How to care for my plants that have survived the year?

Heather Kuder
by Heather Kuder

Abt my outdoor plants and covering them for winter! Last year I not really knowing what I was doing I had a peace Lilly & ubiquitous bushes they where still very small so I racked up leaves all around them and covered over on top with a old T-shirt and then put a plastic bucket and heavy rocks on top bucket! Surprisely they all survived the winter and sure it helped with fact we normally don't get much of a winter here in Spfd mo! My nabor was shocked on mainly the peace Lilly that it made it! So my Q is on my plants I have now witch are more then last year! Doing the covering like I explained would it be better for plants to be in the ground or in a planter pot? Witch way would keep them warmer?

Sure everyone saying we'll bring them in the house! Well I have 5 cats and I can't even have a vases of flowers and keep them from wanting to munch on them!

Hope this not too confusing!?

  3 answers
  • Well, you did good! What I would do would be to Google each plant you have and find out exactly how to care for them. Or give us a list here and we can tell you what to do.


    You can find out what zone you are in here:


    http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/


    You can train your cats, I have 6 rescue cats and I taught them from the get go that the plants were off limits. Sure a few plants were knocked over, but they all survived and now the cats could care less. Takes time and patience.


    Not knowing what you have, I would move into pots and place in your garage, porch, shed, lean to wherever they are protected. You can always cover individually or as a whole with clear plastic with holes poked into it so they can breathe and not mold.

  • Linda Sikut Linda Sikut on Aug 09, 2018

    Hi Heather,

    Normally plants survive best in their Hardiness Zone, which for Springfield MO is Zone 6. The lower the number the colder the zone. Peace Lilies live best in Zone 11 - 12 so your bucket trick worked to keep them alive. Most likely planting that type of plant in dirt would be better than in a pot if you are leaving it outside, but you are always taking a chance that the plant won't survive the winter. It did this time, which is great; however if you have a colder winter they might not make it.


    As to your other plants, it's best to look up their winter care so you know what to do with each plant. Some plants need to go cold & dormant in the winter in order to bloom in the summer so you need them to die down and get cold. Other plants slow growth in cooler weather but don't need the cold period in order to bloom and some plants need to be kept warm or they will die. Horticulturists do recommend taking that a type of plant that needs a higher Hardiness Zone indoors in the winter if you're in a lower Hardiness Zone. You did get lucky so I can see where you'd be tempted to use your trick on all of your plants.

    Here's a link to look up your Hardiness Zone:

    http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/


    Then I suggest looking up each type of plant to find out the best way to winter over those plants in your Zone. Wishing you success.

    Linda

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Aug 16, 2018

    Hi Heather! Your question about pots or soil is a good one that lots of people may not think about. Plants in a pot in the winter are much more easily affected by the cold than in the soil. In the soil, the roots are protected and in pots they are not. A cold or freezing wind or even air temp will go through the pot to the soil and freeze the roots. I have had no problems with Hostas dying in my zone 4 area, but one year I planted some in a huge half wine barrel. I mulched the soil heavily in the fall, but every one of the plants, even the center ones survived. They froze and were mush when spring came. I would, if they are perennials, leave them in the ground if they are good for your zone, otherwise you can pot them and take them into the house or protected garage. I have a hybrid cat and four dogs that don't hurt plants, they ignore them. Get a couple of cheap houseplants now, spray them with hot sauce and your cats will learn not to touch them, by fall it should be safe to bring in your plants for the winter that need to come in. I bring in numerous plants each year, mostly tropical hibiscus plants that survive just fine with a grow light in my south facing back room. I have eight pots of hibiscus, from small enough to put three in a window box, to over twelve inch pots. Our fur babies seem to care less about them, even the hanging plants that almost reach the floor.