I know many people throw away their seasonal live plant decorations. I find that terribly hard to do, but I also don’t know how to take care of them. I have collected this information together for me to know how to take care of the plants that do not want to be outside in the winter.
Amaryllis:
My mom died in 2016. She sent me an amaryllis bulb her last Christmas. That plant is important to me. I move it outside as soon as the weather is nice enough (after last frost) so it gets lots of light to make a healthy bulb. Amaryllis will grow outside in our zone (now 6b), but it will not bloom. And, that kinda defeats the point of an amaryllis, right?
They want to naturally go dormant in the winter, so when the leaves are yellow and dying, snip them off, and tuck the plant away (still potted) in a cool space for about 2 months. A basement that’s not too wet, a cool closet, under the stairs- they don’t take up a lot of room. Do not store near fresh foods! So not in a root cellar or pantry, as they fruits and veg emit gasses that can hurt the plant.
When ready, you can either repot the bulb or just add fresh soil. You do not want to give the plant a lot of room if you want flowers— but if you want babies, a larger pot will encourage the bulb to spread outward. Since you are kicking the plant out of hibernation, this is the perfect time to repot. You can put several bubs together in one pot to have a fuller bloom, if you want.
After repotting or adding soil, water thoroughly and put in a warmer place in your home. Water sparingly to make sure the bulb does not dry out, but do not water often until it starts to grow. Then you can start to fertilize the plant again. Hopefully you will see blooms two months after waking the plant up! (Move the plant to a cooler area when it has buds to keep the blooms longer.)
Mums:
Those beautiful pots of autumn mums that decorate homes in their pots from September to Thanksgiving! Who doesn’t love them? It breaks my heart when I see piles of them in the trash in late November, but left outside in their pots, they will die anyplace that has winter.
So bring that huge pot in before the first frost, because those pots give no root protection. You’ll want to cut off all the spent flowers and buds someplace that can get dirty (outside? I did it over my kitchen sink). No, don’t think this is a detailed and long job. Don’t pick off the flowers one at a time, give the plant a good shave like it’s just enlisted in the military.
You’ll need a cool location, but not a closet for this one. It wants little light. Ours is in the basement near a glass block window. It wants to be cool, so it can rest. Every other week, just give it a sip of water so it doesn’t dry out.
Now, the amazing thing to me is *you can plant this in the spring*. In your garden. You can’t plant them in fall, because they need a good 2 months before the first frost to be in the ground, and they are normally purchased too late for that. But come spring, after the last frost, you can put them in the ground and expect it to bloom in fall every year.
If you want to keep it in the pot and winter it over every year, replant it with fresh soil. You can move it into a larger pot or split it, as it will grow new roots prior to blooming.
Either in your yard or in pots, cut the stems down to the root line (see, taking off the flowers is not a time consuming job!) and it will start to put out new growth. It will want to bloom in late summer, so if you want it in autumn, simply cut it back in June and August.
Mums you have planted in your garden should not be trimmed down in fall like the ones you brought in. They will use that layer as protection. Adding leaves to protect the root base is also a good idea. If you left it in a pot, just repeat the cycle.
Boston Ferns:
Again, I see so many porches with these beautiful ferns all summer, only to see the ferns in the garbage come fall. Just like mums, they can’t handle a hard frost in their pots.
You can give it a trim if it needs one. Unlike mums, it doesn’t need much more than a cleaning up. If you don’t have a lot of indoor space, feel free to trim it back to a reasonable size. Doing this outside is neater; again, I used my kitchen. A cool basement again is a good place for overwintering a fern. They like a little light, and they like to have a little moisture on their fronds, so feel free to place on a tray with gravel and water, or mist it every week or so. Don’t leave them in bright light, or they can dry up. Expect the plant to turn pale and drop some leaves. If it’s dropping a lot of leaves, make sure to keep it a little more humid.
In the spring, decide if you are going to split the fern or leave it in its pot. Either way, it’s always good to pop the plant out and put it in fresh soil.
There we go. My amaryllis, mums that were gifted to me, and a neighbor’s fern are all in our basement, waiting out the long Buffalo winter and bringing us joy in the spring.
