What do I with young perennial plants in November?

Hello
Would appreciate help. I have just received some hardy but young perennial plants from J Parkers (Verbena, Agastache, Nepeta, Achillea, Verbascum). The roots are about 2'' wide and 2'' deep. Last year I put similar plugs straight into the garden and they all died over winter, so I was thinking of potting them up and keeping them in a frost free unheated greenhouse for the winter. But the instructions that came with the plants seems to give dire warnings against this: "Putting hardy plants in a greenhouse over winter does not protect them, in fact it weakens and disorientates them. It often encourages premature weak growth, which... causes plant mortality. Protection outdoors by putting clear polythene has the same effect." (which is why I put them all in the garden last year, although I had doubts even then.)
Should I just ignore the warning and pot them up and keep them frost free until, say, March or April?

 

Hi @tessen and welcome to GC.
I would go with your instincts, pot them up and leave in the GH.

 

I'd pot them up tessen and keep them frost free...seen as they are young plants....unless we get some real unusually warm weather they won't put on much growth anyway....you'll need to keep an eye on them but IMHO they wouldn't stand a chance over winter outdoors

 

Thanks much for the quick replies. I would feel happier not planting them out (especially as I have cold clay soil) but you've given me the confidence that I'm not necessarily torturing the plants by doing that... I wish the instructions were more helpful for the beginners!

 

I have about 35 9cm of perennials geum, potentilla and lychnis x Arkwright in the GH that I wouldn't dream of putting out until at least March/April.
Don't worry they should be fine in the GH

 

Can't really say more than has been said. I'd keep them in the greenhouse. Just remember to keep checking on them. They wont need much water over winter but at the same time, they mustn't be allowed to dry out.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I consider the moment I realised that instructions that come with plants are almost always total rubbish, was one of my major milestones in my quest to master the green art.

Welcome to GC by the way @tessen

 

Lots of sensible advice already given.
I don't have a greenhouse and with potted up perennials I generally overwinter them in the most sheltered part of the garden (nasty wind can be fatal) where there is plenty of light.
One other possibillity is heeling them into the ground in their pots if you have a suitable area (I've heeled mine into a spare bit of my raised veg beds in the past). Mine usually come through just fine either way. One other thing, don't overwater them.

Good luck.
GG

 

Parkers advice would have made far more sense if they had added the word 'heated' before greenhouse.

 

I bet that's because Parker's and the likes only have top of the range heated, artificially lit greenhouses, where as some of us have 6x4 plastic blowaways

 

Remember to air the g/house over the winter as they'll not appreciate a cool damp environment.

 

Thanks so much everyone, I have now potted them up and will try not to drown them over winter