Only you can decide what is worthwhile for you. Is the savings of not buying these plants again enough to pay for the electric to run the lights? Did you end up with bigger plants than you could find in stores or wouldn't want to pay more for? The 3 you mentioned are definitely perennials in the right places.

proper lighting is at least a 2 or 4 bank florescent light fixture.. kept within about 2 inches of the plants ... [no real need for foo foo lights.. its more about intensity ... rather than spectrum, IMHO]

run 16 to 24 hours a day ... every day ...

you could tent them in plastic sheeting .. for the open the door shock ..

i am not up on costs.. but lets say 20 bucks for a fixture .. 8 bucks for the lamps ... and then a couple hundred bucks for the electric ...

and in my world .. thats a lot of budget to buy fresh plants in spring.. rather than torturing the old ones all winter ...

playing around for a little green in winter.. is ok in my book ..

but heck.. if it costs 10 times what you would spend in spring .... then maybe you ought to rethink that..

in other words.. as per your title.. it sounds more like a COST ... rather than a SAVINGS ...

good luck

and have fun

ken

Thanks for answering my post. You smart people have put it all in perspective. You see, I liked it when I could look out in the garage and see the geraniums still blooming and even the impatiens--until it got too cold. Purpleinpopp, they are definitely not perennials in northern Indiana. Ken, you HAVE to be in the financial end of stuff as to your outlook and understanding as to cost etc. I do need to watch my budget--especially in the winter since it is just me now. I love the way you stated that I was torturing the old plants all winter. You are exactly right, and it makes me think differently. I will stick to my African violets inside and try to baby the Boston Fern in the garage because it is so messy. I usually set aside money in the winter to splurdge on the outside container flowers the next spring,and I will be content with that. Thanks so much for taking the time to put your two cents in. How about herbs 'cause I like to use them in cooking? Barb

Herbs really do not take well to the indoor environment, especially after a summer outside in the full sun. You'll find that over in the Herb Forum, people are scurrying about trying to figure out the best way to preserve (freeze, dry, etc.) their favorite herbs.

Just for your information...some begonias and geraniums are quite cold tolerant and not likely to be too bothered by temporary cold drafts, etc. The Bosten fern, as well. You might consider giving that one a BIG hair cut before bringing it in to the garage, and then plan on dividing it in the spring.

now.. all that said.. play around like you have been ..

i was just trying to warn you to not get carried away with costs ... like i once did ...

hardware store should have some medium weight clear plastic sheeting ... few bucks.. and create a 'house' to hold some heat in.. when you have to open the garage door.. and it might help avoid shock to the plants when that burst of cold air comes in ...

nothing to lose when fooling around ...

ken

I store my annual geraniums bare-root over winter. I've posted method many times previously, do a board search and you'll find the posts. They are very easy to over-winter this way, and they get *huge* over the course of many years. :0)

Barb it got to be such a hassle with some of the normal annuals (annuals for our climate) I started doing more tropical plants and bulbs. Some even look better as they age like cannas, dahlias, caladiums. I try hard with coleus that I know I cannot find the following year. It seems coleus are not in fashion so the nursuries do not stock many choices in my area.

I think it is worth saving them if possible because sometime you do have a bigger plant faster. In our zone our summers are short enough we want some fast results LOL

As was stated above, only you can make that decision. I would say that I think the price quotes above are highly inflated unless you northern folks pay a whole lot more for power than I do. I run 18 to 20 fluorescent light fixtures all winter long (they cost 12.95 at Lowes, with the bulbs). And when I turn them off for the spring, I can never see any difference in my electric bill. Flourescents are very economical to run...

That being said, though, there is the mess factor, the watering and never fail tending issue, and possibly the rattiness factor of lots of plants after your long winter inside. My winter lasts only from November to very early March. Then I begin to take things back outside into the sunshine.

So, all that being said, I make my choices based on these questions:
Would this plant be difficult to find and replace next spring? In my small town, the garden centers tend to order the tried and true. If I got it far away and have never seen it growing in my town, I take cuttings just in case.

Is this plant expensive to replace? If so, it's worth the winter care to me.

Is the answer to at least one of the above questions yes, AND I want a whole lot more of it next year? Taking cuttings in the fall and growing them on through the winter is a great way to increase your plant stock.

interesting topic. I just took root cuttings this year for some plants I felt were unusual or expensive. They're still rooting now, we left our annuals out pretty late this season.

I figure it'll be an experiment this year then next I'll know which ones were worth it and which survived and thrived the next season.

My goal is to save money as well as keep a couple plants I really liked.

barb,

I am giving this a whirl again this year. Every year I buy evolvulus and euphorbia. I'd love to have these all over my yard but at $3 a pop this is impossibley expensive since I live on close to half an acre with lots of flowerbeds.

Last year I brought one of each plant grown in containers in and overwintered them in my southwest facing dining room bay window. Actually I kept them on the floor. They didn't THRIVE but they did survive the experience and ended up back outside this past spring where they went on to grow beautifully.

This year I am going to put a little spin on the evovulus. I did not bring any plants in but I did take some cuttings, 9 to be exact, and put them in those little cell packs one gets when buying annuals. So far they are doing okay.

The euphorbia is in a pot so I plan on bringing in the mother but I will go on to take cuttings and root in water.

I'm not running any extra electricity, just sunlight from the southwest facing bay window. My dining room is small so I am limited in how many plants I can do this with but if I can keep these two favorite, must have in my garden annuals alive for the winter, I will be very pleased.

Don't forget winter sowing. Not sure if you've ever given it a try but it is an inexpensive way to grow many things from seed without using up any extra electricity.

Michelle

May I ask what kind of euphorbia you have? Most of this genus are succulents and I would think that would be MUCH better off if you rooted them in a well-drained potting mix.

I agree with rhizo. If I were you, I would try some in soil mix and some in water just to compare.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia. I overwintered a pot in my dining room. I put it back out this past spring and it grew very well. I hear they root very easily in water. I've never tried it before.

Michelle