Overwintering Tender Plants
Written by David Rodgers — Updated March 2026
Save your dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, and tropical container plants from frost — and bring them back bigger next year for free.
Tender plants — tropicals, non-hardy bulbs, and frost-sensitive perennials — represent a significant investment of time and money, and most of them can be saved and regrown year after year with the right overwintering approach. Dahlia tubers dug in fall and stored in barely-damp vermiculite will grow into the same vigorous clumps next summer. Cannas, elephant ears, caladiums, and gladiolus corms all follow similar logic: dry them, store them cool and dark, and replant after your last frost date. Container tropicals like hibiscus, mandevilla, and bougainvillea can be brought indoors as dormant plants, kept barely alive through winter, and cut back hard in early spring to rebound vigorously.
What This Guide Covers
Success hinges on timing — dig too early and tubers are underdeveloped; dig after a hard freeze and rot may have already started. Each plant type has specific moisture requirements during storage: dahlia tubers need just enough humidity to prevent shriveling but not enough to rot, while canna rhizomes tolerate slightly drier conditions. Geraniums (Pelargonium) can be overwintered three ways — as bare-root dormant plants in paper bags, as cuttings rooted under lights, or as potted plants kept in a cool bright window. The full guide covers dig timing by first-frost date, storage container choices, how to check on stored tubers mid-winter, and which plants are worth overwintering versus which are cheaper to replace from seed.
A comprehensive, in-depth guide covering overwintering methods for dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, gladiolus, geraniums, begonias, caladiums, and tropical container plants — including storage conditions, mid-winter checks, and spring reawakening — is currently in development. Subscribe to the Planting Atlas newsletter to be notified when the full guide publishes.
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About the Author
David Rodgers is the Founder & Head Gardener of Planting Atlas. With over 40 years of hands-on gardening experience in Oklahoma's Zone 7 climate, he researches, writes, and personally tests every guide on the site.
David draws from real backyard trials, soil testing, and trusted sources like Oklahoma State University Extension and USDA data to deliver practical, zone-specific advice that actually works.
Read more about David and Planting Atlas →