I'd plant the monarda now (or at least half of it) and hold the lavender until spring. It's good growing weather for both until the ground freezes solid, but the lavender will resent wet soil.

It won't hurt to leave the monarda in a jug all winter - but the transitional season tends to be a good time for it to root in the big garden.

Frost itself isn't an issue for either - it just prunes them back a bit and helps them bush up.

I agree - I think I would plant the monarda now (or at least some of it) and overwinter the lavender and any remaining monarda in the jugs. Or maybe you can replant into a bigger container. But I wouldn't leave it outside. Let it go dormant and then bring into an unheated garage where it can remain dormant until spring. You might have to water once or twice during the winter (probably only once if you water when you bring it in - and watch the watering with the lavender).

I've had winter-sown perennials spend several winters in the same jug in my garage! In particular some columbines and rudbeckias that I just never got around to planting. Just threw the jug bottom with the plants in the garage with the rest of my potted perennials and they made it through winter.

Dee

I sink jugs of seedlings into the ground in my vegetable garden and cover with mulch when the ground has frozen. Haven't tried over wintering the jugs in the unheated garage though have overwintered many plants in pots in the garage.

Thank you all very much! I've had some Achillea (sp) make it through the winter and grow like crazy in the spring, however each individual plant was already planted in it's own styrofoam cup. They sat on a semi covered deck all winter (I forgot about them). I've never done this with a carpet of babies in a jug before. Right now I have 15 perennial sunflower plants about 5" tall that are also in individual pots - they don't look so hot - I think they got too wet. Should I plant those as well or let them go dormant? I'll plant some of the monarda this weekend and mulch well.

If I have the time, I plant all hardy perennials out in the garden once the ground is not frozen. If I don't have time (and that happens very often) I just sink the container in the ground until spring. Perennials treated like this usually flower the summer after planting. I had some beautiful blooms of Gaillardia this year from seedlings sunk in the ground over last winter. Your perennial sunflowers should be fine if planted out now. It's very hard to kill them once you plant them.

Any suggestions on perennial salvia or coreopsis? I have a few of each still in jugs that I just didn't get around to planting. They seem to be doing fine -- they're all in individual containers but they were too tiny in the spring to plant. Right now I'm thinking I'll just leave them where they are over the winter.

Thanks in advance.

Caryl

I still have quite a few small pots of native perennials grown from seed last winter and was wondering what to do with them. I think I will overwinter them in my unheated garage and see what happens in the spring. If the weather was better for working outside, I would plant a few more in the ground, but it has been so cold and rainy the last several days. Thanks for the advice given on this thread.

I would not put them in the garage..I would leave them outside in the pots. I do this with over 300 perennials. They fare fine with the snow and rain.it's being dry to long in a pot that does them in.

In my unheated garage the plants will remain frozen until it warms in the spring. I never water them. Even during our January thaw the closed garage keeps the pot frozen.

This post was edited by mnwsgal on Tue, Oct 29, 13 at 0:04