Winter is Coming

The weather in Central Iowa has been nothing short of beautiful lately. With sunny, warm days and cool nights this fall, the brightest colors explode from trees limbs, specifically, a lot of reds. And, with the dry climate, the fields of corn, soybeans and hay have their own color as well—a brilliant gold.

According to the State of Iowa Forestry Division: "The brightest displays of color occur with an early fall with bright sunny days and cool nights.  These conditions develop red pigments.  Cloudy days and warm nights will produce less brilliant colors because chlorophyll breaks down slowly and the red pigments are not formed quickly enough. Dry weather causes a greater buildup of sugars in the leaves, enhancing the production of the red pigments. Windy, rainy weather causes many leaves to fall prematurely, lessening the intensity of the display.  A killing frost will destroy the leaf cells and the coloration process will not function effectively."

Well, that killing frost is now upon us. With lower and lower temperatures predicted, the magnificant reds, golds, and greens will soon be replaced by varying shades of browns and grays. Winter time. Although it might not be as pretty outside during the winter (though this is up for debate for those snowbirds out there), you can definitely maintain a pretty indoor paradise with your plants.

If you do have outdoor plants you would like to keep over the winter, a few things to remember:

• Place your plant in a well-ventilated area but not directly under a heating vent. A heating vent will dry out your plant quickly. If you place your plant on the floor, be sure there is not a lot of cool drafts. Most plants do not like their roots (or, as I like to refer to them, their feeties) to get cold.
• Because the windows are closed more often during the winter, every few weeks or so, I dampen a towel and wipe the tops of the leaves. This helps clean the indoor dust off the plants throughout the winter, allowing your plant to "breathe" easy.
• Do not repot your plant over the winter. Because the winter is a slower growing seaso, repotting is more stressful than helpful. This includes fertilizing. Wait until spring to report or fertilize.
• Cut back on the watering. Watering becomes a little more tricky during the winter because you do not want your plant to get overheated, yet because there is not as much daylight, your plant is prone to overwatering and sogginess. If I give my plant a cup of water during the summer, then I typically cut back to 3/4 to 1/2 cup in the winter.

Please note, none of the above recommendations are scientifically-based (that I know of); they are merely tips and tricks I use to keep my plants healthy throughout the winter.

All the best. Stay tuned for the last updates regarding the 2011 Garden!

PS...as I have been developing this blog, of course, I have found so many other great bloggers who are wayyy ahead of the game than me. For example, one recently discovered and newly favorite blog is The Iowa Gardener! So close to this very blog name too...who knew...regardless, it just goes to show how wonderful gardening in Iowa truly is.

I have added the link to The Iowa Gardener to my Friends & Favorites. It is a wonderful website; chalkful of information. A great realization for me while reading its blog(s) is, while I do not know everything there is to know, I am on the right path to becoming a savvy gardener, which is encouraging.

Specifically, a few tips the Iowa Gardener highlights regarding caring for your plants over the winter include:

• "A few types of plants in pots can indeed survive all winter. Hibiscus, jasmine, rosemary, citrus trees, and others will often survive the winter if given plenty of light and humidity.
•  If you have any houseplants still out, bring them in. Even if they’re in a covered area, most don’t like cool temperatures. Rinse them off with a gentle spray of water from the hose or the shower to make sure you don’t bring in any bugs.
• If you have tender plants that are perennials in warmer climates, you can experiment with bringing them indoors for the winter. Hibiscus, jasmine, rosemary, citrus trees, and others will often survive the winter if brought indoors and given a sunny site and sometimes even under a grow light.
• Equally critical is protection from drafts and adequate humidity. Set the plants on a tray filled with pebbles and water to increase humidity around the plant, and keep in a room that is as cool (but not freezing) as possible, ideally around 50 degrees."

For a wintering checklist, visit Wintering Checklist from The Iowa Gardener.

Purple Coneflower, Summer 2010