Bringing the Garden Indoors for the Winter

One characteristic of many avid gardeners is their inability to let go of any plant. It’s difficult to divide and throw out extra plants and it’s just as difficult to leave the tender perennials and annuals outside to succumb to nature’s inevitable advance of cool temperatures. I did heed the advice of Peter Vera in his blog entry (here) written in September and brought the houseplants back inside, but the tender perennials and choice annuals that were in outdoor containers had to wait until time allowed for them to be dug, cleaned, and re-potted for the indoor garden. A frost is past due so I’ve tempted fate for too long, so this past weekend was the time to choose which plants to overwinter and which to leave to their demise.

The bird’s nest fern, Asplenium nidus, has gotten huge and it’s a luscious green. This plant should be easy to overwinter in bright, indirect light and the warm temperatures of the house. It does require a bit more humidity than is usual indoors in the winter, so I will plan on putting it on a humidity tray when the heat goes on this fall.Another container plant that’s just too interesting to leave out in the cold is the Cordyline ‘Mocha Latte” with its great tricolor leaves. Cream, green and brown markings are a unique combination and one that works well with many other colors in a container planting. This cordyline is different from many of the others available in that it has wide leaves. It’ll overwinter in cool, bright light.Succulents also lend themselves well to the indoor garden. They are very low-maintenance and require infrequent watering, bright light and warm temperatures. This one, Cryptanthus ‘Black Mystic,’ has interesting horizontal variegation and it currently has a small, white, star shaped flower in its center. I did bring in many other plants, including ivy, coleus, phormium and begonias, including this one with dark foliage. The indoor garden will provide sustenance through the winter months. I know that some plants will thrive and some will just survive until light levels increase and they can once again spend the warm weather and sunny months outside.

Did you bring any of your tender perennials in for the winter? Which ones?