How to bring plants inside for winter?

One thing I learned the hard way was to make sure there are no ants/bugs in the soil. You can take them out of their pots and shake off all the dirt, wash the plant in water - roots and all and put new potting soil in. Also wash the pot well. You could also spray the dirt with ant/bug killer. If the plant has never been indoors, make sure you will be putting it in a spot that gets the same light it did outside. Oh and when spring comes, wait as long as possible to putthem ouotside to be sure you won't get any more frost/cold nights. I had a beautiful Hibiscus that I brought inside for the winter (that's was where I learned about the bugs). I was able to keep it all winter and in the beginning of the spring I put it outside and we had a late frost that killed it. We live in NJ. Next time I do this, I will wait till much later in spring.

Elizabeth, you should prep them for this a couple of weeks before you bring them in by slowly introducing them to the conditions where they will be spending the winter. It helps to put them on trays with wheels so they can be wheeled in and out a few hours a day before coming in for good. You should do the reverse next spring - ease them into going outside full time.

Look up how to prune each plant in your collection, and prune them back. Next, you need “grow bulbs” ie plant lights to simulate sunshine. I have mine on a timer so the plants get 8 to 10 hours of light, but then, mine are in the basement. If you have a nice sunny space..park them there, and spin the pot arround a quarter turn daily. Plants will reach for the sun, turning them keeps the stems straight.