Pride Of Barbados – Surviving The Cold

Q: While visiting San Antonio this summer we saw beautiful Pride of Barbados bushes with lovely flame orange flowers. My husband had to have one and we planted it in a very large pot. When the temperature dropped into the low 20’s we brought it into the garage. How do we keep it alive in winter?

A: If you can keep it away from temperatures lower than 45 degrees, you may be able to keep it leafed out in the container. You’ll have to wheel it in an out of your garage on warm, sunny winter days. Consider placing a couple of 150 watt equivalent CFL bulbs in clamp light fixtures a foot away from the plant if you can’t take it outdoors. If the leaves fall off, keep the plant from freezing and water it occasionally to keep the soil barely moist in winter. Gradually expose it to warm sunshine in April and see if it leafs out again. Honestly, it might be easier to find seed online and plant each spring. Lightly sand each seed before planting outdoors in late April.