Believe it or not, our average first-freeze date is December 15, giving us about three more months of warm weather. That may not be good news for those anxious for sweater weather, but it is great news for people with tropical plants. One of the most common problems in our area is over-wintering large tropical plants that have been growing outside, either in the ground or in large pots. Once they have overgrown past a manageable size, tropical plants are frequently planted in the landscape in a protected area. This practice may be adequate during our mild winters, but the plants are still susceptible to freezes during extremely cold winter weather.
Plants often have sentimental value that far exceeds their actual monetary value.
Gardeners may go to great pains to save a plant they have nurtured for years. Some plants can be cut back and covered. If this is done, pruning should be completed before mid-October to allow the plant to recover from pruning and harden off for winter. Making a duplicate A better solution may be through propagation, starting a genetic duplicate of the parent plant. Air layering is a common propagation method where a plant is rooted while still attached to the parent plant.