Winter is coming for your planters
After a long a temperate Summer the last thing you probably want to hear is that winter is on its way, however realities must be faced and steps should taken to ensure the health of your plants.
If you are bringing in a plant in for the winter put in somewhere it can get sunlight at least once a day but for best results use a south facing window. Additionally you should rotate the plant once a week, otherwise the plant will grow towards the sunlight and subsequently will become unbalanced. When watering only moisten your plants and do not let the dry out in between watering, succulents however should be watered less frequently and allowed to dry out in between watering. Bathrooms with showers also make great homes for happy plants do to the higher humidity and moisture created when showering and will require less watering. now is also a good opportunity to check if your plants need to be repotted, a pot that is too small will constrict root growth conversely a pot to large will demand more frequent watering and slow growth. If possible add a couple cups of compost to your plants soil each much to replace nutrients and trim away past-peak foliage/deadheads. Lastly bugs dormant in the soil will reawaken when brought into a warm home, we recommend use of an all season spray before bringing the plant to kill the bugs before they have a chance to get to your plants.
If you are thinking of keeping a planters outside for the winter there are some precautions to be prepared for. Even hardly local plants will have a hard time during the winter in planters due to temperature fluctuation. Daily freezing and unfreezing put the roots at risk for both young and old plants. If you are attempting to keep a plant outside keep it in a shady enclosure to prevent direct sunlight and damage from the daily thaw and freezing cycles. Our best advice is to avoid this process and keep plants inside, if you are determined however I recommend reading up more on winterizing plants and avoid using younger plants whose roots are still unweathered.
As always you can find everything you need to prepare your plants for winter and more at the Madison Flower Shop & Garden Center along with anything else you may need for you garden or home as Fall becomes Winter.