Overwintering Annuals Indoors

[curly_kate]

So I have a few annuals in my garden that I'd like to see if I can save over the winter. I remember my mom bringing in geraniums, covering them with paper bags, and leaving them in the garage all winter. Has anyone had any success with doing that with other annuals? The ones I'd like to save are:
torenia (wishbone flower)
black & blue salvia
dahlias

I'm in zone 6, so I don't think I'd just be able to mulch heavily and expect them to last, especially if we have as brutal a winter as we did last year. Does anyone have other ways to overwinter their favorite annuals?

 

[Smart Red]

I bring my 'tenders' inside for the winter. Most of the time I have them in pots set into a pot in the garden so raising them each fall is not traumatic.

The dahlias, begonias, and glads are stored in the coolest basement corner, well darkened, but the potted tenders go into a sun room that is heated to at least 40 degrees (F) through the winter.

I have read that many people overwinter their plants in the cool basement with no more than a light watering once or twice over the winter and have good success. This technique is good for all plants that lose their leaves or go dormant over the winter. Just watch for new growth in early spring and bring them into more warmth and light such as your garage. NOTE: Some plants will not lose their leaves in their proper growing zone, but will drop their leaves and regrow them in the spring in cooler -- not freezing -- zones.

Your wishbone flower, however, might do best in a light, cool room rather than in the basement because I believe it will need to keep actively growing through the winter.

 

[catjac1975]

I bring my 'tenders' inside for the winter. Most of the time I have them in pots set into a pot in the garden so raising them each fall is not traumatic.

The dahlias, begonias, and glads are stored in the coolest basement corner, well darkened, but the potted tenders go into a sun room that is heated to at least 40 degrees (F) through the winter.

I have read that many people overwinter their plants in the cool basement with no more than a light watering once or twice over the winter and have good success. This technique is good for all plants that lose their leaves or go dormant over the winter. Just watch for new growth in early spring and bring them into more warmth and light such as your garage. NOTE: Some plants will not lose their leaves in their proper growing zone, but will drop their leaves and regrow them in the spring in cooler -- not freezing -- zones.

Your wishbone flower, however, might do best in a light, cool room rather than in the basement because I believe it will need to keep actively growing through the winter.

Dahlias should be dug and kept dry and replanted in spring. You can try anything just be careful of bringing in pests that go wild indoors, like white fly and aphid. Cut them way back and perhaps use a system insecticide to kill them off. Can't hurt to try. I overwinters impaient for about 10 years. It got like a tree trunk.

 

[seedcrazy]

I am in zone 6 too and I thought I had lost my black and blue salvia but it finally came back. I take a black garbage bag full of chopped leaves and punch holes all in the bag so water can filter through and sit it on top of it after chopping the foliage down. It makes it through the winter and a normal winter (which we didn't have last year) I had kept in ground gerber daisy, butterfly ginger, all kinds of things. Torenia I think you will have to keep in a window over winter but I have overwintered geraniums in a window and took cuttings for new plants and I've also dug them up, cleaned off the roots, flip upside down in a box and closed it and kept in a cool place. Mid winter I clean up all the dead leaves, etc. and if they are starting to swivel I will go on and pot them up. Otherwise pot up in early spring to start growing in a windowseal. I lose every dahlia when I dig them up so I just do the garbage bag with leaves method.

 

[curly_kate]

@Smart Red @catjac1975 - do you keep the dahlias bareroot or potted? @seedcrazy - Maybe I'll just try that with the salvia. And do you think I should cut the torenia way back when I bring it in & let it regrow from there?

 

[Smart Red]

@Smart Red @catjac1975 - do you keep the dahlias bareroot or potted? @seedcrazy - Maybe I'll just try that with the salvia. And do you think I should cut the torenia way back when I bring it in & let it regrow from there?

I dig the dahlia roots and let them 'cure' much like potatoes for a few days. Then I knock off as much of the left over soil as I can without harming the roots and I box them up for storage. Sometimes I have used sawdust or peatmoss, but usually it is just the roots stuck together in cardboard boxes (never in plastic) in the cool storage.

I would suggest cutting your Torenia back to compensate for disturbing its root system. Kept inside over the winter, it should quickly come right back for you.

 

[catjac1975]

Store the roots in peat or some such material. Do not let them totally dry out. But wait where has our dahlia expert been this summer? Am I just missing his posts?