I'm in zone 5 - slightly warmer but not enough to make a difference. My tender plants I pull from the pond and overwinter in the basement under lights. I have an old 'car-topper' that I use for a 'pond' though a kiddie pool should work. Above the cartopper I suspend two 40 watt fluorescent light fixtures. Put them on a timer for about 14 hours a day. Put a pump/filter combination in for water circulation. I use a powerhead from an aquarium undergravel filter with a chunk of sponge attached to it. The plants don't thrive but they do survive. Dwarf papyrus, black taro, and some small palm type plants. Pull the plants from the pond, trim out the dead/dying stems, hose down to get rid of some of the critters, and put in the basement setup. In the spring after all danger of frost transfer back to the pond after trimmimg/pruning out the dead material.

Papyrus is also known to overwinter well inside as a houseplant, in a sunny area of your home, if you keep it moist.

Brenda

Hi Will,

MN z4 here too. Last fall I brought my dwarf papyrus inside, along with a few other 'tropicals'. Kept it in an east facing window (one of my few sunniest) with it's pot in water all the time. Temp in the house 68-70, temp by the window, probably 62. It struggled 'til about Feb and then gave up :(

I think it wanted more sun and more heat. My corkscrew rush, water canna, and Mexican Blue Bells survived.

Just my experience, S

If you sink it, it will die. If you store it in the dark like a deciduous plant, it will die. It needs warmth and light which can be problematic.....

Hi Will,
I too am going to try to overwinter my papyrus...
I bought dwarf papyrus for my pond in June and it is growing very well. I followed the advice from the tech at Wedells and placed it on a plant ledge so that the water level is just at the top of the container.

According to Garry Miller is a landscaper who specializes in aquatic gardening...Dwarf papyrus (Cyperus Haspans), arrowhead (Sagittaria Latifolia) and umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius) will do very well as houseplants provided you keep them very moist (wet) in a well lit location.
I am going to pot mine this afternoon and bring it indoors for the winter:
The Dwarf Papyrus, also known as the Dwarf Egyptian Papyrus is an excellent marshy plant in small pools or when kept as a houseplant. It is the dwarf variety of the Giant Papyrus, and has strong stems reaching up to 30 inches tall with tufted umbrella-like foliage on the end. The tufts are yellow-green and turn a rich bronze in late summer.
Dwarf Papyrus make excellent deck and patio accents when planted in tubs or kettles and set in full sun to partial shade. They have very high moisture needs, so be sure to keep the appropriate amount of water in the pot. Dwarf Papyrus prefers a water depth of 1 to 4 inches over their crowns. They can be invasive if planted directly at the pond edge; they are controllable by placing them in 2-gallon containers before placing them in the water. Spreads 12".

When a stem bends over and touches the water, it will create new plantlets. If you want to speed up this process, cut off flower heads and float them upside down in water. Zones 9-11.

Good luck.
Deboarh

Change out your fluorescent lights for fluorescent grow lights. Regular fluorescent don't have the correct wave lengths to promote growth. Grow fluorescents have a wider spectrum of light. You can find them at any Big Box store.

Robert

We have a sunroom, so we pull them out of the pond, place in a big galvanized tub, place by South facing windows, keep wet....perfect.

I put some of everything into a plastic peanut in the sunroom for the winter. They may look a little puny by the end of winter but they recover quickly and multiply once they are put outside in the pond in spring.