How Can I Overwinter A Kimberly Queen Fern Without Bringing…
Peg Asked
How can I overwinter a Kimberly Queen fern without bringing it inside?
The pot is too heavy and I have no room to keep it inside. Can you wrap it in plastic? I’m in Zone 7B.
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Peg It is always nice to be able to overwinter our tropicals and the Kimberly Queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata) is certainly a tropical. Hardy to USDA hardiness zone 9 this fern will unfortunately not survive the winter temperatures of your 7B zone. Is it possible to have someone help you bring it into a basement or heated garage? If not you could build or purchase an inexpensive mini greenhouse or hoop house to protect your fern in for the winter months. Unfortunately it is not as simple as just wrapping it in plastic. We have to make certain that no cold air gets under the plant as well. If this is the only plant you would like to overwinter it may not be worth going to the expense or trouble to do so. It may be just as easy to purchase another fern next spring. On the other hand if there are other plants you would like to keep you could build a simple hoop house with shade cloth or plastic sheeting, rebar stakes, and PVC tubing. Another thought would be to call around to your local garden centers to see if this is a service they offer. Sometimes for a small fee you can hire them to look after your fern in their greenhouse until the frost-free date for your area passes. Or maybe a friend has space to overwinter it for you.
