Question
Hello - I have successfully rooted stem cuttings of my toad lilies in water!  I have moved some into soil pots, and I have another in a vase, both are still indoors.  Should I be moving them outside to my garden?  I'm in NJ, and I'm wondering if my new plants will survive the winter.  If not, can I grow them as indoor plants?  Thanks so much.

Answer
Shade-loving Tricyrtis hirta ('Hairy Toad Lily') can be propagated with root or stem cuttings or by dividing clumps.  Ideally, you would take your cuttings earlier in the Summer so that they would have a chance to get established before going dormant.

But life is not always so simple.

You have 2 choices.

Figure these are very hardy plants, on a good day, but the young specimens you are growing are probably somewhat vulnerable.  Grow them now until they go dormant in your warmest micro-climate.  When the ground freezes, mulch them heavily with layers of branches and leaves for the Winter.  Remove in Spring when growth resumes.  This should keep them going in a natural cycle without putting them through too much of a chill, which we know can get pretty bad for at least a few days during the coldest part of the year and will give these plants a run for their money.

Alternately, you can grow them in a very cool location 'indoors', unheated but un-freezing, for the Winter of 2008-09.  It is important that they go dormant for optimal health.  It is also very difficult to do this in the state of New Jersey.  But maybe you can pull it off.

I vote for Option #1.

This plant is hardy in Zones 3 through 9 (Northern Florida, which gets a few weeks of freezing weather each Winter).

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER