I agree with them. And if it's a cavendish, you can store it in the basement or garage as long as it doesn't freeze. But if those pups are small, you will have to keep them going in whatever window space you have because they wouldn't be big enough to store. Here is a link that might be useful: my ebay guide to storing bananas

Mechele, in your Zone I think it would be fine to plant out hardy perennials in your garden now. I am often in your situation and have planted out perennials as late as October 26 (according to my journal) with success. However, if for any reason I can't plant out, I sink the pots/WS containers in the ground over winter and then plant out next spring. That works well for second year flowering perennials - you get flowers the first year they are in the ground. Don't forget the earth is still pretty warm.

Mike, I have this fig tree, and live in northeastern Massachusetts. I have successfully overwintered it in a 55 degree room with several windows as well as in my darker and somewhat cooler cellar. Just water it once a month. I do it at the beginning of the month just as a way to mark the time. In the brighter room, it begings to leaf out in late February, in the darker cellar it's closer to mid-late March. Start increasing the water when you've got a nice show of green tip/leaves. It gets trickier when it's time to move it outside in the spring. Do it gradually increasing the brightness or the leaves may burn. Try to keep the temp above 45 degrees. Below that could cause damage. I've done it this way for at least five years. I stopped using the cellar when the tree got to heavy to lift, so the cooler room inside the house became its winter home. I need advice on when to prune. Does it fruit less the year after pruning? Kate

Thanks, Peg! I agree. The weather has been a bit... bizarre this year. Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come. Kms9: I'm a little depressed that I missed those at Lowes! I looked around this year for something more durable and wider for herbs (particularly mint), veggies, and annual plantings, but couldn't find anything worth the investment. I did read that plumeria roots grow outward rather than downward, so I'll definitely be on the search for something similar next year. I wonder how well they would work for a mini water garden. I saw one made out of a whiskey (I think) barrel somewhere and it looked neat. Aww. A gardener in training! That's adorable! Elucas101 & Jandey: Thank you! Laura: I wish that I couldn't believe it, but with the weather lately... Who knows what will happen. Come to think of it, the last November noreaster, that I can remember, did flood the garage. Ugh, not looking forward to this one. We're ready to run out and grab sand bags if things start going south. I'm sorry about your car! Why can't they design them so that all the important parts are waterproof? My father's car flooded and is experiencing electrical issues too. Sandy has been good to the automotive repair business. True, we're a bit accustomed to the flooding and winds here. I feel terrible for those up north that were blindsided. It's going to take a while for them to recover. Here's to hoping that they don't have a ton of snow dumped on them this year (knock on wood). After seeing your palms, I've been browsing through catalogs and sites to see what's available for this zone. I think I might be a potential palm addict! If only I had the space and conditions for them... The Plant Delights catalog had a nice selection. The fan palms looked awesome (particularly "Vulcano"). Who knows, I might be able to squeeze one in somewhere. Yes! I love DR's. I only have one right now that I grew from seed, but I have many seeds left so I think I'll start some more next year. If we could plant DR's and plumeria in the ground I'd have a small tropical forest! The few months of sharing the house with them isn't too bad considering how great they'll look come summer. I was raking pine straw again today. It never ends... The trees still have leaves. Ugh. I did manage to uncover another green tree frog! Poor thing, I hope its hibernation wasn't interrupted. Meh, what am I complaing about. It could be worse. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to treat for spider mites on overwintered plumeria? We brought the last of our house plants in last week (christmas cactus, spider plants, schefflera) and yesterday I noticed spider mites all over the plumeria leaves. They're in small clusters, so I'm sure they haven't been there long, but there are many clusters... I'm afraid this is just the beginning of something terrible.