How to protect your potted plants in winter?

First of all, it's useful to know which plants need to be protected from low temperatures. These are the so-called "non-hardy" plants. These include, for example, tropical flowering plants such as hibiscus and orchids, Mediterranean and orangery plants such as oleander, pelargonium, banana, palm, bird of paradise, bougainvillea, citrus, lantana, cacti, and other frost-sensitive plants such as geraniums, fuchsias, daturas, and summer bulbs, as detailed on the websites of several specialist retailers.

The most practical solution for protecting your potted plants is to bring them indoors. But be careful, don't place them in the living room or any other heated room; they won't tolerate it. Instead, choose a room or location that's cool (around 10 degrees), airy, well-lit, and protected from drafts. A veranda, for example, is an ideal location.

But not everyone has a veranda or an extra room for their plants... Don't panic, in these cases, it's better to leave your plants outside, but take a few precautions.

- Protect your plants from the wind

First, place your pots or planters in a sunny spot, preferably sheltered from cold east and north winds. For example, place them close to a wall so they are as exposed as possible. If you can't move the pots, consider using a screen.

- Raise your pots and protect them from the cold

Ideally, also make sure to raise your pots on wooden blocks so that they are not in direct contact with the cold ground. Remember to remove the saucers, so that excess water from rain can drain away from the pot.

To ensure your roots are well protected from low temperatures, also be sure to wrap your most fragile pots. Terracotta pots, for example, can burst in the frost. You can use newspaper, bubble wrap, or expanded polystyrene sheets to ensure good insulation. Make sure these protective wraps touch the ground to create an air cushion under the pot.

- Mulching and wintering fleece

Next comes the mulching step: mulch all of your pots at the base of the plant with straw, dead leaves for example, or even bark or wood chips. Make sure that these don't blow away.

You can also protect the aerial part of your plant with a wintering fleece, which you can find in gardening stores. Consider doubling or even tripling it depending on the fragility of your plant. Tip: so that the fleece does not rest directly on the foliage of the plants, you can install stakes before laying your fleece, which will allow light to continue to pass through but also allow your plants to breathe. Be careful, as soon as the temperatures rise, remember to free your plants from the fleece.

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