1. Peppers
At the end of the growing season, usually in mid to late October, I bring in one pepper plant of each variety I have grown. Over the years I have grown jalapeño, Serrano, Poblano, Cayenne, Sweet Bell, and small sweet peppers. I was inspired to over-winter pepper plants after I watched a YouTube video with instructions on how to do it.
I encourage you to watch the video. It is in the blog I have linked below. And yes, I pruned the pepper plants as drastically described in the video. It was difficult for me to do and I was skeptical that the plants would survive such a brutal pruning. I am happy to report that the plants live successfully each winter in a south facing window in the laundry room of my house. They are currently sitting in my kitchen sink. I water them on Mondays in the sink and let them drain before placing them back in the window.
If you want to learn more about my experience, click this link>>>> Over-wintering Pepper Plants Save Money And Time .
2. Geraniums
Once again I was inspired by a YouTube video and did not believe this would work. The Geranium plants are saved bare rooted and stored away in a box or paper sack. I place mine in a cardboard box and leave them in the garage over the winter. As instructed, I lightly spray their roots if I feel they are becoming too desecated. Below is the video that inspired me to over-winter the geraniums.
If you watched the video above, the pic above will make more sense. I have placed each geranium plant in a paper bag, tied a rubber band around the top to secure it inside. The only part of the plant sticking out is the roots. This allows me to mist the roots with water if I feel it is necessary. I have done this twice so far this winter.
Once I move the Geraniums back outside in pots on my patio or into the landscape, I will take pictures and document how they have done. I will include that updated information here.
3. Coleus
This is my first year to try to over-winter Coleus. I have had both success and failure. The large Coleus plants that were established in pots have survived and it is almost March. The small cuttings that I had rooted in the Fall and brought in just before the first frost, did not make it. They died within two months. I am not sure what I did wrong but will try and learn from my mistakes and attempt this again next winter. I have documented my experience in a blog. Click here to read more.
4. Pineapple
Two years ago I was watching a British gardening show called “Gardeners World”. On one specific episode they featured a lady who takes the tops from pineapples and roots them. She had actually grown a pineapple in her green house from such a cutting. The next time I purchased a pineapple, I decided to give it a try. The pineapple rooted and grew into a beautiful potted plant during the summer. I keep it on the patio at the back of the house in full sun.
I brought it in for the winter this year. I placed it in my bathroom. At the first the leaves starting turning yellow and then brown. From what I have read, it was receiving too much water.
When I set up my seed starting rack in January, I set the pineapple plant on the floor beside the rack. It receives indirect light from the grow lights and I water it only when it dries out. It is doing much better and the browning of the leaves has ceased. I turn it every few days so different parts to the plant receive light from the grow lights.
5. Mandevilla Vine
I purchased this Mandevilla Vine, also known as Rocktrumpet, at one oof the big box stores this past summer. I had actually never heard of the plant. I was taken by the vibrancy of the flowers. I had also purchased a pink one. Just before our last frost, I brought both of them inside and have attempted too keep them alive in a sunny window in my dining room.
The pink one died out but I am going to attempt to revive it under grow lights. I’ll let you know how that goes. The red one has put on new growth and is currently doing well. I’ll update this information when I place the plants back outside during the late Spring.
6. Hibiscus
I currently have 8 hibiscus plants in pots in my garage. I water them once per month. I pruned them last week, removing any dead wood or crossing branches. I pruned the remaining stems by one third. The plants will push out new growth in late Spring or early Summer. The blooms are produced on new growth.
All of these plants were purchased on sale at the end of a growing season when they had been bitten by a cold snap at Walmart or Lowe’s. I usually obtain them for 1/4 to 1/2 of their original cost. I have had excellent luck with Hibiscus in pots and over-wintering them in my garage where the temps average between 40-50 degrees. The two flowers from the left in the pic above are two of my oldest plants and return strong year after year.
7. Fig Trees
The three types of figs currently residing in my garage are Petit Black, Chicago Hardy, and Brown Turkey. These fig trees are deciduous and lose their leaves every Fall after I bring them in. They go dormant over the winter. I water them once per month from November to March. Then set them back outside in April after the last frost.
Although they might survive the winter in the ground in my area, I have chosen to keep them in pots and place them in the garage. Even though it doesn’t last long, the temps will often plunge to single digits and sometimes even negative for short periods in the winter. My Fig trees are my babies and baby them in my garage for the winter.
After I pruned the fig trees a few weeks ago, I decided to attempt to root some of the cuttings. This is my first attempt at this. I kept 12 cuttings and at this point, I am happy to say that several have sprouted leaves on their stems. I will document this experience an upcoming blog. I will update this information here and provide a link once this has been done.
Summary
I enjoy new experiences with over-wintering plants. This saves money and time during the next growing season. Plus, provides me with mature plants that are hardy and I don’t have to wait for them to reach maturity during a single growing season.
I will caution you that if you become obsessed about over-wintering plants, much as I have, you will be filling up your house and garage with plants during the winter months. I have plants in the garage, the bathroom, the dining room, and the laundry room. All of these will be moved out in April after the last frost. But from November to April, they share my space. So far, I don’t mind. In fact, I enjoy it. They let me continue gardening when there Is snow and ice on the ground outside.
As I’ve said many times in this blog and others, I will update this information after April has arrived and the plants have been moved back outside. I will let you know what plants were successes and which were failures so you can learn from my experiences.