re: ? re: overwintering of dormant potted plants

i hope someone here can help. i posted in container forum, but no one answered. i had alot of container plants in the Keys and they were tropical and didn't go dormant. since i've moved i have acquired alot of plants, mostly online, that will be going into my new garden once the beds are finished. that might be awhile since workmen are still doing roof stuff, etc. i don't want to take the chance of anything getting ruined, so i am impatiently waiting for house work to be finished.!!!

anyway, most of my new plants go dormant even in our semi-mild winters here, or so i have been told by the growers. my question is: since they are in pots, do i keep them totally dry, partially dry, and what about light, lots of sun, alittle sun? or is it different for every plant? i have a hibiscus coccineus, a burgundy cotton crepe myrtle, an amecia zigomeris (don't bother looking that one up, there is no info posted anywhere yet except from where i bought it and they didn't fully answer my question either) and a couple of sangria crinums.

i have alot of books, but can't find answers.

thanks!!! debi

I think it would vary from plant to plant, even in 10A here I need to treat some potted plants carefully regarding water/temps, others just don't seem to care. All my tropicals in pots come in because of monsoon rains & heavy winds.

Your Amicia zygomeris is a member of the pea family and is generally listed as an annual:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Amicia+zygomeris&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N

Try getting a list of your plants together and visit a retailer with a good nurseryman on staff. They should be able to answer your questions regarding your particular location.

thanks happenstance. i kind of figured i would be winging it from plant to plant. i guess this will just have to be a learning experience for me. i will try to find a good nursery and ask questions. i have never had much luck with that (esp. in the Keys) maybe up here will be different.

re: the amicia, i was able to google a small bit before i bought it, but they tell me it is perennial in mexico and in the carolinas where i purchased it (plantdelights). being a pea, i would think i could get seed, but i don't know if it will even flower before winter. i believe it does normally flower in fall, but being young, just shipped, repotted, o well, i will just have to be patient! thanks again. debi edited to say, just checked again and it blooms in all summer, so i suspect it is too late for seed this year!

This message was edited Oct 2, 2005 12:30 PM

trackin...

Dormant perennials should be allowed to go dormant and stay dormant. Extreme low temps will kill their roots if they are in pots (as opposed to in the ground). You'll want to keep them barely moist, not bone dry, as bone dry soil will freeze much easier than moist. What you want to do is protect the roots.

As for "lots of light, sun"etc...if they are dormant that shouldn't matter. If there is top-growth and they are being over-wintered alive then that will have a bearing on them.

I'm not familiar with the amicia however, PlantsDelight is about 35 miles away from me, we're in zone 7, and if they say it is hardy then I imagine it will certainly survive in your zone.

thanks shoe! i have a question. what do you mean by top growth and over wintered alive? if the plant is decidious and loses all it's leaves in winter i know that's the dormant state. if it keeps it's leaves then don't i treat it the same in winter as in summer, except maybe less water? thanks in advance, debi

Some plants will lose their top growth here in my zone (leaves/stems, etc) but yet those same plants may not lose them in your warmer winters. Here, when they lose that topgrowth they will be considered fully dormant. Where you are, due to your milder winters, they may go semi-dormant...they may not lose their topgrowth but yet will not show any new growth. In other words they will just "stay put" (no new growth, no full dormancy, no death).

If your perennials keep their leaves then you'll want to baby them a bit...as long as there are leaves on your plants during the winter months there is a chance they will either continue growth (albeit slow growth) and that may also make them more susceptible to winter winds and the possible dessication that may come with them. If so, you'll need to be sure to keep the plants watered but only enough to keep the roots from drying out. (A sheltered area protecting them from the winds will certainly be of benefit.)

Re-reading your post above...yes, treat them the same in winter as you do in summer but with less water...UNLESS there is new growth, which will be tender growth and will be easily harmed by the elements (temperatures, wind, excessive food/fertilizer, etc).

I think you have a good grip on things. I also think you, like me, tend to think of those plants as your babies and will truly take great care of them! (I love the plant world!) :>)

PS. I spent a number of years in central Fla...can't place where Umatilla is...Panhandle maybe?

thanks again shoe, you are a wealth of info. sometimes i just need someone to go from a to b to c and walk me thru stuff. i lived in the keys for so long and didn't have anything dormant ever! umatilla is the next town north of Eustis and we are northeast of leesburg and tavares. panhandle is a long way off. we are dead center in central florida. yes, these particular plants are definately my babies. they are all online purchases and are doing well so far and i can't get them around here. i will keep you up to date on them. we had an extremely long cool spell last winter, really almost the whole winter, very strange according to the locals. we had a couple of very light frosts too. the tropicals i brought with me survived, with long bamboo poles stuck down in the pots and then draped with blankets like indians! i had to keep them under our wide overhang so they wouldn't get too much rain. i moved some inside. it was hectic. this year i will relax alittle more. i think! LOL debi

Hah!...I think you have a Plant Paradise there! Ya done good! Luv it!

(I was born in Bradenton/Sarasota area; central Fla on the Gulf side. Guess you moved to not too far from where I moved away from!) :>)

yeah, how'd that happen? what kind of plants are you "into" now? seems like i'm having to learn gardening all over again. down there was coral rock and a steel digging pole, up here i got sand and sand and sand and oh yea, sand.

Well...I now am in the great state of NC! (Have been for years and love it!) Completely different environment than Fla.

Here is a link to one of the newspaper articles about our little farm (several yrs ago). (Seems to me every time some editor gets bored they send writers out here.) The article is much more convenient that having to write it all out by hand! :>) http://davesgarden.com/journal/j/viewentry/5612/index.html//

As for your sand...you can amend it, if needed, and pretty much grow whatever you prefer in your area. You're in a good spot...enjoy!

thanks shoe! amending away, as we speak! debi