Conifer trees can be taken care of in terms of winter care the same as Deciduous Bonsai. They go dormant the same and once they are in heavy dormancy do not need any light. For care of my outdoor bonsai I keep them in the garage after they have gone dormant. I prefer this method since you can control the temperature better and protect the tree more from unusually warm days or ones with extreme temperature drop as well as cold drying winds which can force the tree to transpire too much moisture essentially drying it out and killing it (which is a prominent problem for me because I have a field in my back yard). If you decide to do this make sure to store them off the ground and to keep them twords the outside facing wall of the garage and not by the connecting wall to the house. when you water make sure you do so more sparingly and to not saturate the soil as you might during normal growing conditions. You will only have to water a fraction as many time as during the summer also. Ideally a dormant bonsai does best between 30-50 degrees. They can withstand short time periods bellow but if they are in these conditions too long the root ball can freeze. As far as enjoying them inside you could bring one of the Procumbens nana bonsai as an indoor bonsai to enjoy it during the winter as they can survive up to zone 9 conditions. This does raise some problems though that need to be taken care of properly for the tree to stay healthy and happy. The tree will need to have adequate sun and that it receives a lot of humidity which can be supplemented by the use of a humidity tray. It would also be best to keep it in a room with a higher humidity like a bathroom (if possible). Keep in mind This is just my opinion and experience since I live in the Chicago land are (zone 5) and can have quite harsh winters some times dropping to -10 degrees. I'm not familiar how the weather is in your zone but I'm sure you will have to be less vigilant as the weather in your area is more mild. Hopefully some on closer to your zone can help with some better suggestions. Good luck. -Mike

The way to get tender roses through cold weather is to cover the tops with mulch or soil. The last time it got below 10 degrees F here a lot of roses died back or died - I would definitely do something to prepare for 2 degrees F if I had roses that were kinds I was concerned about. The temperature ranges for USDA Hardiness Zones are average annual minimum temperatures - individual temperatures being experienced at particular times don't really have anything to do with them. Think of your USDA low temperature spread as your core set, your mid-range, with it being normal for some winters to fall outside of it. The USDA web site tells people to plant stuff rated for the next coldest zone. Part of why this is a good idea is that so many commercial (and sometimes other) sources rate plants hardier than they actually are. It seems much of the time this may be due to a misunderstanding of what the USDA Hardiness Zone temperature indications refer to. This post was edited by bboy on Sun, Jan 5, 14 at 17:58

I feel just like you Cybersunday, the interior of my house has been neglected and really needs a good cleaning. Spiders have been active this summer and I can't count the cobwebs I've swept up on walls and ceilings. For me, cleaning the garden in fall depends on the weather and the amount of time I have. I prefer to clean it up now because otherwise it's a massive job in spring and since I plant spring blooming bulbs, I find that it is more attractive when the garden is cleaned. For whatever reason, the leaves on the trees haven't fallen much yet and this will be another mammoth task as we have many trees on our property. I am like Glen and Bonnie as I have loads of potted tropicals and tender perennials throughout the garden. I started to bring the orchids and begonias inside for the winter and we've been kind of lucky because we haven't had frost yet so I have a few more days to cut back all those plants. Unfortunately, I can't save them all so I take cuttings of many tenders too. Although I too use to protect my plants, I haven't in the last 8 years. It is just alot of additional work and sometimes the end result wasn't worth the trouble. My philosophy is that if I have to protect plants with burlap or leaves, then they aren't intended for this climate. There are so many beautiful hardy plants that I can grow that I no longer bother with those that I know won't survive the winter.

Mary, I don't do anything to prepare the A incarnata for the winter. I just leave it be. In the spring, I will cut back the dead wood as the new growth appears. My older plants are not doing so good this year, so I will probably replace them next spring. The plants seems to lose vigor after several years. Sandy