What Do You Overwinter ?

[thistlebloom]

Obviously I haven't done it before, so if I say yes, bring the pot in, you'll know what that advice is worth.
But coleus are such easy plants, I have to think it would work.
I have a pot of annuals that was in my outside entry that I whacked off and brought in. I wasn't sure if I would keep it, or get tired of looking at it and feed it to the polar bears. Bad joke. But I'll make a deal with you, I'll keep mine in this winter and you keep yours and we'll compare notes. Then next year we can both be Miss Expert!

My pot has coleus, plectranthus, and licorice plant. Looks real ugly right now.

Ok, miss expert, you said "yes" but haven't done it" Haha. (You know why I'm kidding you right?) I don't think they'll survive outside. There is too much fog/moisture. I really didn't want to go the cuttings route. Seems like alot of work and knowing my luck, the cuttings won't take. What if I just bring the whole pot indoors? Will that work?

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

Hey, Cane, why don't you do some snipping and bring the cuttings in?

 

[canesisters]

'Cause I kept snipping and sitcking all summer and now I have the same pink one EVERYWHERE.

For some reason, I always overlooked them before. But now that I've seen how well they grew this past year - and since they're so cheap when the bedding plants come out in the spring - I'm planning to pick up BUNCHES of them and spread them all over. Next winter - IF they do well - I'll probably try to keep my favorites over the winter.

 

[catjac1975]

Ok, miss expert, you said "yes" but haven't done it" Haha. (You know why I'm kidding you right?) I don't think they'll survive outside. There is too much fog/moisture. I really didn't want to go the cuttings route. Seems like alot of work and knowing my luck, the cuttings won't take. What if I just bring the whole pot indoors? Will that work?

Mary

I would bring the whole pot inside. Cut the plant way back, treat for pests, and fertilize after a week or so as the plant may be in shock a bit. They are very easy to grow indoors. I believe they do not like direct sun-but not sure.

 

[ninnymary]

Ok, I will try it both ways. I will trim it all back and try to root those cuttings. I just assume since it's an annual that it would die. Now, I'm wondering, is it an annual?

Now to find a spot for it inside. The pot is kind of medium size around 10 inches and I have two of them.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

I have overwintered coleus in my sun room. I just dug up the plant and potted it. During the winter I looked pretty awful, and bare, but once the sun started heating up the sunroom (mid March) the plant sprouted new leaves everywhere and grew well. While I could have planted the coleus outside later that spring, I actually took lots of starts from the mother plant and grew them for outdoor color.

 

[Smart Red]

Not an annual in its native habitat. It can and does last longer than the three years I've kept it going. Do keep the flowers pinched out.

 

[ducks4you]

I always bring in geraniums, pot them up and keep them flowering in my windows all winter. They are just so tough that they can take a lot of winter neglect, and still go out in the beds next year.

 

[Nyboy]

Every year I want to try over wintering geraniums but never do.

 

[lesa]

I planted some of my elephant ears, in a pot I could actually lift- and I have brought that inside. I am hoping it will survive until Spring. A friend brought me a couple cuttings off a favorite coleus. I put them in water and a minute later, they had roots. I will repot and see what happens. I also have a bougainvillea that I have wintered over for a few years. When I bring it in, it drops every single leaf- and then it puts out new ones. It is not the most attractive plant during that time- but I admire its attitude! Oh yeah, I also bring in my passion flower and my topiary Australian shrubs (whose name I forget!) Hmmm, now you are making me think. I also have a pot of succulents and a tiny thunbergia that survived from last summer. Can you tell I hate winter???