C. Myrtles in containers brought indoors

[Wishy13764]

They are showing their beautiful Fall colors and soon all the leaves would drop. I have to bring them indoors after that, because on coming winter would kill them, even insulated. My question is, once they are indoors, and leaves dropped, should I water them from time to time until spring, or just ignore them? My one outside in the ground usually takes care of itself, with the periodic snow and rain periods and lasted me all these years, but obviously the containers ( doing this for the first time ) are another story.

[Sunflower]

Indoors is going to be too warm for them. They'll try to grow, and succumb to spider mites and other curses of indoor dry air. You need a place that's cool to cold like an uninsulated garage to overwinter them. They'll need to be watered maybe twice a month, but check with your finger before doing it.

What zone are you? Lots of container plants can just be snugged up to the house on the South side and have some leaves piled over them and do just fine. You said you're able to grow CMs outdoors, so that means zone 7+ to me, which means keep them outside for the winter next to the house. I keep my potted CMs outside with no problems whatsoever and don't even snug them up to the house, and I'm borderline 7-8.

[Wishy13764]

I'm in NYC and had one grown in a whiskey barrel for the first time I;ve tried, and it did not recover the winter here at that time. It wasn't particularly extra cold too. Now the ones I have are in much smaller pots like 12 to 14" inches. I'm not sure they would last during a real bad winter. also, won't they be exposed by snow and/or rain and be forced to grow? What zone is NYC?

[B & J]

Dig a hole in a raised bed area and bury the pots to the rim in the soil. As soon as the weather becomes cold, place a ring of wire around the pots and fill the area with leaves to the top.You might have to add leaves as they settle. Remove the leaves as soon as the weather begins to warm up in the spring to avoid smothering. I've kept pots of C. myrtlettes alive and growing in pots for three years in zone 6, which are supposed to only be hardy to zone 7.

John