Do you have a cold frame? A greenhouse is a brilliant asset but since not many of us can spare the space for one, a cold frame is a good winter protection for tender cuttings. Yep, the top growth may die back but it is the roots where the action is so as long as the pots do not freeze for weeks at a time, they should be OK. If your winters are too cold, then simply keep them in a dormant state in a garage or basement - they are not dead, just resting. I sow a lot of my seeds all year round and frequently have cuttings to overwinter from summer...and I just assume that the plants 'know' what they are doing, will go into dormancy and when the conditions are right, will start to grow top growth again the following spring. There are always losses, especially with tender pelargoniums, which are susceptible to over watering (I keep mine practically dessicated now) but if the cuttings have developed enough roots, they will be perfectly OK coming through the winter.

Thanks for your input!

Unfortunately, no greenhouse, and no cold frame. I thought about rigging up some type of simple cold frame, but I don't really have a good spot this year.

Maybe I'll try a couple in the garage, a couple outside, and one or two in the house. Unfortunately, the cuttings I want most to root aren't doing well -- took them way too late when I couldn't find more of the plants to buy. But I have enough young cuttings to do a decent test.

in the garage... after it gets real cold ... MI cold ... put an ice cube on each pot ... it will melt and provide just a little water to keep the media moist ...

never forget.. in place like MI ... winter is a desert .... all water is tied up due to cold .. and small pots can get real .. real.. dry ... and that isnt good...

a dormant plant does not need water.. but you cant turn its roots into chicken left in the freeze too long ....

might be nice to know what you are dealing with ... and maybe suggest messing with taking a few in the house .. to mess with ... since you have duplicates .. are they anything that require a dormancy ... like hosta???? .. if so.. they stay outsode ...

my inclination ... would be to put them on the north side of the house... tip the pots on their sides in late november ... and hope snow covered them until april .... nice insulating blanket ... and late emergence ...

ken

Yes, woody, the garage is attached, and Ken, the cuttings are hibiscus moscheutos. I want to try some in the garage, but had read different things about whether they'd need lights or not (even when dormant).

I found a place in the yard where I could dig them in so will probably try a few there. I'm likely having some trees taken down near the compost pile, which is my usual safe place.

Ken - the pots are just black plastic gallon nursery pots - why should I tip them? I'm thinking since the roots are relatively shallow, I need to be sure the pot is getting some moisture.

A problem we have with late cuttings of some perennials, such as Hibiscus, is sometimes they don't set any overwintering buds. When we see this we keep them just above freezing and it regrows from the stem instead.

I would get a large box and some peat moss or fine mulch and use the warmest place in the garage. Put some of the peat moss in the bottom and arrange your plants on top leaving space at all sides of the box and around each plant. Put your tenderest ones in the middle. Then sprinkle the moss along the sides and between the plants and over the plants leaving a bit of green showing. This will have the effect of being in the ground with snow cover in a protected place in the garden.

Both the mulch and peat moss can be reused where ever you need it come spring so choose what you will need to buy in spring anyway