December cold snaps have a way of sneaking up on container gardeners. One mild day… then suddenly the temperature drops overnight and your patio pots are caught in the crossfire. The good news? You can protect your container plants quickly. Even at the last minute, if you know what matters most when frost hits. This guide will help you decide what to move, what to cover, and what to leave alone, so your plants make it through winter cold without damage. 🌡️ Why Containers Are More Vulnerable Than In-Ground Plants Plants grown in containers don’t have the insulation of surrounding soil. Their roots are exposed to: * colder air temperatures * wind chill * rapid freeze–thaw cycles Roots are often damaged before leaves show stress — which is why prevention is key. 🪴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 (𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭): * Herbs (especially rosemary, basil, parsley) * Citrus or fruit trees * Annuals you’re trying to overwinter * Terracotta pots * Newly planted containers * Small or shallow pots 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬: * Hardy perennials rated well below your temps * Large containers with thick walls * Evergreen shrubs in insulated pots When time is short, focus on tender plants + small pots. 🏡 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 (𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬) If possible, relocate containers to: * against the house foundation * under a porch or eaves * inside a garage or shed (even unheated helps) * inside overnight, then back out during the day Even 𝟓–𝟏𝟎 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 can make the difference. 🧣𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐬 (𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭!) If moving isn’t an option, insulate. 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: * Wrap pots in towels, blankets, or burlap * Use bubble wrap under fabric layers * Place pots inside cardboard boxes (leave tops open) * Group pots tightly together 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭: Protect the pot, not just the plant top. Frozen roots = plant failure. 🌿 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 (𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐭) 𝐔𝐬𝐞: * frost cloth

PGS friends — it’s time! 🎉 Our December tee is officially LIVE and this one is extra special because it’s the FIRST time we’ve done a two-color design… and it seriously makes the whole thing pop. 💜 This isn’t just a shirt — it’s a community-made design you helped bring to life. 🌿 “Bloom Where You Are Planted” = a wearable reminder for winter days, seed-planning season, and everything in between. 👉 Grab it here: Bloom Where You Are Planted Drop a 🌸 in the comments if you voted on this one — you made it happen!

You put up the tree. You add the twinkle lights. Your home feels warm, festive, and cozy… …and suddenly your plants start dropping leaves. If you’ve ever wondered why a perfectly happy houseplant starts acting dramatic the moment holiday lights appear, you’re not imagining it. December décor can be surprisingly stressful for plants, especially indoor container plants that are already dealing with low light, dry air, and temperature swings. Let’s break down what’s really happening, and how to keep both your plants and your holiday sparkle happy. 🌿 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 Plants are sensitive to light, heat, and air movement. Holiday lights often change all three at once. Common December plant stressors include: * Added heat from lights * Sudden light exposure at night * Dry air around decorated areas * Changed airflow patterns * Being moved closer to windows or heat sources Your plants aren’t being fussy. They’re reacting to an environment shift. 💡 𝟏. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐩 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 #𝟏 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭) Even LED lights give off some warmth. Incandescent lights give off a lot. When lights are wrapped around: * plant shelves * window frames * mantels * tree stands near plants …the air temperature around leaves increases. 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: * Dry, crispy leaf edges * Yellowing leaves * Sudden leaf drop * Wilted leaves even when soil is moist 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐢𝐭: * Move plants at least 12–18 inches away from lights * Use LED lights only near plants * Turn lights off overnight Plants like consistent temperatures not mini heat waves. 🌙 𝟐. 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Plants rely on darkness just as much as daylight. Holiday lights left on late into the night can: * Disrupt natural plant rhythms * Interfere with rest cycles * Delay flowering (especially holiday cacti) * Trigger stress leaf drop This is especially common near: * Christmas trees * Window displays * Shelves with decorative lights 𝐅𝐢𝐱 𝐢𝐭: * Turn decorative lights off before bed * Avoid placing plants directly inside light displays

I've had a bird of paradise for about 4 yrs now. This past summer it has done better than any other. Well, it has put on more leaves and only lost one or two. It has never bloomed, but I'll settle for solid growth first. Since I have moved it in for the winter, it has developed some brown patches on a couple of the leaves. I have it around grow lights, however I have never been able to successfully use them. It is a good distance away from the lights and I'm not sure if they are the cause of the damage. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Today is the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year… and your plants absolutely notice it. Container gardeners, especially those with indoor setups, overwintered pots, shade-loving herbs, or winter veggies, feel the shift more than most. Plants slow down, light is weak, windows stay cold, and growth patterns get a little funky. But the Solstice isn’t just the darkest day. It also marks the moment when the light begins to return. Let’s dive into what today means for your plants and how to support them through the next few weeks of deep winter. 🌤️ 𝟏. 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭-𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 This is the day your plants receive: * The fewest hours of natural daylight * The weakest sunlight intensity * The lowest daily total energy (photosynthetically speaking) If you’ve noticed: * slow growth * pale leaves * legginess * droopiness * poor herb production * or delayed blooms …it’s not you ... 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧. Your plants aren’t dying. They’re conserving energy and doing what plants do when the sun disappears. 💡 𝟐. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 ✔ 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 Winter sunlight is weak — even a few extra inches help. ✔ 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 To prevent leaning and stretching. ✔ 𝐖𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 Dust blocks what little light we get right now. ✔ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 Even a cheap clip-on can make a MASSIVE difference. ✔ 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 Plants can’t use the nutrients well right now. 𝐏𝐆𝐒 𝐭𝐢𝐩: If you want your herbs to actually grow in December and January, a grow light is not optional, it’s the secret weapon. ❄️ 𝟑. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 The Solstice is when cold snaps start hitting fast. Take a moment today to check: ✔𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? Clusters stay warmer. ✔ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞? They crack easily in December/January. ✔ 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩? This protects soil from hard freezing.