I looked up all 3 and they are perennials. One site I looked up actually recommended lemon verbena as a houseplant in the winter (it will likely lose its leaves upon first being brought in, but will then regrow them). Clary sage is a biennial or short-lived perennial, so it might not be as successful. So in theory, yes, that should work. You will want to look up their minimum temperatures to see if they're better suited to the barn or the house.

If they were indeed annuals, you couldn't keep them over the winter, as the life cycle of an annual is "grow, flower, seed, die".

boy i swear you asked this exact question a few weeks back ... might want to peruse down a few pages ....

first.. according to its name.. you can not make an ANNUAL ... live longer than one year ... otherwise its not an ANNUAL ... dont you think.. lol ... and many annuals... simply will not root ...

soooo.. you have to research which plants that are z5 annuals.. are actually warmer zone perennials ... and it is those that most likely can be rooted and survive ...'

many roots .. can be stored in the root cellar [begonia, calla, canna, etc ] .... but i am not sure you are going to get a lot of non bulb plants to winter over in the cold dark .... [geranium seems to be some weird exception] ...

i look forward to others disagreeing .... since i have never had a root seller.. and am going on gut reaction only ...

now.. if you were to set up a light stand in a spare room.. you just might get somewhere ... with perennials ...

ken

Fuschia and tender roses can also be held over in a cold, dark space, and I assume many other tender perennials, too. The trick is to have the space both cold enough and dark enough for the plant to go dormant, but not so cold as to kill it.

We need to remember, ken, the differences among those plants classified as perennials. Some go fully dormant as soon as they are touched by frost or short days. These plants will either die back completely TO THE GROUND or they will simply drop their leaves. Their root systems, however, are charged and ready to go come spring.

Yes, some are hardy (such as Echinacea) while others are tender (like Lantana).

Such plants, and there are thousands of varieties, don't even like being kept in an eternal growing state and actually require a dormancy.

The root systems of most plants serve as storage organs. That's even listed as one of the 4 functions of roots, speaking in terms of plant physiology. Even though most aren't bulbs or tubers, they still have a very important storage capacity. It's those stored carbon (energy) reserves that are re-metabolized in the spring so that dormant plants of all kinds (herbaceous perennials, shrubs, trees) can burst with new growth.

I have tried roses nearly every year and end up losing at least half of them. I put them in my little attached-to-the-house unheated greenhouse which has a dirt floor. Last year we had so much snow and ice that I did not get out there regularly to water them. Those that were closer to the door were the ones that didn't make it. I think I need to do more to protect the root systems but not sure how. The best luck I have had has been to put them in my raised beds about halfway up the pot. Does anybody know? Don't mean to highjack your post, and if necessry will make a new post. Thanks. - Barb

Since this thread is about tender annuals, you may want to post this in the Rose Forum, or in the Perennials Forum. Just a suggestion to help you get the most 'band for your buck'.