What do you do with your pots during winter?

[Anonymous]

I have a few pots on my porch that will be fine outside through the winter months. Right now, mine are filled with mums but I am trying to figure out what to plant in the pots for Nov-Feb. I was thinking of getting some small, slow growing evergreen shrubs to fill them up but then, come spring I will want to move those and plant something seasonal for the spring, summer, fall months in the pots. Does anyone plant evergreens in pots for winter, then plant them in the ground for spring ...and then maybe put them back in again the following winter? Lots of moving plants which I'm fine with, but I'm new to gardening and wanted to hear what others do. Hang a wreath and call it done?

[Anonymous]

I don't plant anything in the pots for Nov-Feb time frame. I just make sure all the dead plants are out and that's it. If you plan on planting evergreens in pots, then keep them that way, what's the point of planting an evergreen if you pull it out in Feb?

[Anonymous]

I remove the dead plants after the killing frost and then just leave the containers empty till the next year. Pots are different from planting in ground, even evergreens may not survive in containers.

[Anonymous]

Fill will seasonal cuttings and greenery. Swap out through the winter -- for me that means replacing/adding holly and such for the holidays.

https://www.finegardening.com/article/wonderful-winter-containers

[Anonymous]

Mums will come back if you treat them right. I usually leave the crowns and dried stems and then you pinch back several times in the spring/summer to shape.

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/growing-mums

[Anonymous]

Or you could do pansies if you just want to pull the mums, or cabbage or cyclamen, which can be red for seasonal color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't plant anything in the pots for Nov-Feb time frame. I just make sure all the dead plants are out and that's it. If you plan on planting evergreens in pots, then keep them that way, what's the point of planting an evergreen if you pull it out in Feb?

Agree. I leave mine bare until early spring. Then it’s pansies.

[Anonymous]

We bring inside all the pots that have tropical plants and keep them close to windows and doors where there's ample sunlight. The seasonal pots are emptied and kept in the garage as I don't want them to crack.

[Anonymous]

I have hibiscus plants and begonias in planters that live on our deck in the summer and live in our bay window in the colder months. The hibiscus are a really nice pop of color. I've also found that if you do full-on hibiscus trees in big pots, you can bring those inside for the winter too. One of my trees has lasted through 8 winters this way.

[Anonymous]

I clean them out and leave them empty on my porch. They’re beautiful just as they are.

My husband has cold-sensitive plants he brings indoors during the winter.