Jan, I can't imagine trying to overwinter my daylilies in a more northerly climate. Two thumbs up for trying at least. Some of what you mentioned has happened to my daylilies while overwintering in my garage which is why failure can be such a great teacher. I have learned not to bring daylilies into the garage until they are dormant (no green foliage showing) and only if it is really necessary. We seldom have prolonged cold spells (single digits), but the smaller pots (8 inches or less) must have more protection then the larger ones when the really frigid temperatures roll in. Once in the garage, I might think about a little spritz of water every couple of weeks or so, but since the roots are mostly dormant, the point is just to keep them from drying out totally. With the first false spring things get interesting. I have learned from hard experience not to let my daylilies grow new foliage inside the protected environment of the garage. It's always kind of weak and spindly and never really recovers the rest of the year. The garage is not a greenhouse. Rather when the new growth starts to sprout I haul the plants out of the garage during the day when the temperatures are warmer and back in at night when they drop again. A pain? Yes, but so are alot of things in the gardening world.....I've seen a couple of people mention using their own dirt from the garden. I just have to tell you my experience would be to never do that. It was a surprise to us a few years ago to find a patch of garden soil badly infested with nemotodes. We also have experienced soil that has suffered from the crown gall bacterium, the water born pathogen Phytophthora, Verticillium wilt and who knows what else that will pop up in the future. You do what seems best to you of course, but you pays your dime and you takes your chances......Dot, I must say again that your pot garden is an inspiration. Rather off topic to this subject, but I seem to remember you saying that you like "Can't Touch This" more then "Parrots of the Caribbean". Seeing your picture of CTT reminded me to ask you if that still holds true and why......Maryl
