It is SO hard for me to dispose of hearty geraniums! I have brought a plant or two in (Ohio) and they will last another month or so but I have not been able to keep the leaves and flowers healthy once inside for long.
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Fiddle leaf’s are notorious HARD and finicky!!! My girls have had them but I’ve never had one myself.
I just read that the trick is to cut them way back in August (I did not do this). We’ll see how long this guy flourishes for.
Oh, well I couldn’t do that either! They are PRIME in August!!!
Thank you for this thread! I had forgotten to bring my geranium in off the front porch. I have some bigger pots that have made the move, including a strawberry guava and a Persian lime. But I think they are outgrowing our house? The dining room may be a little crowded for Thanksgiving dinner. I did finally buy an extra lamp and some grow light bulbs, so they’re all cozier already than in years past.
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I have some gorgeous, humongous Boston ferns in wicker stands outside. I thought about bringing them in and asked my local plant place for advice. She suggested taking them out of their pot they came in, whacking off the bottom half ( pot is root bound) and then even dividing the plant before repoting and bringing inside.
Besides the time to do it, soil and indoor pots to replant and where would I put them (!) I didn’t bother
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@abasket - I have brought Boston ferns inside before and discovered how messy they are. I don’t bother anymore.
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Pretty geranium! If it survives and you have garden space, consider putting it in the ground next year. I was impressed by how well some of my windowsill geraniums (inherited from mom) did when planted outside.
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Does this count? I bought a basil plant at Publix, split it, repotted in this pretty 1940’s pot, and gave the other half of the plant to D. If I can keep it going through the winter, it’ll be a miracle (indoor plants are not my thing; I’ve been known to kill a philodendron).
It’s on a nice sunny west-facing windowsill.
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Oooh, maybe I should try wintering my basil indoors!
We have large tropical hibiscus and plumeria that move under the porch roof for the winter. If it’s going to be well below freezing I drag them indoors until it warms back up. They drop all their leaves but green back up in the spring.
I had never been able to coax an orchid to rebloom until we replaced the recessed floodlights over the sink with led bulbs. I leave them on from early until late. The pots sit between the sink and the N facing window. Last spring every one of them rebloomed!
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So… I was today years old when I learned this trick. I was repotting a plant and found plastic bottles in the root ball so had to look up to see if there was a reason for this. And yes, there was! Maybe I’m really late to the game with this knowledge, but here is an article if anyone else is interested.
Yes I do this LOTS with outdoor big pots. I’ve also used pop cans (they don’t really rust) but can collect water in their opening which isn’t the best. So if you use the water bottles, keep the caps on - so they stay light and don’t get smelly damp dirt!
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Great trick! Lots better than my method of heavy rocks and gravel in the bottom of the pot.
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I used packing styrofoam (chunks and “peanuts”) to fill the bottom of my tall planters.
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I love my indoor veggie garden! I’ve got lettuce, kale, green beans, strawberries, herbs and flowers growing! My kids love to help and check the plants too. My 7-year said he wants to be a botanist.
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Awesome photo! Yay for young gardeners!
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Aerogarden was on sale at my local Costco for $110.
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Any hints for getting rid of flies on indoor house plants. I don’t remember having this problem last year when I brought geraniums inside, but this year lots of small flies around the plants and elsewhere around the house.
I did try making a fly trap with vinegar, but that had only limited success. I’m considering some yellow sticky traps from Amazon but thought I’d check here with the CC pals first.
Yes to yellow sticky traps!! They take care of these buggers quickly. No fuss no mess.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XLM4FWL
Here is mine in action:
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Thanks!! That is exactly what I was considering … ordered now, arriving in 3 days 
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