ASKI CELEBRATING 26 YEARS! Welcome to My weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. I was given a Hibiscus as a gift this year and I planted it outside. Now that cooler weather is approaching, what do I need to do? - Mary Sprigs & Twigs best There are a number of different plants that people enjoy during our summers that are not perennial in our climate because they cannot withstand our seasonal changes in temperature, humidity and daylight length. All of these need special attention for the fall and winter. Small shrubs and vines (Mandevilla, Hibiscus) need different care than those that grow from bulbs and rhizomes (Dahlias, Elephant ears, Cannas). SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET Shrubs and vines can be kept actively growing indoors or allowed to go dormant. Make sure you bring them in well before the first frost (in our area, the first frost date is October 15). To keep the plant in active growth, keep it in a sunny place where it stays between 60-70 degrees during the day and 50 degrees at night. Don't overwater, but also be sensitive to winter's lower humidity levels, especially if you heat with a wood stove. If you can, try to keep the humidity in the room at 30%-40%. If you want your plant to go dormant, keep it in its existing pot and in a cool place (40-50 degrees) with little to no sunlight. Keep the soil nearly dry. In dormancy the plant is using a lot less water and having the soil too moist can lead to disease and rot. If you didn't prune your plant before bringing it inside - the leaves will steadily turn color and fall off. This doesn't mean the plant is dying. In dormancy, the roots remain alive in a "sleep mode" but the plant needs to reduce its above-ground mass over the winter. In early spring, re-pot the plant into fresh soil, prune it if needed and fertilize it with a weak dose of liquid fertilizer. Expose the plant to sunlight gradually. EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 2222222 AVAILABLE NOW! - Over 200 of your gardening questions answered. THE BEST OF THE LANDENT PROFESSIONAL ASK - $49.95 .tax. $53.12+ shipping and handling. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! CALL OUR OFFICE AT: 860-235-0752 ASKI CELEBRATING 26 YEARS ! Welcome to My weekly series ! THE LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs , Inc. for the last 26 years . She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany , an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional , a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects . I was given a Hibiscus as a gift this year and I planted it outside . Now that cooler weather is approaching , what do I need to do ? - Mary Sprigs & Twigs best There are a number of different plants that people enjoy during our summers that are not perennial in our climate because they cannot withstand our seasonal changes in temperature , humidity and daylight length . All of these need special attention for the fall and winter . Small shrubs and vines ( Mandevilla , Hibiscus ) need different care than those that grow from bulbs and rhizomes ( Dahlias , Elephant ears , Cannas ) . SPRIGS & TWIGS VOTED THE BEST BY DAY READERS EVERY YEAR ! WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET Shrubs and vines can be kept actively growing indoors or allowed to go dormant . Make sure you bring them in well before the first frost ( in our area , the first frost date is October 15 ) . To keep the plant in active growth , keep it in a sunny place where it stays between 60-70 degrees during the day and 50 degrees at night . Don't overwater , but also be sensitive to winter's lower humidity levels , especially if you heat with a wood stove . If you can , try to keep the humidity in the room at 30 % -40 % . If you want your plant to go dormant , keep it in its existing pot and in a cool place ( 40-50 degrees ) with little to no sunlight . Keep the soil nearly dry . In dormancy the plant is using a lot less water and having the soil too moist can lead to disease and rot . If you didn't prune your plant before bringing it inside - the leaves will steadily turn color and fall off . This doesn't mean the plant is dying . In dormancy , the roots remain alive in a " sleep mode " but the plant needs to reduce its above - ground mass over the winter . In early spring , re - pot the plant into fresh soil , prune it if needed and fertilize it with a weak dose of liquid fertilizer . Expose the plant to sunlight gradually . EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO : info@sprigsandtwigs.net or Linda Lillie , Sprigs & Twigs Inc , PO Box 245 , Gales Ferry , CT 06335 2222222 AVAILABLE NOW ! - Over 200 of your gardening questions answered . THE BEST OF THE LANDENT PROFESSIONAL ASK - $ 49.95 .tax . $ 53.12 + shipping and handling . ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY ! CALL OUR OFFICE AT : 860-235-0752