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An Amateur Gardening report published October 7, 2026, recommends preparing vulnerable perennials before harsh winter weather, including lifting pelargoniums and gladioli for protected storage. It also advises potting up tender bedding plants and adjusting the timing to local weather and exposure. The winter forecast and the results of these methods remain uncertain.
Amateur Gardening published guidance on October 7, 2026, urging gardeners to prepare vulnerable plants for winter by lifting and storing pelargoniums and gladioli, and moving tender bedding plants into protected conditions. The advice matters because damp soil and frost can damage plants that may not survive outdoors, while the report says the coming winter’s weather cannot yet be predicted.
The report recommends lifting pelargoniums and potting them in peat-free multipurpose compost, following advice on plants to grow near your front door in fall. After watering them well, gardeners can cut shoots back to the lowest healthy leaf bud, which the report says helps limit mould and gives the plant a shape for renewed growth. Plants may need little or no further water while dormant, but the guidance does not give a fixed watering schedule for every growing space.
Gladioli corms are also advised to be lifted because they can rot in damp soil, much like plants needing protection from winter moisture. The report says to cut stems back by half, keep healthy new bulblets attached to mature corms, and discard older corms that are shrivelled or soft. Store the usable corms somewhere dry and frost-free.
For tender perennial bedding plants, the writer describes potting plants such as petunias, lobelia and calibrachoas and keeping them in a greenhouse, as with colorful fall-to-winter patio plants. The report says this worked for those plants in the writer’s garden the previous year. It also recommends trimming foliage by about half and watering before reducing watering while plants are dormant. Removed pelargonium shoots can be used as cuttings, grown in seed or cutting compost on a light indoor windowsill.
Protecting Plants Before Frost
Taking action before damaging conditions arrive can help gardeners preserve plants for future growing seasons, rather than replacing them after winter losses. The advice is particularly relevant to plants vulnerable to frost or prolonged wet soil: moving them under cover or lifting their storage organs can reduce exposure to those conditions.
The report does not present these steps as a guarantee of survival. Outcomes may depend on local weather, the condition of the plants and the place where they are stored. Its practical value is in identifying which plants may need attention and offering ways to keep them sheltered through dormancy.
pelargonium plant storage containers
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Timing Depends on Local Weather
The report is an early-autumn gardening guide by Ruth Hayes, an Amateur Gardening writer, rather than a forecast or announcement of a particular cold spell. It notes that winter conditions are hard to predict and refers to possible heavy rain, a late cold snap, or dry weather. These are examples of potential conditions, not predictions for winter 2026.
Hayes says gardeners in northern areas or with exposed gardens may want to act sooner, while those in places that remain warm and dry can wait a few more weeks. That distinction makes the guidance conditional: local temperature, rainfall and shelter should inform when plants are moved or lifted.
“I’d not place a wager on what weather this winter will bring.”
— Ruth Hayes, Amateur Gardening
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Winter Conditions Remain Uncertain
The report does not establish what weather any particular area will experience this winter, or when the first damaging frost or prolonged wet spell will arrive. It also does not provide controlled comparisons or survival rates for the storage methods; the account of petunias, lobelia and calibrachoas is the writer’s experience from one garden season.
How often dormant plants need water will vary with their condition and storage environment. Gardeners should monitor plants rather than treat the report’s observation that watering may not be needed for weeks as a universal schedule.
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Check Plants as Temperatures Fall
Gardeners can use local conditions to decide when to lift corms and move vulnerable plants under cover, especially if their gardens are exposed or colder weather is approaching. After storage, plants should be checked periodically for signs of rot, mould or drying, with watering adjusted to their condition.
For pelargoniums, the next growth milestone described in the report is the return of growth in spring. Cuttings taken from trimmed shoots can be kept on a light windowsill and grown on separately. The report does not give a date for when plants should be returned outdoors; that will depend on conditions at the time.
peat-free multipurpose compost for potting
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Key Questions
When should I prepare tender plants for winter?
Use local conditions as a guide. Amateur Gardening advises acting earlier in northern or exposed gardens, while gardeners experiencing warm, dry weather may wait a few weeks.
How should pelargoniums be stored?
Lift and pot them in peat-free multipurpose compost, water well, then cut shoots back to the lowest healthy leaf bud. Keep them sheltered while dormant and check them periodically.
What should I do with gladioli corms?
Lift them from damp soil, cut stems back by half, retain healthy attached new bulblets and discard corms that are soft or shrivelled. Store sound corms in a dry, frost-free place.
Can tender bedding plants be kept through winter?
The report describes potting up petunias, lobelia and calibrachoas and keeping them in a greenhouse, with foliage trimmed and watering reduced during dormancy. The result can vary with plant health and storage conditions.
Can pelargonium cuttings be propagated from trimmed shoots?
Yes. The report recommends potting removed shoots in seed or cutting compost and growing them on a light indoor windowsill.
Source: rss
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