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Re: overwintering

John & Pat Adney wrote:
> 
> Hi Lola....
> How you handle overwintering depends upon the plants you wish to keep
> over the winter.
> 
> I grow tropical hibiscus (several plants) in large containers at various
> locations around the backyard. They won't take kindly to the first
> frost, so shortly after Labor Day I trim them way back (regretfully)and
> take them to my basement workshop/growroom. There, they spend the winter
> getting minimul light -- only what spills over from nearby light stands.
> They're watered just enough to keep them from shriveling. About May 1,
> I return them outdoors, placing them in a shady spot until they're
> accustomed to their new surroundings. I prune any dead branches, repot,
> fertilize and off they go for another season.
> 
> We lived in a big old house with large south-facing windows until a year
> ago; I grew the hibiscus year-around and they bloomed most of the year.
> Sadly, our present home does not have those big windows; I have no place
> to grow hibiscus through the winter. All plants made it through the
> pruning and "drought" of last winter and have done fine this season.
> 
> Any tropical plant should be brought indoors before frost. The first
> frost may be just heavy enough to set them back, if not kill them, I
> have found.
> 
> If you have a garage that remains above freezing you can store container
> plants there, watering them just enough to keep them in a semi-dormant
> state.
> 
> John G. Adney
> Marion, Iowa (on line zones 4-5)
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