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How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last year
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Posted by bella_trix z6b SE PA (My Page) on Sat, Sep 27, 08 at 14:10
| As we are getting near frost time, I wanted pass on my trick for overwintering Black and Blue last year. I left the plants in the ground until light frost had killed back the top. I cut of the top at about three inches and then dug up the base/roots (presumably with tubers) with a ball of dirt around them. The dirt was moist, but not wet. These were first year plants, so they were pretty compact. I used 1 gallon ziplock bags to store them. I first threw in a handful of hardwood (not pine! available at a petstore) chips. I'm not sure if this is necessary, but I was storing dahlias at the same time and decided to try it. I put the whole plant, dirt and all, in the bag and clipped the ziplock in two places, leaving it mostly unzipped. I then stored them in a unheated, completely dark closet on the side of the house. It stayed between 38-50 degrees for the winter.
In the spring I pulled out the bags. They will look horrible. Most of the old tops and any new parts that try to grow during the winter will be black and rotted. But underneath and from old tops, new tops (white) will start to grow. I transplanted them into a pot (out in light) and they quickly sent up shoots. You might be able to put them directly into the garden, but I didn't. The plants grew great and both bloomed earlier and were bigger than last year.
I really liked this method because it took up so little storage space compared to pots.
Bellatrix
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| That is a good idea. Have you tried just leaving your plants in the ground. If your soil is dry enough in winter your plants are likely to return on their own. Black & Blue has been hardy in my Zone 7a/6b yard for a decade or more. It took me awhile to realize that. |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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Bellatrix,
Thanks for posting this--my Black and Blue is a potted plant--I wonder if I should wait for frost to kill the foliage, or bring the root ball in sooner? |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| I have friends in Michigan who also successfully overwinter their salvia guaranitica by just digging up a clump of the tubers and dropping them into a pot after the top had gotten frosted back and put the pot in their unheated garage. Occasionally over the winter they would spring the mass with a little water if it appeared to be getting a bit too dry. Each spring, the clump is replanted in the garden and it comes back with no issues. |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| Thanks for posting this, sounds like a plausible thing to try. |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| bella trix I remember when I first joined garden web in 2002 there was someone on the hummingbird forum who lived in Connecticut and dug up the tubers and put them in his garage. I never wanted to be bothered I don't have enough room anyway. But after seven years of hoping it would overwinter it finally did this year enough that I could give it to all my friends. Like Ward said it's been a relatively dry year here. |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| Yeah! Thanks so much for the info. I'm going to be able to save my B&B for spring. I really had a hard time finding my 1 and only plant this year. Thanks Again! |
RE: How I successfully overwintered Black and Blue salvia last ye
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| I don't anticipate holding anything over the winter in the foreseeable future, [g], and I did want to mention that I found a B&B at Lowe's in the spring for about $7. for a good size plant. Gorgeous stand of it, Bella. Is that a Southern exposure? pm2 |
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