How to Winterize Jasmine and Rosemary Indoor?

[jaykchan]

Last winter, I placed the jasmine near a south facing window and take care of it just like an indoor plant. It didn't look great during the winter because the air was dry and it was near a baseboard heater. Its almost fell all the leaves, and it also had been infected with spidermite.

In mid spring, I put it outdoor too early (too cold), and it didn't look great outdoor either. I thought it was dying.

But it rebounded really well when the temperatur became warmer in late spring -- double its size as of before I put it indoor before the winter.

Now, I have two jasmine plants (same type). I will put one near the same south facing window, another in a dark unheated basement and see which one will do better in this winter.

Jay Chan

[jaykchan]

I would like to winterize two jasmine plants and two rosemary plants indoor.

I had put a jasmine in a south facing window in the last winter. It rebounded quite well after the winter despite the fact that It didn't do so well during the winter. But I am running out of south facing window for the second jasmine plant. I am looking for a different way to winterize it. Can I simply put it in a dark unheated basement and let it go dormant? What should I do to prepare it to go dormant? What need to be done during the winter? And how to re-commission it after the winter?

I have the exact same question in winterizing two rosemary. I will put one in a south facing window near a baseboard heater just like what I will do for one of the jasmine. And I intend to put the second rosemary plant in the dark unheated basement. How exactly should I do this?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

[simy1]

for the rosemary, you have two ways.

1) alternate the plants on the window, every 15 days. They will emerge from the winter weakened but alive.

2) cut down the basement rosemary to the branches (freeze the trimmings you get for use thru the winter). It should go dormant for the duration.

also, you can leave the rosemary outside longer than the other houseplants, and likewise put it outside earlier than the other plants. My rosemary is still outside, and usually goes outside in April. A light frost is fine.

[Mark Anderson]

Is this true for other perennials. In particular I'd like to get my pineapple sage to overwinter but, due to their size, I can't put them under lights or in any window. These plants can't survive the hard freezes we get here in Chicago -- even if the plant is in the ground so basically they're annuals here. I do take cuttings and get a lot of plants next Spring but it would be very convenient if I could make some of these in containers go dormant and stick them in a cool dark place for the winter. Do I have to make sure these don't dry out too much? I was considering chopping them down soon since snow is expected here Wednesday and that will be that for any plants left outside.

[David Ross]

I find it somewhat amusing that people disparage our mild winters, saying that we have no seasons. Then they try to grow plants (e.g., rosemary) that grow best in our climate and are totally unsuited for areas that get snow in the winter.

My rosemary is a bush taller than I am. The trunk is about 3-4 inches in diameter with several branches more than an inch. It has been growing in the ground near where my driveway meets the sidewalk for more than 25 years. Right now, there are some blue flowers. And yes, we do get fall color. Right now, in my neighborhood there are trees, shrubs, and vines not only with the basic yellow (both mustard and lemon), orange, and red but also gold, fire, pink, rust, maroon, and burgundy. We get this without having to endure snow, sleet, and ice. Thus, some of our color also comes from the plants that are still flowering. My roses will continue to bloom until I prune them in January.

Today, the temperature at 1:00pm was 86F with 24% relative humidity.

[simy1]

It is possible. Pineapple sage, I am guessing, is about as hardy as rosemary (Zone 8 is the limit). Neither will grow in an unheated room, so once stripped of greenery it should go dormant. A third option is to plant outside in the ground and give it the fig treatment ( bury it under a mound of leaves). In this case, too, stripping the greenery is preferrable.

[jaykchan]

I will use the "alternate" approach to rotate the rosemary plants. They are in small containers; therefore, I don't mind moving them around.

I will use the "trim greeny and go dormant" approach for the jasmine. The jasmine plant has grown to quite a handful that I don't really want to move it around.

Thanks for the great info. I appreciate that.

Thanks. This means I will be able to put the rosemary outside early in the spring.

Jay Chan

[Mark Anderson]

Unfortunately yesterday we got down to 15F with sub zero wind chills and the plants were still outside. Stupid weather. Do you think a zone 8 plant can survive this? All the leaves got dark and wilted but I'm still thinking of chopping them down and bringing a couple inside. Between the drought this summer and this sudden drop in temps, this year has really sucked for gardening here.

[simy1]

probably not. Chop them to the ground and take them inside, if the pot did not freeze they will make it. though probably the pot froze as well, given the high winds.

[Mark Anderson]

Yep, the pots froze. This severe cold took me by surprise but I should have taken care of all of this last weekend when it was warm here. I'm kind of depressed about this because I'm also losing an abnormal amount of cuttings of this plant where I might not have anything for next Spring. Although the pots were frozen, after chopping the plants they still had green inside the stalks.

[jaykchan]

I just watched a gardening show "Gardening by the Yards". The show host said that Rosemary is a bit hard to winterize because it needs more attention. What he suggested are the following: (1) Place it in west facing window in a cool location. (2) Moist it a couple times a day (this is the hard part).

Seem like I am better off finish eating it instead of trying to winterizing it.

Oh well...

Jay Chan

[jaykchan]

I meant to say: (2) _Mist_ it a couple times a day.

[simy1]

Mist it twice a day? Did they notice that it is a plant from semiarid climates? Mine is by a southern window, it is 2 ft tall and 2 ft wide, and it gets a quart of water every two weeks. The Gardening Show is crazy.