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Your Houseplant Survival Guide for the First Frost

We’re starting to see the first freeze warnings pop up across the country, so it’s time to talk about bringing in houseplants and anything you want to overwinter. It’s been dry for most of us but also hot, which means the plants probably put on some great growth if you kept them watered and fed. Now’s the time to figure out where the big ones are going to live for the winter and check them over for any unwanted guests. Bugs and disease love a free winter ride into your warm home.

My canary in the coal mine is always my coleus. I know what you’re thinking—are coleus houseplants? They are for me. Most of the varieties do fine in a south window and like it a little dry. The canary part is that they are the first to go when the temps drop. Anything under 40 and they turn into old lettuce overnight. They’re also a magnet for mealybugs, and if you get those, you won’t get rid of them. You can fight them, but you won’t win. They spread fast and get into every plant you own. The best plan is to toss the plant and make it the kindling in your first winter fire. Don’t compost it either. Mealybugs love a nice warm compost pile to hang out in over the winter.

Here are a few tricks I’ve picked up over the years that make the move inside a little smoother:

1. Have two pots. One for outside and one for inside. I love a nice pot, but a 100-pound ceramic one isn’t making it up the stairs. I pull the plant, put the root ball in a plastic bag, and drop it into a lighter pot indoors. My lime tree would need a forklift otherwise.

2. Give them a shower. I stick mine in the shower for 15 minutes. Knocks the bugs off, rinses the leaves, and flushes out extra fertilizer salts. Yeah, it uses some water, so I group a few together to make it worth it.

3. Trim them back. Most plants are going to slow way down inside, so you might as well get ahead of it. Fewer leaves mean less stress and less watering. They’ll drop some on their own, but a little haircut helps them settle in better.

4. Lower your expectations. If you bring a hibiscus in and don’t have a greenhouse, expect it to look like trash all winter. It’ll be fine in the spring. I’ve seen it a hundred times. Cactus, monstera, and the tougher plants don’t even notice, but the tropical bloomers hate short days and low light.

5. Buy a grow light. They’re cheap now and use hardly any electricity. For under a hundred bucks you can light up a big room and keep the plants happier through winter. This will fill in for number 4. You’ll get long days and more footcandles.

    

I also made a chart that shows how cold different plants can handle before they’re in trouble. It covers most of the popular ones. Bottom line—if you’re wondering whether to bring it in, bring it in.

And the Winners for Best Dahlias Go To……….

You might remember from a past newsletter that I had a hard time growing dahlias from tubers. This fall changed everything. The warm weather bailed me out, and I’ve had beautiful blooms all season.

At first, I made the rookie mistake of cutting them too early. I learned you have to let them finish on the stem and “poof out” before cutting. Most flowers look better in photos than in person, but not dahlias. Pictures can’t capture their size, texture, or how the colors change as the flower matures. The morning light on some of them has been incredible. I can’t wait to do it again next year now that I’ve learned what I’m doing.

I started with thirty varieties, and it was tough to narrow it down, but these three stood out the most.

Diva
My favorite overall and now one of my top three flowers of all time. It’s a rich, shiny purple unlike anything I’ve seen. The petals have darker streaks through the middle, and the surface almost looks like it’s been coated in varnish. Each bloom is about the size of a glove. I’m ordering ten more next year.

Clearview Jonas
This one doesn’t really shine until it’s fully open. The petals curl and twist, and the yellow starts blending into pink around the edges. It looks like a big fluffy bird and can barely stand up on its own, so staking is a must. I’ve got one sitting on my table right now, and honestly, it might be tied with Diva.

Canby Crazy
This one changes every day as it opens. It starts yellow and slowly adds orange and red in the center as it matures. The bloom goes from flat to full and round, giving you about ten days of color and shape changes.

Honorable Mention: Maki
The biggest flower I’ve ever grown, easily fifteen inches across. Pictures don’t do it justice unless you include something for scale. Even the cut flowers droop a bit, so they never look as big as they do on the plant. When it opens, it looks like a bird stretching its wings.

If you want to start a newsletter or look in to it. Below is what I use. Inexpensive and so easy to use. You might check it out.

Email Was Only the Beginning

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A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words

As always, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND and thanks for reading…..pass this on to a friend if you think they will enjoy it. We added a bunch of readers last week so thank you everyone for the forwards. I’ll keep at it if you keep reading.



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