check with the guys as www.cobraplant.com they advocate year-round outdoor growing and have ideas around climate problems. In "The Savage Garden", I seem to recall mulching outdoor bog gardens, covering with a tarp and the mulching again with several inches of padding. I don't think that I'm going to do that here in Ohio, but just a few pine needles may not work. I tried that last winter with no garage or basement and eventually sent them to a foster garage during the cold spells. None are around now to tell the tale. This year I have a garage to use but will still mulch (just in case). I think I overwatered last winter. I only water from above on occasion. I don't see a problem with it, but waiting until the water evaporates may not be ideal. Just keep the water an inch or two (depending on the size of the pot) and they'll be happy. As I learned this spring, don't put pots in containers that are higher than the pot! I have a couple of litter boxes filled with pots and water and one morning the plants were swimming when the tray filled.

It does make sense for anything that isn't frost tender. Planting in fall/winter takes advantage of our winter rainfall to minimize the need to hand water, and the tree will put more energy into growing roots rather than top growth in the cooler weather, so it is a win/win situation. For the subtropical things that may suffer from cold, it makes more sense to wait to plant until it warms up again in the spring. On the other hand, if the subtropicals you have in mind are root hardy, or will only drop leaves with frost and not be killed back, it is also safe to plant them in most of coastal California. Cannas would fit into this category, with the tops being lost to a freeze, but the roots are perfectly hardy in much of California, and not harmed by planting now.

Gather the seeds and do a test germination on several. If they sprout, you're good to go and can replant. If your test seeds don't sprout, you need to buy new seeds.

peaceofmind- Thanks for sharing that wonderful story. I spent quite a few years working as a liaison between my office and several Native American tribes, and I have sympathy for how tribes want to try to preserve what little is left of their heritage, culture, and family life. And I also know how hard it is for our dominant culture to try to understand and deal with this, especially when it looks like tribes are not availing themselves of what we consider "better" options. I'm not taking sides, and I'm not idealistic about this, as I had many challenging times trying to work through mutually agreeable solutions with tribal members. However, I am glad you got the outcome you did and that, in the end, it all worked out for your family and the girls. Based on my own experience, I can only say that everyone must have done an impressive job of convincing the tribes to agree with the adoption going forward and get the result you did. That doesn't happen unless you convince a tribe that you are a person of integrity and trust, and that doesn't happen easily or quickly. I'm sure part of this is the tribe having assurance that the girls will still be connected to their siblings