Overwintering container plants

[LauraLG]

Hello! I wasn’t really sure where to put this thread so hopefully this forum works out well. I need some advice on how to overwinter my container perennials. I’m in zone 5b so we get pretty cold and this year we had a late frost in mid May (so frustrating). We also get tons of snow. I have a raspberry bush (dwarf variety), begonias, and I’ll have a micro miniature rose bush as well. I have a couple of hanging plants with perennials that I’d like to have a go at overwintering, though I’m not sure how well it will go. I don’t have a place where I can bury the pots through winter nor do I have a place where I can keep the temperature between 30-40 degrees (Fahrenheit). I do have 2 barns and a shed to keep my plants out of the elements. Any advice on how I can set up a good overwintering space for my plants? Any other tips for container gardening are much appreciated! I’d love to do more of this. Thank you!

 

[thistlebloom]

Keeping them in your barn should work out just fine. I don't think you need to do anything special if you have them inside. The main thing is not letting the soil get dried out. If you let them go dormant before storing them, and give them a watering before the soil freezes they should be able to survive the low temps. The exception would be the begonias. I'm only familiar with lifting and storing tuberous begonias, which is pretty basic and simple, but there aren't any begonia species that can survive being overwintered outdoors in a container, so those need to be treated differently than your other perennials.
Raspberries and roses are tough and should come through great.
I have overwintered container perennials in my uninsulated garage in zone 5 just fine. I did set them in an open cardboard box, but that was mostly to keep the pots from directly being in contact with the cement floor, and I don't know if it even mattered.

Best wishes for saving your flowers for another season!