Overwintering Oleanders, Roses, Sedums, and Other Plants
Overwintering Oleanders
Oleander is a Mediterranean plant sensitive to frost.
- Overwintering period: Starts in late November and lasts until around March or early spring, when nighttime and early morning temperatures stay above 0 °C and sunlight becomes more frequent. This is when oleanders can be moved outdoors again.
- Location: Keep them in a bright, frost-free area—like a stairwell, unheated garage, well-lit basement, or enclosed balcony with limited light exposure. I personally cover mine on the balcony with white winterproof textile sacks, which let in some light and keep the plant healthy through spring. Some leave their oleanders outside uncovered, and they often survive—but I wouldn’t recommend it.
- Watering: Water lightly every 3–4 weeks—just enough to prevent the root ball from drying out completely. Overwatering can cause root rot. I water mine every 1–2 weeks with a tiny amount, but I always check the soil moisture first. Never water too often.
- When to move them outside: Around March–April, I start removing the textile sack and increase watering. I don’t usually prune them, and they bloom nicely by summer. If you do want to prune, late summer or early autumn is better to ensure blooming the following year.
Overwintering Roses in the Garden
Most rose varieties are winter-hardy, but hybrid teas, miniature potted roses, and young plants need protection.
- Base protection: Mound about 20–30 cm of soil, compost, or pine bark around the base of the plants.
- Covering the branches: Use frost-protection fabric, layers of newspaper, straw, or spruce branches to protect from wind. For newspaper: wrap several layers around the branches, secure with foil and loosely tie with string or rubber bands to prevent soaking. This provides insulation against frost and cold.
- Balcony protection: My roses are slightly shielded near glass. I wrap the base with blankets and bundle the stems up to 30–50 cm. For watering, I unwrap them slightly and rewrap afterwards (watch out for thorns!). By late March, I prune and increase watering.
- Standard roses: I cover them with a white winter sack and water lightly once a week. By March, I remove the sack, trim lightly, and the plant revives.
- Ground-level roses: Also covered with a sack and watered weekly. Be cautious not to overwater—these small plants may not absorb all the moisture. I often lift them to check if water is pooling in the pot; if so, I drain it. In that case, watering every two weeks is safer.
Overwintering Succulents (Sedum Family)
I cover them with winterproof white sacks. Just one small watering per week. By spring, they always survive and grow vigorously.
Other Perennial Plants
I also cover them with white winter sacks or frost-protection plastic sheeting. Watering: once a week with a small amount.
Geraniums
I cover them with textile sacks as well. Out of 4–5 plants, typically 2–3 survive the winter—they’re quite sensitive. I repot them in spring.
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