Getting my babies ready for winter

This is the first year that I will be bringing plants in to winter over. I have much fear and trepidation LOL! The question I have right now, though, is whether or not I should dig up the plants that are in the garden now, so they will get used to the pots before I bring them in. What do you think?

deerchaser

It all depends on which plants you want to overwinter. Can you give us a hint? lol

Kwanjin

Kwan, deer should move them ALL in. If you can't go to the garden, bring the garden to you!!

LOL! OK OK ! I have a colocascia and a mandevilla that need to come in. I would like to try to keep the colocascia as a houseplant during the summer and put the other plant in the basement to winter over. The colocascia will have to be trimmed down quite a bit, just to make it manageable, so I was thinking that I should do it now in order to give it some time to get used to the trimming and the pot before I brought it in. Whatcha think??
Oh, and by the way, I would love to bring the whole garden inside! LOL! As a matter of fact I have been on a houseplant buying binge for the past couple of months, because I'm so freaked out about not being able to play in the garden for the winter.

Deerchaser, I always find stuff to do in the winter!!! LOL By all means, if you have the room bring it in. But, yes, I would think you should pot them now so they have time to adjust. How big are you Elephant Ears? I don't know much about those except they do get big. I had a mandevilla that got spider mites when I wintered it indoors so you'd have to watch for that. It survived but the leaves were distorted.

Maybe someone knows if you can take cuttings of that one?

Kwanjin

P.S. Hi, Pupil!!!

Hi Kwan! :~P

Deer,
Did a little research on the web. Not much there, but this may help. There are two versions on Elephant ears.

1. Pot them up now and give plenty of light (south facing window). Some may go dormant, but the poster said his came back and he was in Zone 3b.

2. Remove the tubers and store the bulbs in soiless mix or peat moss in the basement. The ones in in Zone 3b, put them back in the pots around Feb and started regrowing them in light.

As I have never had them, I don't know how well these work, but if #1 is right, you can keep them in the house, warm, and most should make it through. The ones that go dormant will regrow. They also mentioned adapting the EE to pots in the fall. This gives them time to stay outside longer and establish themselves. Definitely bring them in before the first frost (what is your zone?)

Hope this helps and good luck.

Pupil