I typically over-winter my "fall-specials" by heeling them into my sandbox. For potted plants I bury in my sandbox the pots up to the top and add mulch around the plants. Burying the pot protects it from the weather. In the spring just dig up the pots and plant. Sand also is free draining, which will prevent the pots from being popped out of the ground by frost heave.

Hope this helps.

I have buried my left over pots in my raised veggie beds for the winter when I ran out of time, then covered them with a good layer of chopped leaves. Last year I left a stella d'or daylily in a pot out in the open all winter and it came back fine this spring.

Unfortunately I have a very small garden. I dont have any temporary beds or sandbox or the like. The new bed I am planning will come out of a chunk of my front lawn.
I could buy larger pots if it would make a difference...

Hi gfult...

Well, if you don't have any where to dig them in temporarily then you might as well just do them on the 27th of October. I did plant all of my foundation plants in November one year and it actually started snowing while they were planting them and they all lived. I would say as long as you are not digging them up and moving them, but have potted plants to go in, and as long as the ground is not frozen to dig in, then you have a very good chance of them doing fine for you. I don't have any experience with the other plants you list but definitely, the Stella d'or daylilies, even leaving them out all winter in their pots worked for me last winter, so planting them late should work for you.

At any rate it would seem you only have two choices, plant them late, or leave them in pots all winter above ground and of the two, planting late seems preferable. I wouldn't be thinking of leaving them in the garage or basement all winter, but I don't know if others feel the same way. I would prefer planting them late to doing that.

:-)
pm2

gfult, I drag about 200 pots into my garage every winter, and pull them back out every spring. I have pretty good success with overwintering this way. Some of my roses don't always make it, but the majority of my perennials do.

The year before last I counted as I dragged, and I had 283 pots! Granted some of these were small 4-inch pots, but pots nonetheless.

I was really good this year about not buying a lot of new stuff, as well as trying to get some beds made and getting things planted, so my count should be down some.

Just wait until the plants are dormant, water well, and bring inside the garage. I cover the two windows to make it darker, and then in mid-winter I check them to see if they need water. Sometimes I just throw shovelfuls of snow on them.

Last winter was so warm I didn't even bring them inside until mid-January!

Here are some of my pots last year:
{{gwi:261905}}

Good luck!
:)
Dee

Thanks everyone for your advise. I ended up planting most of them today.
I just tucked them in here and there and took out a few lower priority plants.

If anyone is near Arlington Mass I have some give aways. My email address should be on my profile.
Perennial Alysum, Basket of Gold
Jacob's Ladder
Evening Primrose - I know, I know
Strawberry
Sage

gfult, don't feel bad. I'm hoping to finally plant my last 15 potted plants this coming weekend. :-/

Dee Thanks for contributing your experience. This is good to know!

I agree with PM2 -- aren't Stella D'Oros some of the toughest plants around.