Nerine bowdenii - How to overwinter?

Brian Whyer brian.whyer@btinternet.com
Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:29:44 PDT

>Peter Taggart <petersirises@gmail.com> writes
>>Nerines are not keen on being bare rooted, keep it potted. N. bowdenii is
>>hardy to about minus 20 c in the ground, less in a pot.
>
>Would another way of putting this be - Nerine bulbs will not stand 
>temperatures less than zero degrees C, but often the temperature under 
>the ground and under feet of snow does not reach zero degrees.

In both mine and the neighbours garden many bulbs are just below or well exposed on top of the soi, or even of top of each otherl. Last year I went down to -14C as a minimum, and several nights <-5C, and over the years they will have been surrounded by snow for days and occasionally weeks on end.
So yes the bulbs can be frozen, but to what temperature and for how long I have no idea. I would think the biggest risk is the roots being torn from the base of the bulb by frost heave, and consequential rots setting in.
A friend of mine living ~150' higher, and colder and wetter, has had a tub of nerines by his front door for a number of years. Don't think they flower very well and they are probably rarely fed, but they are very much alive.
 
Brian Whyer, Buckinghamshire, England, zone ~8'ish



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