Due to its origin, the lemon verbena is a typical tub plant for the local latitude and should be well protected over the winter months as it is not hardy. It can withstand temperatures down to -5° Celsius for a short time, but the local winters often look different. And snowfall, which can cover the plants in the garden for weeks, should not be underestimated here. The following article explains the correct overwintering.

Cultivate in a bucket

If you want to enjoy your Aloysia triphylla for a long time, you should cultivate the plant in a bucket immediately after purchase. This does not necessarily have to find a place on the balcony or terrace, in summer, when no more frosty nights are to be expected, the lemon verbena can also move outside in its pot in the garden. However, cultivation in the bucket is a good measure to initiate winterization measures later in the year. Of course, the plant can also be planted out in the garden, but then it is questionable whether it will survive the next winter. This is how the lemon verbena can survive at the following temperatures:

  • down to -5 °C for several weeks
  • only in dry cold
  • Snowfall with a closed snow cover is deadly
  • a single night with temperatures down to -10 °C
  • then immediately accommodate them in a frost-free place

Although the lemon verbena does not freeze immediately at a short-term low temperature, it should nevertheless be protected immediately in such a case. And even if snowfall is announced, the bucket with the plant should be taken to a dry and frost-free place.

Aloysia triphylla should be cultivated in a bucket immediately after purchase.

preparation

If Aloysia triphylla is to overwinter in a frost-free place, then it should be prepared for this. Before she moves, lemon verbena should be pruned back. For this purpose, all shoots are cut to about 20 cm above the ground. Fertilization was stopped completely in early autumn. Over the winter, the plant only needs to be watered moderately so that the roots do not dry out. The pruning guaranteed low water consumption.

The right moment

In order for the lemon verbena to survive the winter well, it is important to find the right time to initiate hibernation. The plant survives a few days with a few sub-zero temperatures at night without freezing to death because it is conditionally hardy. Nevertheless, you should act quickly when the first frosty nights occur in autumn, the timing of which can vary from year to year. The hobby gardener's instincts are also required here.

winter locations

A warm living room or other place in the home is not ideal for wintering. Even if the plant is easier to control in this way, a bright and warm place is not suitable in winter, because the plant needs rest. The ideal locations for wintering look like this:

  • dark
  • cool
  • high humidity
  • Frost free
  • basement or garage
  • garden house

However, the plant should not be given a place in a boiler room. It's too warm and too dry here. The basement room for the winter should therefore be as far away from the boiler room as possible. A humidifier can also be placed near the plant to keep the humidity high.

After hibernation

After wintering, the plant needs to be prepared for spring. This should ideally start in the late winter months. So Aloysia triphylla is now moved to a brighter and warmer place. Here it is supplied with fertilizer for the first time, and more is now being poured. Then proceed as follows:

  • put outside on warm days
  • protect from direct sunlight
  • otherwise the tender leaves and shoots will burn
  • sheltered place on the terrace or balcony
  • bring back inside for the nights

Only when no more frosty nights are to be expected after the ice saints in mid-May can the lemon verbena move completely outdoors to its summer location.

Hibernation outdoors

Overwinter in tubs outdoors

If no suitable location is available for the winter, Aloysia triphylla can also be protected from frost in a bucket outdoors. The preparation and timing for this remain the same. Otherwise, the bucket is prepared for the frosty time as follows:

  • Push the bucket into a protected corner
  • covered terrace or balcony
  • Avoid sun exposure even in winter
  • place on styrofoam or a thick wooden board
  • Wrap the bucket with plant fleece or brushwood
  • put a thick layer of mulch on the soil
  • Also cover the plant well with plant fleece

Protected in this way, the plant needs to be watered a little on frost-free days so that the roots do not dry out completely. If it gets warmer, the lemon verbena can be freed from the plant fleece during the day, but must be further protected at night until May. The plant, which is only partially hardy, is now also fertilized regularly.

Overwinter in the garden bed

There are certainly areas in the local latitudes that have a warmer climate even in winter. Here the plants can also be planted in the garden bed and overwintered here at the same time. However, every year it is a question of whether this will also succeed. Still, it's worth a try. The following procedure should be followed when spending the winter outdoors:

  • Cut back all shoots to about 20 cm
  • Mulch the soil thickly all around
  • Lay brushwood mats on the floor
  • Protect the plant all around with plant fleece

If a square shelter is built from plant fleece and several narrow wooden beams, it is easier to get the plant out of hibernation in spring. Because then this protection can be removed during the day if necessary and put back on for the night. The plant, on the other hand, has the opportunity to form new shoots undisturbed under this protection.

Category:

Vegetable garden