Bringing plants back in for winter- chore, fun? tips?

Many of us will be bringing a lot of plants in for winter. It can be overwhelming! i forget where I had things the previous year, or things have grown and no longer fit the same spot.
I am excited about my new laundry room which is getting a new shelf (oh, honeyyyyyy? how do I find the wall studs?) so six new feet of plant space with nice light. This may help me rotate a few things in and out of less- than- optimal light sites. Also new south basement window . small but it helps.
Then I have decisions about what will come in. A few old standbys I may root smaller ones and let go of the bigger one(Compost in the Sky). I have one school which will take and water a few plants, but I don't want to give them my favorite pots, or haul any large heavy pots there, so repot to plastic. Leads to a lot of potting . Thats fun for me. I think I'll do more water rooting this year in my dining room window. Less chance of drying up and dying.
But when the first one comes in, it just adds a vital element of LIFE to indoors that I enjoy.

So are you looking forward to bringing them in? Have Tips? Special plans to share? How many are you doing?

Sally, Ruby suggested on another thread that we start a thread for bringing plants indoors for the winter - came here to do just that and you've done my work for me :) LOL I'm going to have a miserable time trying to decide who gets saved and who gets tossed this year - just too darned many! My dream is to have a small sunroom attached to the house so I won't have this problem every year, but that's exactly what it is - a "dream". Had it all figured out one year, we could just add it to the west end of our house so looking down the hallway there would be a "light" at the end of the tunnel - but hubby reminded me that we'd lose the closet in our bedroom and all the storage in our office so that idea quickly flew out the window :( Other option is to have it built on the end of our second story deck with french doors leading directly from our bedroom into the sunroom but major construction and big bucks - maybe one of these years??? In the meantime I use every inch of space in our living room - the only room with enough light to keep the plants even modestly happy through the winter. Last fall I had visions of a tropical look with plants trailing down from the loft above - made the mistake of trying it and the "look" quickly faded to dead and sickly plants - not enough light :( I'll plan to take some pictures as soon as we have all our babies inside for the winter and post them - in the meantime pray that we don't get a frost soon because I'll have one heck of a mess on my hands if we do!

have most of ours inside now and it's a tad crowded! I even had to put the firecracker bush* in our upstairs bathtub!!! the tubs sits next to a sunny window :) convenient for watering ~ what can I say!

*firecracker bush is something new I'm trying and not even sure if it will overwinter inside. it really grew alot this summer and I had no other spot to put it...it's funny...I'll take a photo of it when I can


This message was edited Sep 27, 2007 9:29 AM

As much as I LOVE fall - THIS is the one task I hate. I'm with everyone else...I look at them all and say WHERE did I have these and/or how did a accumulate this many MORE? Better question would be - why don't I gravitate toward smaller plants? 8 plumies in 5 gal pots - 6-7 EE's in 5 gal pots...OMG!!! We wont' even discuss the HUGE night blooming epi pot that has tripled in size. Now IF I had a house it would be one thing...but the townhouse is only so big...grrrr!!! They all do so well outside but the critter crawling on them....give me the weebie jeebies!

Debbie, saw your picture on the other thread of all the plants in your home (love it by the way). When did you say you get your new puppy? Wouldn't want to be you trying to keep it out of the plants :-o. That's some of my problem, having to keep most plants out of reach of my cat. Like you I have a great room which leaves limited walls to put shelves against. So my plan this year, since I have so many more plants than last year, is to beg windowsill space from my co-workers. They love the idea, they enjoy the plants and don't have to take care of them.

Miata, may I send some plants to your office building? LOL

Critter, you sort of already have. Some cuttings you gave me are already at home in my office ;-)

You mean I can't send more home with you today?? LOL

We'll see :-) My boss would probably love one of your bananna trees in the lobby. See now I'm going to be late getting to your place taking time to post this. Leaving now, see you in a few!

Hah! I notice how you did not mention that when you were here just now... I could've sent that banana in the dining room home with you! (It would've enjoyed learning some Italian in your class tonight, I'm sure.) It was great to see you, though... thanks for stopping in!

I am also stressing out--as usual this time of year--what to do with all the plants. Once I bring them all in, my LR and DR will resemble a green jungle. I have hooks in the ceiling all along the two rooms.

My LR and DR are the main places I can have some decent light, but even that is compromised by my patio roof right outside. Now--it does have 4 skylights in it to allow for light, but it is still "filtered" sunlight. Yet--everything seems to survive.

Besides that, EVERY window in EVERY room in my house has TV trays by it with pots of plants on them. This year--after ages of being stored under the bed in my guest room--I will drag out the old floor to ceiling spring-loaded poles that holds 3 HB. I have 2 of them. Sort of "vintage", but I am desparate.

I have also recycled the old, slatted, 6' bench from my attic (1970's?) and have used that just below my LR window to put all kinds of potted plants on for a couple of years already. Then--JUST below the windowsill of my big LR triple window, I built a narrow shelf (years ago also) that holds the smaller pots of anything.

In my seldom used guest bedroom, I put an unfolded card table on the bed closest to the window and cover it in plastic. This is where I keep all the pots of the Dragon Wing Begonias that I dig up and save for next year. NOT sure it is worth it, but I LOVE this plant! What an asset to the Garden and to large patio planters and beds! To me--it is the most underrated annual in the garden and this past year--there it was! EVERYWHERE!!!!! I will have to really stress out over saving them or not. Can buy them for $2 a pot.

Then there are my Brugmansias. I have 4. They grow to 6' and have just had their first bloom wave. I can ONLY take one in my basement to keep over the winter--let it go dormant.
I can take a couple of cuttings from the rest of them and root them, but then the guilt of allowing the full-sized Brugs to die in the frost will haunt me forever. They are SOOOOOO beautiful!

ANYONE WANT A FULL SIZED BRUGMANSIA (ROSAMOND OR FOREVERMORR--both pink) TO WINTER OVER in your home or in your basement?????? Come and get then SOON! You will need a pick-up truck. Sorry, Miata, your car just will NOT do!

Besides all that, I have been pulling up all my annuals and cleaning up my beds a bit early. Easier to rake all the leaves up (when they fall) if the beds are cleaned up of all vegetation. Been planting some bulbs as well. Cutting back and cutting down. Usual, endless, fall chores.
Also, still need to put Systemic Granules in all the pots I plan to bring inside and spray down all the foliage as well.

One great relief is that I FINALLY found a home for my HUGE Ric-Rac cactus HB. (Cryptocereus Anthonyanus). It just had to go! No place in my home for it any more--like--3' across????? Sprawled out like an Octopus! I have a second one that is more manageable.
The Cylburn Botanical gardens here accepted it. I delivered it this past Monday.
Now--if i could also talk them into accepting my full-sized Brugmansias???????? Or my forever-twined, non-stop blooming Hoya carnosa HB. Another plant that has outgrown my space and my patience. After several years, some plants just become so much Ho-Hum. Yet I haul them in and out every year.

Been gathering a lot of seeds from different plants. Will have quite a supply if we do the mid-winter Swap. Hmmmmm....I better make a "haves" list soon.

Does anyone want to have my 6' tall "Fiddle Leaf Ficus plant"? Many years old! I have cut it back twice, and it has always re-grown to full size in a single season. I am NOT giving the pot away, but the plant needs a home with a higher ceiling and better light than I have to offer it. Will re-pot in a black, plastic pot, or you can bag it and just take it home. Call me! D-mail me! Come and get it!

Besides all these worries--nothing really new in my life.......:o)...:o)
Haaaaaaaa....silly me! NOTHING much else to do!!!! Haaaa.....
ONLY have to start planning for my annual Haloween party on Oct. 27. That will be 11 years straight I am having it! October is a killer month for me! Just too much going on! Haaa....Heeee.....Not sweating anything.......Yeah, sure! WHO? Me????/

GGGGitttaaa......

You'd be surprised Gita, I brought home a 6' weeping cherry tree home in my car once. What does the ficus look like. My boss said he wanted a Ficus Benjamina for the office. Is the Fiddle Leaf Ficus similar. Do you have a picture?

This message was edited Sep 27, 2007 11:14 PM

Ummm...did it have an orange flag hanging on the back? LOL

Ok Gita...you win...I'll quit whining now - but you did bring up a good idea....where to find those "vintage poles" now...sounds to me like a perfect place for the sweet potatoe vines...

Miata,
I do not have a picture, but will take one for you tomorrow.

A Fiddle Leaf Ficus is nothing like the Benjamina. It has large, coarse, leahtery leaves that are shaped like a fiddle. Hard, woody stems. Mostly--it is indestructible. It does not shed, just drops a leaf now and then if you let it get too dry. Care to try the PF?

Mine is quite pot-bound. Water just goes right through it. Probably would appreciate a bigger pot that it has lived in for all these years.
The pot I have it in was pretty expensive, so I don't want to give it up. Tell your boss he can buy a nice, new pot--about a 20" one will do.

Chantell--
I don't think you will find any of these poles anywhere any more. They are truly vintage. Maybe in the "Lilian Carter" junk stuff catalog?
You can always search e-Bay. Seems everything is always for sale there.

Gita

Miata, that fiddle leaf ficus would probably do much better in an office environment that a Benjamima like mine, which will drop every leaf if it's the slightest bit unhappy.

Gita, that Hoya is very tempting! I've been "saving" my middle family room window for a big hoya (there's a 6 ft. long trailing pot of wandering jew there now)... Is your ever-blooming H. carnosa one of the fragrant hoyas?

I gave up on brugs because the 2 that I had just got spider mites nonstop. But I've been reading lately that a good spraying with "Wilt Pruf" or "Anti-Stress 2000" may do a lot to prevent them! Maybe I'll try again... but I don't think I can make it out to Baltimore in time to adopt Gita's!

And folks, it's amazing what Miata can fit into that little blue car!

Da** it!!! Just wrote a lengthy post and of course hit that button that I sometimes hit and POOF, everything is gone. My computer time for now has run out, so I am gonna close and come back after doing a few chores.

It is so good to have this sort of discussion with all you great folks. I read the previous 14 posts and felt as though we were all sitting around together having this conversation. Next get together, I am there, no matter when or where. I miss you ladies.

In case it is a while before I get back, you folks all have a great weekend. And please don't work too hard.

Ruby

Gita, looked it up in the plant files (too lazy last night). Wow, I never new about these. Not sure it's what my boss had in mind, but I'd still like to see a picture of yours if it's no trouble to see if he's interested. Still have some renovations at work going on so might be a while before he makes a decision. If someone else is interested, by all means, don't wait for me. Critter, I'll pass on the advice to my boss about the leaf shedding issue, thanks. When I bring my 12 foot one indoors we'll be picking up leaves for quite a while till it adapts again.

UGH!!! Forgot about the ole dropping of leaves - oh well...made up my mind so gotta stick with it. Mr. Ficus will resume residence inside - since I know leaving him out would kill him for sure. :( I'll get him a nice new pot - and he'll have those pretty vines to keep him company....hmmm, better find a BIG pot...or maybe send DD back up to Meadows Farms to smile nicely and ask if they have any LARGE black nursery pots that they're getting rid of .

Ruby - what do you mean your computer timed out? That sounds frustrating...ugh

This message was edited Sep 28, 2007 8:59 AM

Miata: I have several Ficus Benjamina -- remind me the next time we get together. They are from cuttings and are not very tall at this point, but they do get big. One annoying feature: They do drop a lot of leaves in the fall when you bring them inside.

Gita: I have more questions than answers about brugs (and I have to remember to send my questions your way), but I can say that every fall I cut them down to 24" or so. I am sure if any can take your too-tall ones, they could just cut them down now so as to fit them in the car, with no ill effects. I'd come if I lived closer -- and if I had an excuse for more plants.

My big problem this fall is the large number of tropicals I acquired. I dread going through the process of figuring out how to handle each.

And so many plants are supposed to be stored at 45 to 50 degrees. I don't have a room that is 45 to 50 degrees. There is our garage which I don't think freezes (it is under a heated room, and there is a furnace in it) -- but it probably has pretty wild temperature fluctuations. That's where I'll store dormant plants, but I don't know if it'll work. Other than that, the house is heated.

Sheesh, how did I not remember that Miata's huge, gorgeous ficus is a Benjamima? I shouldn't try to post that late at night I guess... LOL

My basement is generally a bit warmer than that 45 to 50 degrees, so plants that might go dormant in cooler temps are only semi-dormant down there, which means they'll need a little splash of water once or twice a month. I'm hoping I can over-winter more things down there this year. I'm planning to bag the rootballs of the banana plants and stack them along the wall rather than trying to pot them upright!

Miata,

Just for you-went outside and took a picture of my Fiddle-Leaf Ficus. It has been outside my front door for the whole summer. Gets NO sun there--they sunburn if they do and the reddish burned areas on the leaves never loose that color.

Now--a bit about this plant. It is many years old. Can't remember when I first got it, but as I said--it has been cut back to stubs twice and re-grew all nice and fresh and tall in less that 2 years.

The leaves are very stiff and sort of leathery. They will drop only if the plant does not get enough moisture for extended periods of time. However, most of these Ficuses all have the bare stems at the bottom and the crown of leaves at the top half. Kind of attractive that way.

Since mine is so very pot-bound, it probably won't grow any taller. I would suggest re-potting it in fresh soil.
And--as I said, I am NOT giving the pot it is in away, but will put it in a black nursery pot if you want--OR--in a large plastic bag and then you can re-pot it into whatever you wish.
In my house, it will live out the winter in a pretty dark corner because of it's height. It I put it in the brighter corner by the window, it's top would sit amidst all the bulbs of my LR light there.

Happy,

There is more to HOW and WHERE you cut a Brug back. It all has to do with the "above or below the "Y". Now is the time to take cuttings and root them in water. I can help you out in all this. call me or D-mail me. I have learned a lot in the 5 or 6 years I have been messing with these.
As far as House Plants go--that is my biggest area of expertise. Tell me what plants you have and i will help you out.

OK! Miata, here's the F.L. Ficus.

Here's a close-up of the leaves.

And for those of you that got the Double Yellow Datura plants from me, here is a split open seed pod. The seeds are still intact, as you can see, but you should now check daily and pick them off before they actually split open this far.

Remove the seeds to a paper plate and allow to dry.
WASH HANDS AFTER YOU MESS WITH THEM!!!!!

Gita

And here is my Hoya carnosa. It is a mess of twines and vines.....
Not pretty to look at at all!

Gita: You are north of Baltimore, right? You aren't close to Camden Yards . . . My spouse is driving there tonight with a friend. I owe Jill some plants anyway, so I could then get it to Jill, and Jill to Bobbie!

I am going to need to pick your brains about overwintering. I have definitely bitten off more than I can chew!

Miata: If you take that lovely fiddle-Leaf ficus, I'd love a cutting! The benjamina roots really easily from cuttings, so I'm hoping the Fiddle-Leaf would too.

Happy,

What are you interested in anyway? I am confused! I do not know if Miata's boss even wants this Ficus???? Is that the plant you were talking about?

I am in NE Baltimore County--near the White Marsh Mall area. It is exit 67B off of I-95. Camden Yards is smack Downtown. He would have to get back on I-95 and head North. Might be about 20 minutes from Downtown. Let me know--my address and phone # is in the "extras", or I can shoot it to you in a D-mail.

Gita

I've just been skimming the posts bc I'm at work and am overloaded her, so I'm missing a lot -- I must have misread thinking Miata wanted your fig, and I was thinking I could help get it to her. I thought maybe just maybe my spouse would do it, but I don't think that'll fly.

Miata,

If your boss really wants a Ficus, may I suggest the Ficus Alii?
It is much more tolerant of low-light conditions and does not drop it's leaves as much as the Benjamina.

The Alii's leaves are long and thin. You see a lot of these in Mall planters, which alone should tell you the rough conditions it can survive in. The closest thing I can compare the foliage to is an Oleander.

Here's the link from PF

.http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62921/

Tell your boss he/she can still have my FL Ficus.

Gita

Gita, I know I was coveting your big hoya... but I don't know when I'll be able to get out your way, probably not before you have to bring it inside... so I hope you can find a home for it!

I'm leaving most of my pots outside the next week or so and crossing my fingers that we don't get an un-forecasted cold snap!

Well, both of us will be disappointed Critter, because it looks like some of my pots will be outside for a while longer too. I am trying to wait on a contractor to get here and make my spare bedroom window, in to a sliding glass door. I need to try and call him today and see if he know exactly when he can come. That will determine how rushed I am to get the plants in. If he tells me it will be a while, i will bring plants in and let him deal with them when he gets here. ha-ha

I might just put off having the door installed this winter and wait until spring to do it. Need to decide soon though.

It is the weekend, I hope that every one will have a good one.

Ruby

Thank you so much Gita for taking the picture just for little ol' me ;) That is one gorgeous tree. I'll show the picture to my boss and he should be able to tell me by Mon or Tues. But like Jill, won't know when I can get it if he wants it. Maybe she and I can ride down together, even if he doesn't want it. We can do the IKEA tour, we don't have any 'round here.

And thanks Happy for thinking about getting the tree to me via hubby. But remember when you do get this way to Jills, I only work 2 miles from her house and I'd hate to miss a chance to see you when your there!

Gita, sorry I can't take the tree. Showed the picture to my boss, and he thinks it too big for our reception area. I hope you find a good home for it.

Just read this great Fine Gardening article - perfect timing for all of us who have plants to bring inside for the winter http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/overwintering-tender-plants.aspx?

That article looks wonderful -- thanks for the link. Perfect start for all the info I need to collect. But be forewarned if you want to print it: It drops bits and pieces of the article.

This message was edited Oct 2, 2007 4:14 PM

Thank you so much for the link to the article Debbie. It is very informative. I loved looking at his pictures too.

Ruby

Steve Silk's (author of the article) parents actually live in Lexington. An older couple we met at our Open House last year invited us over to see their gardens and told us his parents are their neighbors. I enjoy his articles - as he often visits Lexington, maybe one of these days I'll have the opportunity to meet him in person and tell him so!

Cool Beans!!!

Ruby

Gita: I'm so glad I checked on the pregnant onion. Mine is rooting! Thanks, Gita. But it never occured to me that (1) it is tropical -- I would have left it outside over the winter, or (2) it is poisonous -- good thing I didn't try it on a salad! Whew!

Have any of you been successful overwintering caladium by drying the tubers and storing them in peat moss (or whatever)?

This message was edited Oct 14, 2007 12:13 AM

Happy,

Caladiums can be overwintered much the same as any other bulbs like dahlias, Begonias, etc. The difficulty is getting them to germinate.
Caladiums need almost 85*-90* temps. to germinate. It is a S-L-O-W process, but can be done if you know this,

Start them in 4" pots and put the corms almost to the bottom with the growth surface to the top. Put the pots on top of your water heater or maybe rig something up over a floor vent (dark is OK at this point), keep the soil just moist, and check on them often.
They will start growing when they feel like it.
You can also plant them outside in the beds, but they will come up so late.
Personally, to me all this is a bother.

Gita

PS. The Pregnant Onion, I believe, is actually in the Lily family. So I am not surprised that it is toxic.

You are a wealth of information. I'm trying to write up instructions for my plants, so next year I don't have to think through this all again!