do fine down into the low 30's/upper 20's as minimum temps--especially if kept on the drier side. I don't have the dactylifera variety. Have mostly canariensis, roebellini, and a few others (Senegal and Cliff Island--forgot the species for these). So-called "true date" I always had problems with. They are a real desert species and resent high humidity and prolonged wetness--so watch for that. If they are anywhere as thorny as canariensis, be very carefull inside with positioning. I have several large canariensis that I grew from seed--and one of them is MASSIVE. Can't imagine it in any home, it's so prickly.--Mine go into a large, loft garage for the Winter where January temps are between 32 F and 60F. and are watered only when necessary. Good luck!

I also live in MD, and have potted meyer lemon trees that were on the deck all summer long and that I'm about to transition to a winter inside, and asked very similar questions in another thread, and here is the advice I was given: Bring them in when the temps outside at night are lower than what the temps are at night in my house (to minimize the temps differences when you bring them in). So, basically, starting now, I have to bring them in at night-.- since my house is at about 69° at night. Once the daily temps get consistently lower than 73 (which us what my house is at during the day in the winter), I'll bring them in permanently. Also, start putting them gradually in the shade more during the day, since they won't get much sunshine or that much light once they are in for the winter. I'm far from being an expert, but that was the advice I was given. Hope that helps :) . Atheen