How I Overwinter My Tropical & Exotic Plants (2025–2026 Guide)
- yorkshirekris
- Oct 15
- 3 min read
It’s that time of year again — mid-October — and the garden is starting to wind down. The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and I know it’s time to start thinking about overwintering my tropical and exotic plants.
This post (and video) walks you through my full overwintering regime for the 2025–2026 season, step by step — from lifting tender plants to protecting hardy exotics. Whether you grow bananas, cannas, or palms, this guide will help you protect your plants through winter and set them up for a great start next spring.
Why I Wait Until After the First Frost
I like to wait until we’ve had a proper frost before lifting most tender plants. That first frost signals the plants to go dormant — their growth slows, and energy moves down into their roots or rhizomes.
For Coleus, Plectranthus, and Iresine, I’ll take cuttings before the frost hits, just in case. These tender plants don’t survive outside, but they root easily indoors under lights.
Lifting and Storing Tender Plants
Once frost has blackened the leaves, I start lifting Cannas, Gingers, and Dahlias. These are all stored in the greenhouse, where they’ll dry out slightly and rest for the winter.
Cannas: I lift them with as much root as possible, cut back the stems, and store the rhizomes in trays of compost. They’ll sit just moist — not bone dry — until spring.
Hardy Gingers (Hedychium forrestii): These can stay in the border if the ground is free-draining, but I keep more tender ones in pots as insurance.
The Greenhouse: Winter Headquarters
By late October, the greenhouse starts filling up. This is where Aeoniums, Colocasias, Brugmansias, Begonias, and Tradescantias all find a winter home.
The key is air circulation and temperature balance. I keep mine frost-free but cool — around 5°C (41°F). Watering is minimal; I only give them a sip if the soil looks dusty dry.
Overwatering is one of the biggest killers during winter — better too dry than too wet.
Protecting Hardy Exotics Outside
Not everything comes in! Many of my plants are hardy enough to stay out with a bit of protection:
Gunnera cryptica: I cut back the leaves and use them to mulch the crown — nature’s own duvet.
Tree Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica): The crowns get stuffed with straw, and I wrap the top foot of the trunk in fleece in very cold winters.
Palms (Brahea, Butia, Chamaerops): These stay out, but I protect the crowns with fleece or a rain shelter in severe prolonged cold.
Tetrapanax papyrifer: Surprisingly hardy! I leave it unprotected.
The idea is to balance hardy structure with tender tropicals — so even in winter, the garden has form and interest.
The Arid and Desert Section
My Agaves, Yuccas, and Cacti live in an arid bed, so they don’t get dug up. Instead, I build simple rain shelters over them — clear polycarbonate panels that keep them dry while still letting in light.
Cold isn’t usually the problem for these plants — it’s winter wet that kills them. Keep their crowns dry, and they’ll be fine down to surprisingly low temperatures.
Overwintering Bananas
The bananas are always a talking point!
Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’: I cut off the leaves, dry the plant for a week, then store it in the greenhouse, frost-free and dry.
Musa basjoo: Hardy enough to stay out. I wrap the stem in dry straw or leaves and cover the crown with fleece for insulation.
Come spring, both bounce back strong and ready to grow.
Final Thoughts
Overwintering might seem like a chore, but it’s one of my favourite garden rituals. It marks the end of the growing season — a time to slow down, tidy up, and set the stage for next year.
Every year I tweak my process slightly depending on the weather and how each plant performed, but the principles remain the same:
Keep it frost-free, keep it dry, and don’t rush to start watering again in spring.
If you plan ahead and take your time, overwintering can save you money, keep your collection thriving, and make next year’s display even more impressive.
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💬 Join the Conversation
How are you overwintering your plants this year? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear your tips and tricks!