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You can save many cold-tender outdoor plants by moving them inside before damaging cold arrives, but they do not all need the same winter treatment. Some should keep growing in a bright room, some should rest in cool storage, and one is often easiest to preserve from a cutting.
One accuracy note matters: the Bob Vila article published November 8, 2024, is headlined “13 Plants You Can Winter Indoors,” yet its visible body documents 12 plants. This guide covers those 12 documented entries rather than inventing a thirteenth. Recommendations can vary by cultivar and local conditions.
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Choose the winter strategy before you move a pot
“Indoors” can mean a sunny living space, a cool garage or basement, or a temporary propagation setup. First decide whether the plant should remain active, enter dormancy, or be replaced by a rooted cutting.
- Active indoor growth: Use bright light, plant-specific temperatures, and adjusted watering for palms, citrus, tropical hibiscus, jasmine, thyme, cordyline, and actively growing bananas.
- Cool or dark dormancy: Cacti, elephant-ear tubers, Boston ferns, and dormant geraniums need less light and less water than a plant kept on a windowsill. Bananas also have a dormant option.
- Propagation: Coleus can be brought inside as a plant or preserved from a healthy stem cutting.
Before any plant crosses the threshold, inspect leaves, stems, pot rims, and soil for hitchhiking insects. Treat only if pests are present. Repot only when necessary, and reduce or stop fertilizing as growth slows. Mark each pot with its name and intended winter method so a plant that needs dry dormancy is not watered like a tropical houseplant.
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| Plant | Winter strategy | Move-in cue | Light and temperature | Water, storage, or safety note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potted palms | Active | Before nights fall below protection range | Bright, humid; about 55–60°F | Keep soil moist; return outside when nights are about 50–60°F |
| Cacti | Dormant | Species threshold; about 45–50°F if unknown | Cool storage with minimal water | Stop watering 3–4 weeks before moving |
| Potted citrus | Active | Before freezing weather | Bright room, ideally 55–70°F | Reduce watering during transition; add humidity if needed |
| Tropical hibiscus | Active | Overnight temperatures in the low 50s | Bright room; avoid drafts and vents | Reduce water and fertilizer in cool months |
| Jasmine | Active | Acclimate indoors at night before frost | Sunny room; protect from drying air | Prune vines by at least 25 percent |
| Coleus | Active or propagation | Nights near 50°F | Warm, sunny location for cuttings | Six-inch stem cuttings can root in moist mix |
| Elephant ears | Dormant | Before a true freeze | Cool, dry, dark tuber storage | In-ground tubers need digging; ingestion is toxic to people and pets |
| Boston fern | Dormant | Before freezing conditions | Cool, nonfreezing basement or garage; low to moderate light | Moisten only when soil is dry; some leaf drop is expected |
| Geranium | Dormant or active | Before the first freeze | Dormant storage at 55–60°F, or a sunny window | Store upside down in a closed paper bag |
| Culinary thyme | Active | Before the first frost | Sunny western or southern window; 60–70°F | Let the container dry between watering |
| Banana | Active or dormant | Before extended freezing | Bright sunny room, or dark cool storage | Dormant plants are cut to about six inches and kept barely moist |
| Cordyline | Active | As temperatures dip into the 60s | Consistent temperature and ventilation | Reduce winter water; avoid fluoride-treated tap water |
Plants that should keep growing indoors
Potted palms
Most palms need winter protection once temperatures approach roughly 55–60°F. Put the pot in a bright, humid location and keep the soil moist rather than allowing a tropical palm to become bone dry. Keep it away from cold drafts and drying heat sources. When spring returns, wait until outdoor nights are consistently about 50–60°F before moving it back outside. Reintroduce outdoor conditions gradually so the foliage is not shocked by a sudden change in light, wind, or temperature.
Potted citrus
Move citrus through a transition rather than carrying it directly from a warm patio into a heated room. As days shorten, place it in a protected outdoor spot and reduce watering. Bring it into a bright room before freezing weather, aiming for approximately 55–70°F. Avoid drafts and heat vents, both of which can stress leaves and dry the root zone. If indoor air is dry, a pebble tray or occasional misting can provide supplemental humidity. Check the soil before watering; the plant needs less water during the lower-light season than it did outdoors.
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Tropical hibiscus
Bring tropical hibiscus inside when overnight temperatures reach the low 50s. Set it in a bright room, away from drafts and forced-air vents. During cool months, reduce both watering and fertilizer instead of encouraging soft growth in weak winter light. A pebble tray can raise humidity around the plant when the room is dry. The source recommends shaping the plant with pruning in October, December, and February; make those cuts for form and size rather than treating winter as a heavy-growth season.
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Jasmine
Before moving jasmine indoors, prune the vines by at least 25 percent. Acclimate it gradually: bring the plant inside at night, then lengthen the indoor periods until it can remain in a sunny room. Complete the move before frost. Keep the vine away from drafts and drying vents, and use a pebble tray if humidity needs a boost. Leaf drop during the adjustment period is possible and does not by itself mean the plant has failed. Hold steady on light, temperature, and watering while it adapts instead of repeatedly relocating it.
Culinary thyme
Bring culinary thyme inside before the first frost. A western or southern window supplies the strongest available indoor light, and a room around 60–70°F suits active winter growth. Let the container dry between waterings; thyme is not handled like a moisture-loving tropical. Pinch off flowers to preserve the herb’s flavor. The source suggests diluted fish emulsion or liquid seaweed fertilizer every week or two, but use that only while the plant is actively growing and avoid heavy feeding during a dark, stagnant winter.
Cordyline
Move cordyline indoors as temperatures dip into the 60s. Keep it ventilated at a consistent temperature, away from both drafts and heat vents. Humidity from a naturally humid room or a pebble saucer can help. Reduce watering through fall and winter, allowing the plant’s slower growth to set the pace. The source specifically advises avoiding fluoride-treated tap water; if that is the water available to you, choose a different water source rather than exposing the plant repeatedly. Watch the foliage and potting mix together before deciding when to water again.
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Banana kept actively growing
Most bananas do not tolerate extended freezing. A potted banana can remain active in a bright, sunny room. Give it the strongest light available and adjust watering as indoor growth slows. This option requires enough space and light to support a large, fast-growing plant, so it is not automatically the best choice for every home. If you cannot provide those conditions, use the dormant method described below.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Plants that can rest in cool or dark storage
Cacti
Cactus cold tolerance is species-specific. Some can withstand temperatures near 20°F, while others are damaged well above that point. If you know the species’ threshold, keep it outdoors only within that limit. If the threshold is unknown, use the conservative move-inside cue of about 45–50°F. Stop watering three to four weeks before moving the plant, inspect it for pests, and then keep it cool with minimal water. In spring, increase exposure to strong sunlight gradually; sudden full sun can burn foliage that has spent months in dim storage.
Elephant ears
A light frost may be tolerated, but a true freeze can kill an elephant-ear tuber. Container-grown plants can move to a cool, bright spot. For plants growing in the ground, wait for cool weather and dieback, then dig the tubers. Trim stems to about four to six inches, dry the tubers for several days in a warm, dark, ventilated place, and store them cool, dry, and dark in paper. Check periodically for rot or insect damage. Treat every part as a safety concern: the source warns that nearly all parts are toxic to people and pets if ingested.
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Boston fern
Instead of trying to keep a Boston fern lush in a heated room, overwinter it in a cool, nonfreezing basement or garage with moderate to low light. On a warm day before storage, hose off the plant, trim it lightly, and shake loose debris from the foliage and pot. Moisten the soil only when it becomes dry. Some paling or leaf drop is expected in this lower-light, cooler arrangement. The goal is survival through winter, not a perfectly full display; return it to brighter conditions when active growth resumes.
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Geranium
Dig garden geraniums before the first freeze, remove loose soil, and let them dry in a cool, shady place for a couple of days. Store the plants upside down in a closed paper bag in a cool, dark location at about 55–60°F. Approximately two months before the last frost, trim them and replant in moist potting soil. Geraniums also offer two alternatives: take cuttings, or keep a potted plant at a sunny window as an actively growing specimen. Choose one method for each plant rather than watering a dormant bagged geranium as if it were on a windowsill.
Banana stored dormant
To use the dormant banana method, gradually reduce watering before a freeze, then cut the plant back to about six inches. Store it in a dark, cool place with the soil barely moist until spring. Do not keep the pot wet while the plant has little or no foliage. When warm weather returns, resume growth gradually and move it outdoors only after freezing danger has passed.
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Propagation option: preserve coleus from a cutting
Bring in the container plant
Move coleus containers indoors when nights hover near 50°F. Give them a warm, bright location and moderate watering. Inspect carefully for insects before the plant joins other houseplants.
Root a six-inch stem
A healthy cutting can preserve the plant even when the original container is too large to keep. Follow this sequence:
- Choose a healthy stem about six inches long.
- Remove the leaves from the lower portion of the stem.
- Dip the cut end in rooting hormone if you wish; it is an optional aid, not a stated requirement.
- Set the stem in moist potting mix.
- Cover the cutting for a few weeks to maintain a humid rooting environment.
- Keep it warm and sunny, and water regularly so the mix does not dry out.
Once the cutting has rooted and begun new growth, remove the cover gradually. Use a container and potting mix suited to a small cutting rather than assuming the same watering schedule as a mature outdoor plant.
A practical move-in checklist
- Check the forecast and the plant’s cue. Use the temperature or frost trigger for that species, not one universal calendar date.
- Inspect every surface. Look under leaves, around stems, and at the soil line for pests or damage; treat only when needed.
- Prune only where directed. Jasmine benefits from cutting vines by at least 25 percent, while other plants need only light shaping or removal of dead material.
- Choose the destination first. Reserve a bright room for active plants and a cool, nonfreezing, darker space for dormant material.
- Change watering immediately. Dormant cacti, tubers, ferns, geraniums, and bananas need substantially less water than actively growing plants.
- Acclimate when the source calls for it. Jasmine needs a gradual indoor transition, and spring cacti need gradual reintroduction to strong sunlight.
- Label and monitor. Record the plant, date moved, winter strategy, and last watering so similar-looking pots do not receive the wrong treatment.
The reliable approach is not to bring all 12 plants into the same room and water them on the same schedule. Match each plant to its temperature cue, light level, moisture pattern, and winter strategy; that distinction is what turns “bringing plants indoors” into successful overwintering.
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