❄️ Season
🏙️ Balcony and terrace
🌿 In brief
Plants in pots are far more vulnerable to the cold than plants in the ground: their roots have only a few centimetres of soil to protect them. Sort your plants into hardy, half-hardy and frost-tender, bring the most fragile indoors before the first frosts, insulate and raise the pots that stay outside, and keep watering lightly outside frosty spells. Hellebores, skimmias and colourful evergreens then keep the balcony alive until spring.
When the nights turn cooler, the balcony always raises the same question: what to bring in, what to protect, what to leave outside? A plant that is perfectly hardy in the ground can suffer in a 30 cm pot exposed to the wind, while a citrus tree won't survive a single night of frost. Here's how to prepare each plant for winter, protect your pots and keep your balcony alive through the cold months.
Why the cold is harder on potted plants
Hardiness ratings, such as "down to -15 °C", apply to plants grown in the ground. On a balcony, four factors make winter tougher.
Roots exposed on all sides
In the ground, roots are protected by the surrounding soil. In a pot, the cold passes through the wall: the root ball can freeze solid, even though the foliage holds up. This is the leading cause of winter losses.
Frost and standing water
Waterlogged potting soil that freezes damages roots far more than soil that is simply cool and moist. A saucer full of water in winter is a trap.
Drying wind
On upper floors, cold wind dries out the foliage of evergreens, which can't draw water from a frozen root ball. The leaves then turn brown without having frozen.
Sun after a frosty night
A sudden thaw in the morning sun bursts frozen tissue. Plants facing due east often suffer more than those placed facing west.
Sorting: bring in or protect
Before the first frosts, sort your plants into three groups. This sorting determines everything else.
| Group | Examples | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hardy | Fargesia bamboo, ivy, laurustinus, hellebores, skimmia, star jasmine, honeysuckle | Stay outside. The main thing is to protect the pot and the roots. |
| Half-hardy | Olive tree, bay laurel, rosemary, lavender, phormium | Stay outside in mild climates. Insulated pot, sheltered spot, horticultural fleece during hard frosts. |
| Frost-tender | Citrus trees, bougainvillea, tropical plants put outside for the summer | Bring indoors as soon as night temperatures drop below 5 °C, into a bright, cool room. |
For plants brought indoors, the best spot is a bright room with little heating, between 8 and 15 °C: a conservatory, a light stairwell, a barely heated bedroom. Too much heat and too little light make them leggy and cause leaf drop. Our guide to cold-hardy plants details hardiness species by species.
Protecting pots and roots
For plants that stay outside, the key is to protect the root ball. A few simple steps are enough, to be done before the first frosts.
- Group the pots together against the wall of the building, sheltered from the wind: they protect each other and benefit from the building's warmth.
- Insulate the pots: wrap them in horticultural fleece, bubble wrap or an insulating sleeve, without covering the top of the soil.
- Raise the pots on blocks or pot feet: water drains away and the cold from the floor no longer passes straight through.
- Empty and put away saucers, which keep water in contact with the roots.
- Mulch the soil with a 5 cm layer of bark or dry leaves to protect the top of the root ball.
- During hard frosts, wrap the foliage of half-hardy plants in horticultural fleece, and remove it as soon as the weather turns milder to prevent rot.
Choosing frost-resistant pots
The pot itself has to survive the winter. Cheap, porous terracotta absorbs water, and when that water freezes inside the wall, it makes the pot crack or crumble. Ceramic pots and decorative pots designed for indoor use aren't made to stay outside either.
For plants that spend the winter on the balcony, choose pots made of composite, thick recycled plastic or terracotta guaranteed frost-proof. They don't crack or fade, and they're often lighter, a real plus on a balcony. If your pot has a water reservoir, empty it before the first frosts: water freezing at the bottom would damage both the roots and the pot.
Watering and care in winter
Water sparingly, but don't forget
Evergreens keep losing water through their leaves, even in winter. Water lightly when the soil is dry a few centimetres down, around midday and only outside frosty spells. Under a covered balcony, pots don't get any rain: they're the ones most often short of water.
Stop feeding
No fertiliser from November to February: it would push the plant to produce tender new shoots, the first to freeze. Resume in March, when growth starts again.
Snow and wind
Gently shake off heavy snow that builds up on bamboo and evergreen shrubs, as it can break the stems. Also check the ties on climbers and trellises after every gust of wind. If a plant has suffered, our guide to saving a cold-damaged plant explains what to do and what to avoid.
Mistakes to avoid
⚠️ Avoid
Bringing frost-tender plants in too late. A single night below zero is enough to lose a citrus tree or a bougainvillea. Keep an eye on the forecast from October.
Bringing a hardy plant into the warmth. A laurustinus or a bamboo brought into a heated living room weakens and picks up pests. Hardy plants spend the winter outside.
Leaving saucers full. Standing water that freezes at the base of the pot damages the roots.
Wrapping the pot in airtight plastic. Moisture stays trapped and rots the base of the plant. Horticultural fleece lets it breathe.
Pruning in midwinter. Fresh cuts freeze easily. Wait until the end of winter for most pruning.
Plants that brighten up winter
A winter balcony doesn't have to be dreary. These hardy plants flower or take on colour during the cold months and cope very well with growing in pots.
Hellebores
Christmas roses and Lenten roses flower from December to April, when almost nothing else is in bloom. Fully hardy, they like partial shade and moist but well-draining potting soil.
Christmas rose 'Christmas Carol'View →
Lenten rose 'Double Ellen Pink'View →
Hellebore 'Silver Dollar'View →
Skimmias
A small evergreen shrub covered all winter in clusters of red or white buds, which open in spring. Ideal in partial or full shade, in slightly acidic potting soil.
View our frost-resistant plants →
Colourful evergreens
They give the balcony structure all year round and take on colour in winter: the white flowers of laurustinus, the nandina's foliage turning red in the cold, the blue-green leaves of 'Blue Maid' holly.
Frost-resistant pots
For plants that spend the winter outside: pots that withstand frost, UV and rain without cracking or fading. Remember to empty their water reservoir before the frosts if they have one.
Verdeia — Hardy plants
A balcony full of life all winter
Hellebores, skimmias, evergreens: discover all our cold-hardy plants, delivered in great condition.
Frequently asked questions
Frost-tender plants, such as citrus trees and bougainvillea, should come indoors as soon as night temperatures drop below 5 °C. Half-hardy plants stay outside but should be covered with fleece during hard frosts.
Yes, lightly, when the soil is dry a few centimetres down, around midday and outside frosty spells. Evergreens and pots sheltered from the rain need it most.
Group the pots against the wall, wrap them in horticultural fleece or bubble wrap, raise them on blocks, empty the saucers and mulch the soil.
Hellebores flower from December to April, laurustinus in midwinter, and skimmias stay covered in colourful buds until spring.
Yes in mild climates, as long as you insulate the pot, avoid overwatering and cover the foliage with horticultural fleece during hard frosts. A young potted olive tree is more sensitive than a mature one.
Well protected
Pots that see out the winter
Pots and decorative pots to give your outdoor plants a lasting home on your balcony.
