How to Maintain Container Gardens in the Winter

Although it's still summer and you're probably still lounging around poolside in an attempt to blot out any ideas of impending winter, it's not too early to start thinking about what to do with all of those gorgeous container gardens you may have decorating your home's outdoor rooms. It could be because I live in a far northern climate, but I am a huge fan of container gardening, and spend a great deal of time each spring planning my color bowls. Great care should be taken with moving your container gardens indoors. In addition, if deconstructing your container garden is in your future, the gardener should also take steps to preserving prized plants.

Some "lifetime" container gardens are easy to care for. In regards to containers that are full of herbs, for example, the entire pot can be moved indoors once the temperature dip below freezing. Many herbs, such as rosemary and chives, can survive a light frost. Start by cleaning off any leaves and debris from the pot. Trim back any dead material. Fall is the time to do any sort of pruning for any woody plants like bay or rosemary. Examine the pot carefully for cracks or residue from fertilizer. If your pot has cracked, of if the pot shows deposits, this would be the time to make a change. I spray my soon-to-be indoor plants with an organic pest spray in the week or so before bringing the pot in. This ensures that any unwanted bugs do not migrate into the house with the plants.

For color bowls, the approach is different. Here in our area of Michigan, most flower containers will not survive a winter. However, you can change up the look of your container garden, just by pulling away some of the older "spring" type annuals and replacing them with fall color. Plants to consider for your container garden fall "makeover" include ornamental kale and cabbage, asters, and chrysanthemums. Replace any missing soil and make sure you add fertilizer when planting your new color.

I have long included vegetables into my container gardens, planting them alongside the flowers. It adds a different sort of color, and keeps the squirrels and rabbits away from tender vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, Swiss chard and lettuce. A new, final crop of lettuce can be planted from beginning to mid-August, for harvest shortly before the first frost. For container gardens containing vegetables, take out all of the spent plants and discard.

For most of container gardens, it is necessary to deconstruct them and store the pots away for the winter. This is because leaving any material in them could cause the moisture in the soil to expand, thus breaking the pot. Discard the potting material, removing any clumps of root material, and clean out the pot for storage. If you are interested in saving any of the plants for use the next year, it is easy to do. This can be done with geraniums, pansies and other annuals. (Some pansies are hardy, and will survive a winter in a container garden.) Simply trim your plant back, removing any dead material. Gently lift the plant out of the container and repot in a smaller pot. Don't forget to give your plant a generous bath in organic insecticide.

Place the pot in a sunny southern window, and hope for spring to come!