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HANGING BASKETS

daveandtrish1967daveandtrish1967 Posts: 27
in Problem solving
I have a large hanging basket full of  Petunia Tumbelina Priscilla that has a wonderful scent. Can I overwinter it and if so how do I do it, can I just cut it right back and keep it in an unheated greenhouse, and does it need watering throughout the winter any advice, please

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  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Petunias are annuals which means they grow, flower, and die in one season so I'm afraid you cannot overwinter your beloved plant as it will run out of steam pretty soon. During the winter months we have to hold on to our memories of the scents and blooms of summer, ready to start the whole thing again once the weather warms up.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    edited November 2022
    Petunias are actually tender perennials which I have overwintered with mixed success.

    I would cut them back to a few inches, pop them on the top shelf of the greenhouse, keep them fairly dry and watch out for mould. In the spring, if it starts to throw out fresh shoots, re-pot in fresh compost and take cuttings from the new growth. 

    Your chances of success are probably less than 50:50 so rein in your expectations.
    Rutland, England
  • daveandtrish1967daveandtrish1967 Posts: 27
    Thank you
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    I got some through last winter, but it was very mild. 
  • daveandtrish1967daveandtrish1967 Posts: 27
    Thanks
    I will try but could somebody tell me, please, after cutting them back
    Do I keep them dry or moist and as I only have an unheated greenhouse should I cover them with fleece in very cold weather
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I brought a couple of pots into the greenhouse today. I cut off all the sorry looking stuff and reduced most green shoots to about 4”. The compost was quite damp, damper than I’d like it to be, so I do not anticipate watering again until well into next year. I’ll keep an eye out for botrytis though I doubt I’ll put a fleece over them unless the temperature threatens to fall well below freezing for successive days. There is an electric heater in the greenhouse but plants, like the rest of us, will have to learn to man up. The greenhouse is very unlikely to be heated.

    I left on the wall two 18” hay baskets. They’re quite bedraggled but I think the warmth of the brick wall and the fact they’re 5’ off the ground should keep them safe through a mild winter. If they succumb, well that’s life (or rather not) but they have limped through the past five winters. Around March I’ll use the hay basket petunias as a source of cuttings. These are Wave petunias which root quite easily.
    Rutland, England
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    BenCotto said:
    Petunias are actually tender perennials which I have overwintered with mixed success.

    I would cut them back to a few inches, pop them on the top shelf of the greenhouse, keep them fairly dry and watch out for mould. In the spring, if it starts to throw out fresh shoots, re-pot in fresh compost and take cuttings from the new growth. 

    Your chances of success are probably less than 50:50 so rein in your expectations.

    @dav@daveandtrish1967 @BenCotto is right he and I have successfully kept our petunias going over winter. Its not guaranteed depends on where you live . I just shove my old petunia baskets in the greenhouse over winter and as Bencotto says if/when they shoot again repot and take cuttings from the re-potted plants and Bobs your Uncle. :DB)

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • daveandtrish1967daveandtrish1967 Posts: 27
    Thanks for the help
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