Montbretia loves the summer heat and blooms particularly beautifully in hot years. However, winter is not at all comfortable for the delicate garden beauties. If you live in a region where there is a risk of severe ground frost, it is better to overwinter the Montbretias, which are only hardy to a limited extent, indoors.
How can Montbretia overwinter successfully?
Montbretias can be overwintered indoors by carefully digging them up in autumn and storing the rhizomes in a cool, dark and frost-free place. In mild regions, winter protection with a layer of leaves or mulch and untrimmed foliage of the plants is sufficient.
Dig up Montbretia in autumn
In areas with a harsh climate, the stolons, the underground storage organs of the Montbretia, must be carefully excavated. Proceed as follows:
- Prick the soil with a digging fork at a sufficient distance from the tubers.
- Lift the plaice carefully so as not to damage the stolons.
- Select tubers with as much adhering garden soil as possible.
- Unlike many onion plants, be sure to leave soil on the rhizomes so that they do not dry out.
- Check Montbretien and substrate for pest infestation and only store perfect tubers.
Store the tubers in a dark, cool and frost-free place. A basement room (€49.00 on Amazon) or the garage is well suited.
Provide winter protection in mild regions
If, on the other hand, you live in an area where it doesn't get colder than minus ten degrees in winter, you can also overwinter the Montbretia outdoors. In this case, do not cut back the Montbretia, because the above-ground parts of the plant serve as natural protection against the cold.
Apply a generous layer of leaves or mulch over the tubers and leaves, which you also weigh down with brushwood to prevent the warming blanket from blowing away. Since the plant material is permeable to air, oxygen can pass through it unhindered and rot is effectively prevented.
Tip
If you want to overwinter the Montbretias indoors, we recommend using plant containers. These not only protect the Montbretien from vole browsing, but can also be removed from the ground in their entirety in the fall. The potting soil can remain in the baskets to protect the rhizomes.
