The best window to buy poinsettias is late November into the first days of December, within a week or two of a store's fresh delivery. Plants bought then have had the least time under dim store lights...
Florist cyclamen keeps flowering for two to three months indoors when it sits in a cool, bright spot, about 50 to 65°F by day and 40 to 50°F at night, and is watered from below so the tuber and crown ...
Christmas cactus sets flower buds when it gets about six weeks of long nights, 12 to 14 hours of uninterrupted darkness, or cool nights around 50 to 55°F. Give it either signal starting in late Septem...
In Zones 5 and 6, bigleaf hydrangeas Hydrangea macrophylla flower on buds that formed in late summer, so the job is to keep those buds alive until spring. After the leaves drop and the plant goes dorm...
Storing Cannas, Elephant Ears, and Caladiums Over Winter North of about Zone 8, lift cannas and elephant ears right after the first light frost blackens the foliage, and lift caladiums earlier, once n...
Overwintering Potted Perennials and Shrubs in Cold Zones To overwinter potted perennials and shrubs in cold zones, protect the roots, not the tops. Roots in a container are far less cold-hardy than th...
Tying Up Arborvitae and Upright Evergreens for Snow To keep heavy snow and ice from splaying or splitting upright evergreens, tie multi-stemmed arborvitae, upright junipers, and similar columnar shrub...
Winter Protection for Fig Trees in Zones 6 and 7 In Zones 6 and 7, protect in-ground fig trees after the leaves drop and before nights fall into the low 20s°F, usually in mid to late November. Tie the...
Overwintering Geraniums Indoors Bring geraniums indoors before the first frost, once nights drop into the low 40s °F, and keep them one of three ways: as potted plants in a sunny window, as rooted cut...
Peace Lily Care in Dry Indoor Heat When the furnace is running, keep a peace lily at least 3 feet from heat vents and radiators, water when the top inch of soil is dry often every 5 to 10 days in a he...
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