Putting Your Garden to Bed

Bring Plants Indoors

You don't have to let your outdoor plants die from winter cold. Save a few dollars by bringing them indoors.

While a garage or greenhouse is preferable, a bright window will suffice. Because indoor light is dimmer, prune the branches back to reduce dead leaves. Finally, spray the plant thoroughly with insecticide, otherwise, mites and insects could spread to other houseplants.

Pot the plant in a container at least two inches wider than the roots. If it's already a potted plant, take a small pruning saw and cut away an inch of the roots all around.

Once the plant is potted, fill in around the root ball with fresh potting soil. Water, then fertilize. Keep watering but you won't need to fertilize it again until the plant produces new leaves. Then feed the plant once a month.

Bundle Your Favorite Plants

When temperatures in your area drop lower than your bushes can tolerate, you might want to bundle up your plants to protect them through the cold weather.

First, prune to reduce the size of the bush so that it fits into the blanket of straw, plastic, Styrofoam cone, or any other winter covering you choose.