Overwintering my plants

[Clair]

I have 27 hanging window boxes, each containing 3 plants.

Having spent a small fortune on buying geraniums every spring so far,

I'd like to know how to go about keeping them through the winter to re-use next year.

What is the best place to keep them over the winter?

In previous winters, I have tried storing them in an unused Renault Espace in the garage (too cold) and the cellar (too dark)...

At a push, I can put the window boxes indoors in the barely heated gite, provided we don't get a winter booking.

How do I tidy them up before putting them away?

At the moment, they're still in full bloom thanks to the wet damp summer, but the nights are getting colder here (6º) even if daytime temps are still in the high 20s.

I also have two very large pots up in the garden and these cannot be moved.

They contain 3 cordyline australys / dracaena indivisa each and I intended to stuff the top of the pots with straw, gather the spikes with some garden fleece before sticking a bag full of straw over them.

I am planning to wrap several layers of thick bubble wrap around the pots, which are placed over the septic tank manhole covers. These are the only place to remain clear when the garden is covered in snow.

Am I on the right tracks ?

[lavorgere]

In England I have successfully over-wintered geraniums by pulling them up when they are dry, shaking off the excess soil and layering them with newspaper in a cardboard box - one with holes in. Come the spring when they show signs of growth you just plant them out again. Believe me - it does work.

[Clair]

Hi Lavorgere

Do you mean they are kept in the dark (under newspaper and inside a pierced cardboard box)?

[Washy]

Yes Clair you are on the right tracks with the large pots but do raise them off the ground as well.  I put straw right around my pots, quite thick, and tied round with string, then a fleece bag over the whole lot, on sunny days I take this off for a while.  I hope the pots are frost free, but restrict the water anyway and they may not crack.  We are at altitude here and I also put straw bales along the edges of my raised beds otherwise the plants on the edge would freeze.  My painting studio looks like a greenhouse during the winter. With geraniums I have already taken cuttings from the larger plants and these will be on the window sills, good plants will be kept inside with minimum water and no feed, then in spring I am more likely to use these as 'mother' plants and take more cuttings from them.  It is worth a try, they will need good light while inside. I have two large windows and a Velux in the studio and even this has made some seedlings go leggy, but have a go it may save you some money next year.  I always seem to buy more anyway, I just like buying plants. Good luck.

[lavorgere]

Hi Clair - yes, it's important that they are dry and ventilated so that they don't go mouldy and rot. The dark may not be important and the box is just for compact storage and so that they don't get caught by the frost .If you think about it it's not that different from moving them inside and not watering them over the winter.

[tegwini]

Hello Clair

I have kept geraniums over many winters here in rural Wiltshire.   I have tended to pack them in large pots/troughs in soil,  I trim them a bit first,  and they sit in the garage which is cold, but they get light & sun (somedays!).  I think the soil is useful as it keeps the roots protected from frost.  My garage is really cold, draughty metal window frames, & single wall construction.   I used to keep them in the conservatory, but they were messy & I got fed up cleaning up leaves etc.    I don't water them much, and somehow they survive-  don't forget geraniums are tough South African plants.   Not sure about the others on your post.

Good luck - it's quite a saving, and they tend to flower earlier too.

Pauline

[Clair]

Thanks all for the advice.

I will order large rolls of bubblewrap from Ebay and I will clear a room in the gite to overwinter the geraniums in.

Because of the clear skies we're having at the moment, the temperature went down to 2º last night !!![:-))]