Old Man Winter is officially here & making his way all over the nation.

We bring out blankets from the attic/ storage to stay warm and often neglect winterizing outdoor plants. Bring container plants inside. Wrap flowering shrubs with burlap or build an "A" frame to ptotect the leaves. Spread a layer or 2 of mulch at the base of the plants to help insulate, control water and temperature. Stake around your shrubs & other plants, that cant withstand severly cold weather, winds or frost, with burlap or landscape fabric.

17 Comments

Steve G Fort Collins, CO

Good tips, but I'm not sure anything that isn't particularly hardy could survive this winter. We've had snow on the ground and few days above 40 since before Halloween, which is unusual in the Colorado Front Range (despite our reputation as a really snowy place).

on Dec 28, 2011 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

I have spent many a late fall day putting burlap around plants. It was mainly a defense against winter browsing by deer, but also to help protect evergreens from winter winds.

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 0
Erica Glasener Atlanta, GA

If you live where winter temps can be severe these are good tips. But keep in mind, the right plant for the right place will cut down on plants that need winter protection. Fortunately in Zone 7 we can grow shrubs and trees that even bloom in winter! My Daphne odora is beginning to bloom.

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 0
Lillian S Round Rock, TX

Thank you! These are basic tips in a nutshell,

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 0
David S Fayetteville, GA

I HAVE LIVED IN ZONE 7 ALL MY LIFE AND OTHER THAN BRINGING IN CONTAINERS , I DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR THE OTHER WINTERIZING .IN FACT , I'VE HAD 2 KIMBERLEY QUEEN FERNS AND 2 MAJESTY PALMS OUT .......HOWEVER , IF THE FORECAST HOLDS , I'LL HAVE TO BRING THEM IN BY TUESDAY .

on Dec 29, 2011 · Like 0
Pam Y Chicago, IL

You have to be very careful when you bring in your plants from the outside because of small bugs that have gotten into the soil. Before I bring plants in I remove them from there outside soil, wash down the roots and transplant into my indoor soil. I am zone 5. What I did this summer is clean off and bring in a cannas as I feel it just starts to grow here and then we have to bring them in. It's growing beautiful indoors every year I just love to experiment with a new plant to see how it grows inside as well as out.

on Dec 31, 2011 · Like 0
David S Fayetteville, GA

PAM Y .....THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS . ONE YEAR I BROUGHT A VERY LARGE FERN INSIDE AND HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT SURVIVING IN A BRIGHT AREA OF MY KITCKEN DINING AREA......WELL , WHILE STILL INSIDE , I TOOK THE PLANT OUT OF THE CONTAINER TO TRY SOME MAGIC AND LO AND BEHOLD THERE WAS A LIZARD AS SHOCKED AS ME . I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE POT TO THE BACK DOOR AND FLIPPED THE LIZARD OUT . HE JUST LOOKED AT ME WITH AMAZEMENT ! NOW , MY OUTDOOR CONTAINERS GET PUT IN THE GARAGE , WHERE THE TEMP SELDOM GETS BELOW 40 DEGREES .

on Dec 31, 2011 · Like 0
Pam Y Chicago, IL

Hi David,
All I had was gnats and ants, had I seen anything that big I think I would have fainted but you never know whats living on the bottom of your outdoor plants until you bring them in. I have limited what I bring in and what I need to part with and although it's hard sometimes it's not worth what you bring in that can effect your other indoor plants.

on Jan 02, 2012 · Like 0
Patricia M Saint Louis, MO

Dumb question: Does anyone know I can prolong the life of poinsettas?
STL weather isn't conductive to anything much outside, but the few things I do have inside I'd like to keep as long as possible...Happy New Year !!!

on Jan 02, 2012 · Like 0
David S Fayetteville, GA

PATRICIA M . ........MY BROTHER , WHO LIVES IN ZONE 7 , PLACES HIS INSIDE WITH GROW LAMPS ON TIMERS AND IN THE LATE SPRING PLANTS THE POINSETTIA IN THE GROUND . IT GROWS INTO A BEAUTIFUL GREEN BUSH . HE THEN , IN LATE FALL , LETS THE FROST TAKE CARE OF IT .

on Jan 02, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

Patricia, keeping a poinsettia going inside is a challenging prospect, and getting it to "bloom" again is even more so, basically requiring putting the plant in a closet for at least 12 hours a night beginning in September. If you want to give it a try, however, here are pointers from the University of Illinois Extension Service:
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia/refl...

on Jan 03, 2012 · Like 0
Patricia M Saint Louis, MO

Thanks guys, wow, that will really be a challenge for my not so green thumb. I'll see what I can do...they are pretty still

on Jan 05, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

Good luck, Patricia.

on Jan 06, 2012 · Like 1
Pam Y Chicago, IL

Hi Patricia, I have a semi-green thumb and sometimes it still doesn't work. One year I just kept it alive which is a tall order and then I brought it outside. It's still had red leaves but they were small and it got a different shape but still it was alive. It depends were you buy it so if it dies it might not be your fault. The home centers get them from the nursery so once they get into the stores there actually harmed because they went from nice and warm to a colder climate. So ...»
don't get down on yourself if it doesn't make it. I'm trying right now to keep my alive as mine came straight from the florist. Good luck and just have fun with it.

on Jan 06, 2012 · Like 0
Patricia M Saint Louis, MO

Thank you, Pam, for your encouragement and info...yep, got mine at Home Depot---(hide) probably not the greatest florists?? lol, I'll try tho :)

on Jan 06, 2012 · Like 0
Pam Y Chicago, IL

It's sad for me to say this but my poinsettia didn't make it. My problem, I believe is I water too much. The same plants still at church are still alive. There getting next to no light and there hardly watered. So it's made me to believe I over watered mine. Will I buy them again next year probably because I love them over the holidays. I do however have a crown of thorns getting ready to flower. That plant don't like to be water either so I've been staying away from it.

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

Don't be too hard on yourself, Pam. It's really a challenge to keep poinsettias alive indoors, and the chances that the ones at your church will actually make it to next Christmas and turn red again are almost nil. Overwatering is problem the No. 1 cause of indoor plant trouble. Good luck with your crown of thorns.

on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0

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Old Man Winter is officially here & making his way all over the nation.

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