Saving Summer: The Indoor Garden Encore

November 4, 1994

On this day, garden writer Barbara Pleasant finished writing her article about extending summer's joy through winter by bringing our beloved bedding plants indoors.

The article appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser in Montgomery, Alabama, the following day on November 5th.

There's something so hopeful about saving a bit of summer's glory from frost's inevitable arrival.

Barbara points out that while we can't save everything from winter's chill, many of our favorite bedding plants are what she charmingly calls "windowsill hardy."

Geraniums, summer's cheerful companions, can become endless bloomers when given a bright window and a little love.

Here's Barbara's advice on overwintering geraniums.

Geraniums often bloom nonstop all winter when kept in a bright window. If your geraniums are in pots, simply prune them back until three green branches remain and then bring them indoors.

You also can dig up geraniums growing in the ground, plant them in 6-inch-wide pots and treat them like houseplants.

A third option is to cut off several 4-inch cuttings from your geraniums, place the cuttings in a jar of water for about three weeks (until you see new roots) and then pot them up. By late winter, those new rooted cuttings should begin to bloom.

What I find most endearing is Barbara's mention of those "volunteer" marigolds - those plucky little self-sown flowers that appear in late August, as if nature itself is trying to give us one last gift of summer. These unexpected treasures, when potted up while still holding unopened buds, offer us a few more precious weeks of golden blooms.

And let's not forget those silvery sentinels of the garden - dusty miller - whose frosted leaves seem made for brightening our indoor spaces during winter's darkest days. Barbara likes them paired with the powder-blue blooms of ageratum [ad-jur-RAY-tem] to create a living reminder of summer's garden tapestry.

And don't forget about gathering treasures from your herb garden. 

Barbara writes, 

Don't forget about herbs, too, whether you dig up whole plants or root a few cuttings. A small pot of rosemary or sage may be perfect for your kitchen window. You also can pot up some indestructible chives. With luck, your summer leftovers will last well into the new year.

This article reminds us that gardening isn't just about the growing season - it's about finding creative ways to keep our connection to the garden alive all year round.

Whether it's a small pot of kitchen windowsill herbs or a rescued geranium blooming in February, these little bits of saved summer help us remember that spring will come again.