Wintering Hardies

[GarryT]

Well it's that time of year again Time to bring the GF indoors to their winter tank before it gets too much colder and unpleasant. Our day time temps are averaging around 9C (48F) with lows at night just around or dipping slightly below 0C (32F). Strangely enough even with the cold  (45F) water temperature the lilies are still nice and green but obviously not blooming. Last year they were dormant by this time but we have had a very late (and short) summer this year so perhaps they are holding on as long as they can. Last winter I brought the potted lilies indoors and plopped them the winter tank and they did quite well, even blooming through December & January! Unfortunately this year with the GF substantially larger & increased in numbers , there is no room for the potted lilies so I want to "store" them if possible. I've read some recommendations on how to do this but would like to see if there are any particular methods that people here have tried with success. At $25 a pop or more, I want to ensure that they make it to next spring! The lilies have grown to the point where they are totally pot bound, I assume I can divide them next season.

....Garry

[EagleEye]

Gary, I'm about to do the same thing within the next week or so. My hardies get chopped off and sunk to the bottom of the pond. (where they normally sit) My pond is not 2' deep and I have been doing that forever. Haven't lost one yet.
It doesn't freeze solid, but most of the way for sure.

Steve

[marla]

Like Steve says, if they are Hardy lilies you can leave them in the pond as long as the pond is deep enough and does not freeze solid.  I have lilies that sit in 18" of water and do as well as the ones in 30" of water.  Trim them back to the crown, and yes if they are rootbound, next spring would be a good time to divide.

[GarryT]

Thanks for the advice folks ....unfortunately here in zone 2B my 2' deep pond freezes right to the bottom. Frost depth here is around 5-6' depending on snow cover. So I need an indoors storage method, hopefully something not requiring large tubs of water.

[marla]

Yes, you are a bit colder then my zone 4.  Tropical lilies can be removed from the dirt and placed in ziploc bags contining damp (not wet) sand and then stored in a dry dark place.  I'm not positive but maybe you could also do this with hardy lily tubers.  Otherwise all I can think of is placing them in rubbermaid type containers, a large one can hold pretty many 10" pots, you would not have to heat them but a light should be on sometime.

[andi_mn]

hi. oh, arent we all going to miss our ponds, fish, and lilys over the winter! i cant imagine living somewhere where the pond is there year round. (wouldnt it be lovely) i am glad you asked this question. my pond here is 3' deep and freezes solid. i pull all my lilys, cut them back, hose all the muck off and place them in a big plastic container . then comes the puzzle...what to put on them to keep them moist without rotting..for the last couple of years i have used leaves and just checked on them once in awhile and added moisture. there really has to be a more professional way. so hoping for suggestions for those of us who Have to bring them in.
andi in minnesota wishing it was almost spring.

[Desertponder]

I tried to overwinter hardy tubers using the sand/baggie method last winter. It did not turn out well at all. I had them stored inside an old non-running fridge in the garage and most of them froze. I couldn't believe they froze in there. So that was a disaster. The year before I moved several of my smaller stock tanks into the garage and stacked the lilies in them for the winter. They didn't freeze in there but several of them rotted. I think they didn't get enough circulation and light.
This year I am going to try some in my basement. It doesn't freeze and I'm going to try the sand/baggie method again. Success seems to be all about the correct temperature. It needs to be cold enough that they stay dormant but yet not freezing.

[Bartman]

Wintering hardy lilies in shallow ponds in Canada.
I have done this for year and it works, but not everyone has the storing ability.

Take out the pot and chop off all pads and bud stems.
Put in a black plastic garbage bag and tie the top shut.
Store in either a root cellar, spare fridge or a cold, dark room in the basement.

Do not touch until next spring when you can put them back in the pond in April or May depending on how the weather is.

Bart

[GarryT]

Thanks Bart ....I'll give it a try this winter. I transferred one small lily pot and all into the indoors GF tank. Perhaps I'll have luck again in having lily blooms by xmas as I did last year. The other hardy lilies are way too big for the winter tank so they'll be going into the fridge for a winter nap. We had a very disappointing lily season here this year. A late spring cool spring and a way too short and late summer. Only twice did the water temperature top 21C and most of the time it was 16 - 18C ....not very good for lily growth. The water lettuce on the other hand ....I couldn't give it away fast enough & ended up composting several handfulls every week! The leaves for the most part are all down now, not even a glimpse of snow yet (touch wood) but I'm sure it's only a matter of a week or so now before we get our first snow fall.

Oh, well there's always next year 

....Garry

[Bartman]

I hear ya.  Summer was generally cool here as well.  No where near the number of blooms I would normally get.  Always next year I guess.

Bart

[Vickie]

For years untill I had ponds I brought hardy lilies inside and put in buckets of water and also in kiddy ponds in water in my basement. I used to have container water gardens that I took the water out of in the winter. My basement gets about 50* at the coldest and I have windows. They lived.