Comments on: shall we take another walk?

By: margaret

margaret — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:26:55 +0000

Welcome, Betty, and thanks for starting 2009 with us. Generally speaking, you can store a large pot of a slightly tender plant in an unheated building if it’s perhaps one zone less hardy than your area–meaning If I am Zone 5 or perhaps the cold end of 6, I could store a Zone 6/cold end of 7 plant pretty safely by just bringing it out of the cold and wind and heave/thaw cycle of the open outdoors. With some plants you get even luckier, but that’s the safe rule of thumb, I suspect. HOWEVER (and there is always a however), if you let the plant get dry during thaws inside the building, it may perish anyhow…so I check when the weather is up-and-down and just make sure nothing’s too, too dry. Last winter I watered the maples slightly two times; not a lot, but just to prevent dessication, especilly later in the winter.
I don’t think you can push Japanese maples inside an outbuilding there without a little tinkering, unless it’s perhaps attached to a heated building and stays substantially warmer than your outdoor lows. (I bet if it’s minus-30 outdoors it’s -20 or colder inside your outdoor buildings, no?) I’d only try it if you have reason to believe the building stays at the equivalent of at least Zone 5. And they won’t like staying awake all winter in your basement at 60 or so. I get away with this because they are marginally hardy in the ground here…some friends nearby risk it and grow them right in the ground. I’m not trying to push two zones or more.
Oh, and some varieties are hardier than others; something to note when shopping if you go ahead.
So cold storage, yes…but too cold, no. I have known committed gardeners to use a very small heat source to adjust an outbuilding just enough to store the plants they craved. We are a nutty lot, aren’t we? So definitely take some actual temps in your potential storage areas this winter and see if you have the right home, or can create it.

By: Betty B

Betty B — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:49:24 +0000

I just saw the Martha Stewart show today and thought what a good idea to look at your blog as it is sooo cold and snowy here in North Dakota on News Years Day. It is always a treat to look back on last summers flowers to warm one up and make us a little more cheerful. Anyway the picture of your Japanese Maple that you have planted in a pot- do you think I could raise one here in North Dakota if I took it inside in winter and stored it in the basement where it is maybe 60-65 degrees or could it be stored in an outside building? It has actually been 20-30 degrees below zero here the last week, but of course it doesn’t get that cold inside a outside building. Well anyway I would love to have some maples here in N.D. I love your blog site and will continue to view it as this long winter continues.
Betty B in North Dakota

By: margaret

margaret — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:56:52 +0000

Welcome, Debby. You picked a cold day for a walk, but glad to have you. Also glad you like the cairns of stacked, overturned pots…not sure if I feel good or bad that you are growing that naughty Petasites, however. Love and hate that plant!