Page 17 - Back to school | Indoor plants

Bringing plants back inside

As summer winds down and night-time temperatures start
to take a dip, it’s time to acknowledge that the seasons
are changing. And with the fall, winter is looming! That means
that our beautiful tropical plants will soon be heading indoors.
Days usually remain warm enough right through September,
so let your plants soak up the last rays of sunshine and simply
cover them when temperatures drop below 12 C.
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Plants to bring indoors:

■ ●Hibiscus
■ ●Palm plants

■ ●Geraniums and coleus
■ ●Cacti and succulents (kalanchoe, crassula)
■ ●Tropical plants taken outside in the spring: ficus,
philodendrons, colocasia
■ ●Certain herbs: rosemary, basil, chives, parsley

Do not prune flowering plants before bringing them inside. They will bloom right up to early
winter, drawing on their reserves of sugars and starch stored during the summer. As the days
become shorter, you’ll see them fade and lose their vigour. This is the time to prune branches
back by a third to renew and preserve a plant’s structure. A second pruning will be necessary
in January to remove any spindly, new winter shoots.

And bulbs?

Bring inside canna, begonia and dahlia tubers and bulbs, and gladiola corms.
No need to clean them first. Store in a dark, cool and dry place.

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