With their bright , colorful flowers and rounded leaves , nasturtiums   ( Tropaeolum majus)liven up the garden all summertime long . Their edible efflorescence and leaves add together a distinctive peppery flavor as well as a pop of color to salads .

Easy to acquire , they require minimum attention during the summer , but as an one-year , these colorful works are not suit to the frigid temperature of winter .

We link up to vendors to help you find relevant products . If you buy from one of our links , we may bring in a mission .

A close up of vivid red and orange nasturtium flowers in bright sunshine on a soft focus background.

Fortunately , there are some measures you may take to help them preserve turn after cold weather condition bang .

What You’ll Learn

Plant Hardiness Zones

To determine if your nasturtiums can survive the winter out in the garden , take a expression at yourUSDA Plant Hardiness Zone .

They are usually fine to be leave behind in the garden during the cooler atmospheric condition in Zones 9 - 11 .

However , if you be in Zone 8 or below , it ’s in all likelihood your plant will pop off if you go out them outside during the winter . fortuitously , genus Nasturtium reseeds readily . If allowed to go to seed , with any chance , even if you have n’t collected seeds for replanting , some will bourgeon from the same country in the spring if they drop down to the primer during the old fall .

A close up of bright red nasturtium flowers contrasting with the large, flat green leaves. To the center and bottom of the frame is white and green text.

Fortunately , there are other ways to keep your nasturtium flora going stiff through the winter as well .

A Refresher on Annuals

Remember that genus Nasturtium is an yearly , which mean it completes its animation cycle in one year . Therefore , if you planted your prime in the leaping , they will likely develop seminal fluid in late summertime or early fall , and die off with the first frost .

Do n’t worry if this happens . It ’s prosperous to accumulate the seed pod from the ground and start them again in the spring .

However , if your industrial plant have not yet set seed , they can preserve grow throughout the wintertime – with a small care and attention .

A close up of bright red nasturtium flowers contrasting with the large, flat green leaves. To the center and bottom of the frame is white and green text.

It ’s deserving notingthere are some speciesin theTropaeolumgenus that are herbaceous perennials , such asT. tuberosum , a climbing variety which produces tubers .

But for the purposes of this article , we ’re concentrating on the annuals most commonly grow by US gardeners .

Protecting Plants from the Elements

If you live in Zone 9 or 10 , frost may on occasion strike . If you see the weather forecast predicting temperatures below 35 ° F , get quick to protect your flora .

be adrift words coverscan provide tax shelter from rime and increase the melody temperature around the plants .

To use these covers , robe the textile over your plant , realise sure there are no col between the ground and the cloth . Secure the screening at the side with soil , brick , or other exercising weight . Gather and secure the fabric at each closing .

A close up of a nasturtium plant with bright red flowers and large, flat green leaves growing in the garden. The background is soil and vegetation fading to soft focus.

Although course comprehend only demand to be put on when temperatures are predict to duck below 35 ° F , you may provide them on when temperature are in the high 30s and XL . Your plants will do good from the increased warmth and protection from the chilly conditions .

If you ’re growing your plants in container , then either bestow them indoors or wrap them with a float row cover and move to a sheltered place .

If you do n’t have access to row covering fire , you’re able to practice a composition board corner to protect your plant from frost .

A vertical picture of bright yellow Tropaeolum majus flowers with dark red centers, contrasting with the large, flat green leaves on a soft focus background.

Find a box that covers the whole flora and localize it over the top . If your boxwood still has the top flapping attach , station these affluent with the ground and press them down with rocks , bricks , or dirt .

This is a temporary solution , as the cardboard will promptly become damp and squashy in soaked conditions – you ’ll call for to remove it immediately if this materialise , so this is n’t an idealistic type of covering to apply if you plan to go on a prospicient wintertime vacation when inclement atmospheric condition is forebode .

polish off the boxwood or cover after all peril of Robert Frost has kick the bucket .

A close up picture of a yellow nasturtium flower with bright red center, contrasting with the flat green leaves that surround it, on a dark background.

Potting-Up to Bring Indoors

If you dwell in Zone 8 or below and your industrial plant are growing in the ground in your garden , they will not survive the wintertime outdoors . You ’ll want to pot them up and contribute them indoors .

Since this tender flower ca n’t handle freezing temperatures , you ’ll need to begin preparingbefore the first icing hits .

If you have a trail type of nasturtium , or a lush bush type , it ’s best to give it a light-headed pruning . Usingpruning shear , cut the root and leaves back until they are 10 - 12 inches long .

A Tropaeolum majus plant growing outdoors in a wooden pot, the yellow and orange flowers trailing over the side and contrasting with the flat green leaves. In the background is grass and a light blue wooden shed.

This make the plant life easier to palm and alsoprovides you with an edible goody . attempt adding the trim leaves and flower to a salad for a peppery punch of flavor .

After pruning , you ’re ready to get the picture up your plants and put them into containers or pots .

Using a shovelful , stab down at least five inches away from the master stem . carry on moving around the works until you have a traffic circle that is a least ten inches in diameter and ten inches deep , calculate on the size of your plant life .

A Tropaeolum majus plant growing up a wire trellis on a stone wall. The plant is suffering from frost damage, with wilting and dying flowers and leaves.

Carefully lift the plant and the radical ball out of the ground , shake off some of the excess filth , and localize it in a container that is at least ten inches in diameter . Fill the rest period of the container with soil .

After potting up your plant , place it in a sheltered positioning to allow it to acclimate to its new home . A garage or encompass terrace is a serious option .

After a few sidereal day , you may move it inside .

A close up of a Tropaeolum majus plant with bright yellow flowers and large flat green leaves. The background is grass and vegetation in soft focus.

put the pot in a sunny location with a temperature of 55 - 70 ° F . Water your plant life enough to keep it moist but not waterlogged .

you’re able to reap the folio and flowers throughout the wintertime , put up you leave at least three leave-taking intact – otherwise the plant will pall . However , it ’s authoritative to note that the plant will grow much dull than it does in the summertime .

Once the peril of frost has passed , you may move your pot alfresco during the day to allow it to acclimate to the outdoor environs . bring in it in at night to avoid temperature shock .

A close up of a Tropaeolum majus plant with red flowers and flat green leaves growing in a container on a windowsill. In the background is soft sunlight coming through the window.

After a week or so , you could either replant it in your garden or keep it growing in the container .

Since nasturtium is an yearly , it may soon produce seeds and become flat back . fortuitously , saltation is the perfect time to plant new seeds out in the garden for fresh , vibrant blooms .

Bright Spring Flowers

With a little care and attention , these colorful , eatable plants can survive the colder month . Even if they do n’t , seeds from these vigorous growers can be sown again in spring for a vivid flare-up of color in the garden and on your plate .

And check out the following article on managing flowers in the cold weather :

© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With additional writing and redaction by Clare Groom .

A nasturtium plant in a green pot growing on a windowsill in the winter. There are red and yellow flowers contrasting with the large flat green leaves, in light sunshine.

About

Briana Yablonski

A Tropaeolum majus plant with yellow and red blooms and characteristic flat green leaves, growing up a wooden fence.