Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
schifferle

Overwintering daylilies

schifferle
14 years ago

I was given a few 4' daylilies from my neighbor who had extra after transplanting them from her old home to her new one this past weekend. Almost November seems rather late in the season to be planting them in zone 5b Kansas. I'm not really sure where I'm going to put them either & could use some time to think of where. Is it possible to overwinter daylilies &, if so, how? I only started growing daylilies last spring & they're doing very well, but I'm a newbie & I don't know what I should do with my gift until I decide on a spot for them in better weather. They are sitting in a large pot (in a protected area outside) with dirt on the roots at the moment.

Comments (4)

  • kentstar
    14 years ago

    Do you have somewhere you could just temporarily plant them for now, then after winter when they start to emerge you could move them then?
    Others will have more info. I'm still pretty new at it too. Maybe you could put them in an unheated garage? Or shed? If you put them in the ground at all, just mulch really well and keep watered until the ground does freeze.

  • schifferle
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I've given thought to the unheated garage, but I'm not sure. I'd rather do that than temporarily put them in the ground. I've got a spot where I was planning on planting a rose bush in the spring and my DH might not mind digging there. It just seems rather late to put them in the ground & have them survive, then again my generous neighbor just planted hers a few days ago. I'm not ruling that out though. I've had mixed success using the garage to overwinter plants. It worked really well for a tiny redbud sapling a few years ago, but not for a hosta.

  • can_mj
    14 years ago

    I have overwintered in pots outdoors in Zone 4. We usually get reliable snow cover (averaged 4' the past 2 winters) but I still mulch them heavily (bury them) with leaves. In past years the few losses I did have were on the outside perimeter of the pot group so this year I will use pots of dirt (without plants) around the outside perimeter as an insulator before I bury them all in 12-24" of leaves.

    I would suggest that you place your pots in a protected spot, maybe against your garage foundation, bury them in leaves and make sure that you continue to shovel snow onto them when necessary, if you have periodic thaws, until winter is over. What you really want to avoid is a freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw sequence.

    Something else... don't bury your pots in leaves until the soil in the pots is fairly frozen. If you do it too soon you'll create a haven for rodents. Once the dirt is solid it will no longer appeal to them.

    Start with frozen and keep them frozen until spring.

  • schifferle
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I'll try the outdoor pot with protection suggestion. I was concerned about frozen soil, but I guess daylilies are pretty tough.

Sponsored
Franklin County's Custom Kitchen & Bath Designs for Everyday Living