How should I hole up my hostas & heuchies for the winter when I move?

9 months ago

Had a meeting with contractor at my little house-to-be yesterday, to show him what I want done. He thinks he can be finished by the end of January, so hopefully I could move in by about February 1. So, where would be the best place to place my potted hostas and heuchies until spring? The back of the house faces north. There is a large garden shed in back of the house with about 3-4' of space between it and the house, which could offer some shelter. I will erect a hardware cloth fence with a top around the bunched pots of plants, to avoid serving up a deer buffet.

Here is a shot of the back of the house. The large bushes on the eastern side of the house are gone now. Where should I store the pots of hostas in their fence/cage? Thanks!

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 months ago
dormant hosta can be cut to the media level.. and i dont really see deer bare rooting them to eat roots..

same with the coral bells i would think ...

my biggest concern would be too much water in a pot with dormant plants.. so i would just lay them on their sides ... you will SEE when they start to sprout ... then just stand them up ... they will adjust if you are a little late doing so ...

chicken wire and a couple stakes would probably be cheaper than hardware cloth.. you dont really need strength... just deterrence ...

i would think the 3 foot stakes is good enough even after pounding in ... would probably adjust to what you chicken wire options are ...

and this stuff will cut you.. so gloves and long sleeves is best ...

you might not even need the stakes.. just lay it over and pin it to the ground .... kinda like a tunnel ... second pic: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=winter+chicken+wire+deer+protecting+pots&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

ken
Esther-B, Zone 7a thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
9 months ago
Just to add place the pots on the north side of your home. Congratulations Esther! I know how long you have been looking for the perfect house.
Esther-B, Zone 7a thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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Remember when you called me and I also told you that the baby heucheras, sold as starter plugs, should be started in small pots? I still think that is what you need to do to have any success with them. The hostas should probably do fine in spin out bags but I don't think putting starter plugs of Heuchera into a 5 gallon spin out bag will help them to get started. If you are putting things in the spin out bags I don't quite understand why you would also be continuing to amend and till the soil. Baby heuchera do not need to be constantly moist. Let them dry slightly between waterings and then only water them lightly. They don't like wet feet and don't like clay soil. You want to encourage them to get new roots without rotting them away. The hostas will like more water than the heuchera. I would still recommend, like we discussed on the phone, that you pot up the heuchera in a well draining potting soil in small pots (about 4" deep and about 3" wide) and tend those that way until they are rooted out. If you were to plant directly in the ground I would recommend adding a lot more soil amendments to the garden and then rototill that all in and plant the hostas that way. If you are worried about root infiltration and are going to try the spin out bags then just dig the holes big enough for those bags, I believe people fill it with good garden soil, then plant the hostas in that. But like I mentioned I don't have any direct experience myself with the spin out bags. Lots of people have given what I think is good advice but I think you are getting confused by all the different things being suggested. And while I hope you do have some success with some things there be prepared for some losses as it can be tough figuring out a new garden situation like this and what will grow there. Chris
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What I'd do: Wait until just before or after first frost to dig & pot the hosta. Use a porous mix to fill in & around the root ball. Move to an unheated shelter to wait for the move. (Any place where they won't get rained on.) As to how you actually transport them will be weather dependent. If it's unusually warm, I'd forgo the rooftop bag where they'll get heated up by the sun. (Weight on the car top also a concern?) Have on hand some ice, frozen in 1/2 gallon plastic milk jugs to pack in between the potted hosta and tuck a couple of blankets over them to keep them well chilled--if you transport them inside a heated car. Another thing you might consider doing--before you load the hosta, put down some large pieces of reflective mylar (cheap tanning blankets), load the hosta & cover with more mylar & then cover with blankets. The mylar will work to reflect heat away from the 'package' and help keep the cold in. Might want to insulate underneath the bottom layer of mylar, too, to protect from any heat rising into the car from the exhaust system. Use recycled styrofoam packing or get a sheet of the cheap (white) beadboard from Home Depot or Lowes. Aim for packaging them in a sort of free form ice chest. Once you're at your destination, transfer to a place in the shade (but not next to any heated structures.) As soon as you can, pop them out of the pots & heel them in somewhere shady (but dry) and maybe consider lightly covering them with something like pine boughs to keep them from getting too wet. Then maybe the easiest thing to do would be to just leave the MA hosta in MA & replace them with southern grown hosta. Spring comes really early in Alabama so you won't have long to wait!
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Esther-B, Zone 7a
Original Author
9 months ago
Ken, I already have half a roll of green vinyl coated hardware cloth laying around on my balcony. So, should I fabricate a protective cage on the northern side of the garden shed, which is about 8-10' wide and gets a southern exposure? Eventually I want to build a raised bed around the backyard perimeter and put the hostas in that, plus a fence and fishing line above that.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 months ago
im wondering what you are calling hardware cloth??

this is what i am talking about: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=hardware+cloth&iax=images&ia=images

seems kind of heavy duty for the balcony ....

lets make sure we are on the same page ...

ken
Esther-B, Zone 7a thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
Esther-B, Zone 7a
Original Author
9 months ago
What I applied on my balcony was 1/4" vinyl clad green hardware cloth, yeah. I wanted it small enough so that little cat paws would not get caught trying to get through. One of my cats, very soon after I moved into my present apartment, casually strolled right through the upright bars on the balcony railing. I could easily create a corral of my leftover hardware cloth to put all the pots within until the spring, when I will have the opportunity to look into something more permanent, like raised beds. I would want to make those of salvaged bricks or stuff like that, not railroad ties, as they rot.

How should I hole up my hostas & heuchies for the winter when I move?

Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada

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How should I hole up my hostas & heuchies for the winter when I move?

Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada

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Esther-B, Zone 7aOriginal Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Esther-B, Zone 7aOriginal Author

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Esther-B, Zone 7a
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