Learn how to overwinter plants indoors like an expert. This in-depth guide covers overwintering cuttings, tropicals, tender perennials, houseplants, cannas, colocasia, and vines under grow lights, plus practical criteria for deciding which plants are worth saving.
How To Overwinter Plants Indoors Like An Expert
A Practical Guide To Cuttings, Mother Plants, Tropicals And Tender Perennials
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Every autumn, many gardeners face the same dilemma:
You know frost is coming. You have plants you love on the patio, in containers, and in the ground. Some are expensive, some are rare, some took all season to size up. The question is not just if you should overwinter them, but how you can do it realistically without turning your house into a jungle you secretly resent.
This guide is written from a very honest place: not everyone enjoys being a houseplant person. Overwintering is work. Light is limited, indoor air is dry, and pests are more difficult to manage. So the goal here is not to save everything. The goal is to save the right plants, in the right way, with the least stress for both you and them.
We will walk through:
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How to overwinter plants from cuttings using “mother plants”
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How to use grow lights and semi-dormancy to your advantage
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How to decide which plants deserve overwintering effort
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Specific strategies for plants like plectranthus, cannas, colocasia, vines, tropical hibiscus, citrus, and abutilon
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How to avoid common pitfalls with pests, water, and timing
1. The Overwintering Mindset: You Cannot Save Everything
Before any soil is moistened or any pot is carried indoors, you need a clear strategy. Overwintering should be intentional, not impulsive.
An expert approach starts with a simple filter:
You overwinter a plant when at least one of these is true:
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It is hard to find or rare in your area
If you spent half the season hunting down one particular variety, it is worth trying to carry it through winter so you do not have to repeat that search. -
It is expensive to replace every year
Some tropicals or specialty container plants can cost as much as a small shrub. Saving them for another year makes financial sense. -
It takes a long time to size up
Plants that need half a season or more to reach an impressive size are good candidates. If you can start with “pre-sized” material next year, your garden will look full sooner. -
You genuinely love it
This is the sentimental category. A plant that makes you happy every time you look at it might be worth extra effort, even if it is theoretically replaceable.
Anything that falls outside these categories can be left to frost with no guilt. There will always be more plants.
2. Using Cuttings And Mother Plants: The Smart Overwintering Shortcut
One of the most efficient overwintering strategies is to avoid saving full-sized plants. Instead, you keep small mother plants that will provide cuttings in late winter or early spring.
2.1 Example: Silver shield plectranthus
Plectranthus, especially varieties like Silver Shield, is a perfect candidate for this approach:
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It is easy to propagate
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It roots readily in water or directly in potting mix
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It can be difficult to source in some seasons
Step 1: Take cuttings before frost
Choose non-flowering stems. You want vegetative growth, not stems that are using energy to support blooms.
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Cut just below a node
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Remove larger lower leaves so the cutting focuses on root formation
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You can even cut big leaves in half to reduce transpiration. Appearance does not matter at this stage.
You can root plectranthus in:
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Water: place stems in a jar and wait until roots form
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Directly in potting mix: a lightweight container blend works well
Rooting hormone is optional for very easy plants like plectranthus.
Step 2: Pot up a small “Mother Plant”
Once roots form, or if you are sticking directly into soil, pot multiple cuttings together into a single container. This is not about creating a beautiful finished plant. It is about keeping a compact, healthy mother plant alive until late winter.
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Use a well-draining potting mix
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Water to settle the soil and keep it evenly moist (not saturated)
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Place under grow lights or in the brightest indoor spot you have
In late winter, you take fresh cuttings from this mother plant and use those to build your stock for the garden. You avoid managing a huge plant all winter, and you save money and time in spring.
2.2 Other Good Candidates For This Method
This “mother plant from cuttings” method is ideal for:
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Basil and other tender herbs that root easily
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Many trailing annuals used in containers
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Soft-stemmed tender perennials that are expensive or rare
If a plant roots from a simple stem cutting and you only need modest numbers next year, overwintering a single compact mother plant is often the smartest tactic.
3. Light, Grow Lights, And Semi-Dormancy
Many gardeners do not have bright, plant-friendly windows. Bringing dozens of plants inside to languish in dim corners is a recipe for weak growth and pest issues.
A more expert approach is to:
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Limit the number of plants you commit to
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Use grow lights in a basement or utility area instead of trying to decorate the living room with half-dormant greenery
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Accept that overwintered plants do not need to look beautiful
You are not staging a winter houseplant display. You are keeping genetic material and root systems alive until conditions improve.
For some plants, the best overwintering state is semi-dormancy:
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Reduced light compared to summer
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Lower watering frequency
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Cooler temperatures than typical houseplant rooms
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Enough resources to keep the plant alive but not actively racing into growth
This can work very well for plants like colocasia, vigorous vines, or tender perennials that you want to restart strongly in spring.
4. Specific Overwintering Strategies By Plant Type
Let us walk through several types of plants mentioned in the scenario and outline expert strategies for each.
4.1 Plectranthus And Other Easy Cuttings
For plectranthus:
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Take multiple stem cuttings
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Root in water or soil
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Pot several cuttings into one container to create a mother plant
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Keep under grow lights, evenly moist, not overfed
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Take fresh cuttings in late winter to propagate for spring
The goal is not lush winter growth. The goal is survival plus propagation potential.
4.2 Tropical And Tender Container Plants (Kumquat, Senecio, etc.)
Plants like kumquats, Senecio skyscraper, and other tender tropicals are generally treated like houseplants in winter.
Key points:
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Bring them inside before the first serious cold snap
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Avoid abrupt temperature swings, which stress plants
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Place them in the brightest indoor location or under grow lights
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Maintain a consistent watering routine, avoiding both extremes of drought and saturation
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Inspect for pests regularly, especially scale, aphids, or spider mites
These plants do not necessarily need to be pushed into strong growth. Think of winter as a holding pattern where survival and stability matter more than aesthetics.
4.3 Colocasia (Coffee Cups And Other Elephant Ears)
Colocasia is a dramatic focal plant that many gardeners want to save. There are two main approaches.
Approach 1: Keep It Potted And Semi-Dormant
If your colocasia is already in a pot sunk into a border or container, as in the example:
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Lift the entire pot from the garden
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Cut back most of the large leaves, leaving only some smaller foliage
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Move the pot to a cool indoor location with some light
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Reduce watering, keeping the soil barely moist
The plant will likely enter a semi-dormant state. You can wake it up gradually in late winter or early spring by increasing light and water.
Approach 2: Lift And Store Corms (Variety Dependent)
Some colocasia and many alocasia and elephant ear types form corms that can be dug and stored dry. Not all varieties do this equally well. If your specific type does not reliably form good-sized corms, the potted semi-dormant method is safer.
4.4 Cannas
Cannas are classic candidates for lifting and storing.
Expert method:
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Leave plants in the ground until after frost has blackened the leaves
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Cut back the foliage
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Dig up clumps of rhizomes
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Gently knock off excess soil
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Store in paper bags or shallow boxes in a cool, frost-free, well-ventilated area
In late winter, pot up the rhizomes indoors to start them early. By the time you can plant outside, you have strong, leafy plants ready to perform.
4.5 Tender Vines (Purple Bell Vine And Similar Plants)
Some vines can be very challenging from seed, yet grow beautifully once established. If you finally get them thriving, it is smart to overwinter the original plant rather than gambling on seed again.
For tender perennial vines:
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Dig the plant from its container or bed
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Pot it into a reasonably sized container with fresh potting mix
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Cut it back hard, leaving a few inches of stem with healthy nodes
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Place under grow lights or in bright, cool conditions
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Aim for slow, controlled growth or semi-dormancy
Because these plants are often grown for their climbing habit and flowers, your overwintered plant becomes a head start for next year’s display.
4.6 Tropical Hibiscus
Tropical hibiscus can bloom beautifully outside, then sulk indoors. Common issues include:
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Insufficient light
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Aphids and other pests
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Stress from dry indoor air
Expert tips:
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Move hibiscus indoors before temperatures drop too low
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Consider placing it under grow lights instead of in a dim window
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Cut back the plant by at least half to reduce the amount of foliage it must support
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Start pest management early by washing leaves and using insecticidal soap before bringing the plant indoors
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Monitor for aphids throughout winter, as they are particularly attracted to hibiscus
Accept that hibiscus often looks less glamorous in winter. The reward comes next season.
4.7 Abutilon And Other Difficult-but-Worth-a-Try Plants
Some plants, like abutilon, are known to be finicky indoors. They may demand higher humidity and can decline under typical house conditions.
The professional mindset here is:
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Acknowledge the risk – some losses are likely
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Decide if the cost and beauty justify the attempt
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Dig and pot them up carefully
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Bring them inside, provide as much light and humidity as practical
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Do your best, but accept that not every experiment works
Overwintering is partly science and partly trial and error. Plants that do not survive help refine your list of what is truly worth the effort next year.
5. Pest Management Before Bringing Plants Indoors
One of the fastest ways to hate overwintering is to bring in pests along with your plants.
Before plants cross the threshold:
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Physically rinse foliage to remove dust and insects
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Inspect the undersides of leaves and stem joints for aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, or scale
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Consider using insecticidal soap as a preventative measure
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Keep new arrivals away from existing houseplants for a short quarantine period if possible
Once indoors, check plants regularly. It is far easier to manage a few early aphids than a full outbreak in January.
6. Timing Your Overwintering Tasks
Timing depends heavily on your climate, but a few principles hold true:
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Do not rush to bring everything in at the first cool night
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Do not wait so long that a hard frost damages roots or stems
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Aim to move containers and tender plants while nights are cool, not freezing
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If your falls are warmer than average for your zone, you may have more flexibility
In borderline conditions, location matters. Plants tucked close to a house wall or on a sheltered deck often experience less severe cold and can stay outside a bit longer, giving you more time to enjoy them.
7. Overwintering Is An Experiment, Not A Test
Perhaps the most expert mindset of all is this:
There will be losses. Not every plant will make it. That is normal.
Overwintering is not a pass-or-fail exam. It is a series of small experiments that teach you:
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Which plants are worth the effort
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Which methods suit your space and habits
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How far you personally are willing to go for a plant you love
If a plant does not survive, you have gained information, not just lost a specimen. There are always more plants, more seeds, and more seasons.
If you are ready to build a smarter overwintering strategy, start by making your list:
Which plants are rare, expensive, slow to size up, or simply irreplaceable in your eyes?
Save those first.
For more seasonal guides on overwintering, propagation, and smart garden planning, subscribe to our newsletter or follow our updates, and turn winter from a stressful scramble into a confident, intentional part of your gardening year.
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