I live in Southern Kentucky Zone 6b and grow most of my rain lilies in long narrow fish boxes using waste potting soil. Each box has a separate cultivar or species. I typically put them outside on gravel in spring and apart from removing the odd volunteer and placing it in the correct box a d collecting seeds, i do nothing to them all summer.
They are still outside now in early November. So far we have not has a killing frost, though several were predicted a month back. At that time i covered them with frost blankets ( floating row cover) held down with rocks.
A killing frost is slated for next weekend and i may have to move these into the attached unheated garage. They are currently well hydrated from recent rains.
Before i take them inside i spray the boxes, top and bottoms with Talstar or Safari (whichever i am using at the time) to prevent mealies or other nasties from invading the garage.
In the past, i have placed the long narrow fish boxes full of rainlilies on the concrete garage floor under tables where the only light they receive is ambient or reflected light from T-5 lights on nearby shelves. I do not water them all winter, but they keep growing green leaves until about late winter when the soil is completely dry. The thermometers on the shelves under the lights indicates the garage gets down to about 48-55F (8-10C) at night and can get to 80F (27C) under the lights in the day. I presume the cold concrete floor is colder.
To keep the garage cool the garage doors which face west, are kept opened most days when it is above freezing and sunny (which is most of the time in winter).
Photo of the rain lilies now outside.
They are still outside now in early November. So far we have not has a killing frost, though several were predicted a month back. At that time i covered them with frost blankets ( floating row cover) held down with rocks.
A killing frost is slated for next weekend and i may have to move these into the attached unheated garage. They are currently well hydrated from recent rains.
Before i take them inside i spray the boxes, top and bottoms with Talstar or Safari (whichever i am using at the time) to prevent mealies or other nasties from invading the garage.
In the past, i have placed the long narrow fish boxes full of rainlilies on the concrete garage floor under tables where the only light they receive is ambient or reflected light from T-5 lights on nearby shelves. I do not water them all winter, but they keep growing green leaves until about late winter when the soil is completely dry. The thermometers on the shelves under the lights indicates the garage gets down to about 48-55F (8-10C) at night and can get to 80F (27C) under the lights in the day. I presume the cold concrete floor is colder.
To keep the garage cool the garage doors which face west, are kept opened most days when it is above freezing and sunny (which is most of the time in winter).
Photo of the rain lilies now outside.