outdoor topiaries

Question

I bought 2 topiaries for my front porch this summer. I potted them. They did wonderful. With winter approaching I brought them into my dining room because I don’t know what kind of plant they are. They have small waxy leaves. One had little white flowers this summer. Fell off after a couple weeks. The other no. They hate the inside and are drying up because of the heater I guess. Gave them water. Losing leaves. Should I take them outside again or will the die in the cold? They are not evergreens. Help. Don’t want to throw them away. Should I fertilize them? Not root bound.

Answer 1

They are dying because they are not indoor plants, and they need the light outdoors. The plants are most likely pittosporum, box, or holly, all of which are considered broadleaf evergreens, meaning that they don’t lose leaves in the winter. When you buy a plant, it’s always wise to find out what it’s called and ask for basic care instructions, unless you’re planning to treat it as if it were cut flowers, and throw it away in a few days or weeks. In any case, all these plants are probably winter hardy in your area – we can only hope that local stores would not sell topiary that aren’t winter hardy. Basic winter care involves cutting back on watering. Also, you don’t want to fertilize after early fall, to allow the plants to enter dormancy. If you have some extreme weather in the forecast, you may want to take special measures for winter protection. Here’s some information for you:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/overwintering-container-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/protecting-plants-winter.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/frost-how-to-protect-your-plants.htm