Moving My Tropical Potted Plants Indoors

October 21, 2025

Moving My Tropical Potted Plants Indoors

All my tropical container plants are now safely stored indoors for the winter.

I have quite a large collection of warm weather plants at my farm. Because I live in a four-season region, during colder months, it’s crucial these plants move inside, where the temperature and humidity levels can be monitored and controlled. Plants that spent the summer at Skylands, my home in Maine, are brought back to Bedford for storage. Most of them are kept in one of four sizable hoop houses. It’s a tedious process to put all of them away, but a very important one that keeps all my plants in excellent condition.

Enjoy these photos.

: Every year, I evaluate the needs of my plants and decide where they will be stored for the winter months. Plants grow, so they cannot always be stored in the same place. It’s a big multiple-day process.

: The hoop house structures are all made from steel frames and polyethylene panels. Inside, the temperature and humidity levels are closely monitored and can be adjusted when necessary. They all have manual roll-up curtains on both sides for ventilation purposes on milder days.

: All the plants from around the farm are brought to their designated houses – organized and assigned by type and care needs. I instruct the crew when it is time to start putting them inside and how long they have to get the job done. It’s important to watch the weather forecast closely for nighttime frost.

: I repurpose boards and stumps from downed trees to use as shelves and risers for some of the potted plants. It’s important to make use of both horizontal and vertical space when storing. A lot of the wood comes from the old, diseased ash trees that were taken down.

: Stumps of different sizes are transported to every house.

: And save your back! If the stump can be rolled to its needed location, do it.

: Using stumps of various heights is the best use of vertical space, so plants can be stored closer together and not be in each other’s way. Be sure to use stumps that are larger than the pot bottom.

: Using moving blankets to protect the plants, and straps, these container topiaries can be safely moved by tractor. These are Australian Brush Cherry trees, Eugenia myrtifolia, also now known as Syzygium paniculatum. The Brush Cherry is an evergreen tree or shrub with shiny dark green leaves native to Australia and New Zealand. I usually display these topiaries in the courtyard behind my Winter House kitchen during summer.

: This is one of my many sago palms, Cycas revoluta. Sago is a popular plant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. This very symmetrical plant supports a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk that is typically about seven to eight inches in diameter, sometimes wider.

: Ryan and Phurba carefully guide this potted sago palm as it is taken off the tractor and placed onto a stump.

: And then the two slowly turn the potted specimen, so it is not touching the ceiling of the hoop house or any other potted plants. Plants are sensitive and if left touching could cause a defense response reducing growth. Plants can also become more easily infested with pests or diseases if left touching each other.

: Move in tallest and widest plants first, from the back to the front. Phurba and Ryan also make sure the plants don’t touch the fans or heaters.

: A smaller sago palm is transported by hand truck. Pete moves this very carefully, so the plant is not hurt along the way.

: When storing in a greenhouse, leave just enough space for walking, watering, grooming, and feeding.

: Some spaces have specially designed greenhouse tables. these work well for smaller container plants such as these agaves.

: These industrial strength rubber topped tables can hold heavy containers without damaging them. They also have holes to allow water to drain easily.

: I also make my own shelving out of the old boards and stumps. Use long three-inch screws to attach the stumps to the wooden boards, so they do not fall over.

: These shelves are very strong and can be made to fit any length necessary.

: In this small greenhouse, a table is constructed in the center and then a narrow shelf is placed on top and in between rows of potted plants for even smaller pots. Vertical space is very accommodating.

: Meanwhile, Ryan tends the bird’s nest ferns, Asplenium nidus, outside. Before storing plants for the winter, it is always a good idea to groom the plants – remove dead foliage, repot if necessary, and feed.

: Here, Alex carries a much shorter, wider stump round. This is good for raising wide bottomed pots.

: Phurba brings in another palm. If one has room to store them, it is always a good idea to save the plastic pots from the nursery. These containers come in very handy and can be used from year to year. I remove some of the potted plants from their decorative vessels and store them in plastic.

: Another tip: take note of where the greenhouse is located, how much the weather affects the structure – does it get very hot inside, does it get damp or drafty. Arrange plants to fit and check on them often.

: As containers are positioned, bricks or wood shims are placed underneath for drainage.

: This hoop house is nearly all filled. the most prominent here is a potted Beaucarnea recurvata, a ponytail palm – a species of plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true palms. In fact, it is a member of the Agave family and is actually a succulent.

: All the greenhouses are checked a couple times each day to make sure the temperature remains comfortably warm inside. Too cold, plants will freeze – too hot, plants will rot. To simulate the best subtropical environment, I try to keep the temperature in this greenhouse between 50 and 85-degrees Fahrenheit with some humidity. They’ll continue to thrive here until they are brought outdoors again in spring.