Saving Container Plants

Enjoy your favorite container plants year after year! From geraniums to fuchsias and beyond, many container plants can be overwintered and enjoyed again the next season. Alice and Brian McGowan offer simple techniques for overwintering a variety of common tender perennial plants based on what kind of dormancy the plants go through in their native environment. With a plant-by-plant guide for quick reference, this Storey BASICS® guide will inspire you to create a stunningly varied container garden that comes to life every spring.  Keep beloved plants coming back for years to come with expert methods for storing and caring for frost-intolerant greenery through the coldest months.

 
For 18 years, Alice and Brian McGowan owned and operated Blue Meadow Farm, a specialty nursery that was well known for its selection of unusual tender plants. Brian is now the assistant director of horticulture at Wave Hill and Alice is a freelance garden writer. The couple lives in Hyde Park, New York.


For 18 years, Alice and Brian McGowan owned and operated Blue Meadow Farm, a specialty nursery that was well known for its selection of unusual tender plants. Brian is now the assistant director of horticulture at Wave Hill and Alice is a freelance garden writer. The couple lives in Hyde Park, New York.

EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW



Enjoy year after year of blooming beauty from the tender perennials you grow in containers. Benefiting from the overwintering techniques explained by plant experts Alice and Brian McGowan, many of your favorite summer plants, such as dahlias, fuchsias, and geraniums, will survive winter's unfavorable conditions, and you'll save on your plant purchases the following spring. A detailed plant-by-plant guide provides easy reference to more than 100 popular container perennials.



Part 1: Gardening with Tenders



What Is a Tender Perennial?

Selecting Which Plants to Keep

Why Grow Tenders?



Part 2: Overwintering Your Plants



Overwintering 101

Sunny & Warm

Cool & Bright

Dark & Damp

The Importance of Temperature

Setting Up Your Site

Preventing Pest Problems

Specific Pests and Diseases

Spring: The Transition

Storing Plants Outdoors



Part 3: The Tender Palette



Quick Tips for Overwintering

Plant By Plant

Sources for Plants and Seeds

Index