overwintering..

[Louis]

Hey Garden people..i havn't strayed in here very often...but i am looking forward to a garden/waterfall area next-year. currently have the usual plants started in planters. And am looking for ideas to keep them alive this winter. I am considering a small container, the type you slip under a bed, 1/2 filled with water, maybe 1 or 2 goldfish from the pond, and the plants. will this start to smell? plants alone ok? a little sunlight from basement window ok?

[Terri]

Hi Louis.

What are the plants? Are they tropical or hardy varieties?

No to the goldfish ;-)

[Jackie Ramo]

No to the fish from here as well. Types of plants needed but a sunny window would be a better place than the basement. There are many attractive water tight containers. Make yourself an inside water feature, you could even have a fountain. Put in on one of the rollers and it can go in front of the patio doors and be rolled out of the way easily. I use the rollers for the one in the greenhouse, and for large trees in the house.

[Louis]

not sure what type they are, have to read the tags (keep it for a reason)
-water lilly is one.

[Jackie Ramo]

If it is a hardy waterlily just leave it in the pond. A tropical needs to be pulled out.

[marla]

I have a bunch of tropicals I plan on dirt planting for the winter or just leaving in water, all my tropical lillies I purchased on a forum buy ended up to be more like plantlets :-x , so those I'm going to try to keep growing indoors if when I pull them they still don't have much tuber. I'll either get a grow light and/or place them in the sunroom. Still haven't decided on the lotus, one tried to bloom this year, but it was a cold rainy very windy few days and all the petals blew off before it could totaly open I was very upset!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/firsttry107.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/firsttry118.jpg

[Jackie Ramo]

Lotus can be heartbreakers and the blooms don't last that long anyway....

[Louis]

marginal
-lobelia siphilitica ( blue/purple flowers, small in size)
deep marginal
-orontium aquaticum (long tubular type flowers, yellow tips)
and the water poppy,
the water lillies were eaten...go figure

[Jackie Ramo]

The lobelia should do alright just planted in the garden. I have mine [planted in the bog garden and it overwintered there for 5 years, lost it last year but that is an old plant for this type of plant.

orontium aquaticum is a hardy to zone 3 butI'd plant it in the garden rather than leave it in the pond. Dig it up again come spring. Or plant itbesidethe pond where it can grow all season. Could be sunk to a lower level.

water poppy is a tropical and needs tocome inside. Stored the same way one would for a tropical lily. or set up a water feature with a little fountain with it and any taros or papyrusetc one has to overwinter.