Well I'm trying Geranium (Pelargonium)this year plus took 4 cuttings... currently rooting now.
Also going to try a Climbing Snapdragon (Asarina scandens).
If you have any hard to find pepper plants, these too can also winter indoors. Either let them grow on or let them go dormant in a freeze free area.

Vera

I was just thinking the same thing the other day. What can I save from my containers? Can I OW my vinca vines or take a few cuttings?
Monica

I always enjoy seeing what I can carry over the winter. I have a grow-light setup my husband built for me several years ago, but also use natural light. I have successfully overwintered coleus, geranims (whole plants and cuttings), a number of traling plants--tricolor wandering jew, lime-colored potato vine, the purple tradescantia (and have obtained a couple more to try this winter). Many things look fairly pathetic by spring, but they're alive, and perk up when planted, and are good for cuttings taken in spring. I take cuttings to root throughout the winter, too, so I have lots to plant out and for containers.

I'm glad to read that begonias can be overwintered; I have a couple of angelwing plants that I love, and hope to bring them through. I had a nicotiana that didn't bloom in a pot outside, and brought that in; boy did it look great when it did bloom this year! I think it's a matter of try it and see how it works. I have lost many over the winter, but saved enough to make it worthwhile. The Dutch in me loves to save a few bucks this way!

Hey Vera, are you using the Oasis method for geraniums?
Works great for me they root in 2 weeks.

I have over wintered begonias before, just took one plant, then started more from leaves.

I wil be bringing in my annual fountain grass and Mexican Feather grass containers this year.

No, I'm just rooting in potting soil this time, but I usually use straight perlite. Their rooting quickly with bottom heat so not too worried.
The Pelargonium mother plant has already been potted up and that's when I took the cuttings. She's been getting less and less sun everyday until I bring her back in full time. I've read about others who like to winter them hanging upside down in the basement, but I'm going to try it this way for the experience. Getting ready to pot up a Climbing Snapdragon today and my peppers were container grown so I don't need to dig them up this year...just got figure out how many I can winter with my limited space!
As for Begonia I've never had an Angel Wing outdoors...only as houseplants. I could summer outdoors, but humidity around here is much to low to keep them looking nice. My other Begonia is a rhizo type, but not a Rex and is also indoor only. Both your Tradescantia zebrina and Tradscantia pallida are common houseplants where they are not hardy, so they should be fine after you introduce them to lower light levels before bringing them in to the sunniest window :D

anyone overwinter toms? Someone mentioned that to me earlier this year. Take a few cuttings from good plants, keep them potted up in the winter, if it gets too big do more cuttings. Then by spring you can take more cuttings and plant out. I've wondered if that would be easier or if you'd actually get fruit earlier. Toms seem to be so easy to ws though too, why mess w/ a good thing?

Vera,

I heard about the upside down method for Pelargoniums too, but decided to try another method in the last two years. I dig them up, shake the dirt off, leave them to dry for a couple of days, shake the dirt again, and then throw in a box. After closing the box, I place in a dark closet in the basement where the temps get no colder than 5C.

When I uncover them in April, sometimes some of them are sending little flowers up even though there's no light, soil, anything! They all survive, so for my lazy gardener ways, this method is great! Just plant and go.

Kek, that tomato idea is intriguing. I have a Chadwick Cherry plant that is awesome. The tomatoes keep coming and coming ... by far my best tom producer. Maybe I'll give it a shot. I've never tried cuttings with a tomato plant.

mo girl, I practiced doing cuttings w/ toms, it soooo easy! Just pinch off a nice sucker (the mini tom that grows between the mainstalk and a branch __\:) Stick it in a glass of water and it'll root w/ in a couple days! I had over 10 plants on my deck when I was trying it out, not one died. I gave my mother 2 potted up ws tom plants this spring, Rutgers and Spacesaver Cherry. Rutgers died in July after never really growing) So I found a 12" sucker on my Better Boy, rooted it, popped it in the pot, and it's over 3' tall and has fruit already!

The person who told me about taking cuttings and overwintering (sorry i don't remember who it was, so if you're out there, sorry!) also said as a bonus, you could have fresh grown toms all winter long! I think I'm gonna give it a try with one tom this winter.

Tiffy...that's sounds like I could try that too. IF I can do that then I'm might just do that with the rest of the plants still in the ground. What is 5C in F? I've never been good conversion :D

I've done cuttings of Tom's but not on purpose! A few years ago a wind storm came thru and knocked off the top's of a few cherry tom's. I just took those tops, removed enough leaves and buried the stems in the garden...they rooted and produced just fine! HA!

Vera

Vera,

5C = 41F

the equations:
[(F-32)x5] /9 = C

or

[(Cx9)/5] +32 = F

So, those of you talking about overwintering tomatoes and geraniums, can I assume you all have either lots of south facing sunny windows, or plans for a great light setup? :-) What is the method of using the floral foam for rooting geraniums?

I am trying to cut back on what I bring in the house this winter, because I really don't have enough sunny window space. I tried coleus a few winters in a row but they just didn't last long at all and were a bit of work trying to keep them alive. I do have Asparagus Ferns, that started out 3 years ago in a 4" pot and now I have three large pots of them to find a place for. A huge Boston Fern that amazes me how well it survives it's summer outdoors. A Jade plant, a tropical Hibiscus that has overwintered at least 5 years now and I have lost count. I have a lovely Begonia Good n Plenty that did well in the yard this summer.

I could try potting up a nasturtium that has bloomed profusely in about 2 hrs of sun in the morning all summer. or take a few cuttings of coleus and just enjoy them until they give up. [g] Not enough sun for the basil I would love to drag in the house. What about four oclocks, would they overwinter?

Does anyone have any tips for cleaning up the plants to make sure they won't bring bugs in the house? I saw a gardening show recently that suggested adding garden lime to a watering can of water and watering all your plants before bringing them in and it would take care of the fungus knats that can drive you crazy in the winter.

I have Dahlia and gladioli bulbs but nowhere that is the right temperature to store them, wish I was going to a fall swap and I could offer them to someone who might like to try overwintering them.

pm2

Has anyone had any luck with citronella inside? I just love this plant and it is so big, I would love to try to save it. Let me know your thoughts!
Kathy

This is great information :-)
As my collection of plants grows from WSing, I keep acquiring some that I'd like to overwinter rather than start from seed again...like some Uwins dwarf Dahlias that came up in some amazing colors the second year, Daturas.
I have had Geraniums on my list of plants to purchase every year because they grow rather slowly, and I've tried to overwinter them the past two years with no success. But I'm going to use Tiffy's method this year. I think that will work.
I'm already staging and planning for where I'm going to put those and the Datura indoors-- and after this weird growing season, maybe even a cutting of a tomato plant or two!

Thanks again for the great info!

Linda

I am cleaning a spot in my basement and am going to hang some lights there.It has a dirt floor so don't care if I make a mess watering.I could even put a small heater down there but it is well insulated.I just want to try to save my containers,ferns in hanging baskets and things like angelonia.I will bring some coleus and angelonia cuttings in because I know I can keep them in the window.This will be an experiment to see which works best and is the least trouble.I have a big potted hibiscus.Should I bring that in the house or leave in the carport? or under lights in the basement.Don't want to lose that one if possible.Thanks for the help here.
moonphase