This question came up several times this fall. Container gardening has been on the increase, but what do you do with all those plants once you close down the patio for the season in cold climates. It's often impractical to drag them indoors and, even if you did, many plants don't fare any better in the dry, sun deprived atmosphere of our homes than they do outdoors in freezing temperatures. If you simply can't bring yourself to compost your container plants and start fresh in the spring, you're going to have to give them some extra protection. Here are some of the things that have worked for me, when I needed to protect my containers. If you have some suggestions to add, please do. We need all the ideas we can get.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

More than one person has written to ask, "My winter has been very mild and several plants that need dormant pruning don't seem to have gone dormant. Will it hurt them if I prune them now and if so, how long should I wait?"

This can be an ongoing problem for gardeners in warm climates, but it is also possible some plants won't go into complete dormancy in cold areas that experience mild winters. If that's the case for you, it's still best to prune before the new spurt of growth in the spring, rather than not pruning at all. I'd suggest waiting until you see the leaf buds beginning to swell and pruning then. That's when the plant is ready to burst into action. Pruning now could encourage the plant to start sending out new growth immediately and that tender new growth will be killed off when the weather hits a cold spell.

Those of you in warm winter areas get to prune most of your plants in December and January. The plants may never go dormant, but most do slow down and rest a bit. And the cooler, wetter season is kinder on plants than pruning in the dry heat of summer.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2008) licensed to About.com, Inc.

They're everywhere. Christmas trees seem to drop down in bulk, the minute you put down your fork on Thanksgiving Day. Traditional balsam and pines, fraser firs - and what the heck is a concolor? Whether you like to keep your tree around for months or just a couple of weeks, here are some tips on picking a fresh tree, choosing a tree with strong needles or fragrance and keeping it safe throughout the holidays.

Photo: Getty Images News / Sean Gallup.

Have a wonderful holiday and thank you all for sharing your time, your thoughts and your gardens with me, over the years. Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are.

Photo: gnmills / stock.xchng.