Key Points
Some plants need winter cold, while others should be brought indoors to survive.Acclimate plants slowly and check for pests before moving them inside.Return tender or tropical plants outdoors once nights stay above 60°F.
You love your outdoor plants, but with fall’s arrival, you’re thinking about bringing your favorites inside for the winter.
However, this practice isn’t quite as simple as it seems—which is why we asked an expert horticulturalist for tips. Here’s how to overwinter plants indoors and help them thrive.
Meet the Expert
Heather Wheatley is a certified professional horticulturist and marketing manager at Proven Winners.
What Kind of Outdoor Plants Should You Move Indoors For Winter?
Plenty of tender annuals—think ornamental plants and herbs—can survive indoors in the winter with the right care and conditions. For example, you can take cuttings of a colorful coleus plant in the fall, root them in water, and replant them to enjoy indoors and into the next growing season.
You can move annual herbs like basil indoors to cultivate over winter with the help of a very bright, sunny window or grow light. However, there are plenty of plants that you’re better off leaving outdoors for the winter.
“Generally, perennials and shrubs are meant to stay outside,” says Heather Wheatley, certified professional horticulturist and marketing manager at Proven Winners.
“Oftentimes when you bring a container into the garage to try to overwinter it, the plants struggle because these plants need to freeze and go dormant for a fresh start in the spring.”
However, if you’re experimenting with growing perennials that are suited to a slightly warmer climate—for example, growing certain fig tree varieties in zone 5—you may consider raising these plants in containers that you can bring indoors more easily for a little winter protection.
“Some plants are right on the cusp of being hardy in your area, but a tough winter could knock them out,” Wheatley says. “In that case, it might be worth a try. It’s always fun to zone push and see if you can keep them going.”
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How to Keep Outdoor Plants Thriving Indoors
Make sure the plant will benefit from overwintering. Before you bring any pots indoors in the fall, make sure it’s in the best interest of that plant.
Treat plants properly before bringing them indoors. “Whatever decision you make, remember to change the soil or treat it with an insecticide,” Wheatley says. “You don’t want to bring outdoor insects into your home, even into the garage.” Check foliage for signs of pest activity, too.
Give plants a little TLC when you first bring them in. After ensuring that plants are bug-free, water the plant. If you’re keeping the plant indoors more for protection from the elements than to extend active growth, however, it may need only a couple of waterings before spring comes. Avoid fertilizing during this time.
For active growth, replicate outdoor conditions. Provide tender annuals a warm environment and lots of light from a very sunny window or a grow light to encourage continued growth.
When Should You Move Plants Back Outside?
In late winter or early spring, you may see signs that dormant overwintered plants have started to wake up, like new shoots or leaf growth—but don’t rush to bring them back outside just yet. In regions where overwintered plants like gardenias are not hardy, for example, you’ll need to reacclimate them to outdoor temperatures and light levels over the course of a week or so.
Begin this process when daytime temperatures are above 50°F. Wait to keep these plants outdoors for the season until night temperatures are above 60°F.
The same goes for houseplants that go outdoors for the summer.
“Any tropical houseplants that you have kept outside over the summer and overwintered inside will need the nighttime air temperature to be above 60°F,” Wheatley says. “That rule also includes any citrus that you brought in over the winter.”
If you’ve managed to keep any annuals like tender herbs going all winter long, you’ll need to go through a similar process to get them ready to live outdoors again. Wait until night temperatures are in the mid-50s to start bringing them back outside.
“It is the kindest practice to any of your plants to temper them with a nice sunny day outside and bring them back in when the temperatures get cooler,” Wheatley says. “A week or so of that and they should be ready to stand on their own outside in late spring.”
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