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Can plants be left in the dark over winter?

CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
in Plants
Hi guys,

I have plants in containers that I want to now store over the winter and the only place I have at the minute is an outside toilet and a coal shed. The coal shed has no light at all in there but is slightly warmer.

Can plants that lose their foliage completely, be left in there? As surely they won't need light?

Also plants that do still have foliage like Guara that will be cut back to the ground in spring, would it hurt them also to be left in the dark? Surely it wouldn't matter if they got leggy because they will be cut back eventually?

Or do they all still need light for some reason?

Thanks
Craigh
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    No idea, but if it's the only option open to you , give it a try ( you've got nothing to lose )  and make sure you tell us next Spring how they got on.
    Devon.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Hi Craigh

    If you're referring to herbaceous perennials , there is no reason why they can't be stored as you plan to .
    Remember though that even when they're dormant , they will still need to be kept slightly damp , otherwise they'll dry to a stage beyond resurrection in the Spring .
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    How would I keep the soil damp? I've often wondered about this. Surely if I watered it with a watering can then the compost would get very wet... And if I only water a tiny bit then the roots will come to the surface?
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    I'd simply take them out on mildish days , soak them and then place back in their quarters after draining off for a while .
    They shouldn't start growing ; after all , they normally spend the winters outdoors in gardens .
    Day-length , not temperature , is normally the determining factor inducing growth .
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Our old house was in central Belgium and could get very cold in winter so pots with greenery were sheltered in the greenhouse and pots without - acers, dahlias, Japanese maples, hostas, lilies etc - went into the barn which was cold but free from winds and snow and the worst of the rain and ice.   Not completely dark as there were gaps round the doors but certainly too dark for evergreens. 

    I'd bring them all outside and keep them sheltered for a whle to acclimatise along the south facing wall of the barn as soon as either spring warmth or lovely pointy hosta buds indicated it was time to give them light.   They were checked regularly thru winter and any that felt dry would get a drink to keep the compost just moist but not soggy and so likely to freeze solid like an ice cube. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    Well I have a pvc greenhouse and last winter I realised the only protection they give is from rain and wind. I have lots of cuttings and young plants and also established plants in terracotta pots in there. When we had temperatures of minus 5 etc the compost in the pots were frozen solid! Every single pot big and small and I was worried it was the end of them because them temperatures lasted for days so they didn't thaw.

    I had to bring them Into the house in the end and keep them in a cool place just to thaw! I know some plants are very hardy but surely they won't last being frozen solid for too long?

    I honestly don't know how people over winter plants in pots and also cuttings if they don't have a greenhouse or frost free place?
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    Thanks for the info Paul. I will make sure I keep checking them to keep them moist.

    Del... There is lots of different plants... Asters, Penstemon, hardy geraniums, Gaura, Nepeta, Salvias and so on :)

    Obelixx did any of your plants freeze solid in the barn?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    No Craig, not even in -25C outside, or, if they did, they recovered.  It's wet cold that does for most plants.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hardy plants will cope far better with low temps than most people realise Craig. It has to be prolonged, sub minus five for a long time to do major harm, and as Obelixx says, it's wet cold that's more of an issue. A freeze after wet cold, affects them more than a freeze after dry cold. 
    I tuck small, hardy plants [3 inch pot size] into borders over winter. They acclimatise better that way, and cope with all sorts.
    The other planting around them protects them from the wide range of weather we get here - wind, rain, hail, frost, ice and snow...and that's just in one day...   :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Craigh
    As Obelixx says, the combination of wet and freezing cold can be fatal to SOME plants ; probably your Gaura and the Salvias may be susceptible .
    In saying that , I've overwintered Gauras outdoors on a NW facing border ; froze solid when the 'Beasts' struck in March and recovered admirably in Spring .
    My Salvias are lifted and placed in an unheated g/house for the Winter , get the occasional splash when I remember (!) , and up until now have survived like this for several years . I remove all foliage completely (every stem) prior to potting up .
    Hardy Geraniums are virtually indestructible anyway , tolerant of wet , frost , heat and drought .
    That's probably why they're so popular with gardeners .
    Penstemons , originating from N.America are generally very hardy ; mine stay outdoors in a rich loamy garden soil and generally perform well each year .
    Anyway , enough of my 'blathering' ; hope some of it helps though .
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