Before the first frost or freeze of the growing season arrives, I’m on a mission: Save my plants! Indoors, I take stock of my houseplant collection and toss any that aren’t looking their best to make way for plants that will come indoors for the winter. Since my space is limited and I don’t have a greenhouse, I have to be choosy and a little heartless (Sorry, leggy pothos. You’ve got to go!).
I also walk around outside and decide what plants are going to come indoors. I try to take this informal inventory sooner rather than later, not when the frost/freeze alert pops up on my phone. I’ve learned it’s no fun scrambling around trying to figure out which plants to save or sacrifice when you’re under pressure, daylight is fading, and the temperatures are dropping.
I also do a reality check: What plants are inexpensive enough to buy again next year? While I do want to save money when possible, one of the joys of spring is heading to the local nursery to see all the latest and greatest new plants!
Finally, I save only healthy plants — anything that’s struggling now is going to struggle all winter long. Ditto for any plants that I battled bugs on all summer long. It’s simply not worth the ongoing struggle, nor do I want to risk bringing these pests indoors to infect my houseplants.
With experience, you’ll find you have a knack for saving some types of plants, while others are too fussy for your taste — and that’s okay! You’ll also learn that not every plant you attempt to save will make it. But don’t be afraid to experiment because half the fun of gardening is figuring out what works for you. You’ll never know unless you try.
Read on to see which plants I typically overwinter — and which ones I find too needy:
