I guess nobody really wants to weigh in on this one. I have never overwintered in pots outside or in a basement. That being said,I kept a few in my front window over last winter.They got rather spindley,but once put outside in spring,they recovered and bloomed.I would watch them closely,being sure they didn't dry out too much.I suspect they will try to continue to grow.Perhaps others will give their opinion if I am sending you in the wrong direction.

Betsy

If you didn't have any signs of rust this season, storing them inside would work.
I've always heard the big problem with keeping plants in pots outside in your area is drainage. Keep them off the ground or on their sides and mulch them well and they should survive just fine outside. IMO of course!
Ed

Evergreens don't go dormant, right? So you can't think of it as storage. Think of it as growing plants indoors for three months. They'd need everything just like usual-- grow lights, ventilation, air movement, careful attention to avoid overwatering.

Maybe you could concentrate on your favorite evergreens to baby, so the growlights would be easier to set up and perhaps a few warmer days here or there could see them set outside for a bit of sunlight and fresh air. I hope you have a walk out basement like me, and a couple of teenage boys who always need extra chores for extra money.

I think I'd get six florescent shoplights. If you have an old style metal swingset that makes an ideal way to hang and move them--so ideal that I'd look in the paper/yardsales for one(or two!) to buy, or maybe even borrow one from an accomadating, sympathetic neighbor for the winter. With two, you can hang shoplights cross wise at any height you wish from the existing swing chains. Add a box fan to move air, and you could have about 24 pots inside. Put it all on an timer, and they'd be set for winter--and once the set up is in place, many winters to come.

We're still putting potted plants in the ground. We did this last year with no problems and most were SEV/EV. What are you worried about? Is it because they are EV/SEV? We haven't really did the percentages, but would estimate 70% of our plants are SEV/EV with EV about 25% of that.

Right now we have approx. 340 named cultivers so you can get an idea of the numbers of SEV/EV. We haven't lost 1 named cultiver through 3 winters so far and last year was much colder than the norm (last 10 years). We also only mulch the late planted cultivers (mid Sept - Mid Oct). After one year of growing we do not mulch.

Not saying you should do this, but we feel your getting excited about nothing. Of course now if they are new intros at big bucks...well ok we can understand.

FWIW

Best,

Thanks lilynut for your thoughts. I do not have an additional planting area available so the daylilies have to remain in pots. The only area I would have would be to really crowd the daylilies in the large bed I made last year. I think I am going to 'hold' the EV and SEV at the south and east sides of the house and once the freezing temps of winter arrive I will mulch them so that they do not thaw and freeze if the temps fluctuate to that degree.

I thought I learned my lesson from last year's losses (not so many, but more than acceptable to me), but here we go again. I only have a couple that I consider 'big bucks', and those I am going to give exta care, possibly keeping them in our unheated garage. Even a loss of daylilies at $10.00 ea. is something I prefer not to incur because of lessons not learned.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Jane

Jane once the pots die back it would be better to keep them on the north side of the house. The heating from the east and south side will be the problem. Everytime you have a warm period, the plants will try to grow. Keeping them as cold as possible and not growing would be best for them.

Brooke

Don't forget to tip them on their sides once they freeze.Good luck!

Betsy

Thanks Brooke and Betsy. I took two days off this week to get my garden in order and work with my pots.

I am not considering the basement for storage anymore, but your suggestions have given me another question to ask -
If the north side of the house would be the best area to 'hold' them, what would be wrong with using the kennel with some alterations? I am sorry for being so dense about this, but why would it not work to use white styrofoam to reflect the sun on the east and south end, and some plastic or more styrofoam on the west end to protect from the wind. The north side could remain open, and since it is not completely enclosed would the temps. not be very close to the surrounding area, and not fluctuate that much? The north side of our house gets any wind from the west. Would it present a problem since they would not be out in the elements to get rain, or snow cover? I could cover them with the mulch I have available, tip them and water them sparingly. At the moment most of the daylilies look great. I know they will soon change when the cold temps get here.

Thank you! Jane

PS: I have been growing daylilies for 3 years or more, but it seems like I know less then when I first began (or maybe it is that I will not accept no for an answer).

Jane.....
I shall again overwinter about 150 pots...1 to 3 gallon size....They are on a concrete base...with a stacking of bricks on the North and West sides to block the wind...I think you would have more problems from the drying winds then (Wind Chill Factor) then from the temp itself. I also think that the more constant a temp you can give them..the better. I am not saying the ideas mentioned are not better
then mine...I am saying what works for me. I don't tilt the pots, I space them in rows and have used a 50% pine Fine soil mix for good drainage. I then cut the Daylilies back after the first good hard frost...follow this with a good mulching of leaf debris from the yard. Mowed and bagged first...piled and run thru the chipper/shredder. I put this on so it fills in around every pot and leave about a 3 inch layer on top of the pots. They are then left this way till early Spring. Then I take my blower and blow off all the leaf mulch...comes off very easily. Then i have nice emerging fans started from the crown. The bricks thing around the pots was an accident a few years back..but it worked great. I used to just place straw bales (Nylon Bound) around all potted perennials. this acts as a great windbreak and keeps temps as constant as possible. It seems the cold winds do not damage the plants and the moisture level is by Mother Nature...while in a dormant state the plants are not using any...and not totally drying out either. They seems to drain well and the leaf mulch seems to keet them from getting totally soaked to the point of drowning (During breaks in the cold). I plan on doing this again this year and hopefully as in the past...it will work...if not...one of you Experts can holler....hey Rick....I told you so.....ROTFL....Good Luck Jane...and one thing I will always remember that an great old gardner told me....you can kill them easier with kindness and TLC.....:)

Rick

Thanks Rick. Those are great photos. I was hoping you would respond, but also embarrassed since everyone went through this with me last year. I am possibly going to try two different methods. #1 and a definite - I have a large bark pile where I have placed many of my pots. I will mulch between them and on top as you do. I believe there is enough mulch there that I can have a wind barrier on the north and west side. If there is not I am going to use small posts and construct a wind break with fabric and/or plastic sheeting since I don't have bricks but I do have this material.

#2 and a possibility - since I need the space and it is available here - I will use the kennel. It has a concrete floor, and I can bring in mulch to surround the pots, and also use chopped leaves on top as you are doing. Since the kennel has wire sides I will use plastic or styrofoam
on the west and north sides on the lower 1 1/2'-2'. I will water them very sparingly. The only difference I see in this method is the roof over the kennel, but because of the openness and the position of the sun over the winter I think it will be similar.

Thanks everyone for the time you spent trying to come up with some suggestions. It looks like I will be using a little bit of advice from everyone. Since garden space is not available, I feel these are the best methods to try.

Jane

I think you have all you need.I just want to add a personal blunder that attests to the resiliance of the Daylily.When we moved from the city,I dug all of my plants and put them in black garbage bags for the move. I had to spend a lot of time making beds and planting around the yard.Two years later I noticed a flash of color from the ferns growing along the north side of the house.It was a bloom from a daylily! I had missed 2 bags of them!One bag had some of Melanie Mason's plants that she sold as unnamed grab bags,and the other had some of my seedling plants.They are all thriving despite haveing been in the ferns in black bags for 2 years.What a great plant!

Betsy

Oh, Betsy! You made my day, and filled me with hope. : ), : ). I just came in to take a break. We are having a 'heat wave' for being in the month of Oct. It did not feel this hot at 85 degrees in July.

You also brought something to mind. We had a very hot, dry summer and we did not need to cut the grass every week. I was walking up from the garden one day and saw something pink growing in the lawn. On closer inspection it was a rose colored yarrow plant that hadn't bloomed there for at least 6 years. It was the area where I had a vegetable garden bordered with yarrow, peony bushes and other perennials. Boy, is that tenacious, or what. They sure must like it dry. No wonder weeds prosper so, when seeds/plants can survive after so many years.
Jane