Q: I have seven ferns hanging from my porch. Please tell me how I can save them for next year.

A: Assuming you have Boston ferns on your porch, as many people do, you’ll have to bring them indoors for the winter. They can not survive temperatures below 40 degrees F.

Here’s a thought, though. Call local schools or churches and ask if they would like to have five of your plants to hang in front of sunny windows in their buildings. They will probably be thrilled to get them.

Bring your two remaining ferns indoors and hang them where they get the most light possible. Keep a pair of scissors handy to prune fronds which inevitably turn brown during the winter.

Next spring, pull the ferns from their baskets and saw each root ball into eight equal pieces. Buy eight new hanging baskets and fill with potting soil. Plant each of the baskets with two fern divisions and hang them on your porch again. A month later you’ll have eight baskets filled with greenery!