When the leaves start to turn gold in the fall, we keep a sharp eye on the weather reports. Of course there are tomatoes and other tender veggies to harvest, but at LQ there are also many potted plants which have spent the warm months outside, and now must go back inside before the first hard frost.
Every pot must be dealt with in one way or another. Indoor space is limited. Some plants are destined to be treated as annuals (some are!), others are separated into individual pots to be re-grouped in the spring. The plant stand in the foreground is a temporary washing station.
Note the blue post-it on this pot. It has my detailed instructions to the gardening crew on how to deal with this pot. It will let them know if they need to wash the plant, spray it with neem oil and/or BT (bacillus thuringiensis), and put it in the cool alcove, the greenhouse, the laundry room, or the sun room. Each space has its own winter "climate", and it makes a big difference where the plants go.
It is important to wash and spray the plants before bringing them in, to ensure that we aren't introducing any pests or disease organisms which tend to proliferate indoors. Note tiny insects on underside of this leaf. Washing and spraying must be thorough, and prune to reduce size, remove any dead or damaged leaves at this point. Wait until spring to fertilize.
A pot like this will have its plants potted up separately. By spring they will all need larger containers. 
Some plants never make it outside. These orchids aren't particularly happy in our dry climate, but a daily misting and setting them on top of a grate over standing water helps.
When the plants come inside the sunroom becomes a wonderful tropical paradise. In this picture you can see fuschias, pelargoniums (commonly called geraniums), begonias, amaryllis, hibiscus, and thunbergia (black-eyed susan vine). Other plants are added specifically for fragrance. Besides local nurseries, a favorite source for potted plants is Loggee's Nursery, which has a wonderfully enticing list of tropicals.
This geranium (pelargonium) has absolutely delicious bicolored blossoms!
An unusual fuschia with orange flowers which contrast fetchingly with its burgundy stems and foliage.
This hanging streptocarpus is one of Mrs. B's favorite pass-along plants. It is almost always in bloom, and its velvety leaves hang down on stems at least three feet long...a real show-stopper!
Here's an amaryllis I missed in the last blog. This is one of the shorties I said I felt were out of proportion, but now that I look at it, it's kind of cute!
This delicate begonia looks as good out of bloom as it does while blooming. A gift from some visitors, it always gets pride of place.
Plants which don't attain the show place of the sunroom may be relegated to the greenhouse. This building was retrofitted from the old duck house, and has a low ceiling fitted with skylights and large windows on the south side. I call it "the cave", as it is rather dark for a real production greenhouse. Nevertheless, plants love it, as you can see! It is really ideal for overwintering, as it never freezes and stays cool and moist. A fan helps circulate the air to reduce insect and disease problems, and when it gets really cold we turn on an oil-filled space heater. On sunny days we open the door so it doesn't overheat. Simple.
A gorgeous salvia, which is tender in our zone 5b, is well worth keeping in the greenhouse for another year.
Geranium bud about to burst. Plants are rotated into and out of the house as they go in and out of bloom. Geraniums (pelargoniums) are one of the plants pestered by cabbage loopers, and it is important to spray them with BT.
At my home the prize for fragrance goes to the sansevieria (sword plant, mother-in-law's tounge) a plant which blooms rarely but when it does, it perfumes the entire house! It sits on my bathroom counter year round, and was propagated from my mother's plant. I have it planted in the old green glass steamer I used to hang over when I was congested as a child, so the whole thing is really very nostalgic!
I bring in tender perennials as well, but really don't have much room for them. They crowd my studio all winter. Someday we plan to add a greenhouse outside these doors, and then, watch out! Plant heaven!
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