As the days turn colder, I am so busy preparing my garden for the winter months that I find little time for anything else. If you live in colder climates, you will need to get your houseplants indoors before temperatures plunge too severely. Make sure you check your plants for pests before bringing them in. Mild soap and water sprayed on plants prone to spider mites and white fly is a good preventative measure. (It is a good idea to mist the foliage of plants such as Lemon Verbena with water every week throughout the winter.) Repot any plants that have grown drastically throughout the summer.

Do you have annuals such as Coleus and Begonia that you would like to overwinter? I actually will pot up one plant and take cuttings in early spring to avoid babying a bunch of the little guys through the long winter months. Tender Geraniums can be overwintered in pots, but you can also dig them up, remove all soil from their roots, and hang them upside down in paper bags in a cool, but not cold, place. Make sure they do not dry out completely. I occasionally dampen the roots every few weeks after checking for mold and making sure they are not already too damp.

I have quite a few herbs to overwinter. With some, such as Rosemary, I just take cuttings and root them in water. Others, such as Lemon Verbena or Bay Trees, I grow in pots and bring in for the winter. As they get bigger, (Lemon Verbena can reach 5 feet in one year.) I put the pots on wheels to make them easier to move in and out of the house. French Tarragon and other small herbs are easy to dig and pot up for the winter.

Finally, as the first hard frost hits, I can begin digging and storing Dahlia tubers, Elephant Ears, and other tender bulbs. After the foliage blackens, dig the tubers carefully. Gently clean off the dirt and allow them to dry before storing them in open boxes of pine shavings or peat for the winter. My cellar is ideal for overwintering the bulbs. You want a cool, dry space. Check on your bulbs once a month to be sure mice haven’t gotten into them if you are storing them in a shed or other area prone to a mouse invasion.

Once the ground thaws in spring, you can begin bringing out your hardier bulbs and you should pot up your Geraniums so they can break dormancy. Once the last hard frost is past, you can begin moving out your other bulbs and plants.