Michigan Gardener

SIGN UP for our Free E-Newsletter!
We will send you occasional e-mails with valuable gardening tips and information!

Digital Editions

Click on the cover to read now!
Sponsored by:

  • Home
  • Departments
    • Ask MG
    • Books
    • Clippings
    • Garden Snapshots
    • MG in the News
    • Janet’s Journal
    • Plant Focus
    • Profile
    • Raising Roses
    • Thyme for Herbs
    • Tools
    • Tree Tips
  • Garden Event Calendar
    • Garden Event Calendar
    • Submit a Calendar Listing
  • Resources
    • Alternatives to Impatiens
    • Garden Help
    • Soil and Mulch Calculator
    • Public Gardens
  • Web Extras
  • About
    • Publishing Schedule – 2023
    • Editorial Content
    • Bulk Subscriptions – 2023
    • Where to pick up Michigan Gardener
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Advertising
    • Print / Web / E-Newsletter Advertising
    • Classified Advertising
    • Material Specs & Terms
    • Make a Payment

Please note that Michigan Gardener has a new schedule in 2023. We will publish one Print Magazine in the spring. This Spring issue will be in stores in early May 2023. We will also publish 10 E-Newsletters from spring through fall. Click to sign up for our free E-Newsletter.

Archive for the Overwintering tag

How do I overwinter cannas?

November 1, 2021   •   Leave a Comment

Canna lilies are vigorous growers, spreading and creating large clumps of fleshy rhizomes that can be dug, lifted, and stored over the winter so they may be planted again next season. (Eric Hofley / Michigan Gardener)

I have been unsuccessful in overwintering cannas; they get mushy or just don’t survive. What’s the trick?

Canna lilies are vigorous growers, spreading and creating large clumps of fleshy rhizomes. Whether in the ground or container, their vibrant colors and reblooming ability make them desirable additions to a garden. Keeping our favorites from year to year is also cost effective.

Using a fork, gently lift the shallow-rooted clumps from the soil and lay them out on trays with newspaper. Separate the rhizomes with your hands, being careful but not paranoid if some of them break. Sort and trim out any damaged rhizomes. If they have been in ground or container soil, do not wash them off. Let the soil dry naturally and brush it off later. If they have been in a pond situation, then clean that debris off. Let them dry for a couple days.

Trim the stalks to about two inches above the rhizomes with a clean knife or pruners. Remember all naked rhizomes look identical. To keep varieties identified, put a label with each group and keep them separate. Once dry, wrap them in dry newspaper or paper lunch bags, and place in open cardboard boxes. Shoeboxes are great for large numbers of multiple varieties.

The key is keeping them dry and cool while you wait to replant them. Cool, dry basements and fruit cellars that don’t freeze are ideal. Do not place near furnace vents where heat can make them sprout prematurely. Check once or twice over winter for soft or shriveled rhizomes and discard. If more than a few are rotting, then move them to a drier location.

Related: Planting cannas in containers

Related: Overwintering tender garden plants

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: Canna lilies, cannas, Overwintering

How do I overwinter small potted evergreens?

November 4, 2020   •   Leave a Comment

Can I overwinter boxwoods in plastic pots (about 5-gallon size)? I’m not sure what variety they are. Or should I plant them in the ground even though it is November?

Any small ornamental evergreen or conifer in a container needs special treatment to overwinter a zone 5 winter (-20 degrees). If you have the space, you can bury the entire container in the ground and mulch leaves and compost over the base to protect it from freeze and thaw. If the location is subject to winds, a wind barrier of burlap or fabric to protect the leaves and needles is essential to avoid desiccation. You can also surround them with a staked chicken wire cage and fill the space with fall leaves. This also protects against sunscald. If no ground space is available, then place the boxwood containers in a sheltered area, cluster them together for protection, and place a windbreak around them for added protection from desiccation. Once the soil is frozen, the shrubs can’t take up moisture through their root systems to replenish what is lost in their leaves. You can also use an anti-desiccant spray on the foliage to further prevent moisture loss.

Once ground soil shows signs of thawing, night temperatures remain above freezing, and you see signs of spring growth on other plants, then you can remove the heavy winter protection. Give them a few weeks to acclimate and day temperatures to warm before moving them from their sheltered location.

Related: Overwintering Sweet Potato Tubers

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: evergreens, overwinter, Overwintering, pots

Copyright © 1996-2023 Michigan Gardener. All rights reserved.